It is pumpkin planting time! Well, we are a little late for our zone, but better late than never! This is our first experience planting pumpkins. We didn’t have space for plants that spread like pumpkins at our old house, but have a little more room now, so we are going to give it a try! We figured we may not make it to our favorite pumpkin patch this year (ya know, the pandemic), so we may need our own patch in the backyard. Gardening with children sounds daunting, but they love it! It may take a little longer, but it is so worth it.
Pumpkin Planting Time!
Get those little hands out in the garden to help! There is nothing W loves more (other than snacks) than to get out in the yard and help Mama. The first thing we had to do was clear out our beds. We pulled up all of the spring/summer plants except for the tomatoes and watermelons. Our strawberries, squash, zucchini, and cucumbers had really stopped producing well. We were still getting a few things from the plants, but we needed the space to move on to fall. I pulled the plants, and W hauled them over to the tarp. We found a lot of worms (and 1 snake!!) along the way. W used his rake to smooth the soil.
Our Pumpkin Seeds
Our seeds came from Eden Brothers. I ordered Fairytale, Casper, and Jack O Lantern varieties. I ended up with WAY too many seeds. 1 or 2 of the small packets will be plenty for a home garden.
The packet recommended putting 5 or so seeds in each hole. We put 6. It said to weed out the weaker sprouts, leaving the three strongest. I will update as we do that. W dug the holes, planted the seeds, covered them, and then patted them down.
Watering Your Garden…the Easy Way.
Listen. If you only take one thing from this post, THIS IS IT. Don’t water your garden every day yourself. It is 2020. Use those 15 minutes to actually pee alone or brush your teeth. Get yourself a soaker hose, a hose splitter, and a sunrise water timer. Each morning, at sunrise, the timer releases the water for whatever time I set.
Gardening with children is a joy. It takes a little longer and you’ll get a little more messy, but I swear to you that it is worth it.
Now, we wait…
