Mother Nature Begins to Take a Bow....

Summer is in the process of bowing out making way for Autumn. There has been no need for the air conditioner this week. The windows are open, a breeze blows in steady gusts through the openings.  The rowdy sounds of frogs, and cicadas are  silent most nights.

 When summer was in full throttle,  the wind chimes were drowned out by the night noise of nature. Over time nature lost momentum allowing  the large number of wind chimes scattered around our yard, near the edge of the woods and in flower beds, to create the orchestras I now hear at night. Owls are once again getting feisty, speaking a language that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Most gardens have started to die. The ground will be tilled waiting for next Spring to replant and grow.

This past spring there was a vine growing in one of my flower beds in the front yard. I started to pull it up with the other weeds however, it was a pretty plant and I wanted to see what it turned out to be. It was a pumpkin vine that soon took over the whole flower bed. I was delighted.  The one pumpkin I did not throw away last year had voluntarily started to grow again in the spring. I didn't think pumpkins did this. As far as I know pumpkins are annuals. This little group of seeds made it through the winter snows and emerged in late spring. It went from a handful of vivid green leaves to a small mound within two weeks.

One month later it had doubled in size. Huge orange blossoms were forming. There were at least fifty flowers if not more. They ran in all directions, making it hard to mow around the area.

Another month went by and the blossoms turned to greenish white balls. Most of these withered on the vine. I watered and fertilized and still they died. I even tried to add more fresh dirt since they were  growing mostly in mulch. You could find me any time during the early mornings or late afternoon, spooning dirt into places that a pumpkin might possibly grow.

Finally, I turned to the Internet for more information on growing pumpkins  and found that I needed bees...lots of bees to fertilize the plants. This proved to be a problem. We had a bumper crop of horse flies, yellow jackets, and wasps but bees were on the slim side. It has been that way for the past five years...a decline in the bee population.  That was fine with me until I wanted to grow pumpkins. 

I also did not know there are male and female 'flowers' on a pumpkin vine. The male flower blooms one day and needs the bees to be ever vigilant that day so when the female 'flowers' bloom the bees will be ready to pollinate. Evidently my bees are not all that concerned  in procreating pumpkins!
 
However, I did have the joy of watching six little pumpkins grow. Two of them died or withered before I could harvest them. The other four are picked and in my sun room. I enjoy them every day. Next year I intend to have a large area and plant all sorts of pumpkins. If the bees cooperate it will be a pretty fall for decorating at the Carter house.
  
                               

                     

It really doesn't take much to make me happy.