I kept a few pumpkin seeds from a really good pumpkin we had bought at the supermarket.  I knew that pumpkin vines needed a lot of space. So I planted just 6 seeds at the bottom of my garden.

Our garden slopes towards the bottom boundary so they were well out of sight and I forgot about them until a few weeks later when I saw some big healthy pumpkin leaves.

It didn’t take long before yellow pumpkin flowers started to develop and soon one plant in particular began to trail down the slope bearing lots of little white pumpkins.

A few good rains and some overhead watering and the pumpkins really started to take on a life of their own.  It wasn’t too long before I began to invite visitors to see our giant pumpkin plant with its huge white pumpkins.

They grew and grew till I didn’t know what to do with them. I didn’t even know when to start picking them.

Eventually it seemed that they couldn’t grow any more.  And I was right. I needed a wheelbarrow to transport them one at a time up the slope. They were huge.

I had a lot of happy friends and family who each received a prize pumpkin. I also had enough pumpkins to last us through the winter.

The joys of organic gardening!  I hadn’t used any fertilizers beyond a little compost and certainly no toxic sprays or poisons. But I must be honest.  I didn’t really need them – the pumpkins  grew so easily!

Next time I’ll share my special pumpkin fritter recipe. The fritters are puffy and delicious.