End of My 2022 Giant Pumpkin Season

Being Sick Sucks

So I got Covid the other week. I’ve been OK, but it sure has knocked any plans I had of writing this blog post earlier.

So tired, and my brain is mush. But things are getting better.

If you’ve had to deal with it, I hope you feel better soon.

In this blog post, I cover what went well and what didn’t for my growing season. Getting seeds out of the giant pumpkin and some photos of my miniatures.

Removing the Seeds

As it’s the end of the season it’s time to remove the seeds from the pumpkin.

With no event to take the actual pumpkin to and feeling under the weather now is a good as a time as any.

The Plan

I felt that I should do something with the pumpkin. Or at least do something with getting into it.

I contemplated throwing it into the swimming pool. But that would have been more of a headache.

People that know nothing about giant pumpkins assume you need an axe or a chainsaw to get into a pumpkin. They think the skin is super tough.

As you know, they are a lot softer than they appear.

Any sharp tool can cut into a pumpkin. The real trick is to make sure it is long enough to cut through the pumpkin wall and into the cavity.

I had a different idea.

What About A Blunt Object

A sledge hammer.

Nothing like taking it out on a pumpkin.

So I set up the cameras, some in slow mo to get some great footage of me smashing into the giant pumpkin.

Everything didn’t go according to plan.

The closest camera, the one that was going to film super slow didn’t work. For some reason the GoPro didn’t like that and the SD card inside it crapped out.

Which was a bummer. As I didn’t get any footage from that camera at all.

But I did with the other cameras. Check it out here:

Impressed With the Pumpkin

While the pumpkin grew to 83kg in estimated weight, it impressed me with the thick walls and small cavity it had.

I’ve seen pumpkins this size with worse insides before.

It was a fun family activity to get all the seeds out. There were quite a few, and they looked like good seeds.

They’re currently downstairs drying out on some newspaper on a table.

Getting Rid of all the Bits

I jammed it all into the garden bin. And over the course of a week it all fell apart and compacted down.

I only almost lost the bin taking it down to the roadside once.

Pumpkin Vine Clean Up

I still have to tidy up the pumpkin vine itself and cut the grass back. I put it off because of the bin being full and exhaustion from Covid.

Miniature Pumpkins

I harvested all the miniature pumpkins as well.

I’m impressed with these orange ones. Love the ridges on them.

These keep for a lot longer, so I won’t be removing the seeds from them yet.

Late Plants

As a test, I planted some more miniatures in late Feb in the same spot the giant was growing in. Very fast growth, but I’m unsure how they will deal with these cold mornings we’ve got recently.

The transplanted jack on lantern plant even has a pumpkin growing on it currently.

As I said, time will tell if they reach maturity.

What Went Well

This is the time of the year where I reflect on what went well and what didn’t.

I find it helpful with planning for next season.

Early Season

  • I was happy with my germination plan and the things I have to achieve it.
  • Transplanting went OK, and the plant grew well from the start
  • The Tiny Patch 2.0 location gets a lot of sun which was great

Mid Season

  • Germination was pretty straightforward.
  • I liked my plan for vine burying

Late Season

  • Powdery mildew didn’t appear for ages

What Could have Been Better

On the whole I was happy with how the season went in the Tiny Patch 2.0. Especially as it was the first year growing in this location.

But there are always things to improve.

Early Season

  • The germination rate of the seeds wasn’t good. This appeared to be down to the seed not wanting to grow more than germination technique
  • The double vine situation wasn’t the best

Mid Season

  • I should have set up a better watering system
  • Random neighbour’s cat shitting in the patch wasn’t fun
  • More shade protection was required for both the plant and the pumpkin

End of Season

  • The bacterial issue on the plant was a bummer. Should have sprayed early to prevent this

Conclusion

Like I said at the start, I was happy with how the season went.

I’m realistic about what I can get growing in such a small area in the backyard. Making sure the simple things are done well would have given better results.

I’ve already started planning for next season. In my next blog post I’ll cover what that process involves and what I have coming up.

How Was Your Season?

If it’s the end of your season, how did it go? Were you happy with it? What’s the main thing you want to try next season?

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