Pumpkin Patch Progress

Okay, get out your magnifying glasses and see if you don't agree with Nick that we have germination! Am I surprised? Well, frankly - yes! The seed packet promised we'd be sprouting in 7-14 days. I'm not calling anybody a liar but I still struggle with believing that our pumpkins will grow to 300 pounds apiece. So when day 14 came and went and the only thing still growing in these little peat pots was dirt, I wasn't devastated. But on day 16? The earth moved - literally! Two little green heads were up! Three viable seedlings joined them the next day, followed by yet another the morning after that! Decided not to say a word to the boys. Let them discover their gardening prowess for themselves. And it wasn't long before I heard a shout that rattled every window in the the neighborhood.....
"GRANDMA! OUR PUMPKINS ARE GROWING!"
.......and indeed, they are!





The first thing the boys do when they arrive is lift the greenhouse cover and check on progress. They have a real interest in their plants and that makes me happy. I wish I could offer them more sunny growing space and a variety of things to nurture. I am beginning to regret my anti-gardening rant from the previous post and I'd like to take that back! I envy grandmothers who have the ideal location for a vegetable patch and the skill and patience to teach this wholesome pursuit to the next generation. I wish I could grow on-site organic food with my grand kids, take it immediately into the kitchen and work side by side with them to prepare healthy recipes. I think they would really enjoy it....and of course, so would their grandma!

I have grown accustomed to the short attention spans of kids under four years old, so I didn't expect much of a commitment to clearing space for the new seedlings. But probably because the task involved dirt and digging in it, all three kids settled in with their new gardening tool sets and got busy. They kept at it for at least twenty minutes until we had the ideal spot for all ten peat pots. Then they took turns generously watering them with a hose. By the time each little gardener had his/her chance, the plants were ready to swim away. From now on we'll use a sprinkling can!                      

Maybe we should grow rice instead of pumpkins!