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Pumpkins, Squash & Gourds

Pumpkins, birdhouses... cantaloupe?!?

17 years ago

My son (will be 7 this summer) wants his OWN garden this year. *sigh* I'm fine with that, but of course he wants to pick out all HUGE items. :)

He wants J.b.Little pumpkins which we had last year, another variety I don't recall but has the white pumpkins (minis as well), and he decided he wants to grow birdhouses. :)

I'm ok so far, I'll trellis if I need to but am a little short on materials. The other problem though is now my Dad dropped off some spare cantaloupe seeds. :)

I haven't grown it before, and I'm trying enough new things so far that I'm starting to worry. I don't know if I can grow it in the same area as the others, trellised or not, and I can't recall offhand if there are major requirement differences.

Is this going to be ok, or should I scrap the idea before it's too late? I'm running out of time to start *another* new bed. ^_^

If anyone has any thoughts or ideas it would be very appreciated. Also, he of COURSE wants to grow watermelons as well. I've squashed that so far- but if it will work well enough in adequate space, I might let him try one vine.

*shrug* I'm a sucker for them too.

Thanks in advance!

(And my apologies if this should have gone somewhere else. ;) )

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Comments (3)

gourd_friends
17 years ago
I applaud you on helping your son with his gardening ambitions.
I can give you a few hints on growing the birdhouse gourds.
The gourds are not a vegetable, but will vine very vigorously. They will have a white blossom, and once the baby gourds are set on, you will need to leave them on the vine until the vines are dry and the stem is brown and hard.(probably in November) At that point, they can be left on the vine, or cut off, leaving about four inches of stem. They need a few months of curing, sometimes through winter, and I prefer an outdoor or very cold area for drying. When you can pick them up, and they feel very light weight, and rattle, they should be cured and ready to clean and make into a birdhouse.
Come back to the gourd forum any time you have questions.
Good luck with your gourd crop.

Jan
Macmex
17 years ago
If I recall, the Jack B Little pumpkin is pretty small. It would probably do fine on a trellis. Can't say about the white pumpkin. Cantaloupe can be grown on a trellis, but require real strong support and diligence in supporting each and every melon. I've heard of folk making slings for the melons, using old nylons. Probably the #1 mistake folks make, when trellising vine crops is that they underestimate the weight of the vines and fruit. Often the support crumples and everything turns into a mess.

It is indeed wonderful that you are helping your son with his own garden! I'd plot things out and plan it carefully, explaining to him, that this too is part of gardening. Don't let him pressure you into something that's not wise. Remember, he can't envision things very far in the future and has little personal experience with growing things. Try to make this a success for him. Better to succeed and want to do more in the future, than to flop and get discouraged.

George
Tahlequah, OK
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silverwind
Original Author
17 years ago
Thank you both! :) I'm thinking I might let the cantaloupe sprawl, but trellis the others. It's good to see info on how long to let the gourds set, though, that was something I could never quite find! :) He's very happy, though, especially since I gave in and we found some small watermelon. I forget the variety exactly, but it supposedly gets vines only about 3.5' long - it should be perfect for his size. :D

We finally have the space picked out (and ok'd by dad, since he has to maneuver around it) and will be sowing (in jugs) this week. :)
Thanks again!

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