Pumpkin already

[catjac1975]

I found a pumpkin hidden in the back of the garden. Nice but not perfect.

 

[canesisters]

COol! What are you going to do with it?

Last year I brought home some pumpkins from church to give to the chickens. By the time they had finished with one, they all had the runs... SO I left the other 3 or 4 sitting next to the gate post and forgot them. This spring I tried to move the rotten lumps and found dozens and dozens of little pumpkin sprouts! Most of them never got past the 2 little round leaves (stayed that way all summer... ???) but a few of them became vines and I got 2 little pumpkins before the bugs found the vines. They're sitting in a big flower/gourd arraingement in my den for now (the pumpkins - not the bugs).

 

[catjac1975]

My grandsons will probably beg to have it. SO what ever will I do?

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

i've been getting tons of mini pumpkins that i never even planted this year. must be from some seeds left in the winter coop clean out that my birds missed eating. they took over my garlic/pepper patch so the past 2 weeks i've been slowly pulling away the vines to get things cleaned up and see if my peppers are still in there. at first i thought these were some sort of patty pan cross or white acorn squash from the way they were starting to grow on the vines. then as they were aging they started to get that tell tale 'Jack-Be-Little' look to them but were turning light yellow like a summer squash instead of staying white or getting dark orange.

see if you can get that pumpkin to last to Halloween and then paint or carve it to use as a decoration. or just save it for Thanks Giving as decor. i would be giving mine to my chickens to help them expel any worms they may have picked up during the summer. mine get all the mini pumpkins they can eat! seems they like the smaller seeds they produce.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Yeah, the cucurbits are a natural wormer. Pumpkin works best but squash and cucumbers work too. The seeds contain a substance that helps paralyze the roundworms so they lose their grip on the intestine walls. The pulp loosens things up so they flush out the system.

It is not a perfect wormer. It does not get rid of all the worms. It greatly reduces the worm load the chickens carry. Most animals can carry some parasite load as long as the numbers are low and dont get out of hand. Natural wormers really help wild animals with this.

I dont grow pumpkin but mine get summer squash, winter squash, and cucumbers. I just split them open and toss them in.

 

[curly_kate]

I've got a big ol' jack-o-lantern one ready in the garden, and I didn't plant mine til late this year! It's been so cool I'm surprised it's ripened already!

 

[catjac1975]

This is great to know!

Yeah, the cucurbits are a natural wormer. Pumpkin works best but squash and cucumbers work too. The seeds contain a substance that helps paralyze the roundworms so they lose their grip on the intestine walls. The pulp loosens things up so they flush out the system.

It is not a perfect wormer. It does not get rid of all the worms. It greatly reduces the worm load the chickens carry. Most animals can carry some parasite load as long as the numbers are low and dont get out of hand. Natural wormers really help wild animals with this.

I dont grow pumpkin but mine get summer squash, winter squash, and cucumbers. I just split them open and toss them in.

 

[bj taylor]

what a beautiful pumpkin. I tried to grow my first this year. no go. i'll have to buy some - as usual.
ridge that is great information. thanks