I am so excited to share my bountiful  FIRST EVER harvest of pumpkins from my new melon garden/pumpkin patch! I have never grown pumpkins before, and it was a real learning experience this year. We mapped out a decent 20×12 patch along the border of our fence and sectioned it off for strawberries, melons, cucumbers, squashes, potatoes and pumpkins. Although the squashes took off early, it was the pumpkins that completely overtook the entire patch! We lost the melons and the potatoes due to the encroaching pumpkin vines, however the cucumbers and squashes held their own. The strawberries squeaked out a couple pieces of fruit and managed to hang on. I think this was because they were at the opposite end of the patch and the vines barely reached them. At any rate, we have six very decent sized pumpkins this year, and learned a whole lot for next year.

Happy Gardening!