Community Chat

[MrsLorraine]

Wowie zowie!!!!

I planted several seeds this spring and the vines have almost taken over my yard. The leaves are now covered with powdery mildew but they're still energy powerhouses for my pumpkins.

I "only" have 6 but they're HUGE. My estimate of the weight for the smallest one is about 15-20 lbs. (it weighs about as much as my cat who weighs 17 lbs). The rest are all at least twice as big, and some are bigger.

I planted them along my white picket fence at the edge of my front yard, about 3 feet back from the sidewalk. Someone told me they're the talk of the neighborhood and I believe it, because I've noticed that a lot of walkers pause to look at them and especially little kids get excited about them. It's fun for them and fun for me, too.

You're supposed to place a shingle under them, as they get big, to protect them from rotting or damage from the ground. I don't have any shingles around so I'm trying a sheet of aluminum instead.

I've done everything and anything I can think of to get rid of powdery mildew; I've talked to experts and even gone so far as to completely replace the soil. It's just one of those things that I've had the "luck" to have to deal with. It doesn't really hurt anything but it's unsightly as all get-out.

This has been so much for me; I wish I could post pictures of them so you could enjoy them too.

(I posted this on the gardening forum but no one seems to care so I thought I'd share it with all you nice people I really hope this won't degenerate into an argument...????)