• Monday-What'sUP August 27 - 09:30 pm

Gardens are going strong here in the Keweenaw and one of the plants that is really doing well is the pumpkin patch. This one today, comes from George and Paulette Beveridge. What a neat way to grow pumpkins, having them climb a fence, like a vine. You can definitely see where all the pumpkins are, that's for sure. I wonder though, if they get too heavy and drop off before they should then?

Thanks for the glimpse of your pumpkin patch, George and Paulette. Hopefully, you'll have some big orange ones ready in time for Halloween.

We're trying our hands at watermelon. We have about 7 or 8 that are looking pretty good. I love watermelon!! Summer fruit is the best!

I can grow flowers, roses, and shrubs, but I cannot grow pumpkins! Thank goodness for the folks who can! I'll just buy yours!

Interesting...I never knew pumpkins started out hanging on vines. One of these could be a future world record holder.

Very interesting way to grow them...I never would have thought of that. Saves alot of ground space too! These plants look very healthy!

How very interesting. I may just try to grow pumpkins like that next year.

My husband had pumpkins and watermelons in his garden, and both did well, however some critters started helping themselves, so we had to keep watch trying to beat them to the punch. One day we found a melon halfway down the hill, evidently a raccoon was trying to 'take it home'.;) The watermelons were small but so sweet and juicy. Ah, memories!

I also encourage my pumpkins to climb. If I don't they just become a snack for chipmunks, rabbits, etc. These look great.

We grew our pumpkins(pie) on a fence when living downstate but the big Max type has to stay on the ground as finding a fence strong enough to hold the 100+ pound pumpkins would be very difficult and the vines would pull apart, too. It is a nice way to grow cukes as they get green all around and don't lie in the dirt so they can be picked and eaten fresh from the vine without washing while sitting in a tree - ask my sons!

Here's an update from George:
He said the pumpkin in the photos below, fell off the vines in the last high wind, about 3 days ago. You can see by the numbers on the scale, it weighs in at 25 pounds!

WOW. That's just awesome....The way to garden, the size of the pumpkin that fell...wow....

This year, will this be the sincere pumpkin patch Linus is looking 4?

The cord wood construction method on George &
Paulette's home is interesting too.

Decades ago, I took a photography class from
Charley Eschbach. My project was to photograph
area saunas. I remember a cord wood sauna in the
Mud Lake area. If you pay attention to the saunas
people build you will find alot of interesting
artistic expressions.

Another was made from a cyprus water tank by Jerry
Erickson. A smoke sauna out South of Houghton was
authentic. I remember a sauna in Oscar Bay too
where guests scratched their names/greetings in
the plaster walls. Oh, the memories!

Mary says: If you'd like to see more of George and Paulette's Cordwood home, they have a gallery album of photos from when it was being built, here: Cordwood home photos

'Notroll', you mentioned pie pumpkins. I discovered they existed just a few years back, bought some and made delicious pies. They're much easier to clean out and peel than the large ones. Now I've made myself hungry. ;9

Heavy pumpkins can be helped to stay on vine and fence with the use of slings made from either old onion or orange sacks or pantyhose!

...or a jockstrap, for those really heavy pumpkins.

Thought this was a 'family-friendly' site.