The Halloween Miracle

After three months of checking the two remaining pumpkin vines almost daily for female flowers and hand-pollinating at least once a week only to have the fruits fail,  I finally got one!  I knew it wouldn't be ripe for Halloween, but at least I can have a pumpkin in some stage of production for the Great Pumpkin to see.  It should be ripe before Thanksgiving, so I can use it as a centerpiece before it gets turned into a dish.  I did buy some canned pumpkin at Sprouts, but that's to make soup at some point, or maybe another batch of that rice pudding.  My home-grown pumpkins are for recipes that use pumpkin with more texture.  The seeds from this one are going to be cinnamon.  I haven't done sweet ones yet.  This pumpkin seems to have slowed down its growth at 13" circumference.  Based on previous pumpkins, that will be about 12oz.  Very small, but better than nothing.

I finally ripped out Tommy.  So much for salsa.  Since the two tomato plants are doing fairly well, I replaced the dead rosemary bush by the front door with a beefsteak tomato, which bloomed only two weeks later.  I am going to use those quart jars for something, I swear it.  Living somewhere it never freezes opens my options for fall planting.  I still have Kale's spot to fill, and now Tommy's.  I may leave the latter empty until I'm sure I've solved the drainage problem in the fountain.  Gives me a few months to plan next year's garden.  I'm considering another shot at corn, or perhaps something from seed if I'm feeling especially cocky.