So many things to learn about pumpkins. So many things you didn’t even knew you want know! Do you know only female flowers from a pumpkin stem turn into pumpkins? Do you know each pumpkin contains about 500 seeds? Besides the learning curve: pumpkins are also very beautiful. Thus good reason to follow a pumpkin grower in the farmers and growers series!
At Pompoenhofke, the grower I follow, they have more than 90 different kinds of pumkins and gourds. On their pumpkin field all the different kinds of species grow. So beautiful to see. Orange pumpkins here, green ones there, or red, or gray or white or a collection of colors. And all the different shapes!
Pumpkin grower
Every year Berdine, from Pompoenhofke, buys new seeds. In spring she plants the seeds in a greenhouse. When the little plants grow a little bit bigger and when the cold weather passed, she repots the plants outside.
At the end of the summer the pumpkins are plucked so they can be sold in September and October. Some for autumn decoration, some to eat and some to be carved for halloween ;)! But first: all pumpkins have to be washed. They basically go in a big tub to get rid of the dirt. And once the dirt is gone.. My! The pumpkins look like they are fake, thats how gorgeous they are! They look nice on the field, but clean and washed they are even prettier!
Extra’s
The carving is hard work. The skin is tick and there’s a lot of pumpkin pulp. But it is more than worth it, the carved pumpkins look cool.
Pompoenhofke is not just a pumpkin grower. They do the whole shabang. There is a barn where pumkins can be bought, plus they organise a festival and during the autumn break kids can come to cut their own pumpkin.
Interested in other Farmers and Growers I follow for this project? Check out the project page! I am currently in contact with loads more farmers and growers to also include in the project. It takes some time because I want to visit most the participants multiple times throughout the year. But a patient mind, can get pretty far!