Who would start a garden with no expectation that anything will grow. Me. that’s me. Despite planting in the sunniest spot on the property and watering diligently, I don’t expect to get a crop. Be it tomatoes, peas, or pumpkins.

Why is that? Starting with the fact that this year I took all my old seeds and planted them. I planted pumpkin seeds from last year Halloween carving. I planted jumbo pumpkins that require lots of water and sun. We do not have these in the required amount in the summertime. Our summers are dry. Also, we live under tall cedar trees that shade out the sun. I planted in one of the few sunny spots on the property. We may get vegetation and maybe some small green tomatoes but nothing close to edible usually.

Today I blew out the leaves on the driveway. while I was in front I took up a trash can being it trash day. I noticed a piece of paper on the ground and walked over and fetched it. Standing up I looked at my formidable but unfruitful pumpkin plant. The thing has spread some 20 feet from its base. What I saw surprised me. A massive pumpkin lay there attached. A beautiful Symmetrical healthy pumpkin. google lens calls it squash. Check out this pic below:

A second pumpkin was nearby. I will find out what I can do with these? Make an ornamental Gourd? Preserve it? Replant the seeds?

The vines of the plant have wandered some 20 feet from the base. From where it started from it has to travel through some mountain rose bushes, down a retaining wall and onto a lower retaining wall at about street level. that’s where I found the two pumpkins.

when I went to the origins of the plant I spotted a yellow gourd.

After discovering the gourd and pumpkins, I thought I’d check out the tomato plants located next to the pumpkins. Now this plant I knew had tomatoes. Many more have grown. They’re still green and I doubt they’ll turn red. They may be green tomatoes.

How about the tomato plant in the pot by the front door. Sure enough, several healthy green tomatoes. See below.

Let’s check the potatoes? all I get is two potatoes that are also green and toxic having developed about the ground and exposed. No good.