Autumn is still officially one week away, but one of our favorite fall activities here at my Bedford, New York farm is picking pumpkins. It's hard to resist harvesting when one sees lots of gorgeous, colorful fruits growing under the vines.
Pumpkins are cucurbits, members of the Cucurbitaceae family, which also includes squash, gourds, cucumbers, watermelons, and cantaloupes. Recently, I asked my housekeeper, Elvira Rojas, to pick some beautiful pumpkins from the garden - a number of them were ready. In just a short while, we had an excellent variety of shapes, sizes, and colors to display in front of my home.
Enjoy these photos from our first pumpkin harvest of the season.
Many of you already know, this garden is where I grew the majority of my vegetables. Now that I have a new and giant half-acre vegetable garden closer to my home, I decided to designate this area for our pumpkins. Pumpkins are one of the last crops we plant because the soil must be thoroughly warmed to at least 70-degrees Fahrenheit – pumpkins are very sensitive to the cold. This is why the seeds are also planted on mounds or small hills, which warm up fast in the spring, hastening seed germination.
This is our pumpkin patch now – filled with vines. Pumpkin plants grow on long vines, which can easily reach 20 to 30 feet long in the course of a growing season. The pumpkins are ready to harvest when the foliage on the vines begins to wither and turn brown. These leaves are beginning to turn – indicating some are ready to pick.
The large leaves cover most of the cucurbits as they form, so it is hard to see the beauties underneath.
Pumpkin flowers are large orange or yellow-colored blooms that grow on the long vines and produce pumpkins.
Under all the foliage, there are many wonderful pumpkins. This variety is a round, medium-sized jack-o’-lantern type with well-defined ribs.
The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’ which means large melon.
Pumpkin seeds should be planted between the last week of May and the middle of June. They take between 90 and 120 days to grow. Their seeds can be saved to grow new pumpkins the next year.
Elvira is pleased with some of the great pumpkins that grew this year – there are lots of good sized fruits.
Elvira carefully snips the pumpkins from the vines with pruning sheers. It’s important to leave a stem. Leaving at least a couple of inches of stem will increase its keeping time. I also think the pumpkins look much better when the stems are intact. And never pick a pumpkin up from the stem! It may break off.
Here’s a dark green pumpkin. Green pumpkins are select cultivars of round Curcubita winter squash with green-colored skin. Green pumpkins range from dusky-green heirlooms to mottled or striped varieties.
There are also pumpkins that feature warts. This type of pumpkin is called a knucklehead, and as the name suggests, is reminiscent of the knuckles on one’s hand.
Here is another knucklehead pumpkin. These more textured and unusual pumpkins are very popular for decorating.
Josefa Palacio, who helps with some of our television and book shoots, also picked pumpkins – she found this bright orange knucklehead.
When picking, it is also important not to injure the rind as decay and fungi will attack through the wounds. Here is a traditional orange pumpkin – great for Halloween carving.
And here is a very smooth, bright orange pumpkin. All pumpkins are a good source of nutrition. They are low in calories, fat and sodium and high in fiber. Plus, they are loaded with vitamins A and B and potassium.
Modern pumpkins grow commercially in the United States, China, Mexico, and India. Farmers in the United States grow more than a billion pounds annually, with Illinois growing the most.
After a good selection of fruits is harvested, they are placed in the back of one of our Polaris vehicles and brought up to my Winter House driveway.
I am always trying to grow different and unusual specimens along with the more traditional varieties. We grow some pumpkins and squash from heirloom seeds. Heirlooms are old-time varieties, open-pollinated instead of hybrid, and saved and handed down through multiple generations of families.
Up outside my carport, Elvira wipes each one down with a damp cloth to remove any dirt and debris left from the garden.
And then the fruits are all carefully arranged on this stone wall – all clean and intact. No ‘decorating’ is required. Just lining them up makes a wonderful display. I can’t wait until our next big pumpkin harvest!
My vegetable greenhouse is ready for the next season of indoor growing.
We're still growing and harvesting from the outdoor vegetable garden, but with autumn just around the corner attention is also directed toward my vegetable greenhouse and planting its first crops for the coming cold season. Doing this now ensures we will have fresh delicious vegetables right into fall. I constructed this special greenhouse so I could grow organic vegetables in the ground all year long. The structure, which is essentially a cold house, was inspired by writer, Eliot Coleman, an expert in four-season farming. To start, this week my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted a collection of vegetable plant plugs that were started and grown in individual cells filled with soil. We are always trying different ways to plant our crops to see which methods work best. He will also plant seeds in this greenhouse in the coming weeks.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
We spend a good amount of time preparing the soil before planting. This includes cleaning the beds and adding organic, nutrient-rich compost. Recently, the beds were all topped with a fresh layer of compost.
The beds are all turned and raked. In this greenhouse, I like to grow lettuce greens, root vegetables, bunching onions, and brassicas, plus other vegetables I use for my daily green juice and for cooking. These beds do not have bottoms; they are open to the ground, which allows plant roots to go further down for available nutrients. It is a great way to plant. Underneath the boxes, there is about two-feet more soil.
Ryan also sprinkles all the beds with a good quality fertilizer.
There are 16 wooden garden boxes in this structure. They fit the entire length and width of this vegetable greenhouse. Raised bed gardening allows good drainage, prevents soil compaction, and provides protection for those plants that may otherwise get trampled.
Inside my main greenhouse head house, which is a separate room that serves as a work center, Ryan sorts out the plant plugs that arrived from Bonnie’s Plants, a leading provider of plants for the vegetable garden, herb garden, and flower garden.
Here is one of the clam shell plant plug containers. The principle advantage of using plant plugs is that they arrive ready to plant into the growing soil. They are less expensive than larger potted plants. I prefer to grow vegetables from seed in my greenhouse. I have lots of room to grow many trays of seeds, and we are able to start growing them in winter, but it is always good to test what else is available for gardeners.
This delivery contains plants for herbs, brassicas, and a variety of lettuces. Ryan takes a selection of plant plugs into the vegetable greenhouse and plans which ones will be planted.
Ryan uses this bed preparation rake from Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create furrows in the soil. Hard plastic red tubes slide onto selected teeth of the rake to mark the rows.
The furrows don’t have to be deep. In general, seeds should be planted at a depth of two times the width, or diameter, of the seed. A seed that’s about 1/16-of-an-inch thick should be planted an eighth-of-an-inch deep.
These are Swiss chard plant plugs. Swiss chard comes in vibrant colors with stems of red, yellow, rose, gold, and white. Chard has very nutritious leaves making it a popular addition to healthful diets.
Here are two healthy individual plants removed from the cells. These plugs are simply smaller versions of the plants seen in the garden nursery.
Next, Ryan uses a special seed and seedling spacing ruler to place the plants in the furrow.
When the roots of a seedling like this have grown sufficiently, it can be easily transplanted into the garden or into a larger pot.
Ryan places all the seedlings first, so he is sure they are all equally spaced in their designated rows.
Then, he gently pushes the plants into the soil, carefully tamping down around each one so there is good contact.
He plants the seedlings deep enough so that the soil comes to the crown of the plant, or where the leaves extend from the main stem.
Once the plants are all in the ground, he places a small identifying marker at one end of the bed.
Ryan also plants a bed of dill. Similar to caraway in flavor, dill seed is widely used in northern Europe as an ingredient in pickling seasoning and to flavor breads, cheese, meats and vegetables, especially potatoes and cabbage.
He also plants sweet basil, the aromatic annual herb of the mint family, native to tropical Asia and popularly used in Italian and Asian dishes.
And here’s a bed of parsley – I like use parsley in my daily green juice.
Once planted, everything is given a thorough drink of water. Ryan waters every bed gently so as not to disturb the young seedlings.
In several weeks, we’ll have gorgeous, nutritious vegetables to eat, share, and enjoy. There is still lots of time for gardening – I hope you get to spend some time in your green spaces this weekend!
Some of you have asked how my dogs are doing. I'm happy to report - my two French Bulldogs, Crème Brûlée and Bête Noire, and my two Chow Chows, Empress Qin and Emperor Han, are all doing wonderfully.
My dogs are groomed and checked for ticks and fleas every day. They are also bathed regularly - every couple weeks for the dogs, and about once a month for my cats. Recently, it was bath time for Qin and Han. I actually love to do this task myself when I am home, but when I am away, my house cleaner, Carlos, takes on job. When bathing pets, it’s important to always use lukewarm water and only mild pet shampoos - we use my own Martha Stewart shampoos and conditioners from my collection on Amazon.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
Empress Qin and Emperor Han are down at the stable ready for a summertime bath. Chow Chows have dense, double coats. They need to be groomed regularly to keep them clean, and free of mats. Regular bathing also helps to lessen the amount of allergens in a dog’s fur. And, bath time is a good opportunity to check for any abnormalities of the skin or body.
This giant shower stall is located at one end of the stable. It is a large stall with padded lower walls for animal safety. The faucets are housed in a cabinet on the right to keep them out of the way. The shower stall is also equipped with heaters suspended from the ceiling if needed. The boom sprayer is very flexible and can swivel around easily.
My pet shampoos and conditioners are all-natural, hypoallergenic and gentle enough for regular bathing. The formulas are also paraben and sulfate-free. My moisturizing shampoo and conditioner cleanse and intensely moisturize the dog’s skin and coat. When bathing a dog, it’s essential to use products made especially for dogs because of the differences in pH balance. You can find my pet products at my shop on Amazon.
First, Carlos fills this wheelbarrow with soapy, lukewarm water. One doesn’t have to use a lot of shampoo for a dog – it can be diluted.
We love this specially made wheelbarrow from Scenic Road. It was made with a drain at the bottom. Han is first.
Once Han feels the lukewarm water, he starts to relax. Han is five-years-old and such a good boy. When washing, always be very careful around the face, ears, and eyes.
My dogs are very accustomed to being bathed. They’ve had many, many baths, but always keep an eye on any dog who is getting washed – just in case they want to make a quick move.
After Han is soaped and cleaned, he is given a good rinse. My shampoo formulas are all great for pets with sensitive skin, but with any shampoo, it is very important to remove all the soap from the coat – keep rinsing until there are no visible bubbles on the coat – and then rinse a little more.
Meanwhile, the drain of the wheelbarrow is opened so all the dirty, soapy water is released as Han is rinsed. A drainage hole in the wheelbarrow is a very good thing.
Han looks over at his sister, Qin. I think he is saying, “just wait, you’re next.”
After the shampoo is the conditioner. Conditioner helps restore the dog’s natural oils, leaving its skin feeling moisturized. The added hydration can also help prevent dry, irritated skin before it becomes itchy.
Towel drying is not enough for a thick-coated dog, even in the summer. The coats must also be blown completely dry.
These specially made dog hair dryers are essential. These machines do not really dry a dog’s coat by heat, but instead blast the water out of the fur. The high speeds also help remove the loose fur in their undercoat, which lessens shedding.
Drying completely is crucial. Otherwise, the hair closest to the skin will pack down, retain dirt and moisture, and cause skin irritations.
Here, one can see how the dryer blows the fur right down to skin, blowing all the water out. And do you know the difference between fur and hair? Actually, fur is just a collective term used to describe the hairs of an animal other than human.
Here’s Han after his “spa” treatments. According to the breed standard, Chows must have a lovely thick mane, with small rounded ears, giving it the appearance of a lion when all grown up. Han is a handsome boy.
Qin is next. Qin is a champion conformation show dog, so she is also very used to getting bathed and groomed. Carlos scrubs Qin thoroughly especially her underside, which can pick up burs or other debris.
Here she is after her bath, getting a good towel dry. Qin stays very still for the entire process. This is a good time to have the dog shake the water off. Train the dog to shake on cue, so no one gets wet in the process.
And look at her getting dried – such an empress.
There are two types of coat on a Chow Chow – rough and smooth. Both are double-coated. Qin is a rough-coated Chow. The outer coat is abundant and straight. The undercoat is soft and woolly. Chows should be sturdy and squarely built. Its body should be compact, and heavy-boned – Qin has a perfect body.
Carlos dries the feet thoroughly, including in between the dog’s pads. This is important also, to prevent any yeast or irritations on the feet. If one chooses to use a hair dryer for humans, always put it to the no-heat setting. Never use high heat on a dog’s coat. Dogs are much more sensitive to external heat than humans are and have a far more difficult time dissipating heat.
Qin looks beautiful, and ready to romp and play, sniff and explore, and yes, get dirty once again. It’s a dog’s wonderful life, here at the farm.
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