©
Janet Davis
It
scarcely seems possible that there are no trick-or-treaters to carve
jack-o-lanterns at my house anymore. With all but one of my children grown and
out, my pumpkin-shopping foray has become just another decorating exercise. But
it wasn't always so.
When the kids were tiny, having just one pumpkin was out of the question. Each
child had his or her own artistic style: Tall, thin and spooky; short, plump and
reassuringly jolly; or lopsided and goofy-looking. Carving the pumpkins was
almost as important as dressing up.
And each year, we dragged
Count Dracula out of storage to sit on the front porch. His formal dinner
jacket and trousers were stuffed with 1984 newspapers, but his accessories were
up-to-the-minute. He wore a Toronto Blue Jays cap after the first World Series
win, donned a hockey stick and skates when it looked like the Maple Leafs might
finally have a team, and carried a skateboard when the boys were going through
their baggy-jeans stage. One year, I
carved the jack o-lantern, using as design inspiration my youngest son, then
going through his Bob Marley phase. Our pumpkin sported natty dreadlocks made
from Indian corn (which the squirrels nibbled on), a turban squash toque and a
corn-husk goatee.
Pumpkins are squashes in the Cucurbitacae
family, along with summer squashes like zucchini, and winter ones like
butternut and acorn. If you have lots of sunny garden space, they're fun to
grow. They like very warm soil, so must
be seeded or planted after all danger of frost is past in soil that's moist,
fertile and rich in organic matter.
They need sufficient nitrogen (N) to promote sturdy stems and enough phosphorus
(P) to ensure good fruit set, so work in a balanced fertilizer, e.g. 10-10-10,
when planting. Seed or plant on raised hills spaced several feet apart to allow
vines room to sprawl (bush types need less space).
Although pumpkins need prodigious amounts of water as the fruit is developing,
it's important to keep water off the flowers and foliage. And if your garden
does not attract enough bees, you may need to transfer pollen from the male
flowers, which appear first, to female flowers, which open about a week later,
with a fine brush.
The following are proven
winners in the jack-o-lantern world.
Spooktacular: 85-95 days to maturity. Perfectly kid-sized fruit about
five to six inches tall and wide with a sturdy handle.
Howden: 115 days. North America's best-selling pumpkin and much favoured
by commercial growers. 20-25 pounds.
Autumn Gold: 90 days. AAS award-winner weighs in at seven to 10 pounds,
starting off yellow before turning orange.
Jack-be-Little: 95 days. Wonderful for tiny gardeners since fruit is
two-inches tall by three inches in diameter. Perfect for
decorations.
Atlantic Giant: 120 days. Be warned! You may have to bring the veranda
to the jack-o-lantern because seed from these can produce
1,000-pound behemoths! Now that IS
scary!!
Adapted from a column that appeared originally in the
Toronto Sun