Seminole Pumpkin

[macmex]

Last year I purchased some seed for Seminole pumpkin, from Double Helix Farms. All squash on our place did marginally in 2015. But I did manage to do some hand pollinations on Seminole and reap about 1/2 pint of seed, which is quite a lot, considering the way this squash can spread. I can share seed with others. If we can't meet up, I can mail it for about $2.50, so as to cover my materials and postage.


Seminole is much smaller fruited than Old Timey Cornfield pumpkin. Some fruit is round, like a pumpkin. More often, the fruit is bell (pear) shaped. Its fruit has the same buff color when ripe. The vines are extremely vigorous and insect resistant. Seminole is known for climbing. If given a chance, it may grow right up a tree! I gave some seed to some friends in the center of Tahlequah. The planted some on the side of their house and, before the season ended, exclaimed that this squash might cover a house and provide some protection from the sun!

Seminole is a true heat loving squash. It thrives in hot Oklahoma summers. I've heard of it being grown as far North as Minnesota. But there it is almost too late to make it worthwhile.

Seminole pumpkins are known to last quite a long time in storage, which makes this variety quite practical. (By the way, I still have an unrotten Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin on my sun porch. It was harvested in the fall of 2014, so I suppose it has stored for 15 months. I doubt it's good for eating now. But it's still intact!)

Contact me if you would like some seed.

[Deleted]

I have 4 mini pumpkins on my seminole plant.  lolz    Is there enough time for it to produce some more pumpkins or will it cave to daylight sensitivity?  

[macmex]

We'll see, but my suspicion is that it will be able to ripen those fruit.
My Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkins all crashed, a little over a week ago. They were deep in my Three Sisters Garden and looked fine, but had received essentially no water for 5 weeks. All the sudden they started dying. I put a sprinkler directly on them for 6 hours, and what was left of them revived. Now I face the same question, as they aborted all the immature fruit on them. I can only see one mature fruit out there, and it's not a big one.

[Deleted]

As usual, you're right.  They are already turned.  Perfect in every way except size.  Totally edible!   So cute.  I'm certain it was their culture.   I didn't dig and probably created some bonzai pumpkins.  ha!  Too fun.

I'll post a video after my phone charges up.  

What you describe of your OTCP is exactly what mine did.  

[Deleted]

Apologies for the delay.  In the video I claim to be tethering that dangling pumpkin in the advent of a storm. Welp, right after the video I had to go tether it.  lolz  

[heavyhitterokra]

Thanks, for posting that, Bon. That was a good video. Trees are notorious for eating up all the nutrients in their root zone. I had to move my garden twice because of trees. I still have a grove of persimmons that shade parts of it too much until almost 10:00 am. I'd rather lose part of my crop than to cut the trees though. Too many good memories there of the kids playing under the trees.

Would it help those OTCPs on the fence to have an old piece of burlap or something under them, between the flesh and the fence wire? Don't know, as I've never tried it.

[chrysanthemum]

I watched your video the other day, Bon. Those pumpkins are adorable. I have two Seminole vines that I just started this summer (pushing it for days to maturity), and I’m hoping to get a few pumpkins to add to my collection. I’m really reveling in the fact that I have so much more garden space now that the new beds are here. I have two little “Spookie” pumpkins in my pantry, and I cooked up all three butternut squash that I had grown earlier just the other day when I realized we didn’t have enough potatoes for a meal. I’m hoping Seminole will give me some more winter squash this year.

[Deleted]

Reveling in the fact that I have so much more garden space now that the new beds are here


That made me smile.  I'm so happy about it for you.  You had such a small space but such a large passion for gardening.  There was something wrong about that.  I do not look forward to your future posts about pest damage, tho.  Just breaks my heart to think about because I know it would drive myself crazy.  

I don't have the 4 legged predators to worry so much about, except the smaller ones.  But I was noticing the city lot across the street was missing a lot of native weeds.  They do a good job keeping it mowed but only until this year have I seen a continuity of grass growing there.  I suspect herbicide use.  

My shasta daisies died and the leaves on my pumpkin plant - to be honest - was dying, but not from bugs or lack of water.  Makes me wonder. 

[heavyhitterokra]

My daisies die here every Summer but they always pop back up in Spring. I don't know if they come back from seed or if they come back from the roots? I've had hundreds of them regenerate over the years. I never planted any seeds here, so I'm guessing the previous owner did? They are a joy to behold each year, like seeing the faces of many old friends.

[Deleted]

My mind is weak and my documentations scattered, but without a doubt these are perennial in their third year.  They came up this spring and even bloomed and were so healthy they were overcrowded.  Then, suddenly, the whole thing died.  They died after the rains dried up.  It might be that they needed divided but I think they would only show weakness and critical damage, not sudden death.

My neighbors walk every morning and they miss them. They really enjoyed the squash blossoms from the Seminole, too, as they were visible from blocks afar.  

I'm not livid about the herbicide drift.  I suspected this might be a hazard when I got started.  

My lavender is still alive, but it only struggles. My rosemary is doing well there.  

Like you, I am sorely missing the daisies.  I'll get some going in the back yard.  People can start driving/walking through the alley to enjoy them.  I put a lot of work into the alley and it's very inviting, like your golf course.   In years past, they would discover a large patch of volunteer black-eyed susans.  Eventually, word got out and I saw cars driving through the alley occasionally.  It alarmed me at first given the way folks can be around here until I figured they were just enjoying the scenery.

I should do that again.  I'm thinking peeps need it right about now.  

[heavyhitterokra]

I love Black-Eyed Susans! Those come up volunteer around here too. I try to remember to broadcast the seeds of that plant whenever I get the chance. They really brighten up the landscape and make good cut flowers too. The daisies don't really stand up well in flower arrangements, but they are so happy looking out in the yard that they make up for that in spades.