A Palette of Pumpkins

One of the most beautiful fall photos I have ever seen and a great introduction to autumn gourds from the 'Queen of Halloween':

A Palette of Pumpkins
Martha Stewart Living 2008

Some sit bulging and broad, secure in their squatness. Some stand tall.

They are pear-shape. They're ellipsoidal and spheroidal. They can be wide-shouldered or slump-shouldered. The biggest ever approached a ton; the smallest would barely tip the needle on a bathroom scale.


The colors of their skin also vary enormously. Start with every tint of orange, of course, from amber to apricot, coral to persimmon.

Then envision inky black or ghostly white; buttercream or slate blue; sage green or darkest myrtle. Some favor even more outlandish hues: baby pink; mustard; salmon; shiny, fiery red. Some aren't content with a single shade at all, so they tart themselves up in stripes, mottles, marbling, and speckles.

Welcome to Cucurbita, the genus of pumpkins, squashes, and some gourds -- the edible and ornamental fruits of fall. And once you recognize the variety of shapes and shades, all kinds of decorative possibilities open up. Why stick to the standard orange icon of fall? Think pale and monochromatic, bright and bold, eerily enigmatic, or elegantly dark and moody.


Although the pumpkin did not become associated with Halloween until the mid-nineteenth century, its cultivation has been traced as far back as 8000 B.C., to Mesoamerica, where it was grown for its tasty seeds, not its pulp. American Indians taught the pilgrims how to cultivate them, and the seeds eventually made their way across the oceans, to every corner of the globe except Antarctica.


Thank the reproductive indiscretions of the domesticated species for a stunning variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and even ethnicities. Kabocha, the so-called Japanese squash, sports knobby black-green skin that's often striped in celadon. The rinds of Australian squashes, such as 'Jarrahdale' and 'Queensland Blue,' vary from dusty gray to greenish blue.

French pumpkins, such as the elegant 'Rouge Vif d'Etampes,' dubbed the Cinderella pumpkin, tend to be low to the ground and often display deeply ridged lobes. 'Iran,' a large, smooth-skinned heirloom, seems painted with splashes of green, gray, white, and persimmon.


'Galeuse d'Eysines' and 'Marina di Chioggia' are both pocked with bumps caused by a buildup of sugars underneath their skin and look scary even before they're carved.


There are five common species of Cucurbita: ficifolia (chilacayote squash and Malabar gourd), maxima (Hubbard, 'Lakota,' buttercup, and winter squashes), mixta (cushaw squash), moschata ('Shakertown Field' and 'Long Island Cheese' pumpkins), and pepo (jack-o'-lantern varieties, delicata squashes, ornamental gourds).

The wanton willingness of each species to cross-pollinate with members of its own tribe can create some curious offspring.


So fashion a Gothic statement with the darkest squashes of Asia. Echo the golden colors of foliage in a centerpiece. Carve a lacy belt around the centers of an array of pale pumpkins. Go ahead. Embrace the global goblin globe. Don't be afraid.


Read more at Marthastewart.com: Search 'Pumpkins' or 'Gourds' for more great ideas!

"Martin" Shaw has a degree in "Gourd-iculture"

Creek Indians in America used gourds for centuries as Purple Martin Bird houses as well as for storing and protecting their corn from the animals. Purple Martins eat flying insects captured in flight, including many larger flying insects which has led many farmers and rural homes to make Purple Martin gourds to attract them. The Creek Indians realized this and for centuries they grew large kettle shaped gourds for the purpose of housing Purple Martins for insect control. Once Purple Martins have adapted a suitable nesting ground, as long as their homes are taken care of, cleaned or replaced yearly, they will return along with the next generation. Some Purple Martin lovers literally have an annual nesting of 100's to 1,000's of Purple Martins.

One of the most interesting aspects of Purple Martins is they are the only bird in North America that has developed a total dependency on Humans for their existence. Without humans providing nests for Purple Martins, they would rapidly become a rare, if not extinct bird in America due to a loss of their nesting places. Before humans provided them nesting homes, they used old woodpecker nests, but woodpecker nests are normally only found in standing dead trees which which now are generally cut down and cleared by man for new growth or for fire wood.

Digital Gourds chart © Dan Dunkin 2003
This chart is used courtesy The Gourd Reserve

Overseeding:

Do it Now in the North

by Paul Tukey of Safelawn
www.safelawns.org

With Columbus Day here, folks in the most northern states in the U.S. and much of Canada are running out of time for overseeding the lawn. Late summer and fall is the best time for this activity in general, but the clock long ago started ticking on the ideal window.

The issue is that the young grass plants need time to establish themselves before it gets bitterly cold. Any seed mix you put down now should probably have Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass in a high percentage; the ryegrass because it germinates quickly and the bluegrass because it tolerates cold so well. Fescues are the best grasses overall for the North, but they do take a long time to germinate (14-21 days) and they are the most susceptible to cold damage of not fully established.

OTHER TIPS ABOUT SEEDING NOW:
1) If you do seed, be sure to rake away any excess thatch layer or dead grass first to create good seed to soil contact.
2) If you feel your soil is compacted, aerating prior to overseeding is a good idea;
3) Cover the newly seeded area with a thin layer of compost rather than straw; it will be cheaper and better for the lawn; it also looks better.
4) Water the newly seeded areas daily until they fully germinate, unless of course we get rain naturally.
5) Some people advocate dormant winter seeding, that is putting the seed down after the ground freezes and then letting nature take its course. The idea is that the grass will germinate on its own by spring without the necessity of daily watering. I’m not a fan of this, however, because so many things can go wrong (birds eating it, freezing and thawing, erosion etc.) between now and then.
6) Applying an organic fertilizer rich in potassium this fall will help the lawn through winter.
7) Don’t mow the lawn for the first time until the young grass seedlings are four inches tall.
Don’t allow the leaves to remain on the lawn, especially in the newly seeded areas; the leaves will mat down the grass. You may find you have to rake lightly, or use a blower, to remove heavy layers of leaves.