In Search of the Seminole Pumpkin and the Black Krim
The big box stores are full of plants, some of which will grow in Florida, and some of which are nothing but heartache. They SAY these plants are all zone specific to our area – it’s a big fat lie. Many of the plants they sell will last a short while, but were never meant to grow here.
I planted a lot of seeds last year, and got tomato plants of many varieties, but only one actually produced fruit, a golden drop tomato. I bought plants, and one plant, bought from a local gardener at an annual gardener’s fest, produced copiously – the Black Krim. We tried growing crook neck squash and zuccini, but one day our plants looked healthy and fabulous, and the next, they would be withered and broken, eaten from the inside by some boring insect. Literally boring, not figuratively speaking.
At a meeting this week (which I am so glad I attended) the director of the local Manna Food Pantry program was telling us about the Manna community gardens, and he mentioned a squash that will grow, the Seminole squash or pumpkin.
I’ve spent two days touring nurseries and open markets to see if I can fine one. One nursery had heard of it but said you usually see it later in the season, you plant it like in July so that you will have first fruits in September.
The rules for gardening are so different in Florida. I am learning, but it is all counter intuitive, except that in Kuwait gardening was similar – people yearned for October, when you could set out plantings and hope they would not be destroyed by the heat.
Bougainvillea is an exception. You would think it would grow beautifully in this heat and humidity, but I am told that the cool winters kill it off. It doesn’t really get that cold for that long, but it seems it is cold enough and long enough to kill bougainvillea, which breaks my heart. I love the flamboyant lushness of bougainvillea.
Meanwhile, we will be planting other zone-hardy plants, and we will see what works. If you see a Seminole Pumpkin / Squash plant for sale, let me know, will you?
Tonight the full moon will be closer to the earth than at any other time for many years to come. AdventureMan and I are heading out with a little picnic to watch the moon rise from a tiny park we know. 🙂
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Our county government has what they call a county extension agent – they’re an extension of the state agriculture department. They have excellent local area information and ours has a monthly newsletter they send out.
Good luck!
Thank you, Ken, I’ve heard good things about the county extension office. They also evaluate soil for Ph and acidity, don’t they?
I am in the Gulf South (New Orleans) and have the same issues. You can’t just go by what the box stores sell. You also can’t just go by the zones blindly. Find the tried and true plants grown by experienced gardeners.
Angelle – you are so right. I have joined Dave’s Garden, and I am waiting for the big Garden Fest in April where I bought the Black Krim last year. I am hoping someone there will have a Seminole pumpkin/squash plant, otherwise I will have to order the seeds and start them – which would, God willing, give me a nice fall harvest. I don’t think it really gets frosty here until January; it seems to me it rains a lot in December. 🙂
Seattle has the same kind of variations – I have a sister who has palm trees; her little microcosm supports them just fine. My dream is to find a basil that winters over. I know they grown basil as a hedge in Qatar and Kuwait, but I don’t think it gets as cold as long there as in Pensacola.