We've had our first killing frost. It was patchy, but settled on most of the squash vines that had taken over my garden.
When the vines started growing vigorously several months ago, I was happily surprised and congratulated myself on outsmarting squash vine borers, arch nemesis of cucurbit growers. The vines slowly but steadily colonized my garden, eventually impeding my access to about half of it. As they covered the potato bed, I harvested what I could and made a dash to safety, reasoning that it was worth it to give up the garden space if it meant a big harvest of butternut squash.
Things don't always work out as planned. While about a third of the vines produced butternuts, the others provided me with a motley assortment of pumpkin and gourd-like fruits. Edible? Yet to be ascertained. Beautiful? Absolutely.
The next step is to cut some open and test for tastiness. Then carve the most pumpkin-like into jack-o-lanterns, use a few for target practice, and feed the rest to the chickens. Meanwhile they make an attractive display.
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