This season has been a bit weird. Despite having several zucchini plants, I don't have very much zucchini. My basil plants had to be planted twice (due to late spring snowstorms) and still did poorly. Parsley, normally such a nuisance in my garden that I end up pulling it out in disgust, barely germinated and then took months to mature. All these things are unfortunate and abnormal.

The one thing that has been my saving grace is the pumpkins. I had too many pumpkin starts (12, plus one a friend gave me) and they grew rapidly. I thinned them out to five plants and let those five mature and spread out. I encourage my pumpkins to grow through the garden fence and into the lawn- it saves space in the main garden. My dog doesn't bother the long hardy tendrils or the pumpkins themselves, so it works out well. By the time the pumpkins are getting big enough to create major roadblocks to lawn mowing, the lawn has stopped growing for the summer and therefore it doesn't even pose a problem for mowing. This strategy really helps maximize garden efficiency.


Squashes make lovely lawn ornaments

As a fun byproduct of encouraging my pumpkins to grow runners through the fence, they sometimes climb the fence instead! This little green guy is about 3 feet off the ground- pretty cool. I think if I was growing monster pumpkins this would be a problem, but with small sweet pie pumpkins it is instead a bonus. No rot, nice even maturing of the skin, safe from the earwigs and slugs.


This pumpkin is not afraid of heights

I'm really looking forward to pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin soups. And my son is looking forward to pumpkin puree, even if he doesn't realize it yet. Only a bit over two feet tall, he's only barely bigger than the pumpkin plants.

The heavyweights of the vegetable world battled it out last week during festivities at the 2008 Alaska State Fair. You've heard of our giant cabbages, but what about a 24-pound mushroom, or the truly impressive 907-pound pumpkin?

Let’s see, at Anchorage prices, a mushroom of that size would cost about $72. The pumpkin? More than a house payment.

Entrants into the Giant Cabbage contest get a substantial payout if they have the winning specimen - $2,000 for first place. But growing, harvesting, and transporting crazy-big vegetables to the fair must call for more than monetary motivation.

Maybe it’s the excitement of seeing what 19 hours of light a day can produce. Or maybe it’s the pride that comes with showing off a vegetable as big as the state itself. Unpredictability and risk could motivate others. These giants can grow so quickly that it isn't uncommon for them to explode just before fair time. Bring on the coleslaw!

Teamwork may not be a motivator, but it's one consequence of this "sport," as the Alaskan children’s book The Giant Cabbage illustrates. In this classic folktale, moose gains the help of several wildlife friends in order to get his giant cabbage to the fair. The story uses repetitive language and introduces children to problem-solving, Alaskan wildlife, and even includes a recipe for cabbage soup.

No matter the motivation of its entrants, the Giant Veggie contest sure garners a lot of attention, from young and old, residents and visitors. I've always found the display area busy, with folks gathered round to take photos. This year's entries were smaller than usual, due to lower summer temps. Still, the state radish record was broken (15.985 lbs.) and the blue-ribbon cabbage weighed in at a respectable 79 pounds. (The state record was set in 2000 with a 105.6 pound cabbage.)

While impressed by their size, I do wonder if the flavor of these vegetables is diminished by their larger-than-life stature. I must admit that seeing them doesn't bring on immediate cravings for pumpkin pie or turnip greens. Rather, I'm left wondering if there's a booth where I can find a 10-pound funnel cake. Just to get a photo, you know.

For more on Alaska’s Giant Veggies, check out these videos at the state fair web site. Or read this article at the Anchorage Daily News.



A giant turnip


A 24-pound mushroom


A typical cabbage held up in comparison to a giant Alaska cabbage