Pumpkin Harvest 2011

Our first pumpkin harvest for the year. We had a lot of fun searching for the pumpkins amongst the long overgrown vines and grasses. Timo used the bike trailer to carry them all as we moved around the garden hunting them out. Meanwhile, Caoimhe and Lennox played on the trampoline. Lennox can now climb the ladder. Timo discovered 2 pumpkins that had been eaten by something and from the teeth marks we concluded this to be rats. Despite our cat Tomasina, we are inundated with rats! Timo tried to lure them out with his ukelele (act inspired by the story RATS by Gavin Bishop with Rapscallion Claw who is like the Pied Piper) but it didn't work. I turned on the light one early morning (3am) to find a rat running across the curtain railing until it stopped at the end and stared at me. It had Mickey Mouse ears. Timo has been catching rats in traps (earning $1 per rat caught). It is maas season for rats apparently which means a major population explosion until they run out of food and the cycle begins again. We're wanting our cat to tighten up her act and get fierce because the rats are starting to eat out food inside if they can get at it - they are clever! And their favourite food seems to be pumpkin seeds.
Anyway, here are the pumpkins. Some of which have since been eaten by rats of course:






We measured the biggest and smallest. Diameter of the biggest pumpkin: 31 cm. Circumference - 83cm. Smallest, D - 10cm, C - 30cm