Mystery vine is unraveled

In my post of August 21 I asked readers to help me identify two plants that had popped up unexpectedly.

One remains unidentified but for the second there is no doubt. It's a pumpkin. And what a pumpkin it's proving to be. The vine is more than 25 feet long and has six nice pumpkins on it so far. It started too late for the pumpkins to mature properly before winter, but it seems to be making a valiant effort.

So, where did the punkin' seed come from? Maw Nature only knows. Readers of this blog know that one of my continuing themes is that Maw Nature does what she wants and if she's not agreeable, you can't do much to change her mind.

For instance, the pumpkin vine is quickly making its way to my fenced vegetable garden where the soil has been tilled numerous times, compost and organic matter added, weeds pulled and fertilizer applied. So far, the spinach is dead, the beets are beaten and the turnip greens are brown.

The pumpkin vine, which sprouted in untilled ground as hard cement, seems to be mocking me as it inches over to the garden. That's OK. I might have some pumpkin pie to salve my soul.