Look What I Grew!

It was a great season in the garden this year. And while I didn't get as many tomatoes as I would have liked to bottle (was hit with a blight this year--boo), I did have many successes and things that just downright made me smile. Happiness CAN come in the form of giant pumpkins and sunflowers "high as an elephant's eye".

These are called "Dill's Atlantic Giants" and I only planted ONE beency little plant that I picked up at the nursery. It yielded TWO giants that were a surprise amid all our other squash that went crazy! I mean, I knew I had planted them, but at first they were just little orange balls like any other pumpkin. Then suddenly, the kids spotted them and I heard, "Mom, you have got to come see what is out in our garden. It's huge!" So much fun. Enchanting, really.

Then there were my giant sunflowers which I had been wanting to plant for a couple years... They grew seriously TALL. And even though I DID plant them on the wrong side of my garden--you were right again, Dad---I enjoyed them a ton. Just to see them growing taller and taller with their giant heads following the sun, did my heart good. Next year, I am going to plant a long row of them against the short end of the barn. Won't they look good against the red? Also, I'm going to plant a bunch of them in a circle to make a "playhouse" for the littles. Saw it in a seed magazine, which was probably what put the idea of giant sunflowers in my head in the first place. I kept many of the heads with the seeds still attached and which my kind husband and oldest son cut down for me. So if anyone wants seeds, I have you covered.

It was kind of a major effort to get these behemoths from the garden to their display/final resting place (ha). Dave and Gagey had it covered though. Sidenote--Gage is a SUPER tractor driver!! Even getting them from the tractor and then situated by the front steps took not only brute strength, but also some finesse as it was kind of like wrestling with a grizzly bear. There was no way for Dave to really get a good hold on them.

Note: For some reason I can't move any more of my pics down to rest within the body of my writing. It will pick up the picture but then I can't scroll down. Can anyone help me? So frustrating! Am going to post it anyway because I have waited a long time and still can't get it right. So, it will look weird, but at least it is here. Linda, Kat,---help me! :)