Nothing says autumn quite like the bright colors of pumpkins and squash. Whether you eat them, cook with them, or use them for decorations, they go along way toward making us realize the days are getting shorter and a little cooler, and the holidays are just around the corner. At FarmMade, we visited two local pumpkin patches to gather some pumpkins and squash to begin our Thanksgiving decorating and to enjoy some healthy, fresh roasted pumpkin seeds.
We visited two nearby pumpkin patches. First we visited Douglas Farm on Sauvie Island in the Columbia River, near Portland Oregon. It was a beautiful fall day for pumpkin picking. When it’s clear out, you get a great view of our beloved Mt. Hood from this farm.
We also visited Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie island and found lots of bright orange Cinderella pumpkins.
We came home with lots of orange and white pumpkins, Cinderella pumpkins, and various squash, including Hubbard squash. Do you know the difference between pumpkin and squash? It can be a little confusing. The terms pumpkin, winter squash, and summer squash have been applied to fruits of different species. There are countless varieties of pumpkin and squash. 
We wanted to use our pumpkins and squash for decorating. First, though, we harvested the seeds so we could roast them for a delicious, healthy treat.
Notice the different color seeds in this squash.
With the pulp and seeds piled up, you can see more of the unique colors coming from the pumpkins and squash.
After the seeds are separated from the pulp and cleaned, you can see the different colors even better. These seeds are all ready for roasting.
Now for even more fun! We had lots of ideas for decorating with our haul of squash.
Once our seeds were done roasting, we placed a serving bowl in one of our pumpkins and loaded it up with roasted seeds. Doesn’t that look tasty!
FarmMade’s resident artist got creative with paint . . .
. . . and flowers. What a beautiful fall display! The ideas for fall harvest decorating are endless!
Pumpkins and squash date back to colonial America and are one of America’s oldest native crops. The flesh and seeds of pumpkins and squash have been used numerous ways over the centuries. Native Americans dried the outer shells and used them as water vessels and bowls. The Pilgrims even made them into an alcoholic beverage that included persimmons, hops, maple syrup, and, of course, pumpkin.
You may want to grow your own pumpkins or squash so you can take advantage of their tastiness, versatility in cooking, nutrition, and beauty.
If you want to experiment with pumpkin and squash recipes, here are some handy links:
- Pumpkin and squash recipes from Smitten Kitchen.
- Pumpkin and squash recipes from Whole Living.
- Pumpkin and squash recipes from Inspired Taste.
- Pumpkin recipes from Mariquita Farms.
- Fall recipes from Portland Pumpkin Farm.
Putting the Garden to Bed
With the leaves falling and colder temperatures settling in, it’s time to put the garden to bed for the winter. Putting a mulch or cover crop on bare ground nourishes the soil and keeps nutrients from leaching down through the soil out of reach of plants’ roots.
Fall is also a time to do other tasks to be ready for spring. Tasks such as tending to tools, winterizing and storing container growing pots, digging up bulbs, and saving seeds can be done in the fall and into the winter. By doing these tasks now, by the time spring shows its cheery face you’ll be ready to jump right into next year’s gardening. Preparing your garden for a long winter’s sleep ensures that it will do well and produce bumper crops next year.
Putting your garden to bed includes pulling up some plants and leaving others in the soil, then gently tilling the soil to expose any insects that may want to overwinter. Exposing the means you’ll have fewer pest troubles in the spring. Next, add a layer of compost and a layer of leaves.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working hard to put our garden to bed. First we harvested the last of our carrots, radishes, and potatoes. You can leave them in the ground if you like, but we had very few left. Then we pulled weeks and our pumpkin and squash vines.
Then we lightly tilled the soil to expose any larvae that might want to hibernate for the winter. This decreases the number that survive winter hibernation. 
We tilled under some radishes that were no longer any good.
Notice that pumpkin that was hanging around? We tilled it right into the soil.
Then we shoveled on some of our very own compost.