Amy in the Garden

Harvesting – it is always bittersweet. One moment a fruit you nurtured throughout its life is vibrant and still connected to the Earth. Taking in water and nutrients. Growing.  And the next moment, its lifeline is cut, the vine is severed, and so begins another phase of its existence, and for plants, this means the beginning of its demise.

All of this make me a bit weepy: Children going off to kindergarten, a daughter or son driving away to their first apartment, a pumpkin going to get weighed.

This post will be long on photos and short on captions and commentary. There is so much to show, and as tomorrow is the big Weigh-Off, another post is in the Offing, as it were. I will tell you what’s going on, briefly, and let the photos mostly speak for themselves!

MH the Grower, wife Kathleen, and Two Lifters of Heavy (sounds better than Two Heavy Lifters. I guess I’m sensitive after months of being consumed with Myrtle’s weight.), were due at high noon today. MacKenzie waited.

As did Myrtle.

MH the Grower had it all planned.  A trailer hitched to his truck. Inside, a pallet, or “skid” with a large piece of pink foam insulation board for Myrtle to rest upon, and a large piece of foam to cushion her on the ride from my garden to Pinkham’s Plantation and Garden Nursery.

The plan was to roll the trailer as close as possible to Myrtle, lift her in, and hitch the trailer to the truck.  But one question needed to be answered.  Once Myrtle was loaded into the trailer, would those present be strong enough to roll the trailer out of the garden and close enough to the truck to be hitched?

MH decided there was only one way to find out: Place several humans in the trailer and see if MH and my Husband were still able to roll the trailer.  I suppose I, MH’s wife, and my daughter could have been mightily offended at being regarded as “just weight”, but because it took three of US to weigh one Myrtle, it seemed acceptable. We participated with good cheer:

The trailer was rolled in:

We moved Mac away:

The trailer was moved into position:

And rocks were placed under the hitch to balance against Myrtle’s great weight.

It was time.  MH used his knife to cut the vine 10 feet away from Myrtle’s stem.  This would allow her to continue to drink water overnight before the weigh-in.  My job, when it came to actually lifting her, would be to keep the vine in position so that it didn’t snap off.  MH also snipped off a few straggling vines to avoid the main vine being compromised or tugged in any way.  A few photos to show this:

The tarp was put into t position.  The idea was to roll the tarp up against one side of Myrtle, roll her onto it, pull the tarp through to the other side of her, and roll her back.  I held the vine, hoping I could keep it intact.

MH, my Husband and the Lifters of Heavy rolled Myrtle from side to side, maneuvering the tarp under her. Kathleen volunteered to support the leveling rocks at the other end of the trailer.

I wish you could have heard the audio of that effort.  The puffing, the groans, were earned.  That pumpkin was So Heavy.

And after that enormous effort, the crew posed:

I was happy to hold the vine, reluctant to relinquish it:

And the tiny little blue pad that had so bravely protected Growing Myrtle from the damp earth was now alone, with no job, no crushing weight above its head.  I think I heard a tiny little sigh of relief.

And Myrtle was safely in the trailer.  Time to go to Pinkham’s!

The road was smooth, and MH, my daughter, Myrtle and I arrived a Pinkham’s one day before the official weigh-off.  MH guessed correctly that the Nursery men would be grateful to have some of the entries arrive early.  Apparently, tomorrow morning will be quite chaotic.  Here is Myrtle as she arrived, foam cushion in place:

A few earlier arrivals greeted us:

MH took the enormous jug was water and alfalfa “tea” that Myrtle will sip overnight to keep her strength, and her weight, up:

As we waited for the forklift, I noticed the sponsor’s sign (Sysco, a food corporation) on a tent — inside, the scales, tables, equipment and furniture for tomorrow’s event:

And here came the forklift:

The next photos show the forklift picking Myrtle up and moving her into place, next to the Earlier Bird pumpkins:

And just like your second-grade class photo, with all those happy youngsters lined up for the camera, Myrtle was in place:

MH the Grower and Bill Clark, of Clark’s Farm (co-producer of Pumpkinfest along with Pinkham’s) chatted about cantelope “webbing” on pumpkins, shape and genetics, and other pumpkin-pertinent points:

It was time for Myrtle to be labeled.  I wish I could say she was graced with a silver plaque,but it was really just gray duct tape.

And so this Harvest Day ended.  Myrtle was in place, and the pallets for tomorrow’s arrivals were stacked and ready.

My daughter and I will join MH and his family at Pinkham’s tomorrow at 10 for the Volunteer Grower Weigh-Off.

Any bets of Myrtle’s final weight?  My husband and I independently came up with 403 pounds and 402 pounds, respectively.  From our lips to the Great Pumpkin’s ears.

I will report.  Stay tuned.

WORDS FROM OTHERS:

“In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.”

— William Blake, English poet (1757 – 1827)

 

APPRECIATING:

“Clark Farms is family owned and operated. We provide fresh fruits and vegetables grown in Jefferson, as well as local eggs, jams, jellies, pickles and award winning pies.”

Pinkham Plantation: “Our local nursery in Damariscotta, Maine has the gardening products and, sometimes more importantly, the growing advice you need to develop and maintain a lush, fruitful landscape. We’re familiar with the local Maine soil conditions and growing challenges and offer solutions to help you grow the best garden possible.”