http://grist.org/food/pumpkin-crop-defie...sceration/
And they're delicious! We should exploit this more! Did you know you can make them grow overtop of sheds?
Quote:The drought forced thousands of ranchers to sell off cattle because pastures were too dry to graze, and corn and soybean farmers watched their plants wither in the summer sun. But John Ackerman said most of the pumpkins he planted fared “fantastic” for a simple, single reason: Pumpkins dig dry weather. …
Pathology may help explain why pumpkins coped better than most crops at beating the heat. A relative of squashes, cucumbers, watermelons and cantaloupe, pumpkins tend to thrive in warm, temperate climates that stave off fungus, mold and other rind-rotting diseases that spread in wet conditions, said Dan Egel, a plant pathologist with Purdue University’s extension.
Also, pumpkins grown from seeds — the most common way — have tremendous root systems that reach deep into the ground, enabling them to reach moisture that corn and other crops without taproots cannot find.
And they're delicious! We should exploit this more! Did you know you can make them grow overtop of sheds?