Halloween without pumpkins isn't Halloween.
Because Jack-O-Lantern style pumpkins aren’t generally grown in Japan the only way for Curtis and I to throw a Halloween party last year with real orange pumpkins was to order them off the internet for about 15 dollars a pumpkin! It was well worth it though as everyone who attended the party had a great time carving pumpkins for the first time.
One of the most rewarding parts about living in Japan as a foreigner is having the opportunity to share with friends and students how things are done in my country. So when it comes to Halloween carving pumpkins is an absolute must, but the problem is that I have 16 schools and loads of good friends so buying that many pumpkins just isn’t possible.
The good news is that pumpkins are packed full of seeds. So, last year during our party I had everyone put the “guts” of the pumpkin in a separate bowl and later I removed the seeds and dried them for our next Halloween party.
Whether or not I would actually be able to grow pumpkins from the seeds, I wasn’t sure, but since I have taken up gardening as one of my hobbies since living here in Japan I thought it would make an exciting little gardening project. Besides, the only way to throw a pumpkin party that my town would never forget would be to grow the pumpkins myself.
About two weeks ago I planted nearly a hundred seeds in planters outside my house. Thinking that only a few would sprout, if any at all, I decided it would be best to plant as many as possible. After waiting and watering it wasn’t too long before little green sprouts actually started poking out from underneath the soil!! After only two weeks nearly every single seed has actually sprouted into a healthy baby pumpkin seedling.
I couldn't believe it!! Now, all I have to do is find a field big enough to plant all of these guys! It's going to be exciting to see whether or not these actually turn into pumpkins. If all goes well it looks like this year Nagashima just might just be getting the biggest Halloween pumpkin party it’s ever seen!
