Before I dip my fingers into the soil and start mapping out my gardening ambitions this spring, I would be remiss if I didn't share a rather fun story of a curious Cucurbita that was a pleasant surprise last growing season.

With a south-facing front yard that gets plenty of sun, I thought it was about time to sprinkle sunflower seeds where they would receive the most stark light possible. My good friend and neighbor had beautiful multi-colored sunflowers the previous season with which I had become enamored, and after a few years of gorgeous yellow Russian Mammoth sunflowers doing well in the back, I was eager to try growing a variety that would produce petals of gold, bronze, red and maroon.

I opened the new package of mixed color sunflower seeds, found appropriate spacing in the bark along the edges of our porch and awaited with suspense to see if I, too, could grow a beautiful array of colorful sunflowers.

They did not disappoint. They awoke from the ground and reached toward the sun, becoming some of the most dazzling flowers I had ever grown from seed.

As I watched them grow, I noticed one of these things was not like the other.

"Is that a zucchini plant?" I thought as I first spied heart-shaped leaves and thick, green stalks growing out, not up. 

I had planted zucchini in my garden boxes, but they were way on the other side of the house in the backyard. Had the wind or a bird friend picked up a seed and tossed it right where I was growing sunflowers? Did I accidentally drop a squash seed without realizing it?

I watched with amazement as this plant stretched out and seemed to be rather happy. This was encouraging, as my zucchini patch in my garden box was not doing well. I thought, "Oh yay! I WILL have a productive zucchini plant this year after all!"

But this obvious squash plant kept growing ... and growing ... and growing.

I named it Mystery Gourd when I realized it was not a zucchini. It was becoming round. Was it a spaghetti squash? A butternut?

Nope — it was a pumpkin! I realized this as the green began to turn yellow, then orange, and the squash was definitely forming a spherical shape. Not long after I determined it was a pumpkin, I read about the accidental pumpkin grown at Post Falls City Hall. Maybe it was just a season for pleasant pumpkin surprises in the River City.

I sang songs about my Mystery Gourd, I photographed its progress and made all my friends and neighbors come see this surprise squash; I was quite proud of it!

As with all good things, Mystery Gourd had to come to an end. I gave it the proper sendoff by carving it into a jack-o-lantern for Halloween (with help from Twinkie, the feline jack-o-lantern inspector) and it lived out a happy life on my porch where it glowed with candlelight every night until the Halloween season ended.

This green thumb adventure was a highlight of my 2024 growing season. I now have plans to try to grow cauliflower, cucumbers and lots of flowers. Who knows what will spring up this year?

    Is it a zucchini? It's definitely not a sunflower!
  

    It's a pumpkin!

    I was successful in growing gorgeously colorful sunflowers. Excited to see what grows this year!
  

  

    Jack-o-lantern inspector Twinkie approves of the Mystery Gourd.
  

    The Mystery Gourd made a fine jack-o-lantern. A happy ending for a surprise squash.