Why We Save Pumpkin Seeds From Year to Year
Every pumpkin has a story.
At Blue Cottage Porch, some of ours begin long before a pumpkin ever makes its way onto a Houston front porch. They begin hundreds of miles away in Nebraska—with a handful of seeds saved from the previous year’s harvest.
From One Fall to the Next
Some of the pumpkins that end up on a Blue Cottage Porch display in Houston have a surprisingly personal journey.
They start hundreds of miles away in Nebraska, near the family farm where Adam grew up. And in some cases, next year's pumpkins begin with seeds saved from this year's crop.
Check out some pumpkins that you may see on your porch below! (Pardon family members' arm and legs in the photos.)
Growing Pumpkins Close to Home
Our Nebraska pumpkin connection really is a family—and neighbor—affair.
Adam's aunt and uncle grow pumpkins, and there's another special connection literally across the road from his parents' home. A local produce grower purchased land across from Adam's parents and is now growing pumpkins for Blue Cottage Porch there, including some of the giant and white pumpkins we use in our displays.
Adam's dad, Kim, even heads across the road sometimes to lend a hand. When the pumpkins are ready and it's time to bring another load south to Houston, Kim helps with the harvest.
So when we say we know where our pumpkins come from, we really mean it.
Saving a Little Bit of This Year's Harvest
One of the traditions we especially love is saving seeds from year to year.
Rather than every growing season being completely separate from the one before it, seeds from pumpkins we love can become the starting point for another crop.
There's something wonderfully simple about that.
A pumpkin grows in Nebraska. It's harvested in the fall. Its seeds can be saved. And when planting season rolls around again, that little seed has the potential to start the whole process over.
Not All Pumpkins Are Created Equal
If you've looked closely at one of our porch displays, you've probably noticed that we use more than traditional orange jack-o'-lantern pumpkins. And those different pumpkins can be very different to grow and source.
Classic jack-o'-lantern pumpkins are generally our most reasonably priced pumpkins. They're the familiar orange pumpkins everyone associates with fall, and they're perfect for building the foundation of a big display.
Then there are the specialty pumpkins. Cinderella pumpkins, giant pumpkins, white pumpkins and other exotic varieties cost more, but they're also what give a porch so much of its personality. Their different colors, shapes, sizes and textures create the layered look that makes a pumpkin display feel abundant rather than simply lined with orange pumpkins.
It's one reason we get so excited about what's growing back in Nebraska each year.
From a Nebraska Field to a Houston Porch
This is our favorite part of the story.
Months before we're arranging pumpkins on someone's front steps in Houston, they're growing in fields near Adam's family home in Nebraska. His family is involved. A neighboring produce grower is involved. His dad is helping in the field and at harvest.
And when the pumpkins are finally ready, it's time to load them up and make the long trip south. Kim will bring the first batch at the end of September. Then we get to turn them into something completely different: a Houston family's fall porch.
Why This Matters to Us
We could simply buy every pumpkin we need from a wholesaler.
But there's something special about knowing the story behind what we're putting on your porch. We know some of the people growing them. We know the land they're coming from. We know who helped harvest them. And, with some pumpkins, we can even trace the story back to seeds saved from an earlier season.
Blue Cottage Porch may be in Houston, but a little piece of Nebraska comes with us every fall.
And when this season ends?
We'll save some seeds and start dreaming about the next one.
Nebraska grown. Houston styled. Blue Cottage Porch.
Comments