Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Halloween!

Assortment of results from family pumpkin-carving night.

Don't be afraid of the pumpkins after the e.coli outbreak at a pumpkin patch in San Luis Obisbo County, though. Here are some photos from the pumpkin patch.

More on Pumpkins from Diana Erbio's Writer's Page:

In the Old World, people carved turnips and gourds into lanterns to scare away evil spirits. In America, they used pumpkins instead. Irish legend says a fellow named Jack was barred from hell for being too tricky, and had to walk the earth carrying a lantern lit with an ember the devil gave him. His name was Jack of the Lantern—or, as we say today, Jack-o'-Lantern.
This reminded me of my mom's childhood experience in Switzerland (no Halloween in Switzerland at the time 1940s) but there was a festival she told me about that was held around Halloween time.

She said kids carried hollowed out turnips that were illuminated with a candle and paraded through the street. The turnip lanterns were carried on a stick. I remember my mom telling me that she and her brother carried a hollowed out pumpkin instead!

Pumpkins of course were popular in America during autumn, and because my mom's papa was born in America he was familiar with pumpkin carving and pumpkin pie, which was not a "thing" in Switzerland.

My mom used to tell me how all the kids were very impressed with the large pumpkin lantern that my mom and her brother carried in the parade. She said her father had hung their pumpkin from a long stick that she and her brother held at each end.

Wish I had an old photo of that! My grandpa did take many photos for that era...but alas, no pumpkin parade picture. I did find pictures online about the Turnip Parade. Today it seems they create turnip sculptures too comprised of many turnips. Here’s a few of turnip lanterns. (Rabelichtli-meaning turnip and "lichtli" small light, and together they make a turnip lantern)

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

An interesting video on winter sowing tomatoes from NorCal Sierra Foothills Lurker

You might want to try this with heirloom and open-pollinated tomatoes. Or with cherry or grape tomatoes.

Risks of veganism, courtesy Leslie Folkersen:

But we don't insist on veganism here. Courtesy Lynn Moore

Gardens of The Horde

I love Halloween! This year’s theme is Halloween Ball in the Graveyard. A 🧵of pictures. https://t.co/yCiIOp4Vva

— Piper (@piper_moves) October 24, 2026

SPOOKY, PIPER!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Home and Nature Thread, Oct. 24

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

I think this is it on the flower sales front for this year, ending on quite a high with these 2 jars ❤️🍁💐
I don’t make wreaths (they’re just not me) so I’ll be getting everything ready for spring and no doubt buying more dahlias and lots of seeds 🙄😂
Have a good evening 🍁💐🍁 https://t.co/VtKZs4WauB

— Garden Brocante (@GardenBrocante) October 24, 2026