Courtesy Allison Smith
Greenbelt , Maryland , uses topically grown jack - o’-lanterns to give seasonal dash to its forest preservation program .
They may not be Charlie Brown ’s anticipated Great Pumpkin , which gives present tense to in effect boys and girls , but the pumpkins at the Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival in Maryland do an even greater deed by require the community in a sustainable case .
This yr ’s festival kicks off at noonday on Oct. 19 , 2013 , with a gratis pumpkin carve event at the Greenbelt Forest Preserve using 250 autumn pumpkin purchased and donated from local farm . That night , the carved pumpkins unhorse with candela will be positioned on stumps , on the ground and in Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to produce a shine lead in the forest preserve .
The trail will open at 6 p.m. for the general public to take the air and learn the importance of preserving the forest .
In past years , personal organiser Allison Smith says their mission was to grow pumpkins from the city ’s own pumpkin patch for this and succeeding fete .
“ The Greenbelt Pumpkin Festival ’s pumpkin bandage was specify to provide part , if not all , of the manual laborer - o’-lanterns for this year ’s fete , ” Smith says . “ I needed to find a way to rely on Greenbelt for pumpkins , since the last two years have been very unmanageable in getting pumpkins . Some farmers took back their pledged donations when harvest came , and they understand they could n’t give it . Others were hike up prices and going back on the promised wholesale price they ’d cite me in the summer . ”
start in November 2009 , Smith worked to restore a 5 - year neglected and weed - infested Greenbelt Community Garden plot .
“ It took hebdomad of unrelenting workplace to just get it down to the level that I could make dirt hill , ” Smith explains . “ I fuck off advice about growing pumpkins from anyone who would give it . ”
Smith used allcompostin the garden and weeded by hired hand to keep the garden 100 - per centum organic fertiliser .
Paul Downs , founder of the Pumpkin Festival , train Smith through hill - making and ceremonially planted the Big Max pumpkin ejaculate . Smith was committed to ready the best pumpkins potential .
“ In these garden , there is no water source , so gardeners walk across the street and use the hose from the Greenbelt Homes , Inc. berth and carry the water in buckets back to their garden . I would do this sometimes in between other work ( with skillful clothes on ! ) if I got the chance to pilfer in a watering , ” Smith says . “ We noticed our first little pumpkin growing , and we were exhilarate ! And then we notice another one , but it was growing in between two fences and was unaccessible . ”
However , a month of drought was trace by several day of rainfall , and the plants were taken by fungus .
“ We were forced to pull off our one petite pumpkin from its deadened vine , ” Smith sound out . “ I knew that our experiment had failed , but I am still dictated to do it next year , with two or three more garden plots . ”
For this yr ’s result , Smith was able-bodied to raise money to buy farm - grown autumn pumpkin and say she hope it will serve as a model for other urban agricultural - colligate upshot in Greenbelt .
To start a pumpkin fete in your township , Smith offers the following tips :
Smith would like to provide her support to citizenry starting a pumpkin take the air in their town . chew the fat theGreenbelt Pumpkin Walk Facebook pagefor more info .
