(pictures can be clicked on to view full size.)

For more information on this little guy check out this link.

I think it is pretty safe to say the case of the Mystery Squash is closed. I think the picture for today is some rather strong evidence that points to our Mystery Squash being a pumpkin. So my hunch was right all along!

I remain baffled by how a pumpkin seed snuck into the compost pile last year. I am pretty careful about what kind of kitchen scraps go into our pile for fear that we would have everything from peppers and tomatoes to melons and pumpkins coming up all over the garden.

A couple of months ago I made the decision to move our compost pile to a new location of our yard. What once was a gaping pit left over from 2 years of composting is now a thriving and incredibly lush garden bed full of a multitude of self-sown flowers, herbs and now even a pumpkin. What amazes me is the fact that a pumpkin seed somehow found its way into the compost pile last fall and hide in waiting through all our snow and rain until the conditions were just right and then it decided to emerge and grow. A plant’s ability to survive and grow never ceases to leave me in awe.

I think this post will conclude my weekly updates on this no longer a mystery garden guest. I will however, continue to periodically post some picture of its progress as I cannot wait to see what this pumpkin grows into. This has been a lot of fun for me and my kids and I thank everyone who has followed these postings over the past couple of weeks. We have truly enjoyed hearing about all of your own mystery squashes that decide to grow in some unlikely of places.

If ever anyone needs some proof that compost is great for the garden they need to look no further than my old pile! I think it pretty much speaks for itself when one sees just how lush and green everything growing there is.

Here is our Mystery Squash as we are wrapping up the second week of July. Getting quite big don’t you agree? I am pretty sure this big and beautiful plant is a pumpkin just waiting to show itself.

The old compost pile almost looks like I designed and planted it. It is looking so pretty these days. The above picture cut it off but at the back of the old pile is a volunteered sunflower and in the picture below you can see it is not too far away from blooming.

The first flower on the self-sown bachelor buttons bloomed yesterday. I was hoping for one of the pink ones that bloomed in the herb garden last year but this one is pretty too and covered in buds as the picture shows.

The borage is still pumping out flowers and buds and I just love this photo below. It is like sailing a sea of borage.

The volunteered cilantro has already bolted. Last year I did not catch the seeds from my cilantro fast enough and this year it has self-sown all over the place. I was pleasantly surprised by this too. My rabbits love it and have been enjoying it for the past few weeks.

Finally, I have saved the best for last. While photographing all of the above blooms I noticed a honeybee hovering around the Mystery Squash. Today the Mystery Squash has two male flowers in bloom as well as one female flower. I got an up close and personal view of this honeybee going into the male flowers and then coming out all covered in pollen before heading on over to the female flower. It was so interesting to watch too because while in the female flower the honeybee sort of just wandered around the base of the flower not even seeming to notice that the pollen all over its back was performing something magical.

I took so many shots of this moment and decided to combine them into this little clip for below.

These next two pictures show just how covered in pollen that little bee was.

Thanks to that little bee I will hopefully be able to show a tiny pumpkin forming next week!