I'm doing a pumpkin report for school, and I need to include how many seeds in an average pumpkin. Can you help me? (Ben H.)

Thanks for writing. I'm not very good with numbers bigger than 4 (I count on my paws), so I don't think I can help. But why don't you ask some of your friends and neighbors to save the insides of their pumpkins for you, and you can count the number of seeds that were in each pumpkin!  Make a nice chart or graph and you'll have a doggone good report! (A pumpkin pie chart would be appropriate, but I don't know if it would apply to this study.)

Good Luck!

My name is Daisy Downing!! How did you get your name?? I am named after the cow. (Daisy Downing, Somerset, England)

I checked with my humans, and they said I was named after a dog that one of my owners, Andrea, had when she was a little girl. So we are both named after animals!

Who picks all those pumpkins?

Some of the local teenagers are hired for the task. We've used various crews, including the Braham Bombers football team.

How big is the pumpkin field?

We planted about 10 acres this year.

When are the pumpkins planted?

We plant the pumpkins in late May. But first, the ground has to be worked up to get rid of weeds and provide soft soil for the seeds.

Do you have to do anything between planting and picking?

Yes. Before the plants vine out and cover the ground, we pull a cultivator behind a tractor to dig up the weeds. Some years we have hauled water to the field when there hasn't been enough rain.

When are the pumpkins picked?

They are picked at the end of September and piled in the farmyard or in the field. The piles are covered with straw so the pumpkins don't freeze when the weather turns cold.

What do you do with left-over pumpkins?

There haven't usually been many left-over pumpkins, but they either get worked back into the soil in the field or go to a neighboring farm to be fed to pigs.

What's your favorite place to relax on the farm?

That depends. When it's cold out, I like the kitchen floor. When it's hot, I like to dig a hole in Grandma's flower bed. Unfortunately, no one else seems to appreciate it as much as I do.

You say you're the lead dog on the Downing Farm. Is it important to be lead dog?

As my cousin Yukon Charlie the sled dog says, if you're not lead dog, your view never changes.

Is it OK to wear white after Labor Day?

If you like. Personally, I always look good in my basic black.

What is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

What do you mean? African, or European swallow?

Kids: Send your own questions to Daisy. She's glad to answer your questions about pumpkins or any other questions you have about the farm. E-mail her care of:

daisy ["at"] downingpumpkins [.com]

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To contact us:

Vernon Downing
(or Daisy or the cows)
5323 Royalton Road
Braham, MN 55006
320-396-3296

Dave & Tammy Downing
651-699-3901
e-mail: mail ["at"] downingpumpkins.com