Brighton School Pumpkin Patch Project

[Flora]

Students at Brighton Elementary School in Island Pond pose for a photo with the fruits of their labor.

Most all the students at the school helped plant a pumpkin patch during the last week of school in June, and returend to school a few weeks ago to find a bountiful crop.

Master Gardener Jennifer Hanlon led the group planting last spring and attributes the gardens success to lots of muchroom compost and excessive rain. Several of the pumpkins were over 20 pounds and about a hundred pumpkins total were harvested. Also planted amont the pumpkin vines were several mammoth sunflowers.

[Flora]

Students at Brighiton Elementary School all took a chance to win the biggest pumpkins from their recently harvested pumpkin patch by estimating what they thought the large "cucurbita maxim" (Latin genus and species classification of the plants) would weigh. They guessed the weights of four pumpkins which were on display at the front of the school. The largest pumpkin was 61 pounds, the second was 59 pounds (third from right in this photo) and the middle pumpkin was 36 pounds. The next two largest weighed 32 pounds and two students tied for their guesses on that one.

[Flora]

Here's a couple more photos of the pumpkin patch and other flower garden at the school.