This year, as every year, pumpkin cultivation at "Hofschneiders" (our farm's traditional name) took place in mid-April. The conditions for sowing were picture-perfect: optimally dried soil, balanced fertilization, and pleasant spring temperatures made the hearts of all pumpkin farmers beat faster – including ours. The seeds were placed in the ground at an exact sowing depth of two centimeters using our own planting machine. After a few days, the pumpkin seeds germinated, and the first delicate seedlings emerged from the soil. What a beautiful sight!
Then came the main task for us farmers: waiting. The summer was an emotional rollercoaster: heat and rain alternated constantly, with the ever-present concern of pests and diseases. The prolonged heat in summer, in particular, caused us a lot of headaches. During our field inspections, we often heard the phrase: "This won't amount to anything good this year."
But somehow, the weather gods weren't so unkind to us after all and often provided just enough rain at the last moment, allowing us to marvel at the abundance and size of the pumpkins in the field from mid-August onwards.
In September, we could slowly begin planning the most significant moment for us pumpkin farmers: the harvest. The pumpkins were pushed together in rows, and the "kraut" – as we call the leaves and stalks – was chopped up and left in the field.
After about two days (this is the time the pumpkins need for the seeds to separate well from the pulp), the harvest began. The pumpkin harvester impaled the pumpkins with a "hedgehog" mechanism and conveyed them inside the machine, where the valuable seeds were separated from the pulp. This is a task that always requires all family members, but despite all the effort involved in helping, it's accompanied by a lot of fun and joy during the harvest :)
The rest of the pumpkin, meaning the stalks, leaves, shells, and pulp, remain in the field and serve as food for soil life, thus contributing to humus formation and soil fertility. From this perspective, it's very sustainable :)
After harvesting, the pumpkin seeds were carefully dried so they could be stored. Filled into big bags, they can be kept for at least a year and are then pressed into the finest pumpkin seed oil at the oil mill.
The "pumpkin year" comes to an end, with all its highs, lows, anxieties, and hopes. This year's harvest was well above the average yields of recent years, so we can say: We did everything right.
This was only possible with a mixture of a lot of experience, expertise, and a large portion of good weather luck, which brought us this harvest. And despite all the challenges in this demanding year: We are already really looking forward to the pumpkin cultivation in 2023.
All the best
The "Next-Generation-Hofschneiders" :)
Stefanie & Christoph
Here are a few more insights:
