Is a pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable? How big can they grow?  Let’s find out!

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1. Veggie or fruit?  The History Channel  says pumpkins are vegetables, proud members of the gourd family. Their cousins include cucumbers, melons, cantaloupes and watermelons. They are native to Central America and Mexico, but now grow on six continents.

2. What country first turned pumpkins into scary jack-o-lanterns?
A. Mexico B. Ireland C. USA
The University of Illinois  says that the Irish and Scottish carved the first jack-o-lanterns out of turnips; but then they started using pumpkins imported from America.

3. Can a pumpkin weigh more than a giraffe?
Yes. At http://bitly.com/18WXKOi you’ll learn about a guy in New Hampshire who grew one that weighed one ton, or 2000 pounds. If you want to grow one yourself, you might want to visit a site like http://www.howarddill.com/ but, the seeds can cost $50 each.

4. How far can you throw a pumpkin?    At http://www.punkinchunkin.com/ you can learn about this crazy new sport where people build special machines, called trebuchets, to launch their pumpkins several thousand feet.

5. Which types of pumpkins are best for carving?
At Pumpkin Masters http://bitly.com/160lCCt you’ll learn how to pick out the perfect pumpkin for carving. They say you should find one that sits up easily, doesn’t have any dark mold spots and is lighter-colored and softer.

Have a Safe Halloween!

STUFF TO DO
1. Roast some pumpkin seeds. Here’s how!  A site called “All Recipes” tells you how:

2. Carve a strange looking pumpkin! At Better Home & Gardens you can learn how to make a pumpkin stencil

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1. How long is the longest leaf in the world?  At http://www.raffiaonline.com/about_raffia.html you can visit a store that sells leaves that grow in Madagascar, Africa, on the Raffia Palm. The palms grow a thin leaf up to 60 feet in length. It has many uses including making doll hair, ribbons, and hula skirts.

2. Can a leaf kill you? At Popular Mechanics http://bit.ly/160fqbf you learn about ten of the most deadly leaves, some even contain poison. Admire them, from a distance.

3. I’m stuck in the woods. Which leaves can I eat for food? At the Art of Manliness http://bitly.com/14mxgXo you can find 19 plants that could save your life, by serving as food. These include the dandelion., and clover

4. Why do leaves change color? At http://www.foliagenetwork.com you can explore the reasons why a simple green leaf turns to red, yellow, or even purple each fall season. Or you can watch this video for a quick explanation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljPU1nDVq-0

5. How much weight can a leaf hold?  At the Kew gardens http://bitly.com/17BvXmf  you can read all about the giant amazon water lily, with a leaf  that can grow more than 8 feet  across, and support the weight of a child.

Applications

Spring is a good time to plant a garden, but how much do you know about how they grow? Here are some links to sites and videos that will help you learn more about plants and gardens.

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1. What is the largest vegetable in the world? At Seed to Feed Me http://bit.ly/10CD4UG you can see pictures of the largest fruit and vegetables in the world like a 100 pound head of lettuce, a 268 lb watermelon, or a 1689 lb pumpkin that weighs as much as polar bear!

2. What is the oldest living seed in the world?  At National Geographic http://bit.ly/XstbxC you can learn about some 32,000 year old seeds found buried beneath the ice in Siberia, that were still alive. When they planted, they grew into delicate white flowers.

3. What’s the difference between an annual and a perennial? At The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia  http://bit.ly/10RIUTK you’ll learn that nearly all garden plants — like tomatos, carrots and pumpkins are annuals, meaning they die after one season. Perennials, like potatoes, rhubarb and asparagus, come back year after year.

4. How long does it take to grow a radish, and how deep do you plant the seed? At Cornell University’s vegetable growing guide, at http://bit.ly/ZeOJyK you can look up specific seeds, and learn that radishes grow in about 30 days, but you’ll need 70 days for a zuchini. You can find specific facts about almost any seed you might plant in your garden, in case you lose the instructions on the seed packet.

APPLICATION

Make a rainbarrel! Did you know that over 600 gallons of water falls on a 1000 square foot roof during a storm? Every drop could be used to water your carrots. Here’s are step by step instructions on how to make a rain barrel, visit “Store the Storm” for more.  Here are the instructions: http://www.hws.edu/fli/pdf/rain_barrel_manuel.pdf

Grow a flower in a cup- at http://www.kidsgardening.org/node/3914 you will fin