Halloween is never too far away, it seems! Graham Cotton’s Bitterne Park Triangle bakery is already planning ahead to make next year’s celebration a winner, by launching a pumpkin growing competition.
To enter, visit the bakery and collect a pumpkin plant (while stocks last) that you can take home and grow over the summer. Entry costs Ł1, and Graham is preparing a helpful fact sheet to make sure little pumpkins are cared for. He says he’s distributing perfect pumpkin plants, which should be ideal for decorating.
The competition is organised by Cottons in conjunction with other Bitterne Park traders, and judging will take place on October 31. Entrants will be contacted by post closer to the date, with details of the competition venue.
Graham told us he’s very keen to support the tradition of Halloween in our area, especially as there’s recently been a revival of the street parade involving local children.
But there’s more at stake: Graham wants to make sure everyone, and in particular younger people, get back to growing, and watching nature taking its course. His concern is that more and more children do not have any experience of growing a plant, looking after it and understanding the way nature works. Halloween is a great reason to return to nature and grow your own pumpkin.
So who knows: if you collect your plant today and show everyone you can grow your own pumpkin you could even win the 2009 competition.