Pumpkin Plant or Monster!

Around June 25 I noticed that we had a few very little volunteer pumpkin plants growing beside our front path. On June 29th I noticed that three plants were growing very fast one in particular so I put a tomato cage between the plants and the walkway so they wouldn't grow astray and get stepped on.

One week later the largest pumpkin plant had about quadrupled in size.

A day later the largest pumpkin plant had grown quite a bit more and was starting to head for the wood pile area. I added some more fencing behind so that the plants had something to grow up while staying out of the area where we will eventually hope to stack firewood.

By July 15, just 20 days after these volunteer plants first sprouted above the ground, the largest pumpkin plant is getting harder to control. We have to redirect it because now it wants to head for the front steps.

On July 19th the largest pumpkin plant again tries to grow across the front steps in a different way so we extend some chicken wire fencing around the back of the wood pile and attach some of the vines/tendrils of the plant to the chicken wire to guide it around to the right, behind the wood pile rather than the left, onto the front steps.

 Monster pumpkin is much, much larger than pumpkin plants that we planted on purpose in good garden soil. The second two larger plants I'm trying to encourage to go in the other direction. This plant is a good place for cats to hide or get out of the rain. Who knows what it'll do next!