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Monster pumpkin grown by Skibbereen boys

October 31st, 2019 8:06 PM

By Southern Star Team

The St Patrick's Boys' NS pupils with their giant pumpkin.

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Second class students at St Patrick's Boys National School have harvested a giant pumpkin – just in time for Halloween.

 

SECOND class students at St Patrick’s Boys National School have harvested a giant pumpkin – just in time for Halloween.

School principal, Alan Foley explained that the school started a sensory garden about three and a half years ago for the ASD – or autism spectrum disorder – classes but now everyone is using it.

‘We are trying to grow as much as we can during the school year because – as is normally the case with gardens – most of the harvest is done during the summer months.

‘At this time of year,’ the principal said, ‘we are growing pumpkins, but earlier in the year we would have been growing potatoes.’

The pumpkin is a whopping 33.6kg and Alan explained: ‘It is a special American variety – the seed for which we got from Deelish Garden Centre.’

The pupils are planning to carve the pumpkin as part of their Halloween display, but, in doing so, they will save the seeds to plant and grow some more of these huge specimens next year.

The pumpkin was so heavy it took the caretaker, Brendan Connolly, the principal, and a priest, Fr Chris O’Donovan, to lift it! The children are also looking forward to a visit to the school next week by Christian Pozimski, the chef at The Church. Christian will be teaching them that pumpkins are a food and not just something to be carved at Halloween.

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