Johnson County
Related Photos
-
Michael Calabria, resident of the Caddo Grove area north of Joshua, hoped for a garden full of Great Pumpkins this month. Because of drought and heat, he wound up with Great Jackolanterns. Pete Kendall/Times-Review
Discussion
Add a comment on this storyTools
Good grief, it’s the not-so Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
JOSHUA — The Great Pumpkin is unlikely to find another Great Pumpkin on Halloween when he visits Michael Calabria in Walden Estates.
He may have to settle for a Great Jackolantern. Or some okra and corn.
“As you can see, my pumpkin crop didn’t do that great,” Calabria said with a chuckle.
He’s being modest. He has pumpkins, even a dozen or so ripe ones. They’re just not as large as his seed supplier suggested they’d be.
Calabria doesn’t blame the seeds, by the way.
“I think the drought and heat were the primary reasons they didn’t grow much,” Calabria said. “That and my inexperience. And this is probably the wrong area.”
He may be right about the geography. No less an authority on farming than Cleburne High Schoool vocational ag teacher Barney McClure said he’s not aware of a commercial pumpkin growing venture in Johnson County.
Texas AgriLife Extension agent Chris Schneider said Calabria had called him seeking advice on pumpkin-patch weed killers. Calabria is still trying to control the weeds. They may be a lost cause now. Kind of like the pumpkins.
“This is the first year I’ve done a garden,” he said. “I got a couple of hundred pounds of manure down, and I tried some spray fertilizer. That was it. I didn’t do a soil test.
“I planted the seeds 18 inches apart in rows about two feet apart. I planted the seeds about a half-inch deep. I went with the instructions on the backs of some seed packages.”
It all seemed like a good idea at the time.
“I decided last May or June I was going to plant pumpkins,” Calabria said. “I was thinking there would be a good little crop that I could sell in October. The pumpkins were supposed to get to 10 to 15 pounds. They’re six or seven pounds.”
He hasn’t been the only unsuccessful gardener in the Caddo Grove area.
“A lot of my neighbors’ gardens totally burned up,” Calabria said. “When I drive the back roads around here, I usually see these big fields of corn. They burned out, too.”
But he didn’t spare the water.
“I watered a lot. During the really hot periods, I watered almost every day.”
He may or may not seek a soil test at the Extension service next year.
“It depends on finances. Knowing what I need to do won’t help if I can’t do it.”
He has an idea what he might plant next year. It’s not pumpkins.
“I think I’ll go with watermelons,” Calabria said. “I’ll try to get a good start in mid-March. I’ll probably plant half the yard in watermelons and half in okra.”
Okra has been his best crop this year, and his fall corn appears promising.
“We’ve had some rain, and it’s been a little cooler lately.”
What pumpkins he has will probably wind up on the carving board.
“I want to make a few jackolanterns,” Calabria said. “I won’t make pies. I’m not really into the pureed [pumpkin meat]. I’d rather buy it canned.”
- Johnson County
-
-
Wave the flag for 30 years of theater
The Greater Cleburne Carnegie Players bring the curtain down on their 30th season with a foot-stomping, flag-waving musical, “1776.”
-
Cleburne man killed in wreck near Bono
Two wrecks occurred Wednesday on U.S. 67 near County Road 1120 near Bono, one of which resulted in the death a Cleburne man.
-
Mayoral candidates draw for ballot placement
-
March 8 declared Zonta Rose Day
-
Meals-on-Wheels recognized by city council
-
Chamber recognizes individuals, organization
The Cleburne Chamber of Commerce presented several awards at it's 91st annual banquet on Thursday night.
-
Powell commends woman’s heroic actions
The actions of a Maypearl woman on Christmas Day may well have saved the life of an 11-year-old Cleburne boy.
-
Who are the historical females from Johnson County?
This month is the 30th anniversary of the National Women’s History Project, the portion of National Women’s History Month that recognizes the individual contributions of women.
-
Cleburne elections set for May 8
The filing period for the three council positions up for re-election in May’s Cleburne city election concluded Monday with only one race having attracted more than one candidate.
-
Outlet probable cause for house fire
Electrical problems probably caused a Tuesday fire, which resulted in major damage to a house on the 200 block of Evans Street, Cleburne Assistant Fire Chief Keith Scarbrough said. Firefighters responded to the scene at about 4 p.m.
- More Johnson County Headlines
-
