ENTRY 003 • The One Where We Finally Planted

2026 • Merkel, Texas

This was the day I'd been waiting for.

The first pumpkin seeds officially went into the ground.

We'd measured the field, marked the rows, figured out irrigation, prepared the ground, bought seeds, made plans—and probably changed some of those plans a few times.

Eventually, though, there's nothing left to do but plant.

So we did.

It's Kind of Crazy When You Think About It

A pumpkin seed isn't very impressive.

It's tiny.

But if everything goes right, that one little seed can turn into vines stretching across the ground, huge leaves, yellow blossoms and eventually a pumpkin.

And we're definitely not growing only orange ones.

We've planted Howden, Big Max, Sugar Pie, Jarrahdale, Porcelain Doll Pink, Warty White, Black Kat, Jack Be Little, Fireball, stacking pumpkins, colorful carving varieties, gourds and more.

We've got tiny pumpkins.

Giant pumpkins.

Pink pumpkins.

Blue-gray pumpkins.

White warty pumpkins.

Even pumpkins that are almost black.

Now we get to find out what actually happens.

This Is Where the Waiting Begins

Planting day feels like you've accomplished something huge.

And we have.

But really, we just reached the starting line.

Now comes watering, checking rows, watching the weather, pulling weeds, dealing with the West Texas heat and probably learning a bunch of lessons I don't even know I need to learn yet.

That's also where the meaning behind SOW. SEEK. HARVEST. starts to feel a little more real.

We can prepare the ground.

We can plant the seeds.

We can work hard and take care of what we've been given.

But we can't make a seed grow.

There's some faith involved in putting something that small into the ground and believing there's a harvest coming.

So here's to the first seeds of Merkel's Pumpkin Patch.

The 2026 crop is officially in the ground.

Now we wait for the one where something actually grows. 🌱

See you in the patch! 🎃— Taden