GENTRY -- Melissa Bond, a teacher at the Gentry Middle School and local church youth group leader, wasn't a gardener and didn't even have houseplants, but when she visited a pumpkin patch last fall she thought, "You know, I think I'm just going to grow my own pumpkins."
Little did she know the impact her pumpkin patch would have on her and others over the next year.
All winter and through the early spring, Bond talked to her family, especially her father Gary Ice, about her plans for a pumpkin patch. Even though he wasn't a gardener either, her dad, who was known for his incredibly positive nature, eagerly supported and encouraged her to move forward with growing her own pumpkin patch.
Then in late May -- right at planting time -- her 72-year-old father suddenly died after a bad reaction to medication during heart surgery. Bond had always been especially close to her father and the grief was devastating. She found herself in a dark place and didn't want to do anything, let alone grow a pumpkin patch. But, with the encouragement of her husband, Steve Bond, also a teacher in the school district, Melissa decided to go ahead and plant her pumpkin patch.
"I had talked to my dad about it so much," she said. "I don't know, I just didn't want to do it because he wasn't going to be there to talk to about it."
But Ice, who was a retired law enforcement officer and a dedicated running coach and race director, had always taught his daughter to move forward and stay positive.
"He had a quote that he said, it was 'The most important thing is what you do after the darkest day, step into the light,'" she said.
He also taught his daughter to follow his example of being a go-getter.
"I thought well, my dad, he would have done it, so I just did it," she said.
Melissa's friend Rocky Bennett used his tractor to help her spray and till the land in her 10-acre hobby farm near Highfill. Then on Father's Day, Melissa, Steve, and their two daughters Hannah and Emily planted seeds in the 95 mounds they had created on the one-third acre pumpkin patch.
Growing and Healing
For Melissa, the summer was a season for growing and for healing. She and her husband went out every morning and night to care for the pumpkins.
"If (Steve) could tell I was getting down, he would say 'Let's go check your pumpkins,' because when I would get out there, I would feel better," she said. "I could feel God's presence. I shed a lot of tears out there because it was a happy sad thing at the same time, but it was peaceful."
The pumpkin plants thrived, even though Melissa was late getting her pumpkins planted and made several rookie mistakes, such as building the mounds too close to each other and planting too many pumpkin plants in each mound. The summer weather was comparatively cool and wet, so she only had to water her pumpkins once, which was a blessing because she has to haul water in buckets.
"Healing went on with the growing... That is what was happening inside of me, it was still painful but it was something positive to focus on. (My dad) would have been thrilled," Melissa said.
As the summer progressed, some of the pumpkin leaves grew as big as elephant ears and yellow and green baby pumpkins began to develop on the spreading vines.
"I really feel like God just blessed it, because it was such a difficult time," she said.
Deer attacked the pumpkin patch, but a neighbor, Robert Reeves, loaned the Bonds an electric fence charger so they could build a fence to keep the deer at bay. August was unusually wet, which led to problems with fungus and squash bugs, but Melissa persisted, getting help from the county extension office to keep her pumpkins healthy.
Throughout the summer, Melissa kept quiet about her pumpkin patch project. She explained that she isn't one to share every detail of her life on social media, and said that it was a very personal, emotional project. Her family members that did know about the project, including her mother and in-laws, were incredibly supportive, she said.
"The pumpkin patch took on a bigger meaning when I lost my dad," Melissa said.
The Harvest
In early October, the Bonds were ready to harvest their pumpkins. Their little one-third acre pumpkin patch grew 306 pumpkins of all sizes and types -- Cinderella pumpkins, fairy-tale pumpkins, tiny pumpkins, several varieties of jack-o-lanterns and even giant pumpkins.
"You always hear them talk about harvest time, but it really doesn't mean anything to you until you've actually planted, watched it grow, took care of it, and then when you've harvested it you do feel that sense of pride and satisfaction," Melissa said. "You can't really understand until you've done it yourself."
Melissa set up a pumpkin display in front of the little red barn on her property and invited about 30 family members and friends to come and enjoy her pumpkin patch. She was filled with joy as she watched other people delight in her pumpkins. They spread fall cheer to homes as far away as Edmond, Okla., Carl Junction, Mo., Miami, Okla., and Galena, Kan.
Melissa decided it was time to go public with her pumpkin project and posted her story and pictures on Facebook. She received an overwhelming reaction from friends and community members who knew what her family had been through over the summer. Many people wanted one of her pumpkins just because of the special story behind them.
The following weekend, Melissa and her family decided to set up a pumpkin stand at The Chicken Coop on Main Street to sell the rest. They watched as more friends and community members went home happy with their beautiful pumpkins.
"I think what made me want to (grow a pumpkin patch) was that I was already envisioning them orange and laid out for my family and friends to come get," she said. "My vision was the finished result, and you know it was a lot of work, but it was worth it because the end is seeing happy people and kids walk off with the pumpkins."
Melissa plans to expand her pumpkin patch next year with a larger plot of land, more varieties of pumpkins and more pumpkins overall. She hopes to have her own pumpkin stand.
She is also looking forward to applying some of the knowledge she learned through experience and trial and error this year. Perhaps the best feeling is knowing that her father would be pleased.
"I know my dad would have been proud," Melissa said. "He would have hauled off an entire truck load of pumpkins."
General News on 10/18/2017