Marianne's Response
Pumpkin shaped plant
This plant popped up in our tomato garden this year. Last October I had chopped up our old pumpkin and put it in the garden. Could this be a pumpkin plant? Or is it just a weed?
Posted by Christian Riepe on September 6, 2021
Marianne's Response
That volunteer plant looks like a Chinese lantern or Physalis grown not for the flowers but for the papery seed pods that look like dangling lanterns and they will turn orange as they mature. Some gardeners do consider this annual a weed as it can become invasive so dig up the roots and all if you don't want it to take over the space. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti
