# 2019 Pumpkin Growers Thread



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Skeleton Crew posted in the 2018 thread:

"I was wondering if some of the expert growers who have contributed to this thread may be able to share the best web site locations or places to mail order pumpkin / corn seeds. I'm mainly looking to grow traditional small to medium varieties."

If you are looking for generic seeds, I would recommend two places- Burpee Seeds and Baker seeds. Here is the link for Burpee: https://www.burpee.com/homepage?cid=PPC&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIopyr-qPN3wIVT1mGCh3ZpgzuEAAYASAAEgIc5_D_BwE . Here is the link for Baker seeds: https://www.rareseeds.com/.

I used Burpee for three or four years and had good success and others are fond of Baker. I don't think you can wrong with some of the others like Eden, I would just stay away from Walmart and Home Depot because those seeds could have sitting around for awhile. Though, I have known people who have germinated seeds that were several years old.

Good luck on your growing, and keep us posted at to how your plans are coming along.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I've bought seeds & plants on Etsy but they weren't pumpkin seeds but what I did buy were great, we just had the wettest year on record & that ruined everything but the tomatoes in my garden.

Every year I say "I'm going to plant ONE THING in the garden, just tomatoes, just melons, just pumpkin, just ONE THING!" and then I see how many different plants there are to grow & I end up with a lot of things.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

RCIAG said:


> Every year I say "I'm going to plant ONE THING in the garden, just tomatoes, just melons, just pumpkin, just ONE THING!" and then I see how many different plants there are to grow & I end up with a lot of things.



Totally agree. In 2019, marrows are now a contest vegetable at most pumpkin weigh-offs. I never heard of them before, never saw one before, and yet, I have the urge to plant one. Picture of a marrow is below:


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Happy New Year, everyone!! 

Alright, 2019 Thread is a go! Thanks for setting it up, Col!

As said at the end of the last thread, I decided to order some of the "Little October Pumpkin" mini pumpkin seeds that ooojen found and linked me to. https://www.botanicalinterests.com/product/Little-October-Pumpkin-Seeds They seem similar to the Wee Be Littles that I keep trying to grow and they never do well. (Can only find them in not so good seed brands). I have never ordered from this seed supplier, so we will see how it goes. A reviewer said she had a very high yield of these Little October Pumpkins just from one plant, so here's to hoping I get similar results! (My reason for wanting this type of pumpkin is that I paint them for the cemetery for my loved one's graves and a small pumpkin with a smoother surface than my JBLs is perfect.)

I asked in the previous year's thread if anyone had ordered from that site, before, or grown Little October Pumpkins.

As for the previous question about miniature varieties, this is what I tend to prefer to grow, especially Jack Be Littles. I like to use mostly Burpee for many of my seeds. I haven't ordered from their site, but usually buy mine from Menards with great results. The only other site I have ever ordered seeds from, besides the above, which is new, this year, to me, is Rainbow Seeds, where I get my California White Sage seeds from.

This year, along with my JBLs, I'll be trying out the above Little Octobers and some ornamental mini gourds, which I have yet to buy seeds for.

As I usually do, I am going to add a few pictures about male/female/hand pollnating and some links to pumpkin growing sites that are easy to understand and have lots of info and tips. I post these links, each year, for everyone to refer back to and to help out those new to pumpkin growing. Here are the pics and the links:

Female flower: Multi center stigma, short stem, round bump under bloom (baby pumpkin)
Male flower: single stamen, long stem, no bump.















Hand pollination: Remove male flower. Pull back petals. Brush pollen onto ALL parts of female center stigma. One male can be used to pollinate, at least, two females, depending on how much pollen is on stamen if bees and such have gotten to them. Both Males and Females are only open and ready for pollinating one day, early morning. Once they close up that day, pollination needs to have occurred or the female will abort the baby pumpkin. Pollen inside males starts to decline the later in the day it gets, so pollinate early am. Make sure pollen is ready by lightly touching and seeing if orangish yellow dust comes off readily on your finger. If not, it's too early and the pollen is not yet mature. Male flowers start to show up and bloom a couple weeks or so, give or take, before females to attract pollinators to the area. (Male flowers will generally fall off after their bloom. This is normal. Females fall off after a couple days, give or take, and then you will see the baby pumpkin begin to grow (pollinated) or rot and fall off (not pollinated or underpollinated). Further info is in the link, below. I have attached a photo of the way your pumpkin fine will grow according to it's first leaves, as well.
















http://www.pumpkinnook.com/growing.htm

https://www.gardenguides.com/134166-fertilizer-pumpkins.html


**Last year was a fun, trial year, for me, as I decided to grow seeds that I harvested from found Jarrahdale and white pumpkins just to see what I would get...it was interesting, lol...but previous years you can see my progress with growing smaller varieties, and other's progress in a whole lot of varieties, mini, gourd to giants! check out previous years threads!! I'll link some previous years threads for those who are interested or need to check back for their own posts or such:

2018: https://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/194665-pumpkin-growers-thread-2018-a.html

2017: https://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/170962-pumpkin-patch.html

2016: https://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/146479-2016-pumpkin-patch.html

2015: https://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/140835-pumpkin-patch-2015-a.html

2014: https://www.halloweenforum.com/general-halloween/134630-2014-pumpkin-patch-thread.html


One other thing: I like to pre-germinate my pumpkin, squash and cucumber seeds. I use the baggie process:

Lightly dampen some paper towels and fold in half. Place the seeds with an inch or so space (for root growth) on one side, then fold over the top of them to form a square. Place into labeled plastic baggie, but do not seal, as you need air movement to keep from mold issues. Put baggie in dark, warm location. I set mine on top of our cable box in the tv stand, lol...warm and dark! Check each day to ensure paper towel stays lightly moist and hasn't dried, and to check for germination. Once you see the seeds open and roots start to pop out, I plant, either direct sow or into seed pots.

I like this process because I will know, for sure, which seeds will germinate and which will not before planting, saving time.


Okay, I think that's everything, for now. Use that Pumpkinook link, above, for info on seeds, germination, fertilizing, pollinating, and many other growing topics! Anything else you want to know, ask here and one of us may have an answer or educated guess for you from past experience! check back often for everyone's new photos and conversations! Here's to a great 2019 growing season, everyone!!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> Skeleton Crew posted in the 2018 thread:
> 
> "I was wondering if some of the expert growers who have contributed to this thread may be able to share the best web site locations or places to mail order pumpkin / corn seeds. I'm mainly looking to grow traditional small to medium varieties."
> 
> ...


I'll toss in the trio of Johnny's Seed, Territorial Seed, and RH Shumway. 

They definitely cater more to farms than home growers, but all are good sources for pumpkins. 

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/

http://www.territorialseed.com/

https://www.rhshumway.com/


----------



## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> In 2019, marrows are now a contest vegetable at most pumpkin weigh-offs. I never heard of them before,


Are marrows really not a thing in the USA? Over here in the Uk, they're a fairly standard old fashioned vegetable.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

As for what I'm planting this year. 

Bearing in mind, I purchase 100ish basketball sized pumpkins every year, I'm shooting for contrast in my growing. 

Big Moose. My first time trying 'giant' pumpkins at the house. These average 50-125 lb, capable of 300+, but keep their shapes better than atlantic giants and tend to be squat and round. As I intend to carve the thing, the shape is appealing. Planning 3 plants. 










Early Giant. Planting for the tall shape. Planning 5 plants. 










Other decor items. 

Purple majesty Millet. 










Pumpkin on a stick


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

RCIAG, I always end up with more than I planned, too. I said I'd cut down, this year...we will see what happens, lol!

UnOrthodOx, yeah, I have heard of Johnny Seeds, though never ordered from them, yet. (Though, maybe it was you who spoke of them, lol!)

Lord_kobel, I have never heard of Morrows until you guys just spoke of them, here. Looking them up, I think they might be what our Zucchini are if we let them keep growing really big?? Is this correct? Anyone know? 

UnOrthodOx, I love all of your choices!! I love both big, fat, round and really tall, thinner pumpkins, so both of those types of Giants look awesome, to me. I have never heard of the Millet...it's so beautiful! Now I want to grow pumpkin on a stick, too, lol.


----------



## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I think they might be what our Zucchini are if we let them keep growing really big?? Is this correct? Anyone know?


They're the same family as courgettes (zucchinis) but not quite the same plant.See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/digin/2010/07/gareth-austin-marrows-and-cour.shtml


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

WitchyKitty said:


> UnOrthodOx, yeah, I have heard of Johnny Seeds, though never ordered from them, yet. (Though, maybe it was you who spoke of them, lol!)


Johnny's invents a lot of pumpkin varieties, and is a great place to go find unique crossbreeds that will have disease resistance. Occasionally even borer resistance (though that is rare). But, you generally can't save seeds from their stuff, it's usually not 'stable'. 

RH Shumway, on the other hand is nearly the opposite. Nearly all heirloom open pollinated seed.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Lord_kobel said:


> Are marrows really not a thing in the USA? Over here in the Uk, they're a fairly standard old fashioned vegetable.


Not so much, if at all in the U.S. I know that all the record holders are from the UK, lol.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Pumpkin on a stick




Those are interesting. I am assuming they are tomatoes.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'll have to check out some sites and try to figure out which small, decorative gourds I want to try. There are so many kinds...and I have very little room. I'd like to be able to try and grow at least a couple fun, colorful ones to go with my JBLs and Little October pumpkins. I may just stick with Burpee if I can find what I want from there, but other sites have more varieties, sometimes. 

Getting seeds that will produce plants and fruit with more disease and insect resistance would be nice...since our Winter hasn't been as cold or snowy as it should be, yet, I fear a LOT of insects will overwinter. I had soooooo many squash bugs, last year, and my first vine borer...I am worried!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ooooh goodness...going over to the Johnny Seeds was a bad idea. There are several mini, small and gourd type seeds that I really want to grow!!! I have no room for all that I'd like to try, lol. Heck, there are even medium and large types that I love and wish I could grow!! Sigh...why did we buy a house with such a small back yard?? Our next house, a million years from now when we win the lottery, had better have lots of room for planting!

I see they have "Jill Be Littles"...I wonder how that differs from my Jack Be Littles??

Edit: I just looked at the other two sites UnOrthodOx linked, as well, and found even more. I'm doomed. How will I ever decide?!

(I'll more than likely just end up getting an ornamental gourd mix and planting a few to see what I end up with, lol. Too many to choose from.)


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I really wanna try those pumpkins-on-a-stick that are NOT tomatoes. They're actually eggplants! Though I don't think they're edible.

https://parkseed.com/pumpkin-on-a-stick-eggplant-seeds/p/51648-PK-P1/

I might put those in our herb garden this year since they grow up & don't vine out.


----------



## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> I really wanna try those pumpkins-on-a-stick that are NOT tomatoes. They're actually eggplants!


Ah, I was going to guess chillies....


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Yes, they be eggplants, and reportedly have thorns on the plant as well that folks remove for the dried arrangements as above. I'd think leaving thorns would make it look even more wicked. I tried them last year, but they didn't survive a late frost, so looking forward to seeing them in person this year.


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Col. Fryght thanks for the information, as a novice I had no clue where to begin. I spent some time researching other blogs as well and have decided to purchase seeds from 5 different seed companies. I will be planting a variety of specialty corn (atomic orange, bloody butcher dent, and big horse spotted). I mainly want the corn stalks to use in my Halloween display but thought these varieties will offer some additional color. For pumpkins I will be planting harvested seeds (warty goblin and jack o lantern) in addition to seeds from online purchases from Burpee, Baker, Eden Brothers, Johnny Seeds and Rare Seeds. My desire is to use the pumpkins in my annual Halloween display; however I also want to transplant some of the pumpkins on their vines to use in the display as well. I will keep you posted on the progress.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Always wanted to plant some bloody butcher corn.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> Col. Fryght thanks for the information, as a novice I had no clue where to begin.


At least you have enough seeds that you can practice germinating them. I do like the paper towel method that WitchyKitty does but I also sometimes just put them in the dirt, especially if I wait until I can plant outside. Just remember that there is a small learning curve to germinating. Since I am getting into some expensive seeds ($20-60 a seed), I am going to hone my germination skills myself this year since I plan to start them indoors.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I got my first order from "Botanical Interests" (...the site ooojen showed me that had a small, smoother pumpkin style that I might like for my pumpkin painting)!! 

It came in the prettiest little box, and it had a semi sheer, pretty paper that said "Happy Growing" in it when you opened it up. Besides the "Little October" pumpkin seeds and mixed "Cat Grass" seeds that I ordered, they sent me a seed starting how to pamphlet and a Thank You packet of Lettuce seeds! Aww! How cool! I have never grown any lettuce, yet. I may have to give it a shot! It'll give me something to do while I wait for warmer weather growing season to start! I can't wait to try these pumpkin seeds!!

Lol, I just thought I'd share for anyone considering ordering from there.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, I really got behind! I love the level of enthusiasm that's already here (and thanks Col., for starting the new thread!)

I order from Burpees and Baker Creek, and have also had good luck with Jungs and Seed Savers Exchange. 
I am one of those who regularly plants old seed. In fact, I'll usually keep planting out of a pack until the seeds are gone. Even with seeds that are 5 years old, I don't see much reduction in germination rate, nor in plant vigor. Most sites on seed viability say pumpkin seeds should be good for 4 or 5 years if you store them in a cool dark place. I like to get a variety of different looks, so I don't usually plant a lot of the same thing at once and the pks last a while. I also don't plant a bunch of seeds per hill and then thin. (For that matter, I don't hill, either. Such a maveric -- haha! I try to do things the easy way, and as long as I have success, I continue that way.) 
I have lots of leftover seeds, myriad gourds plus Seminole, Jarrahdale, One Too Many, Early Giant, Rouge Vif, JBL, WBL, Victor (Red Warty), and Musquee de Provence pumpkins. So I really didn't need a lot of new varieties, and I limited myself (so far) to just a couple additional ornamental (C. pepo) gourd species and a few additional pumpkins-- Wyatt's Wonder, Toad Hybrid, Orange Cutie (I've grown those before and really liked them), Jamboree, Mr. Fugly, and Goosebumps II. Wait, that's a lot! How did that happen?? (I also have Tiny Turk decorative squash/gourd/whatever.) Most of the new pumpkins are C. maxima--only Goosebumps is C. pepo. I intend to make more effort to plant the same species together this year. (We'll see. It would make things handier when I hand pollinate, and should make for a better bee-assisted success rate.) I still intend to pick up a pack of Peanut pumpkins. I ran out of seeds for those. 

WitchyKitty-- Sorry I didn't check back sooner, and I know it's moot now, but no I haven't tried Botanical Interests myself. I did check out the reviews before I linked them. I hope your luck with "Little October" is as good as what others seem to have. There are always many factors involved, but here's to a great growing year for all of us! It certainly looks like Botanical Interests cares about their customers. The little extras and the cute presentation are sweet. 

UOO - I like the look of Big Moose. If I had more space I'd add a plant or two. If I see the seeds in a store I might still cave. Wyatt's Wonder should be enough for me for this year, though. Early Giant worked out VERY well in my climate. They were healthy all season right up until frost, and mostly produced in runs of 3. Very nice variety. 
The purple millet looks cool! That would make an amazing maze planting. 
My "pumpkins on a stick" eggplants started out strong, but we had a lot of rain and wind, which caused my popcorn to blow down on top of the eggplants. They were probably pushing 4' tall when they got smooshed. I got some fruit from them, but no individual stalks were heavily laden. A lot of the developing fruit broke off, so what I got at harvest was scattered here and there. They're cute though. I'll give them another chance and keep the tall stuff planted farther away.









Skeleton Crew -- I have a weakness for ornamental corn, too, though my primary interest is the ears. (I have access to more cornstalks than I could possibly use.)
If folks here don't mind a few off-season off-topic pictures, at some point I'll post some of what I grew last year.

Edit in: Hahaha! We have a Great Pyrenees, and I now see that she added a hair to the "Pumpkin" eggplant. Sorry, I didn't notice when I took the shot.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetab...in-seed-691.html?cgid=pumpkins#sz=18&start=73

Really, Johnny's Seeds? That picture is just wrong.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I, too, save my seeds that I don't use out of the packs and keep them in a cool, dry place in a paper shopping bag (a lower kitchen cabinet that I have is perfect for my seed storage.) I have been able to use them until the packets are finally empty, too, year after year, with fine germination rates. It's all in how you store them. Just make sure it's as dark, cool and dry as possible. 

ooojen, I saw that in the reviews for the Little October, they were a high yield plant...even just off one plant. So, since I have sparse room for planting, the more I can get off of one plant, the better!! Here's to hoping the weather will be better for growing, though, than last year. It doesn't matter how good your seeds are or how good a grower you are if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate!!

Oh, and I have four cats...there is fur on everything, lol. I try desperately to clean it all day, every day, and it's a losing battle. I try to, at least, keep it out of pictures, hahaha...I don't always win at that, either. The joys of furry babies!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, it is obvious that Botanical Interest is catering to lady growers. Those are the prettiest seed packs that I have ever seen. If a guy ran the company it would be a white pack with the the word Pumpkin across the front. lol The artwork does make you feel like you are planting a classic heirloom plant.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Skeleton Crew posted in the 2018 thread:
> 
> "I was wondering if some of the expert growers who have contributed to this thread may be able to share the best web site locations or places to mail order pumpkin / corn seeds. I'm mainly looking to grow traditional small to medium varieties."
> 
> ...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Lord_kobel said:


> Are marrows really not a thing in the USA? Over here in the Uk, they're a fairly standard old fashioned vegetable.


Well, they're not a thing where we live in the Northwest, but then a lot of plants that require long growing seasons are not a thing up here. That said, the UK and Oregon have a lot in common weather-wise, so I'm not sure why we don't see them in seed catalogs. But none of the marrow seeds available in any of the catalogs we look at are giants. They're all just smaller squashes for eating.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'll have to check out some sites and try to figure out which small, decorative gourds I want to try. There are so many kinds...and I have very little room. I'd like to be able to try and grow at least a couple fun, colorful ones.


Another option to consider, especially if your space is limited is growing colorful squash. The picture below is Delicata Squash. I planted three individual plants from seed and each plant had it's own unique way of growing the squash. They can be trained on a trellis but I just let mine grow underneath my pole beans. They're not nearly as space demanding as pumpkins. 









They're about the same size as smaller gourds, but they're also edible and delicious. They're very similar to an acorn squash in flavor, and they store really well. These are the last of mine here in January, so they went through Halloween and Thanksgiving without a problem. It's just a way of using your space to create a colorful gourd-like critter that is also a nice side dish when you're tired of them.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> I will be planting a variety of specialty corn (atomic orange, bloody butcher dent, and big horse spotted). I mainly want the corn stalks to use in my Halloween display but thought these varieties will offer some additional color.


Always a good thing to remember that corn is a wind pollinator. That means that if you plant various varieties close to each other, they will cross pollinate. It can give you a bunch of really fun, mixed up corn, but it could also mean that you're disappointed that none of the plants are true to their seed colors. It will help if you hand pollinate them, but wind is wind. You get a couple of blustery days and Mother Nature will decide what your corn looks like, not the seed catalog.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Well, it is obvious that Botanical Interest is catering to lady growers. Those are the prettiest seed packs that I have ever seen. If a guy ran the company it would be a white pack with the the word Pumpkin across the front. lol The artwork does make you feel like you are planting a classic heirloom plant.


Hahahaha!!! That's too funny.  

Well, regardless as to what gender decorated the seed packets, I hope they are good seeds!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Another option to consider, especially if your space is limited is growing colorful squash. The picture below is Delicata Squash. I planted three individual plants from seed and each plant had it's own unique way of growing the squash. They can be trained on a trellis but I just let mine grow underneath my pole beans. They're not nearly as space demanding as pumpkins.
> 
> View attachment 579803
> 
> ...


I love the one on the left! Very cool squash variety! I think I have some Daisy Gourds coming, but I'll keep these in mind for future possibilities!!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Col. Fryght said:
> 
> 
> > Skeleton Crew posted in the 2018 thread:
> ...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The delicata forms are interesting! Were they from a seed exchange where they might have a few "stray" genes? Kind of fun to get a variety of looks, if they still taste typical of the variety. Mine have always been elongated, like the one on the right. They're only mediocre keepers, but the fact that they're not hard as rocks makes them easier to prepare, and they are delicious.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Jungs, seed packs designed by Manly Men:








(Don't get wrapped up in the "Non GMO" BS. There are no GMO pumpkins on the market.)


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I can see this is going to be a useful thread for me. I call myself the "haphazard gardener" because I tend to learn by doing, and screwing up, rather than researching ? I try to be a good little gardener but it usually takes me a few tries to get things right. 2018 was my first honest to goodness pumpkin patch and the thing I learned was that pumpkins need sunlight to turn them orange. I had planted in a sunny spot but the runners went out under the trees so I got 5 medium sized green pumpkins. This year, I swear I'm going to do things right! 

I have read that pumpkins should be started directly into the soil but I was wondering if starting them indoors is a viable option? We have a short growing season here so I'm looking for ways to maximize the time I have.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> The delicata forms are interesting! Were they from a seed exchange where they might have a few "stray" genes? Kind of fun to get a variety of looks, if they still taste typical of the variety. Mine have always been elongated, like the one on the right. They're only mediocre keepers, but the fact that they're not hard as rocks makes them easier to prepare, and they are delicious.


All three types of Delicata squash came from the same _Ed Hume_ seed package. Ed Hume is a local Northwest company, so perhaps their stock is genetically different from other companies. I planted the seeds in pots and transplanted three of the squash out into the garden. Each plant created a squash that had a different look and size. Despite their different appearance, they all tasted pretty much the same. I saved seeds from all three in different packs. I'm curious if they will all fruit true to the style of squash or if they'll just be all over the board again. I didn't seem to have any problems with them keeping. However, they were inside the whole time, so that probably helps. The pumpkins outside didn't last nearly as long.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> I love the one on the left! Very cool squash variety! I think I have some Daisy Gourds coming, but I'll keep these in mind for future possibilities!!


All three of the squash were the same Delicata variety. They just produced different styles on different vines. It was my first time planting them, so I was surprised that each plant had radically different outcomes. It would appear that might not be the normal way they grow. But I saved the seeds from each of the plants and will try to grow them again. I think the left multicolored pumpkin-shaped squash is the coolest one as well.


----------



## Darkveyor (Jan 14, 2019)

I swear that pumpkin bugs appear out of nowhere! I don't see how a plot of land that has never had pumpkins on it can attract pumpkin bugs. It's like they appear out of thin air!

Aggravating.


----------



## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

ooojen said:


> (Don't get wrapped up in the "Non GMO" BS.


I was going to say that I didn't think Many Manly Men would fall for that anti science rubbish...


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It's very hard to think about the growing season when we just got a foot of snow in the last 2 days with more expected next weekend.

The only "gardening" I'm thinking about right now is getting my husband out with the trimmers to take down some dogwood limbs that are hanging over our driveway over the power lines going into the house.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I can see this is going to be a useful thread for me. I call myself the "haphazard gardener" because I tend to learn by doing, and screwing up, rather than researching �� I try to be a good little gardener but it usually takes me a few tries to get things right. 2018 was my first honest to goodness pumpkin patch and the thing I learned was that pumpkins need sunlight to turn them orange. I had planted in a sunny spot but the runners went out under the trees so I got 5 medium sized green pumpkins. This year, I swear I'm going to do things right!
> 
> I have read that pumpkins should be started directly into the soil but I was wondering if starting them indoors is a viable option? We have a short growing season here so I'm looking for ways to maximize the time I have.


Check out my post on the first page of this thread (or post #5, depending on how you have your pages set to show up on this forum.). I posted some helpful tips, pictures and links to sites that have fantastic info for learning to grow pumpkins/gourds/squash.

I do both, direct sow of my seeds and start indoors. I have never had issues starting indoors, as long as you make sure to harden them off, like other seeds grown indoors, and to make sure you keep as much of the soil around the roots as possible, as the roots tend to not like to be disturbed and can be delicate. Either use seed starter pots that you just plant with the seedling right in the ground that break down or, if growing in something that cannot be planted, like a plastic starter or pot, do as i said and try as hard as you can to get all the soil and not jostle those roots too much when transplanting from pot to the ground.

(With the biodegradable seed starting pots that you pop right into the ground, I tend to, carefully, tear the bottom of the pot open a bit to give the roots an easier start into the ground, but leave the rest of the pot intact so protect the roots while planting into the ground.)

I, actually, prefer to start them indoors for two reasons: the first being I get a little earlier of a head start and more growing/maturing time, the second being is that I can which way the main vine is going to go BEFORE I plant them in the ground and can plant them in the direction that I wish for them to go. (I posted a pic of how to tell on that first page post I made that I was talking about...it has to do with the first true leaves.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

RCIAG said:


> It's very hard to think about the growing season when we just got a foot of snow in the last 2 days with more expected next weekend.
> 
> The only "gardening" I'm thinking about right now is getting my husband out with the trimmers to take down some dogwood limbs that are hanging over our driveway over the power lines going into the house.


Yeah...we just got about 6 to 8 inches on Saturday, freezing rain, tonight, then they are calling for another snowstorm this weekend. Sigh...planting time is soooooo far away...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ladyfrog said:


> I can see this is going to be a useful thread for me. I call myself the "haphazard gardener" because I tend to learn by doing, and screwing up, rather than researching �� I try to be a good little gardener but it usually takes me a few tries to get things right.


It is my personal opinion that the _best _ gardeners read advice, but then try things out for themselves. There's nothing like experience in your own growing conditions. I have a long and significant list of "conventional wisdom" gardening tips that were a lot more conventional than wise.

Lord_kobel -- I assume they're manly men who know how to capitalize on anti-science fears. (But they do have good seeds.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> It is my personal opinion that the _best _ gardeners read advice, but then try things out for themselves. There's nothing like experience in your own growing conditions. I have a long and significant list of "conventional wisdom" gardening tips that were a lot more conventional than wise.
> 
> Lord_kobel -- I assume they're manly men who know how to capitalize on anti-science fears. (But they do have good seeds.)



I have always been a "learn by doing" kinda person, too, in all aspects. I may do some research...a little or a lot, depending on what I'm doing, more sometimes because I think I just crave knowledge and reading, lol...but I still need to try and do whatever it is, myself. 


The manly seed packets...LOL!


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I also suggest to check with your local extension agent in your county for advice. They're the experts in your exact area & growing season & needs.

I keep saying that one day I'm going to take the Master Gardener course our county offers. Right now I work the days they offer the classes so if the Feds ever get off their collective butts & get my husband back to work I may do it. One day. Eventually. 
https://extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/montgomery-county-master-gardeners

You have to do some volunteer time at the Ag History Farm Park nearby & at the county fair, but I do think I'd enjoy it. It's not cheap but not as expensive as losing a bunch of plants over the years or as expensive as an education to be come a landscape architect or something landscape related.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I live in a sparsely populated county so I'm not aware of any classes or anything. I will check around and see if there's anything out there that is hiding!


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Here's the Washington State University extension locations
http://pubs.cahnrs.wsu.edu/locations


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Jungs, seed packs designed by Manly Men:
> 
> (Don't get wrapped up in the "Non GMO" BS. There are no GMO pumpkins on the market.)


No seed companies sell GMO seeds to home gardeners. There are hybrids aplenty, but they weren't created using methods referred to as genetic modification. There is not one GMO seed of any variety out there on the market that you can buy at your local retailer. Companies putting it on their packets is akin to advertisers saying their distilled water has no additives or sweeteners. So, anytime I see it on a package, I begin to think, "If they'll use that as a promotional tool, what else will they try to feed me that's more cow fertilizer than seed?"

However, be careful of all GMO products. You never know what you might get from using GMO flour or fruit.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Haha! Something for Halloween brunch!
I can get a few GMO seeds from my local retailers (Co-ops), but in a minimum of 50 pound bags, and like I said, no pumpkins. Yep, no home gardener is going to have them slipped in unrecognized. (There are GMO Curcurbits -- summer squash, but they're one of only 10 approved products, anyway.) 
That said, if there _were_ bee-friendly but rootworm beetle and SVB resistant GMO pumpkins, I'd be on board!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> SVB resistant GMO pumpkins, I'd be on board!


Amen to that!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Haha! Something for Halloween brunch!
> I can get a few GMO seeds from my local retailers (Co-ops), but in a minimum of 50 pound bags, and like I said, no pumpkins. Yep, no home gardener is going to have them slipped in unrecognized. (There are GMO Curcurbits -- summer squash, but they're one of only 10 approved products, anyway.)
> That said, if there _were_ bee-friendly but rootworm beetle and SVB resistant GMO pumpkins, I'd be on board!


Don't forget squash bug resistant...those are my biggest problem! (Though, I saw that one, single SVB that destroyed one of my JBL vines before I went after it, so I may need protection from those, too, now!)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

OK, we'll be sure to add squash bug resistance. 
Hearing the horror stories about SVB, I'm ready to go on the defensive! I don't know whether I just had the one female, or whether there were more I just didn't see. I'm already not a fan!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> OK, we'll be sure to add squash bug resistance.
> Hearing the horror stories about SVB, I'm ready to go on the defensive! I don't know whether I just had the one female, or whether there were more I just didn't see. I'm already not a fan!


Same, here. I only saw one, single female, my very first, and chased her with whatever spray I had on hand and sprayed her as she flew through the air, lol. No idea if I got her, but she got my vine before I even saw her, and I cut open my poor, dying JBL vine to find that disgusting, squirming thing...eeew. It was too late for the small vine, so I ripped the whole thing out and got rid of it, squirmy thing and all. I don't like having to kill insects, and I do so only if absolutely, positively needed, but those vine borers now terrify me...that only one...just ONE...could take out a whole dang plant! I hope to never see one, again!!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I've heard connecticut field pumpkins are rather resistant to SVB. Might be worth a try for you guys on the SVB highway. Given they are one of the main stand heirloom varieties, they should give good yields and be relatively easy.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Just one SVB female can lay up to 150 eggs according to articles that I have read. Last year with my pheromone trap I killed well over 40 males, which begs the question as to how many females were flying around. Once egg laying season starts, I generally try to pick 20 eggs a day off of my plants. It is certainly a battle of attrition which is why I am really concerned this year about only planting two plants. I just hope that I am spirited enough in April/May to actually build an insect exclusion enclosure. Time will tell......


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I know that people who save their seeds and continue to plant the best producers will create heartier plants over time. What I am wondering, and here I don't know the answer, is are the pumpkins being grown locally by farmers already a bit pre-selected for both growth and resistance to local diseases? We have bunches of Pumpkin farms that thrive on the holiday season by putting out a large number of regular and exotic pumpkins. I can't imagine them not determining over the years what pumpkins work best for their harvests.

So maybe investing in a local farm bought pumpkin for the seeds isn't such a bad investment if it gives you the disease resistance you're hoping for. At least that's what I'm thinking. The Master Gardeners can now explain why I'm totally off the mark. hahaha


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Not a master gardener by any means but I think your a spot on about finding out about varieties that work for your local soil type and weather. There are several regions with distinctly different soil and temperatures. And of course, the amount of sun varies by region and by local topography. 

As to being disease resistant, I do not think that local growers can dramatically effect that. Moschata (sp?) variety of pumpkin is known to offer some solid resistance to powdery mildew which is a bigger problem in some areas than others. And some diseases are transferred by insects like the squash beetle that may or may not be excessive in your region. I know some west coast growers claim that they do not have vine borers, but they might have boll weevil type animals which attack plants which I have never had to deal with in Georgia.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Moschata (sp?) variety of pumpkin is known to offer some solid resistance to powdery mildew which is a bigger problem in some areas than others. And some diseases are transferred by insects like the squash beetle that may or may not be excessive in your region. I know some west coast growers claim that they do not have vine borers, but they might have boll weevil type animals which attack plants which I have never had to deal with in Georgia.


This leads me to a question about my pumpkin growing that maybe those of you who are more experienced can answer. I don't seem to suffer any of the borer critters most complain about, and even our squash bugs don't really seem to have an effect on the pumpkins because they don't arrive until long after the fruit have set and are practically grown, but one thing I do have every year is powdery mildew. I have it on all my squashes. But like the squash bugs I don't really seem to find it complicates anything. 

The mold arrives very late when the squashes have had their season fruiting. I am pretty much over trying to figure out ways of hiding zucchini in dinners and desserts. The rest of the family has refused to eat another Hubbard, Delicata, or Butternut. And the pumpkins are well on their way to being bright orange or whatever color it is they want to be. So, as the powdery mildew begins to show up, it seems as if it's just a part of the squash's life cycle. Even with it taking over the entire vine, it never stops the pumpkins from their ripening. Is there anything wrong with me just letting it eat up the leaves instead of aggressively trying to kill it off?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Nope, as you said, powdery mildew seems to be inevtable on dying vines, and once your fruit is ripening there's no real advantage to spraying for it. It's not like you can eradicate the spores from the soil or air. 
It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Nope, as you said, powdery mildew seems to be inevtable on dying vines, and once your fruit is ripening there's no real advantage to spraying for it. It's not like you can eradicate the spores from the soil or air.
> It sounds to me like you're doing the right thing.


Thanks. I rely mostly on videos of people gardening to tell me what to do, and sometimes they seem a bit rabid about how horrible powdery mildew is. I'll rest a bit sounder knowing that I'm not abusing my pumpkins until the night I cut them all up.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I only bother to fight the Powdery Mildew if it shows up early on...which it does in my area with certain weather types, sometimes. I can usually only slow it, though, not stop it.

However, when it's late in the season, yeah, I just let it go. It's too hard to fight once it gets going, anyway. As long as my fruit are fine, I don't care...besides it looking ugly, lol.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Placed my order, added a mini mix to the list just because. Hoping to have a fence to trellis them on by summer.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I think I have all my Pumpkin/Gourd seeds that I need, now, for this season. I'll be doing my usual JBL's, those new Little October Pumpkins I just ordered and, thanks to ooojen  , I will be trying those Daisy Gourds and Pumpkins On A Stick, too!! I'm sooooo excited to try the new varieties!!!! 

Now, I just have to wait months for Illinois to unfreeze and melt...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

Thought I would bring back the ol' Tale of the Tape. I figured it would insure that I will post on a weekly basis and help provide a log for next year. I am only about a month a way from my season getting started indoors. Is that not crazy? I really want to get my pumpkin plants growing strong in June and early July before the plus 85 degree heat takes its toll. Most people start their plants in May/June, so don't feel like your behind. Places up north are generally lucky not to have to worry about severe heat denying pollination and keeping pumpkins small. I am just trying to catch up with some of the extreme pumpkin growers.

I am attaching a picture of my rye grass that I grew as a cover crop over the winter. I am glad that it germinated since I waited so late to plant it. I tilled and planted the rye the week before Thanksgiving. It is there, but not as thick as I would have thought. Also, the hay straw has not detoriated as much as I would have thought over the last two months. But I will till it under in a few months, and it should have helped my soil composition.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I went in Walmart last night and they have all the gardening stuff out already. It as so hard not to buy everything! I am planning to start my pumpkins indoors this year, as well, in the hopes of actually growing some normal sized pumpkins this year. I've decided to plant in a different area so hopefully that will help.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So I got the seeds...

That purple majesty millet...sew indoors 10 WEEKS!!! before last frost. Oi. I've got to start these in just over a month and keep them indoors...Never had anything need to start THAT early before.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So I got the seeds...
> 
> That purple majesty millet...sew indoors 10 WEEKS!!! before last frost. Oi. I've got to start these in just over a month and keep them indoors...Never had anything need to start THAT early before.


How in the world do you grow something inside for ten weeks? I wonder how tall they will get?

I pulled the trigger on some supplements and germinating equipment. Everybody swears by mycorrizhae (sp?), so I bought a two pound bag along with a four pound bag of azomite. Neither one of them was terribly expensive. I guess I will see for myself if they work. .


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I didn't notice a pronounced change in qty when using that stuff. But I was shooting for qty not size... 

Honestly the best SIZE boost I ever noticed was when we buried Joe under a mound in the spring. (a ~10" long pet Oscar fish) I've read of others burying buckets of fish and/or fish guts for size as well. 

I don't think my rye germinated, but the garden is still under a foot of snow. I also sewed red clover which might germinate early spring. So, overall I think the green manure isn't going to work for my need/weather pattern/schedule.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I have a question I hope some of you pumpkin-philes will be able to answer. I was given the pumpkin below without much info about it. Does anyone know what it is? I go to a seed exchange and I'm about to gut this critter and I'm hoping to be able to share the seeds, but I need to know what it is before I do that. "Mystery Pumpkin," doesn't usually cut it at a seed exchange.  The pumpkin is rather large, about 13 inches in diameter and about eight inches high.









Thanks in advance for any help you folks can give me.  <--- OH LOOK. A PUMPKIN


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

That appears to be a near picture perfect Rouge vif d'etampes pumpkin. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=rou...pazgAhUKeKwKHS0HAOkQ_AUIDygC&biw=1735&bih=896

Treat it more like an acorn squash: 

Cube it, lightly sprinkle with olive oil and salt, roast with some garlic after saving your seeds. Delicious pumpkin, that one.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> That appears to be a near picture perfect Rouge vif d'etampes pumpkin.


Thank you so much. I knew if I put it out there, there would be someone who knew what it was. I love this site.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Ladyfrog said:


> I went in Walmart last night and they have all the gardening stuff out already. It as so hard not to buy everything!


IT IS EXTRA HARD ISN'T IT?!?!?

I would not be surprised if Home Depot doesn't have tomato plants out next month even if we end up with a blizzard every day until March 20. And people will buy them too.

Whenever I see someone going outta the joint with a full cart of summer garden plants in the early March warm snap I tell them "don't put them in the ground yet!!" Because some people just don't know any better. More often than not people are thankful for that knowledge & every so often I find another gardener who "gets it" & keeps them inside or has a greenhouse or whatever.

My theory on that is that they put a lot of stuff out early, it gets a little warm & then BOOM! 10" of snow will fall, kill all those tomato/herbs/veggies/etc., then those people that bought that first round of plants will have to go back & buy new ones.

There are a few plants that I will buy early because if you don't you can't find them later when it's really time for the garden, but I know enough to keep them inside overnight & if it's cold during the day they get the prime window spots for the sun.

All this talk has made me search out those pumpkin on a stick seeds so off to buy those!! Or wait...did I already get them...I don't know where they are even if I did so time to buy more!!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> The pumpkin is rather large, about 13 inches in diameter and about eight inches high.



I understood what you meant, but when I read it still made me laugh. Size is in the eye of the beholder. My large pumpkin last year had a circumference of 10 feet.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I agree...I was just at Walmart and they were putting all the gardening and grilling stuff out...it was killing me. We have had nothing but snow, ice, wind and sub zero temps and even worse sub zero wind chills...with more to come all week...and they are teasing everyone with all this warm weather stuff!! I want to start gardening! At least I have my little indoor greenhouse. I'll be able to slowly start growing stuff indoors, next month. My husband bought me a fancy grow light for my birthday for inside it, so we will see if it works better than the regular lights I was using, previously. 

Add in that everyone has all these early bloomed Spring flowers like Tulips, Hyacinths and Daffodils out for Valentine's day and I just walk around inhaling their scent, probably looking like a lunatic, lol. They are my faves and they are giving me massive Spring Fever!!

It'll be awhile before I can start planting outside, though, yet...and it's a looooong way off before I can start my pumpkins...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> I understood what you meant, but when I read it still made me laugh. Size is in the eye of the beholder. My large pumpkin last year had a circumference of 10 feet.


Yeah, I didn't choose my words very carefully considering the audience of this thread. I looked at the picture I was posting and thought to myself that the pumpkin looked almost identical to the mini-pumpkins I grew last year. Without a frame of reference in the background to judge the size, I didn't want anyone to mistake it for the much smaller mini-pumpkins. I am in awe of all those who grown the monstrously large pumpkins. But then, I wouldn't call them large either. I think humongous sounds so much more apt.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

A little late, but it must be Sunday morning somewhere.  I am posting a pic of my compost area. It is about 20 feet long and sits on top of a small 2 foot valley in my backyard. I hated cutting the grass in the valley so I killed two birds with one stone. The pick does not look like much of a pile, but it is about 20 tarp fulls of mowed leaves. I have heard that leaf compost is really good. I plan to pile grass cuttings up to the top of the black retaining fence. Then, I will turn the pile every two or three weeks. This is compost for next November after planting season. I plan to spread the mulch and then till in. I have a plan to add chicken manure at some point. I have a source for 50lb bags for $5 a bag. I wish I had the rich black soil of IL or MN, then growing pumpkins would be like rolling out of bed. (Just teasing witchykitty, mayor, and ooojen)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's true in a lot of respects. If it weren't for the fact that pests increase every year you grow the same thing within a mile of the previous year's growing spot, it _would_ be like rolling out of bed. Before we had so many rootworm beetles around, I planted pumpkins in spring, looked at them a few times to enjoy their progress, and harvested in fall-- no watering once the plants were established, no fertilizer, maybe weeding once or twice early on...and I got more pumpkins than I had use for. 
Now I'd only get pumpkins from the first flush if I didn't get up soon after dawn to pollinate and cover. On the plus side, I'm optimistic about the bitter cold killing off the dormant SVBs. Of course it will probably take out the squash bees, too. 

A couple of the afore-mentioned Rouge Vif --- big for their type (the good soil?) 









*sigh*... It's snowing now.

The picture loaded sideways, but it's not worth re-doing.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

WitchyKitty said:


> We have had nothing but snow, ice, wind and sub zero temps and even worse sub zero wind chills...with more to come all week...and they are teasing everyone with all this warm weather stuff!!
> 
> It'll be awhile before I can start planting outside, though, yet...and it's a looooong way off before I can start my pumpkins...


We had a couple of days of nearly 70° weather, then it plummeted again & we're now waiting for a snow/ice/freezing rain event. It's a long way off for me too. 

I did order some seeds from Park Seed & THEN found out my husband has seeds he wanted so I've get to make another order!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's a shame to have to pay shipping again for a few extra additions!
Baker Creek keeps taunting me with new possibilities via FB ads, trying to get me to make a third order.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape
> 
> A little late, but it must be Sunday morning somewhere.  I am posting a pic of my compost area. It is about 20 feet long and sits on top of a small 2 foot valley in my backyard. I hated cutting the grass in the valley so I killed two birds with one stone. The pick does not look like much of a pile, but it is about 20 tarp fulls of mowed leaves. I have heard that leaf compost is really good. I plan to pile grass cuttings up to the top of the black retaining fence. Then, I will turn the pile every two or three weeks. This is compost for next November after planting season. I plan to spread the mulch and then till in. I have a plan to add chicken manure at some point. I have a source for 50lb bags for $5 a bag. I wish I had the rich black soil of IL or MN, then growing pumpkins would be like rolling out of bed. (Just teasing witchykitty, mayor, and ooojen)
> 
> View attachment 580923


....ok, that's just not fair. 

I have a freakin blizzard going on!


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I'd prefer a blizzard to the ice, sleet & freezing rain we're currently getting. Looking forward to a blizzard actually & I hope it shuts down everything for a few days.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I've done freezing rain twice. I made the mistake of trying to get out in it the first time.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I gotta go to work in it tomorrow. Fun. 

It's all just wasted snow to me. I'd rather have snow. I finally have a vehicle that can handle snow but nothing really can handle freezing rain & ice.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Lol, if only I had that awesome, beautiful, black rich Illinois soil where my garden is at...

At my old house I did have that rich, black, wonderful soil, and everything I grew flourished! Here, at the new house, I have a backyard full of clay. They had replaced the water main to the house right before we moved in and dug up much of the back yard. This buried that good soil and brought up the crummy, clay type soil that was deeper down. Trying to get grass to grow back there is near impossible (which is why we plan to make a patio at some point) and, also, why we had to do a raised garden bed for my veggies. Each year, we add more, new organic soil. The first Fall, I worked in some mulched leaves, too, which helped for the following season. Little by little we are getting it better the deeper we get it away from that clay. The good thing is, is we have a lot of worms...they help, too!!

Currently, we are having another ice event, then more snow, tomorrow, after the snow we just had...and the same for the past month, now. I'm so done with this. Layer after layer of different Winter weather misery...ug.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

...and I work, tomorrow, early am, too. Stupid ice. Stupid snow.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Suppose to be 62 on Saturday with no rain. I will have to take advantage of that since that is really nice weather this time of year. I plan on digging a 4x4 area for each of my two plants and really hitting that area hard with good soil and assorted fertilizers/supplements. My theory is that most of the plant's nutrient intake will be done at the base. Plus, I cannot afford to maximize the soil in my entire garden. I will be using 3x3 grow mats to help keep the weeds down, but allow water to pass thru. I have attached a pic below of the visa-pore mats. Here is a link from where I will order them: http://hollandsgiants.com/blackgrowmats.html


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I start my seeds in yogurt cups, butter tubs, the plastic pots other plants have come in, just anything I can dig outta the recycling bin.

And it's still too early since they're predicting another big storm system for next week. It may be snow, rain, sleet, ice, freezing rain, too early to tell. All I know is that it will suck & my yard may never dry out.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I buried a bunch of fish in the garden today... Digging through the foot of snow to get to the dirt. 

(a couple had turned bully in my aquarium, so I killed the bullies and buried them with the victims)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I buried a bunch of fish in the garden today... Digging through the foot of snow to get to the dirt.
> 
> (a couple had turned bully in my aquarium, so I killed the bullies and buried them with the victims)


Very Hannibal Lechter of you!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

The bright side about pre-season is that I can be as lazy as I want and the world does not end. Actually, we have had a lot of rain starting late Friday night which derailed my digging plans. So basically, I did nothing this weekend. I did go through my seeds and pick out the six seeds that I plan to start. The new goal is to start six, hope that four germinate, then plant two in each section and cull to one in each section. Plans of mice and men.

I am attaching a pic of my Amazon boxes that came in last week. The little ceramic heater in the front, I actually picked up at the grocery store on sale. Who knew they had mini-space heaters? I wanted a cheap, low profile space heater to put out with my plants when they go outside. Georgia record or bust!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Couldn’t remember my password (lol) 
Read everyone’s posts - it sounds like everybody is doing great. I mostly grow Botanical Seed Interests because their seeds are very reliable. My other favorite is Bakers Creek. I love their catalog - Giant Snow King looks tempting. 

The weather is cold but I’ve got mixed salad greens growing out in the cold frames & lots of other seeds started. Planning on starting pumpkins in March.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I'm wondering if one of the things this thread should do is encourage all of us to save seeds and share them with our fellow haunters. I am just beginning to learn how to properly preserve our seeds, but I enjoy sharing them with others. We went to our local seed exchange this Saturday and had a blast. I had pumpkin seeds to share along with our other flower and vegetable seeds. We picked up a few warty pumpkins and hope this year they'll actually be warty. We had planted warty pumpkins from seeds we got last year and while they grew great; all the pumpkins were perfectly wonderful, wart free pumpkins. 

This year we have three new pumpkins that we'll be growing, but at the end of the season, we'll be saving the seeds of our favorites. We have people here who send each other Valentines and Christmas cards; why not a few seeds in an envelope? If the idea interests anyone, maybe we could make it a part of what goes on here while we brag about what we have grown or commiserate about what Mother Nature let happen to all our hard work. Or maybe we can create another thread dedicated entirely to the idea that sharing pumpkin seeds is about as cool a Halloween card as we can get.

Just a thought.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I like the part where the squash is "a fantastic ghostly green color." Now that is some impressive marketing.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> I'm wondering if one of the things this thread should do is encourage all of us to save seeds and share them with our fellow haunters.


A seed exchange around T-Day/Christmas sounds fun. I think you might be over estimating the love of pumpkins found on this forum. Even in the hey-day of pumpkin growing season, we only have about a dozen or less regular contributors. I don't think the forum as a whole would jump on board. But, certainly some regulars grow some fantastic pumpkins and decorative gourds which they would probably share. Plus, if everything goes right I should have some sunflower and cantaloupe seeds to contribute.

It is just like everything else, someone would have to step-up to be the hub of the seed exchange where we would send them the seeds and they would dole them out. I applaud your energy and enthusiasm which is what keeps this thread going. I am amazed at the fast start that we are off to this year. If I recall correctly, we did not hit page 10 until around June of last year and we are already there this year in February. Pretty cool.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Well some of us are expecting another snow/ice/rain event on Wed. so it's kinda nice to come here & see other people growing stuff outside when we can't.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> Well some of us are expecting another snow/ice/rain event on Wed. so it's kinda nice to come here & see other people growing stuff outside when we can't.


Wednesday... Wednesday... or should it be Oðinn‘s day. Because meteorologists predict the sky will crash & the One Eye is king or potentially nothing will happen at all. 
Either way I’m not starting pumpkins until WK recommend: “ March”


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hope that last post wasn’t to Blustery. I’m just waiting in the wind. No, seriously it’s gusting


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It was pretty windy here today too.

Snow is supposed to start Wed. AM, around 4AM, snow until afternoon, change to ice/sleet, then rain later Wed. nite, all rain by Thurs. & near 60° on Thurs.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Rciag - keeping fingers crossed. I don’t want snow. 

Told hubby I was on the 2019 Pumpkin Forum. He replied: No Pumpkins in the front yard & I thought ~ that’s fair, esp after last year’s C moschata monsters. But maybe 1 or 2 ?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Told hubby I was on the 2019 Pumpkin Forum. He replied: No Pumpkins in the front yard & I thought ~ that’s fair, esp after last year’s C moschata monsters. But maybe 1 or 2 &#55357;&#56898;


Three out of four isn't bad. He left you the back yard , and the two sides.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Three out of four isn't bad. He left you the back yard , and the two sides. <img src="http://www.halloweenforum.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Big Grin" class="inlineimg" />


That’s true! ? 

I wish I didn’t love the French Heirloom Pumpkins. I saved tons of seed from them. But their vines take over everything & don’t produce many fruit.

Chubstuff - I’m always ready for a seed swap. I’ve got millions of seeds & started a Free Seed Library. In fact, I’m going to a Seed Swap this weekend (woot).


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Rciag - keeping fingers crossed. I don’t want snow.
> 
> Told hubby I was on the 2019 Pumpkin Forum. He replied: No Pumpkins in the front yard & I thought ~ that’s fair, esp after last year’s C moschata monsters. But maybe 1 or 2 ?


Dang... I was just discussing the idea of growing a pumpkin out in the front yard to be a sort of decoration. Pumpkin vines are really pretty creepy in their own right. We both thought it sounded fun, but we probably don't have the light to actually grow one. As far as I know there are no low light pumpkins out there. But I can see why most folks wouldn't grow one. For us there's Halloween, and then there's preparing for Halloween. We're willing to let our front yard look strange all year round if it makes Halloween night even better.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Dang... I was just discussing the idea of growing a pumpkin out in the front yard to be a sort of decoration. Pumpkin vines are really pretty creepy in their own right. We both thought it sounded fun, but we probably don't have the light to actually grow one. As far as I know there are no low light pumpkins out there. But I can see why most folks wouldn't grow one. For us there's Halloween, and then there's preparing for Halloween. We're willing to let our front yard look strange all year round if it makes Halloween night even better.


Musque de Provence vines tend to
take over. Not so much as scary as they don’t produce fruit & SVB destroy everything in it’s path. 
Several of my friends & family live in your area.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> SVB destroy everything in it’s path.


Chubstuff might not have SVBs to worry about. I have heard many west coast growers say that vine borers don't make that far West. But just like ooojen's recent experience with them in MN, I guess never say never.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Chubstuff might not have SVBs to worry about. I have heard many west coast growers say that vine borers don't make that far West. But just like ooojen's recent experience with them in MN, I guess never say never.


...and I saw my very first one, too, here in Illinois!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ahhh, I'm so jealous of all of you that are getting ready to plant! We have yet another snow/ice/wind storm system coming at us Saturday...and another next week...then they are saying the beginning of our March could be lower than average for temps and weather. Sigh. I was hoping to start getting the garden cleaned up, at least, in March. I can't grow outside until late May, usually...besides carrots and the lettuce seeds I got as a surprise gift when I ordered my new pumpkin seeds. (Which both may get a later start than I wanted, as well...can't plant stuff if the ground is still frozen!)

I will probably start some things inside my indoor greenhouse in March/April, but it'll be awhile before I can start warm weather things like pumpkins, squash, cucumbers, ect...still May for that stuff, even indoors. 

I need to go through my seeds, because I simply cannot remember what it was that I wanted to start indoors in March...something needed more time in the greenhouse before planting outside...hmmm...


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I feel your cold, cold pain witchkitty. We're in the same boat weatherwise & I'm pretty sure that boat has gone off course into the Arctic because apparently March is the new January.

And yet....it was nearly 60° yesterday. But right now my yard has a moat around it from the snow melting so quickly & then tomorrow the moat will have a moat because it's going to rain again tomorrow.

I've got some sees coming from Park Seed but won't be able to do anything with them for a month or more. And if we keep up this wet pattern I'll probably only try one or 2 of them. The pumpkin-on-a-stick will go in my herb garden but the rest will need room to stretch & I'm not planting a ton of vines if we're gonna stay wet for long.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

This weekend is the official start of patch work. Yesterday was gloomy and about 56, but that is good enough for me. My goal this weekend was to dig a 7x7 planting pit about two feet deep. Does not sound like a big deal to most of you, but essentially Georgia red clay is like solid rock. We have had almost four inches of rain in the past week so it was pretty easy considering. I only got a 3x7 area done on Saturday when the rains started. I woke up this morning to essentially a new pond in my backyard. I finished digging it iin terms of the pit dimensions, but I am only about a foot deep. I did not feel like trying to drain it, plus my lazy side thinks that maybe the water will soak in during the week and make the next foot of digging easier.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

This might be the wrong place to post this, as it's really not about growing pumpkins so much as what to do with them after they're grown. But, over in the prop section, there's a discussion going on about making shrunken heads. https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/199579-shrunken-heads.html . It seemed to us that those raising both the mini pumpkins and regular sized pumpkins might have a great deal of fun creating "shrunken Jack-o-lanterns". Putting them up against frightened regular Jack-o-lanterns seems funny to us, but we're not growing mini pumpkins, so we're passing along the idea in hopes someone thinks it's funny enough to create them.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Chubstuff might not have SVBs to worry about. I have heard many west coast growers say that vine borers don't make that far West. But just like ooojen's recent experience with them in MN, I guess never say never.


We have never had SVBs. In fact I had to look it up to find out what they were. Even our regular squash bugs show up so late in the season they never cause any real damage to the pumpkins or other squashes. That said, Nature has a way of pushing its boundaries. Fire ants show a slow, steady spread across the USA heading toward us, and other pests have wound up being ones we have to deal with. So, I read about what everyone does to stop a pest that one day we might have to deal with here.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> This might be the wrong place to post this, as it's really not about growing pumpkins so much as what to do with them after they're grown. But, over in the prop section, there's a discussion going on about making shrunken heads.


I am officially the old guy.  What is old is new again. Vincent Price had a shrunken head kit for kids back in the mid 70's which used apples. Some of you probably only remember his voice/laugh from Michael Jackson's Thriller video. Yep, I am officially the old guy.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> This might be the wrong place to post this, as it's really not about growing pumpkins so much as what to do with them after they're grown. But, over in the prop section, there's a discussion going on about making shrunken heads. https://www.halloweenforum.com/halloween-props/199579-shrunken-heads.html . It seemed to us that those raising both the mini pumpkins and regular sized pumpkins might have a great deal of fun creating "shrunken Jack-o-lanterns". Putting them up against frightened regular Jack-o-lanterns seems funny to us, but we're not growing mini pumpkins, so we're passing along the idea in hopes someone thinks it's funny enough to create them.
> 
> View attachment 581255


That's funny. I might just end up stealing that if I happen to carve any next year. (mostly the neighborhood kids carve our 100ish pumpkins, but occasionally I'll do 1 or 2)


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> I am officially the old guy.  What is old is new again. Vincent Price had a shrunken head kit for kids back in the mid 70's which used apples.




Oh well, I guess you can take comfort in the fact that those were a pretty big thing when both of us were tykes as well. We can all sit in a corner and chat about the good old days when kids didn't have to eat their apples, but made them into shrunken people.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I got my seeds from Park Seed today!! I got my jarrahdale, mini harvest blend & pumpkin on a stick seeds.

So...more snow tomorrow.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> I got my seeds from Park Seed today!! I got my jarrahdale, mini harvest blend & pumpkin on a stick seeds.
> 
> So...more snow tomorrow. <img src="http://www.halloweenforum.com/images/smilies/sad.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Frown" class="inlineimg" />



Yay!!! 

sNOw


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Aannnnd again on Sunday into Monday.



Don't get me wrong, I actually love snow, especially BIG SNOW, but the later it gets in March the less I like it.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Decided to rename today. It’s now called: February 30th. Tomorrow will be February 31st ... the day after that is February 32nd....


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Apples from my trees, just for fun--






























I just fed my last orange mini pumpkin to the bunnies outside. There's a white one, purchased, that's still hanging on and looking good! 
I've been bringing in gourds from racks in the shed into the house, 3 or 4 at a time, cleaning them up, and setting them in front of forced-air registers to dry them out. When they dry, I go get a few more. 
A little hint of how it has been here lately: earlier this week the National Guard came out to rescue standed motorists, and they got a tank stuck in the snow...literally, an army tank. 
I just listed to the weather, and the local meteorologist said there'll be some cold air coming in later tonight. Right now it's 2 degrees above 0, but later on it's going to get cold. 
So, I don't expect to be starting pumpkins this month! Maybe next... In the meantime, I can enjoy inspiration from those of you in warmer climates, or frustrated camaraderie with those who are still enduring winter.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

^Those are fantastic ooojen. I should have known from your hot pepper faces, that you might have done the shrunken head thing before. Your shrunken heads look much cooler than the 1970's version.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks. The '70's versions were great in themselves, but I was lucky enough to have a lot of materials around to work with. I had just stumbled across the plastic eyes while I was organizing craft space, so on a whim, I used them. I had the dehydrator going at the time. I store them in a jar in the freezer during the off season-- haha!
They're not "typical" or realistic shrunken heads (I've a done a couple of those, too-- sculpted, cast, and then poured in latex. Completely different style!) but they make for a fun project. Perennial kid here, I guess (and I'm old, too!) 
If only mini pumpkins could be nicely dried...(hmmm...bleach dip and the dehydrator...?) I do love the idea of shrunken head jack o'lanterns! They'd be great with a variety of themes!.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen!! They look amazing!!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Those are awesome! When we moved 2 years ago, I discovered a mini pumpkin that had fallen off behind the TV and was completely dried and shrunken but it's barely the size of a large bouncy ball so not much to work with ? What do you find is the best way to dry things for this purpose?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I already had my dehydrator going at the time, so I put them on the top shelf (more clearance) and dried tham there. You can adjust the features just a little now and then as they dry. They'll eventually air dry, anyway without a dehydrator, but getting it done quickly means less chance of them molding.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Wow, we'd always used raisins for eyes when making apple witches, but those eyes really make those ones pop! Love em. 


I have to plant the millet indoors this coming weekend.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

So badly want to start Pumpkin seeds this weekend but the weather is so dismal


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

This upcoming weekend is D-Day for me in regards to germination. Trying to get my germination process down pat. I went with a modified paper towel method using a seven day pill box. I ran two test runs and was only able to germinate 50% both times. I am now running a test with just the ol' paper towel and ziplock bag on a heat mat set at 86 degrees. 

I want to be in the ground on March 31st with plants that have their first true leaf. If my memory does not fail me, that generally happens by the end of the second week. I might start them this Friday just give me 2 and half weeks. It sucks germinating six $25-$75 seeds. I miss the days of just planting 25 burpee seeds for $5 and knowing that at least 20 would pop up.

**Update 3/13: The ziplock method was 4/4 so that settles that.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. I’ve read about those expensive seeds. I hope that they grow to be your largest pumpkin yet. I’ll be cheering them on & learning along the way. 

I’m planning to start a few seeds tonight. Haven’t decided which ones but I’m going to do it.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Game On!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

We've had a couple days above freezing this week, and some rain, too, which took the snow levels down. Unfortunately there's still 2' of snow over the area where I intend to put pumpkins-- and 5 to 6 feet of frozen ground under that. 
I'm looking forward to seeing progress from you warmer-climate growers, but I won't be starting my plants any time soon.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ohh nooo I’m so sorry Ooojen. 2inches of sNOw.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I'd be happy to have just 2 inches; there's two feet...though we probably lost a couple more inches of it today. It's down in the teens tonight, though. You guys from warmer areas will have to be the inspiraton for people like WitchyKitty and me. I'd love to see some seedlings to tide me over until I can start my own.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I'd be happy to have just 2 inches; there's two feet...


It’s finally warm here. I’m sitting in bed with the window open, the curtains billowing in the spring breeze & my kitty “Pocus” sitting in my lap. While listening to birds sing.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> I’m sitting in bed with the window open, the curtains billowing in the spring breeze & my kitty “Pocus” sitting in my lap. While listening to birds sing.


Sounds like the opening to a Disney movie.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Oh no... when ever I see a Sun Halo it means bad weather is approaching


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

GAME ON!

Stopped by the REI Outlet on the way home and picked up some Columbia waterproof trail shoes. Goodbye old pumpkin shoes.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

So. It's over 70° today with a chance of snow Sunday nite into Monday morning.

We are not amused.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

GAME ON!

My final germination line-up includes six seeds. I want to plant four in the ground then cull down to the best two. My goal is to be in the ground on March 31st which is three days past our last frost date. Just like those fancy heirloom seed package art, my actual pumpkins will probably not look like the pics below. But the pics depict the six seeds that are being germinated.

My most expensive seed and the one I am really hoping will germinate. It weighed in last year at 2,152 pounds. Just one seed.










My favorite seed because it looks like a field pumpkin yet weighs 1,567 pounds. Three seeds.










This 1,742 pund pumpkin was grown in TN, so it is heat proven unlike the others. Two Seeds


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

GAME ON!

I lightly filed the sides of my seeds to help them shed their husks when the time is right and then soaked them for about four hours in warm water. Afterwards, I put them on in ziplock bag with a wet paper-towel folded around them. The heat mat (fancy word propagation mat) is set for 87 degrees. In my test runs the seeds started to germinate between 24 hours and 36 hours.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

It has been 36 hours since the seeds were prepped and nothing has sprouted yet. In the test runs, three of my four seeds sprouted at the 48 hour mark. I am a little concerned because of grower error. In the test runs I had the temp probe lying on the mat. I noticed yesterday afternoon that the sensor had raised just off the mat. When I adjusted it back down, the temp went from 86 to 90. I have read that 90 is seed killing territory. Of course, that does not mean that the seeds inside were at 90 since you have the layer of plastic, the paper towel and of course the moisture. Confident about germination, but feeling stupid. 

Today's project is to figure out the dimensions of my insect exclusion house. The netting is readily available in 30 foot lengths, so I am thinking about making the structure 25 feet wide. This would allow for extra netting for the additional "rise over run" distance as the netting goes over the top of the roof line. The plan is to build side walls four feet high using 1 inch pvc and then secure the net to the top of each pvc wall support and then again on them middle support back to the other wall support. This part is where I feel like I am a quixotic journey.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

March 31st is boggling. I'd still have more than a month of frost to worry about. So did you file down the edges at all? My tests on non-giant varieties usually take 4 days to germinate at 80 degrees. Not sure how much the warmer temp speeds things. 

And I like that 1500 lb good looking one as well. 

I started my millet, teeny tiny seeds not worth picturing. I did 1/2 in a baggy and 1/2 into starter soil.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The giant pumpkin growers consensus is that 80 degrees is a must and most prefer 85 and 90 is a seed killer. My outdoor temps in April should be a low of 50 and a high of 70. Then May is when we kick into a low of 60 and a high of 75-80. 

I just lightly filed the edges. I did not want to go overboard since this is the first year of filing. But, I have had plants in the past that needed help shedding shell so it made sense to me.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I currently have a pomegranate tree in my bathtub because while it's OK for our region, I don't want to put it in the ground until I know it's going to stay over 50° for a while.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The baggy millet germinated in 24 hours! plunked into little teeny pots.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> The baggy millet germinated in 24 hours! plunked into little teeny pots.


Way Cool. I will look at my seeds tonight. In the test run, 3/4 had germinated in 72 hours so I am hopeful that something is sprouting.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Like ooojen said, no pumpkin growing around these parts for quite awhile, yet, for me, either. Our lows are still in the 20's. We just had another snow...though, thankfully, the sun got just warm enough the same day and today to melt most of it. There is still some in shady places, though. Our temps are supposed to slowly start warming up after tomorrow...though, not near warm enough to be planting outside. The nights are still pretty cold. We are hoping to start cleaning up the garden this weekend, though, and adding more soil, since we are supposed to have a couple rare days around 60, which is above average, for us, in March, then it will go back to 50's for highs for next week...which is still tons warmer than it has been, but not warm enough for planting. We usually can't start doing most outdoor planting until mid to late May. Carrots and lettuce will go out sooner, I just don't know when because our weather has been so weird and abnormal, anymore. No idea what the temps will be the following week...it could easily go back down to 30's and 40's for highs.

I do plan on starting a few types of other assorted seeds in my indoor greenhouse in a couple days, here, though, ones that I have found need more time to germinate and/or get big enough to transplant outside...and some Catgrass for my kitties, lol. We have the new growlight set up, so we will see how it does compared to regular lights.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Pumpkin on a Stick question: I read they can be started indoors or direct sown outside early in the season, recommended early, indoor start. I plan on starting them in my greenhouse...but how early is early for them? How quickly do the germinate and grow? I was thinking of starting them with my first batch of seeds, here, in a few days...is that TOO early? I've never grown them, or even seen them in person, so I have no idea with these plants, lol.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> I currently have a pomegranate tree in my bathtub because while it's OK for our region, I don't want to put it in the ground until I know it's going to stay over 50° for a while.


You’re not that much further North then where I live. My pomegranate tree/huge shrub has been growing for over 5yrs. Mine is planted on a south facing slope with a soaker hose running from rain barrel. They require a lot of water for juicy arils but need dry feet.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. As always I’m impressed, watching & learning. I start all of my seeds on the cast iron radiators. Temp is approximately 80 degrees. The bottom heat works like a charm. Pumpkins & squash have over 90% germination. 

WK - I’m afraid I can’t help with Pumpkin Stick but I’m very curious on how yours will grow. 

Ooojen, I read about the snow & flooding. Hope all is well.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> You’re not that much further North then where I live. My pomegranate tree/huge shrub has been growing for over 5yrs. Mine is planted on a south facing slope with a soaker hose running from rain barrel. They require a lot of water for juicy arils but need dry feet.


I am so envious. We have a Russian red pomegranate that I've tried to keep alive for the last two years, and it's done very little more than that. It still looks like a bush that Charlie Brown would grow. Just about everything else grows, but when it comes to our bushes, (pomegranates and blueberries) we struggle just to keep them alive. And we live in blueberry country, so I sometimes think some of our plants are just cursed. 

On the plus side our pumpkins usually look fantastic without any real work to get them to the finish line.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I am so envious. We have a Russian red pomegranate that I've tried to keep alive for the last two years, and it's done very little more than that. It still looks like a bush that Charlie Brown would grow. Just about everything else grows, but when it comes to our bushes, (pomegranates and blueberries) we struggle just to keep them alive. And we live in blueberry country, so I sometimes think some of our plants are just cursed.
> 
> On the plus side our pumpkins usually look fantastic without any real work to get them to the finish line.


It takes a few years for Poms to reach maturity & produce fruit. I can’t stress how important water is. I keep the soaker hose attached to my rain barrel all winter & run it under the tree. They need protection from wind & excellent drainage. 

On the other hand, my pumpkins aren’t as proficient 

This is part of last year’s pomegranate harvest.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Up to three out of six seeds germinating as of last night. I wish it was 1,2,3 but it was 4,5,6,. So I have two of the 1742lb. TN pumpkins going (100% germination) and one of the three 1567lb pumpkins going. Like Unorthodox mentioned day four is generally the magical day, so I am hoping to see more germination tonight. I put the three into peat pots with black gold seed starting soil, and a spoonful mychorizzae (sp?) and a spoonful of azomite. Since I want to plant the best four outside, I am hoping that I will go at least two for three on the remaining seeds.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So #4 is one from the pretty 1500 lb pumpkin? If that thing does well I might just ask for a seed...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, now they lowered all our temps. They took away our 60s for the weekend and changed some of our 50s to 40s for highs. Grrrrr. I really need to get yard and garden stuff going!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So #4 is one from the pretty 1500 lb pumpkin? If that thing does well I might just ask for a seed...


My seeds are your seeds. It would mean that I had a successful season if I grew something that you wanted.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Seed #3 poked out his little tap root tonight. So I am now 4 for 6 at this stage. Odd, how they have germinated in reverse order. Come on #1, you can do it. I will be disppointed if #1 does not germinate, but at least I am feeling more comfortable that it will not be owner error, just nature. I now have two of the 1567s going and two of the 1742s.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Finally, #1 germinated. It was not a stellar seed cracker, but it was cracked enough along the sides and you could see the root. It is now in a peat pot. #2 is not doing much so I added a seventh seed because I really want six seeds to germinate so I can hopefully count on 4 going outside.

I threw away the old paper towel and ziplock away and started with a fresh combo just in case mold or something was starting. #7 was the Michigan State record holder in 2014 at 1947.5. If neither one have germinated by Saturday then I will toss in a #8. But I have faith in #2 and #7. Below is a pic of #7:


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty said:


> Pumpkin on a Stick question: I read they can be started indoors or direct sown outside early in the season, recommended early, indoor start. I plan on starting them in my greenhouse...but how early is early for them? How quickly do the germinate and grow? I was thinking of starting them with my first batch of seeds, here, in a few days...is that TOO early? I've never grown them, or even seen them in person, so I have no idea with these plants, lol.


My experience is that they take quite a while to get any size to them...like peppers or like other eggplants. They'll take off once it's warm and they're planted out, but they should be fine if started indoors in a couple weeks.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

4 1/2 cubic yards of veggie soil and mushroom compost has just been dropped off in my driveway. I will have to wheel barrow it down to the garden tomorrow. Hello lower back pain!  They way I garden, it is certainly a physical activity. The store said that I was looking at about 30 wheel barrow loads.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

For the first time this season, the "Tale of the Tape" is not a misnomer. Plant #6 has broken the dirt and stands at about 3/8 of an inch tall.  The rubber will meet the road over the course of the week on the other plants. I should have a handle on what plants are viable. Today is picture day for my little girl at 11:00 am in honor of her 2nd birthday. We actually have celebrated all month to relieve the pressure of having to organize a single day. When I get home, I will start moving the dirt/compost from yesterday into the patch.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I'll throw in my millet. 

12 of the 20 seeds have become little seedlings. I've left the rest in the little seed starter plugs just in case.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

30 wheel barrel loads is certainly impressive Col. 

I’ve never tried growing millet Unorthodox - best of luck. 

WTF It hailed on Friday!?!? . Thankfully the lettuce was covered


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 30 wheel barrel loads is certainly impressive Col.


I stopped around 30, I still have about 10 left. The pumpkin patch is about 200ft away so each load was about 18 shovel fulls and 400ft of walking. I was hating life as I closed in on the 20th trip. But is is nice to have some black soil.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's getting a little more spring-like here, but we still have freezing temps predicted for 7 of the next 9 nights, and the ground is still frozen solid. Ditches, drifts, and shady spots are still snowy, and some of the snowbanks are still 6' high, but my vegetable garden only has a few little patches of snow that will probably be gone before this weekend is over. 
I'm still quite a ways from starting seeds. Thanks for sharing a peek at your starts, Col and UOO!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Not nearly as impressive as Col Fryght's garden, but snow finally melted to discover the winter rye crop actually did get a hold over the winter somehow. 

DIsturbed soil in bottom right is where the fish were buried. That'll become the prime mound for my big pumpkins. 

The green patch is the cover crop area, lightly covered with leaves prior to snow, most the leaves have rotted already (good thing about my trees). Towards the back in front of the straw, that's last year's pumpkin compost pit with a ton of leaves as well. That area was pretty barren last year, having been destroyed by the yard revamping. Along the fence is our raven grass. Very excited for it this year, if all those transplants have taken over the winter, it'll mark the end of a 10 year project to get that all along the fence, and beginning of just being able to reap benefits. I've been able to use it in spots here and there in the past, but complete yard coverage is a year or two away if all goes well.


----------



## crashbig (Aug 22, 2017)

Anyone grow pumpkins in the Tucson AZ area. I'm not sure when to start mine. Last year I followed some seed guides I found online and they said to plant around July 4th, I had pumpkins by Christmas.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Timing depends widely on variety. I got some good harvest from Cheyenne Bush variety planted in July. 

Looks like any time after March 15th for squash in Tuscon: https://www.harvestingrainwater.com/plant-lists-resources/garden-planting-calendar-for-tucson/


This should open a wide variety of 120 day pumpkins, and we'd want to focus on heat tolerant varieties. 

Seminole jumps out as a possibility. 
https://sowtrueseed.com/products/winter-squash-seminole-pumpkin

Or search through these for ones originally grown near there. Navajo pumpkin having the most traditional look, but others would be neat to see as well.
https://www.nativeseeds.org/collections/squash-pumpkins-zucchini

I'd strongly consider a 3 sisters arrangement in Arizona, letting the corn provide some shade for the pumpkins

Or if you can do some shade cloth and hand pollinate wee early, you might have good luck with many varieties.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

crashbig said:


> Anyone grow pumpkins in the Tucson AZ area. I'm not sure when to start mine. Last year I followed some seed guides I found online and they said to plant around July 4th, I had pumpkins by Christmas.


Below is a link to the the Arizona Giant Pumpkins growers association. The information is basically the same even if you are growing regular pumpkins. 100 degree days are non-growing days, so you guys have it tough. The Arizona spring pumpkin contest is on May 11, which must mean that you guys can start really early and there is one in October. So it sounds like you guys can almost grow year round. However your heat is no joke. The Arizona state record is only 486 lbs. because of the heat while the North American Record held by a grower in Vermont is 2,565 lbs.

https://www.azgpg.com/Home_Page.html


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

First true leaf of the year is fully developed. Kind of cool to be the first person on the thread to have the first true leaf. But it is as meaningful as if I was on the front starting row of the Boston Marathon. Kinda of cool, but it certainly would have no impact on me actually finishing. lol


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's great to see someone leaping forward from the starting line!  By that metaphor, I think I'm still in bed, wondering whether I remembered put my running shorts in the dryer the previous night.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

And we just got a foot of snow. LOL


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

It has begun.... Just planted 1/3 of my Big Mac pumpkins (care of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds) and in less than a week I already have "hatchlings". They should be ready for transplanting to their permanent home in a couple of weeks; just in time to plant the next batch of seeds.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> It has begun.... Just planted 1/3 of my Big Mac pumpkins (care of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds) and in less than a week I already have "hatchlings". They should be ready for transplanting to their permanent home in a couple of weeks; just in time to plant the next batch of seeds.


Thanks for posting a picture. We love pictures. It will be fun to see how your heirloom seeds turn out.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Millet update:

I got two more seedlings, but have given up on the rest. I was out of pots, and none of the stores have that size in stock yet, so they have to share the bigger one. 

I didn't think they really grew much this week, but comparing to last picture, they aren't doing so bad.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

My starting enclosure is coming along. I have my planting box area set with heating cables in about 10 inches deep. Next will be to set up the power source for the cables and the portable heater which will be attached to a thermostat controller outlet. Can anybody say extreme? Here is my theory: 65 low and 85 high is probably the perfect growing weather. So, I want to to maximize the perfect weather as early as possible.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Ugh, it's 20° outside right now.

Hopefully in the next few weeks that won't be happening.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Not sure if it is really going to matter, but I am going to harden off my plants a little before being transplanted Wed. evening. I turned the heat mat down form 85 to 78 this morning, and I will lower it tonight to 70 and then back to 78 tomorrow. Plus, I will turn off the grow lights tonight.

Today's after work project when I get home is to run an extension cord out to the enclosure and set up the heater, thermostat and plug in the soil cables. I would like to get a feel for the temps that I can maintain tonight and in the morning. Probably should have done this earlier, but I am feeling up against the wall since my plants are starting their second true leaf. I am concerned that they may get root bound if I wait until the weekend. Live and learn for next year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

No pumpkins yet but I’ve got: Artichokes, Basil, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Lavender, Lettuces & Peppers(spicy & sweet). 

We plan to build another raised bed but the weather isn’t cooperating.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, that test run was a dud. It got down to 38 last night and the stupid little heater only kept the enclosure at 41. My fault though because the enclosure is 10x18 and that is a fair amount of area to heat. Plus, I need to get some top soil and weigh down the plastic on the sides. I will shore up the design tonight and run another test with a larger heater. Funny, how I use to never plant before May 10th and now I feel like I am way behind.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

You can probably keep them inside a few more weeks if you get bigger pots. 

Keep posting info on the shelter though. What coils are you running under the ground, what heater, etc. I just might one day make a hoop house in the garden.

One thing you might consider is a modified form of Waru Waru (Incan gardening). Dig a decent trench around the inside of your enclosure, line it with black plastic, and fill it with water. The black heats the water during the day which acts as a heat sink heating the shelter at night.

I've read of people using water barrels for the same effect as well.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving seeing everyone's progress, so far!

While I still can't start any pumpkins, yet, I did start some things downstairs in my little greenhouse. I have several types of flowers popping up, white sage, jalapenos, and my pumpkin on a stick seeds are just starting to pop up! I have two of those sprouting, so far. The temps are finally supposed to start warming up, a little...hopefully done with the below freezing lows...so I may start my carrots and lettuce this weekend out in the garden since they can handle cooler temps...at least my carrots can... I've never grown lettuce, so we will see how it goes.

Oh, and I mustn't forget the cat grasses...those grew so fast that I have already had to have the cats mow their little lawns down a bit, twice, lol! I think they may need to, again, today.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WK - lettuce is super easy to grow. I give it a boost every month with 
20-20-20. 
This is the cold frame I grew in all winter. It’s starting to get to hot there so I started a new bed in a colder part of the veg garden


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

And the smooth move ex-lax award goes to me.  I took my larger 1500 watt, 12.5 amp space heater and plugged it into my heat mat thermostat plug in controller. Totally was not thinking. The heat mat outlet was rated for 8 amps. It lasted about 45 seconds before blowing out. I have ordered a space heater thermostat rated at 15 amps. Smooth move!!!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yikes! We all have our moments! Sounds like time for a shopping trip. 

We had snow yesterday. I'm thinking a couple more weeks before I start any seeds.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

NIFTY GALIFTY DEVICE

The Inkbird 608T thermostat controller is pretty cool device. First, it is rated at 15amps which means that it can run anything that is rated for 120v which is basically everything that does not require specialized voltage. So I do not have to worry about blowing this one up. It is used in greenhouses and also by chicken hobbyists and home brew hobbyists. In fact, the youtube videos on how to set-up the thermostat are by home brewers.

It has an electrical outlet for hot and one for cold. For example you can have a heater plugged into one outlet and a fan plugged into the other. The heater will come on when it is too cold and the fan will come on when it is to hot. It is in my hoop house and working well. I bought mine on amazon for $55.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I am amazed at how much effort some of you folks go through to get the pumpkin of your dreams. And having seen pictures of some of them, I realize it's worth all the money and moments you spend with them. Our budget doesn't allow something as neat as Col Fryght's uber-cool Inkbird thermostat, but we love reading about them. But for those of us with the budget of a pack rat, one that says if you can find it somewhere for free it's yours, I present the flip side of Pumpkindom. It's an effort to show any of those thinking about planting pumpkins who worry about the cost, that the cost is whatever your budget allows. 









Our budget allowed us to create a little seed starter that stays outside on our deck. It's made from repurposed PVC pipe, bricks, a glass panel from a shower stall, two four foot fluorescent lights we picked up at a garage sale, cardboard and duct tape. Inside our intricately designed thermo-regulation is controlled by me pulling a plug on the rope Christmas lights that we use as a heating pad whenever it gets too hot inside. 

And it works pretty well. As you can see our pumpkins are coming up and will be ready for planting late in May. All our seeds came from people throwing away their pumpkins from last year, or us collecting seeds from our favorites. I really had no idea if the seeds from a white pumpkin and a Rouge Vif D’Etampe pumpkin we found on the side of the road would grow, but so far, they're doing great. (We will have to see if the seeds remain true to what they were as we have planted warty pumpkins that turned out to be perfectly normal pumpkins come harvest time.)

At any rate, our pumpkins won't be those monsters some are bragging about later this year, but they will make our haunt a bit happier. So we encourage everyone to grow pumpkins if they have just a bit of room for them. Truth be told, we will use all of them a whole lot more than all the zucchini we grow. Neighbors never find pumpkins left on their doorstep in our neighborhood, but zucchini is another matter.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Chubstuff, your construction is ingenuity at its finest. 

I grab pumpkins off the curb too. Sometimes they grow sometimes they don’t but hey they were free. Do you have a local “Buy Nothing” group? It’s a fantastic way to trade or find things that people are giving away 

https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

And here I am with a single fluorescent in my basement kitchen hoping the exhaust from the fridge is warm enough...

Millet update. The one in the middle on the left keeps wanting to grow sideways...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Chubstuff, your construction is ingenuity at its finest.
> 
> I grab pumpkins off the curb too. Sometimes they grow sometimes they don’t but hey they were free.



I am glad to know I'm not the only one who takes pumpkins I think are nice from the curb. Lately, people have been putting their plant based Halloween decorations out in their front yard the same way people put out free items, and I think it's great. Their hay bales get recycled into mulch for my strawberries and, this year, their pumpkins became half of the varieties I'm planting.



Kdestra said:


> Do you have a local “Buy Nothing” group? It’s a fantastic way to trade or find things that people are giving away.
> 
> https://buynothingproject.org/find-a-group/


We have a VERY active _Buy Nothing_ group. I had signed up for about a month and I couldn't go online where everything posted had a list five deep of people asking for whatever was offered. I'm glad that they're out there swapping stuff around, but I'm just not that aggressive. I do better with Craig's List and Next Door where they seem a bit slower on people responding to posts. I'm not only shaped like a pumpkin, I move like one.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I am glad to know I'm not the only one who takes pumpkins I think are nice from the curb. Lately, people have been putting their plant based Halloween decorations out in their front yard the same way people put out free items, and I think it's great. Their hay bales get recycled into mulch for my strawberries and, this year, their pumpkins became half of the varieties I'm planting.


This is why I started a local garden exchange group. It’s just like the buy nothing groups *but* we give away/trade garden plants, produce, pots, tools, etc we want to get rid of. 
I’ve made a lot of friends & I can’t believe some of the beautiful plants that people were going to throw away.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's really interesting seeing the many different growers' MOs! The different kinds of equipment and the different varieties we're growing-- all fun to see!
For the most part, I don't put a lot of money into mine. Since I'm not growing giants, an extra-early start shouldn't be vital. When it comes to seeds, though, I'm not a gambler. 
Don't get me wrong; this is not a criticism of anyone who plants open-pollinated or randomly-found seeds. I love the forager mentality, and I can see the fun in being surprised at what you get. (There's some of that even when you buy your seed. I had two genetic-throwback squash plants among my pumpkins.) But over all, with the work I put in, and the fact that one plant can *easily* take up 100 square feet of garden space-- I want to do all I can to ensure I'll get the pumpkin diversity I want. A $3 pkt of seeds generally lasts me at least 5 years.
I'm still deciding whether to start any pumpkins indoors. I generally start most indoors, but fill in a few later by planting seeds directly in the ground. Three weeks on, the later ones catch up to where you can't tell the difference. Transplanting doesn't *look* like it sets them back, but in my conditions the early start doesn't seem to give them any advantage, either. The only reasons to start mine early are that it lets me be certain what seeds are viable, and because it's fun to have some progress to watch while I wait for the soil to warm up. 
Maybe if I keep watching here, it will give me enough of a growers' fix that I can get by without putting in the effort of starting mine early...taking up a chunk of counter space with the seed flats...runinng them in and out of doors at dawn and dusk...protecting them from too much wind, wandering hens, drying out, hard rain etc...trying to keep the tags all in place so I get the same species planted next to each other (I failed miserably at that one last year!) It does get to be a lot of work.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Really like my new thermostat control. The hoop house got up to 109 degrees today. Which is wild because the outside temp never got over 81 but we had about two hours of solid, bright sun. So I came home at lunch and opened the ends of the hoop house. I plugged a box fan into cold socket of the thermostat and it started right up and was set to shut off at 80. I came home to 71 degrees and the fan was shut off. This thermostat is going to be a money saver.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Transplanting doesn't *look* like it sets them back, but in my conditions the early start doesn't seem to give them any advantage, either. The only reasons to start mine early are that it lets me be certain what seeds are viable,


I totally concur. I gave up on early starting, because I could start seeds in the ground three-four weeks later and they always seemed to catch up. I am hoping that the warmer hoop house temps will encourage early vining thus early pollination. Plus, now that I am growing for size in a hot part of the country, I want to get a pumpkin set and growing before the dog days of summer kick in. We shall see......


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> And here I am with a single fluorescent in my basement kitchen hoping the exhaust from the fridge is warm enough...
> 
> Millet update. The one in the middle on the left keeps wanting to grow sideways...


I have to ask, since you're not the only one growing millet in conjunction with pumpkins, WHY? The only thing I've ever seen millet used for is in the seed we feed the birds outside. Is there another use for it, and is it just a typical grass where you have to plant a lot of it to get the seed, or is it more like corn? I know I can look this all up online, but what I'm trying to understand is why a home gardener might toss it into the mix. I'm always up for trying new things, and we plant all our sunflowers just so the birds can eat them come fall, so adding another bird seed to the mix wouldn't bother us at all.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

It's honestly an experiment for me this year. Never grown it before. My interest is purely for decorating. In theory, it would look something akin to cursed corn. 










IF it works, I'll save the seed as it was rather pricey for what you get. 

I've also planted some indian warrior grass as an experiment as well. 










Both these are intended to join with my raven grass in sheaths. I've spent the last 10 years splitting my raven grass, it's time to start allowing it to grow for harvest. 

(raven grass tunnel)


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> It's honestly an experiment for me this year. Never grown it before. My interest is purely for decorating. In theory, it would look something akin to cursed corn.


Okay, you've won me over. If they grow true to those pictures I can see where they would fit easily into any haunt. Thanks for the response.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Full day of sunshine and about 82 degrees today. It was 53 last night, and the hoop house was 59 this morning with just one small space heater running. I opened up the sides before leaving for work. It is nice to know that the box fan will kick on once the hoop house temps start to rise. 

The thought of killing my plants so early in the game keeps me motivated to make sure that it does not happen. It was so much easier in years past, just throwing out two dozen seeds and letting nature do its thing. But when you only plant 4, one accident could wipe out your season.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Below is a pic of my remote temperature gauge during the day from earlier in the week when my hoop house was closed with no fan running. The sensor is in the hoop house which is about 150 feet away from the base unit in the kitchen. I think it was like 15 bucks at Lowes. They have real fancy ones that relay to your cell phone, but that would be overkill in my situation. 

But now I have a basic game plan, I open the both ends of the hoop house in the mornings and my box fan is set to come on at 80 degrees. It certainly has been a season of learning, and it has just begun. Next up, getting my net enclosure ready to go for mid May for when I transition from the hoop house to svb defense.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

For those of us watching, what's your general temps outside? How much is the hoop house gaining you?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Omg! Unorthodox, that’s beautiful. I always grow regular corn for Halloween but thanks to you ~ I’ll be stepping up my game.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I love all these set ups but I'm far too lazy for such things, I generally plant my all my seeds in whatever I can pull outta the recycling bin! I'm also not growing giants or stuff for competition so I feel like I can use recycling for my stuff. So far so good. 

Yogurt cups work well for me as do salad containers, cut up milk jugs, basically anything that's not metal. I also have some actual leftover planting things from buying past years garden stuff & annuals. I keep the flats they come in & just line 'em up in those so if I have to bring them in I can just pick up the flat & move it inside.

One year I forgot to label the planters so I had about 10 different kinds of peppers, from plain ole green to hot ones, & had not the first clue as to what was what. It was an ever evolving mystery for a few weeks so it was kinda fun!

I have also harvest the first 4 pieces of asparagus of the season!! We ate them raw & it was tasty!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Done! Ordered Purple Majesty Millet & Red Husk Corn. This Halloween will be beautiful 

RCIAG - I totally screwed up labeling my peppers this year: Poblanos, Chocolate, Sweet Orange & Yellow are completely mixed up.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, it's all plans and dreams at the moment. I'm happy to recommend the raven grass to anyone all day long, the other two are just hopefuls. Some years it gets a purple tinge, I'm trying to figure out what impacts that.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> For those of us watching, what's your general temps outside? How much is the hoop house gaining you?


Thanks for the question. It all depends on the sun. On a cloudy day the gain is only about 10 degrees. But on on a full sunny day the gain is between 25-30 on an 80 degree day. It is really crazy. I had both ends open today w/box fan running on full blast and it still got up to 96 degrees when the temp hit 83. I am thinking that I will have to pull back the plastic on one of the ribs to make it shorter during the day. I have ordered shade cloth which should arrive tomorrow. I never guessed that I would reach such temperatures.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

UOO-- The millet looks very cool. I hope it does well! The only millet I've grown has been a few stray white millet plants that came from bird seed. 
We have Big Bluestem as a native grass here (the indian warrior grass). It gets tall out on the western prairies where there are other tall grasses and forbes for competition, but where I live it's mostly under 3'. It will be interesting to see what that variety does in your markedly different climate. 
Kdestra-- Is the red husk corn you ordered popcorn, or dent corn? The red husk popcorn can be gorgeous, and have really tall stalks. Those tall stalks were a liability in the hard winds we had last summer, though. 
Great-looking setup, Col! I hope it leaves the SVBs shut out!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen ~ Thank you for reminding about wind. This corn can grow up to 9ft. It’s ornamental pop corn.
https://www.jungseed.com/P/01780/Red+Husk+Spectrum+Ornamental+Popcorn


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Added 40% shade cloth over the top. I thought about just clamping it down to the hoop house, but then I thought the heat from the black would defeat the purpose. So I clamped it to higher set of posts so it floats over the enclosure. I am trying to keep the daytime highs below 96. 

Even with two box fans and the ends open, I am having a tough time keeping the temps down on sunny low 80 degree days. Below are some pics of my less than inspired engineering.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> Thanks for the question. It all depends on the sun. On a cloudy day the gain is only about 10 degrees. But on on a full sunny day the gain is between 25-30 on an 80 degree day. It is really crazy. I had both ends open today w/box fan running on full blast and it still got up to 96 degrees when the temp hit 83. I am thinking that I will have to pull back the plastic on one of the ribs to make it shorter during the day. I have ordered shade cloth which should arrive tomorrow. I never guessed that I would reach such temperatures.


Lord, it's already hitting 80 there? I think we've scratched 50 this year so far.


----------



## Famous Pumpkin (Aug 12, 2014)

Awww, this thread makes me kinda sad. I had fun participating last year even though my pumpkin plans went bust. *LOL* I have too much going on this year (looking for a new job and it's TOTALLY stressing me out) so it wasn't wise to attempt it again this year. Best of luck to all of you and I can't wait to see the harvest in the fall!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Lord, it's already hitting 80 there? I think we've scratched 50 this year so far.


We got up in the 40s today! (20s again tonight.) The snow cover is back down to about 50%. They're saying 53 tomorrow, and partly sunny, so who knows? Rain Wed, Thu, & Fri, so we might trade our snow for mud for a while. I won't be working in the garden, but I might be able to set my potted herbs back outside.

If you folks will forgive an OT shot (since I don't have anything On topic to share yet)--- Here's a "voodoo lily", Amorphophallus konjac. They're related to those enormous "corpse plants"-- really smelly flowers that are pollinated by flies and beetles. I have two that came into bloom just in time for us to be having friends over for dinner. I shut them up in the guest room. (The flowers, not the guests!)


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Famous Pumpkin said:


> Awww, this thread makes me kinda sad. I had fun participating last year even though my pumpkin plans went bust. *LOL* I have too much going on this year (looking for a new job and it's TOTALLY stressing me out) so it wasn't wise to attempt it again this year. Best of luck to all of you and I can't wait to see the harvest in the fall!


There are so many times we live vicariously through what others do online here. Often we'll see things that we think, "WOW, that is so cool," only to realize that our budget will never allow us to buy one or our skills at prop building aren't even near where the poster's are. But that's okay. We still love seeing the stuff, even it it's beyond our reach. Just knowing it's out there making kids and others happy or terrified is reward enough sometimes.


----------



## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

chubstuff said:


> There are so many times we live vicariously through what others do online here. Often we'll see things that we think, "WOW, that is so cool," only to realize that our budget will never allow us to buy one or our skills at prop building aren't even near where the poster's are. But that's okay. We still love seeing the stuff, even it it's beyond our reach. Just knowing it's out there making kids and others happy or terrified is reward enough sometimes.


Chub.. you nailed it.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Famous Pumpkin said:


> Awww, this thread makes me kinda sad. I had fun participating last year !


Hey you, it's totally ok. Besides I’ll never compete in a Pumpkin contest but I love learning from everyone on the Pumpkin Growers. 

Don’t be to hard on yourself


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

chubstuff said:


> There are so many times we live vicariously through what others do online here. Often we'll see things that we think, "WOW, that is so cool," only to realize that our budget will never allow us to buy one or our skills at prop building aren't even near where the poster's are. But that's okay. We still love seeing the stuff, even it it's beyond our reach. Just knowing it's out there making kids and others happy or terrified is reward enough sometimes.


Yep.

I'll never grow ginormous award winning pumpkins, have a yard full of cool repainted blow molds, or make some of the super cool props others here make, but I definitely want to see ALL OF THAT here.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well...

I guess millet tastes good to cats... The entire front row was eaten.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well...
> 
> I guess millet tastes good to cats... The entire front row was eaten.


lol. Who knew?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Upped the watering tonight to a half gallon per plant every other day. I get the feeling that my plants will start to vine in about a week or so. We have an early spring storm coming our way late tonight. They are forecasting like five hours of thunderstorms. I had some 4ft tall silt fence left so I put another fence barrier about 5 feet in front of the hoop. I am pretty sure that I am over secure, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry....... .


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

*Transplant Time*



Col. Fryght said:


> Upped the watering tonight to a half gallon per plant every other day. I get the feeling that my plants will start to vine in about a week or so. We have an early spring storm coming our way late tonight. They are forecasting like five hours of thunderstorms. I had some 4ft tall silt fence left so I put another fence barrier about 5 feet in front of the hoop. I am pretty sure that I am over secure, but the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry....... .


Same storm hit us Wednesday night. They kept saying baseball size hail and 70mph winds, neither occurred. None the less I waited till today to transplant my seedlings and to start planting my early crops of corn and squash.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Everything pulled through okay last night. Not sure how windy it was but the thunderstorms were the kind to wake you up at night. Between 2 am and when I got home a 6pm, the rain gauge measured 2 and half inches of rain. More rain on the way....


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Found this pic and made me laugh.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Just ordered this from Home Depot so I can plant some stuff that isn't herbs.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Nifty. I've been debating on those to plant herbs, actually. LOL.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

That’s beautiful Rcaig 

Hocus wishes everyone a Happy Easter from his catnip patch.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Everything is looking good. Plants about ready to fall over and start vining. Pics are posted below of where I am at right now. I added a section of silt fence at each opening to keep the wind from harming the plants. We had some pretty strong wind over the weekend. The lows temps are between 50 and 60 at night. We are real close to seeing no more 50s at night. 

The downside is that the days are getting close to 85 and with two fans running, I am still having a hard time keeping the temps below 92. I will need to take my hoop house down before I burn down my plants. lol

I included a pic of my shabby attempt at solarizing svbs while they are in the ground. I put out grub killer this weekend to start my svb attack plan. I also put grub killer out at the end of last season, so maybe the double blast will help. I figure the temps below the plastic have to be over a 100 degrees. My ******* theory is that I might kill off grubs or suffocate them as they try to escape. Well, that's the plan at least. Enjoy the pics.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Calling out to all pumpkin growers who start their seeds under lights before spring has sprung. This year is the second year for our two fluorescent fixtures, and per what the grow lights say, they're nearing the end of their useful light production. Which means it's time to pony up some cash for new bulbs or consider other options. 

One that we've seen on sale of late are the LED shop lights with blue and red LEDs that are supposed to mimic the light plants need for optimum growth. They are quite a bit more cash upfront than just replacing the bulbs in the lights we're using, but if they last as long as they say they will, and the actually help the seeds to grow stronger, it would be worth the investment.

So, if any of you have tried the LED grow lights, what do you think? Do they work for you? Are the worth the difference in cost, or are they just a way to make plants look weird under purple lights? Enquiring minds want to know.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

WOOHOO!! I have 3 teeeeeny tiiiiiny pumpkin on a stick sprouts!!

Pics later, but I saw them yesterday & did a litte happy dance! Especially since my raised garden bed from Home Depot showed up yesterday. Now to decide what's going into it. At least ONE pumpkin vine is going in there & into the yard, but I'm sure what else yet. I haven't visited the garden centers yet because I didn't want to get in over my head on plants.

I kinda went nuts in a Walmart garden center with succulents (hens & chicks mostly) & some herbs, but those will all have homes after this weekend & the succulents after Mother's Day.

I also went overboard in buying seeds at the Dollar Tree. I mean, 4 for $1 how could I NOT buy a ton?!?! Actually, I plan on using those for another wreath for Mother's Day but seriously, seeds can keep for a while if stored properly so why not?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> So, if any of you have tried the LED grow lights, what do you think? Do they work for you? Are the worth the difference in cost, or are they just a way to make plants look weird under purple lights? Enquiring minds want to know.


I went with a LED set-up that came with a stand: https://www.amazon.com/Root-Farm-10101-10135-1-All-Purpose-Light/dp/B074SG33M2/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3DI05T7CRFX7L&keywords=root+farm+grow+light&qid=1556200983&s=lawn-garden&sprefix=root+farm+grow+%2Clawngarden%2C151&sr=1-3

It was $90 with free delivery. It worked well for me, and I was able to put 8 plants in 4 inch peat post underneath. You are right about how expensive LED grow lights can get. Plus, a lot of the fancy LED lights have to be hung with a chain. My goal was simply to get something basic that would get the job done. I was happy with my purchase, but I am sure that I did not "max out" my plant's potential. 

But then again, I just wanted something for three weeks or so. I really don't think it makes a huge difference unless you are trying to grow a plant totally indoors like winter tomato growers do. Just my two cents which is worth less due to inflation......


----------



## Goth Kitty Lady (Mar 1, 2016)

I'm glad someone's pumpkin on a stick seeds are sprouting! This is my first year trying to grow them, and mine haven't broken ground yet.

I've been avoiding the garden sections at Walmart and everywhere else, because I went kind of overboard getting seeds on eBay - that's about the only place I can get Dracula pepper seeds.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> I went with a LED set-up that came with a stand... But then again, I just wanted something for three weeks or so. I really don't think it makes a huge difference unless you are trying to grow a plant totally indoors like winter tomato growers do. Just my two cents which is worth less due to inflation......


I'm mostly looking to start plants earlier in the season as Oregon has a pretty short season on the west side of the Cascade range. I have to admit they look weird, but then I realize plants don't exactly see light the same way we do. It's been years since I photosynthesized.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> One that we've seen on sale of late are the LED shop lights with blue and red LEDs that are supposed to mimic the light plants need for optimum growth. They are quite a bit more cash upfront than just replacing the bulbs in the lights we're using, but if they last as long as they say they will, and the actually help the seeds to grow stronger, it would be worth the investment.
> So, if any of you have tried the LED grow lights, what do you think? Do they work for you? Are the worth the difference in cost, or are they just a way to make plants look weird under purple lights? Enquiring minds want to know.


I've used various 
grow lights, and I agree with Col. Fryght's assessment. 
There are some seeds that need light to germinate, and if started indoors those will benefit from full-spectrum lighting. If you're growing orchids year 'round under artificial lighting, go with the pricy bulbs. But for giving cucurbits a jump start for a few weeks, I don't think it's worth the cost. You'd do them a lot more good by starting them in a flat and setting it outside when the weather permits. That gets to be a pain sometimes, but the price is right! 

They're threatening us with 1 to 3 inches of snow this weekend. I certainly hope they're wrong! I won't be starting any pumpkins yet, anyway.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> So, if any of you have tried the LED grow lights, what do you think? Do they work for you? Are the worth the difference in cost, or are they just a way to make plants look weird under purple lights? Enquiring minds want to know.


I switched my planted aquarium from a full spectrum fluorescent bulb on a simple on/off timer to a 24/7 led bulb (simulates sunrise/sunset) about 6 months ago and it's done WONDERS to the plants in there. Relatively cheap (70ish), I don't see why it wouldnt translate to 'dry' plants? But halloween budget is mostly tied up in other projects for this year.

If this Millet takes off and I'm having to grow indoors for 8 weeks every year, it will definitely be on the list.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Goth Kitty Lady said:


> I'm glad someone's pumpkin on a stick seeds are sprouting! This is my first year trying to grow them, and mine haven't broken ground yet.


I started mine in leftover Benecol butter cup & they're not even close to being ready to be transplanted. I planted some milkweed seeds the exact same day & they are much larger than the stick pumpkins but not by much. I may plant a few more of them this weekend now that it's getting really warm.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I have my Pumpkin on a Stick's sprouting, too. They are doing pretty good. I hope I'll get to plant them outside, soon...but, alas, not yet, as we have possible snow coming this weekend.

As for the grow lights, previously I had just been using regular under cabinet lights attached to each shelf in my mini greenhouse. For my birthday in December, my husband bought me an actual LED grow light with the red and blue lights to replace my regular light that fried itself. While the regular lights I was using...and still am on a lower shelf...worked just fine, the actual grow light seems to be working a little bit better. I had lots of fast germination rates and the seedlings seem happy. 

Here are some pics of it...though, the true color of the lights doesn't show up well in pictures...the lights are very red and blue in person and are near blinding when I'm in there working, lol. You can see the difference in color of the top shelf using the grow light and the next shelf down just using a standard light. (Yeah, greenhouse is a little empty...it's too early, yet for me to really get things going in there. Once I start pumpkins, gourds, zucchini, cucumbers and a few more random things, it'll fill up pretty fast!) My seedlings are just babies, right now...though some of the Pumpkin on a Stick and Zinnias are starting to get big...and the cat grass, which one pot has already been eaten and this one has been "mowed" by them several times, already, lol.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

My teeny tiny pumpkin on a stick sprouts!








I had to bring them in tonite. They were talking wind chills on the weather, so I figured better safe than sorry.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

RCIAG said:


> My teeny tiny pumpkin on a stick sprouts!


I don't' care what anyone else says, the sight of your planted seeds popping up out of the soil is one of life's great pleasures. I always get impatient enough that nowadays I plant at least a couple of fast germinating plants so that I can wait more calmly for the ones that take weeks.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It is a great pleasure isn't it? Especially this time of year.

Right after I posted that pic I accidentally dumped that container on the floor (dropped an apple next to it). When I picked it back up I found one more sprouting! 

When it happened I thought "Ohshiiiiii...." then quickly grabbed it up, saw the 2 babies were still there but that the bit of dirt that was lost had unearthed another one. I was very glad it rained today. That's the only reason I didn't lose those 4 little leaves, the little pot was soaked.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The millet is really shooting up. That big one is 6" or so. 










Meanwhile outside, we're barely getting tulips up. 










We also started nasturtium, sunflowers, and some bottle gourds today.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Just found out the county is replacing the power pole next to our little free library. They say we don’t have to move it but I think we should. I’m just glad I didn’t plant my JBLs there yet.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Ok, has anyone got a good source for online live plant ordering?

I had good luck years ago getting my raven grass, but that website is no more. The indian warrior grass we bought last spring they shipped in october, and as I feared it just never got established and thus didn't survive the winter. I'd like to give some a shot at growing through the summer first before writing it off.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kedestra, don't forget to take down your video camera set-up off of the telephone pole.


----------



## 128393 (Apr 4, 2019)

What is raven grass? I looked it up and the GOOGLE showed me palm grass, ravens and pot.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Erianthus ravennae AKA Raven grass, or at least was called raven grass 10 years ago?

I think it's also called hardy pampas grass

It gets over 10' tall regularly. Here forming the arches for 'the corn tunnel'.


----------



## 128393 (Apr 4, 2019)

Very Nice. Thanks


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

We won’t forget to take cameras down ~ thanks for reminder Col. 

The artichokes are growing great but suddenly the leaves started curling. I’ve got an aphid/ant problem. Has anyone felt with this before? I’d love advice & it doesn’t have to be organic. 

Couldn’t stop myself from planting a few squash seeds: Patisson Strie MeLange. 

Corn came up & tomatoes are taking off.


----------



## EyeballsStudio (Sep 26, 2013)

This year, I'm gonna try growing pumpkins for the first time! I've sown some seeds in peat pots, they're germinating nicely. Yesterday, I've prepared a patch in the garden, I hope to move the plants there in about two weeks.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

EyeballsStudio said:


> This year, I'm gonna try growing pumpkins for the first time! I've sown some seeds in peat pots, they're germinating nicely. Yesterday, I've prepared a patch in the garden, I hope to move the plants there in about two weeks.


What kind of pumpkins are you growing?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Welcome, EyeballsStudio, and best of luck with your new crop! Pumpkin growing can be addictive.

Kdestra-- I agonized over those Patisson Strie MeLange myself. I just have too many squash seeds already, and decided to wait until next year, though. They do sound good, being useful as a summer or winter squash, and they'd be fantastic decorations. I'll be anxious to hear your opinions on them.

I'm getting Very anxious to get the garden in, but we've been having rain every day and highs in the 40s. I did put in some kale (yeah, I'm one of those who actually like the stuff) but it's just to wet for most tiny seeds.
I'm trying to start a few things (non cucurbits) indoors, but I might need to turn up the heat. Even with a heat mat, it's pretty cool at the upper surface of the starter flats.
As to pumpkins, I'm going to need to think this through. I have new seeds for Mr. Fugly, Goosebumps II, Orange Cutie (I've grown that variety before. It does well without taking up a lot of space.), Jamboree, and Toad. I have lefover seeds from Galeux d' Eysines (Peanut), Victor (Red Warty), Jarrahdale, Hooligan, Early Giant, One Too Many, Seminole, Rouge vif, and Musquee de Provence. (I can't find my Wyatt's Wonder seeds, but I'll be tearing things apart over the next few days!)
I think I probably won't have room for everything.  The C. moschata will be the first culled- Jarrahdale and MdP. I love their looks, but they take up an awful lot of space for slow and non-steller production. 

If anybody here is trying, or has tried, any variety of black pumpkins, I'd love to hear input. "Black Knight", as pictured in seed catalogs, would look great in a mixed color bunch, but descriptions say it ripens to medium green. It makes me wonder whether there has been a little photo "enhancing" going on, how immature you'd have to pick them to get dark ones, and how long they'll last if picked unripe.

Edit in-- I have grown "Batwing" but didn't have stellar results.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen ~ I really like Mr. Fugly. The stems are soo cool. You are a bad influence on me. I didn’t even know there were black’ish pumpkins ? 
It’s my dream to grow giant pumpkins. I could never grow what the Col. is growing but a few big ones would be nice. As of today 
I’m giving up on the French Pumpkins but that could change. 

Hope you find you Wyatt seeds.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I love all the talk about varieties. There are so many appealing aspects of growing pumpkins. Kdestra, the nice things about giants is that you can grow them in smaller lots. They will just be limited in size by nutrient uptakes. I grew my 425 last year in about 250 sq ft and top notch growers have grown 900 lb pumpkins in 150 sq ft.

But man, do I love the varieties. I have always wanted to give warty and peanut pumpkins a shot, but from some of the experiences shared here, they are not the easiest to grow. I tried the bat pumpkins about three years ago, if i recall correctly it was a bush type plant. I never got a fruit to set, but it is just so hot down here in the summer that I am not sure that my results were typical.

I cannot wait to see pics of everyone's plants.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Tilled in the 'green manure' cover crop yesterday, coupled with all the composting of the leaves and pumpkins last year, I can tell the garden is in MUCH better shape than last year, but still nowhere near where it was prior to all the remodeling. I'd focused on getting 50% of it back in shape this year, and it looks like that's mostly worked as planned. Getting a load of composted turkey manure this weekend. Starting the pumpkin seeds this weekend as well. 

Sunflowers have sprouted indoors, time to start hardening off the millet. 

In other news, I don't see the gourds sprouting at all...I have never had a gourd seed germinate...there is clearly some mystical force killing gourds at my place. I will officially give up permanently if none of these sprout.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> I could never grow what the Col. is growing but a few big ones would be nice. As of today
> I’m giving up on the French Pumpkins but that could change.


Ditto with me on the french varieties. I did manage to get some OK results when planting them inside a corn patch, so the corn provided shade. I figure it's just too hot here for them in the summer. Though I did have that one gorgeous musquee the slugs ate...I might have to try that again some day. 

ooojen, that is quite the list! I don't think we had enough room for all that when I was working the farm!


----------



## EyeballsStudio (Sep 26, 2013)

Kdestra said:


> What kind of pumpkins are you growing?


Rouge Vif d'Etampes


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

EyeballsStudio said:


> Rouge Vif d'Etampes


I’ve had lots of success with that type. Much better then Fairy Tale. 

Col. My giants always start great then all the sudden in the middle of summer they shrink & die. 

I’m using a hog panel fence to make a pumpkin arch over the front walk. It won’t look great right away but it’ll be covered in JBLs by July. The neighbors across the street will love it & so will everyone except the mean ol’***** next door (lol). 

UnOdox
I’ve never used Turkey manure but I do love eating Turkey!!
Gourds love heat. I use my radiators to get them growing. People always say it’s to hot but I swear it works! 

Going to plant these seeds tomorrow


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It's finally warm & sunny enough to leave my seedlings out all night & day. I had to bring them in during yesterdays thunderstorm downpours but other than that I'm not dragging them in every night anymore.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I didn't find my Wyatt's Wonder seeds yet, but I did find some for Blue Doll and New Moon. I didn't even know I had those! They're a few years old, and all I can figure is that I got them at an end-of-the-season closeout sale. Sometimes seeds will be offered at 10 for $1.
UnOrthodOx-- Not that much room here, either, or maybe I should say, not that much enthusiasm on my part for pulling weeds! 

Last year I made a nice display, gave away a bunch of pumpkins, and still had a lot just go to waste (or, to chickens.) I want 30 pumpkins, but I want them to be 30 different kinds. I guess I'll only plant one of each type that I want, but I'm not all wrapped up in, and two of each that's important to me (none of the rest right now). I still have gourds and a couple squash that need spots. 

I love the giants, but I'm going to stand on the sidelines and watch again. If I can get a 50-60 pound pumpkin, that will be giant to me.
Victor/Red Warty and "Peanut" aren't to fussy here (so far), but they do have Hubbard squash genes, which means they're extra-tasty to SVB. Yep, batwing is a bush type. They're a little more of a challenge here, because their dense form holds more moisture and they shade themselves. They get more mildew, and seem to host more pests that spread viruses. 

We still have nights in the low 40's here. I imagine when it turns it will go fast, right past spring into summer  But I'm not starting cucurbits yet.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

ooojen said:


> We still have nights in the low 40's here. I imagine when it turns it will go fast, right past spring into summer  But I'm not starting cucurbits yet.


Yeah, we had snow on Wednesday, and it'll be 76 by Sunday. Lows in the 40s consistently and still frost danger.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Lol. Now I have go meet this guy & find out what type of Seedlings he has


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

What a day! I was working on cutting pvc for my enclosure and I looked down at the patch. I saw some blurry yellow since I was not wearing my glasses. I was like "is the bagged soil down there in yellow bags, I thought it was green." So I went down to the patch, and to my surprise I had two flowers blooming. Not sure how I missed two fully formed flowers.

I wish I had my enclosure up. The goal now is to get up by the end of next weekend. I have about half of the lower pvc up. I might have bitten off more than I can chew, but that is nothing really new.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So, what is going on with the enclosure? What are you trying to accomplish? Kinda crazy how much they've grown already!


So, my Big Moose seeds come coated...I've never experienced that before, looked like a pink sealed bag over each one. Not knowing how they would react to my preferred baggy method, I just plunked them into pots this year. 

9 Moose, 8 Early Giants, and 2 each of Jill be Little, Casperita, and a Blaze mini I don't remember buying or what it looks like? 

Garden fully tilled, turkey manure in, tomatoes planted with a row cover over them. Millet and Sunflowers might go out this week since I don't see anything sub-40 on the forecast.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Like ooojen and some others, our weather is still too up and down to start and pumpkins or squash. All I have planted outside is still some lettuce and carrots...which recently started sprouting...and I just transplanted some of my flower seedlings from my greenhouse into my fairy garden, which I set up, yesterday, and into pots. We will see how they do with our up and down temps and more upcoming rainy weather (come on, Illinois is already drowning and flooding!!).

I still have Marigolds, White Sage and my Pumpkin on a Sticks in the greenhouse, waiting for the weather to hold up for safe transplanting. I have already started a timer in the greenhouse for the grow lights to turn off, at night, to get the plants used to day/night and have been starting to harden some of them off with a little time, outdoors, like the flowers I just transplanted outside. I'm hoping to get the Marigolds and PoaS seedling transplanted outdoors, soon...I want to wait to make absolutely sure our freezing is over and until after the rain for days we have coming.

Pumpkins, gourds and squash will be started in the greenhouse about mid May, or a bit later if the weather keeps this crap up. Oh, and y'all reminded me I need to get my Sunflowers going!!! I keep forgetting...I meant to do that yesterday...

I love seeing and hearing about the progress everyone is having with what they have started!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's amazing to see pumpkins in bloom already! They're still predicting some nights in the 30s for the upcoming week here. I got some cold-hardy vegetable seeds in the garden, but things won't be ready for sensitive stuff for a while. 



UnOrthodOx said:


> 9 Moose, 8 Early Giants, and 2 each of Jill be Little, Casperita, and a Blaze mini I don't remember buying or what it looks like?


I don't now about the other varieties, but you should wind up swamped with Early Giants! They're quite productive! I got a dozen fully ripe pumpkins from two plants last year. There were a couple more that were still green at first frost, but they turned orange eventually. So, there were seven really good sized pumpkins per plant. I was _very _happy with that variety.
And second-- I enjoy the fact that I'm not the only one who has seeds I don't remember buying. 

My PoaS eggplants are just coming up in my seed flats. It only took a few days. I've got a number of small-seeded, slow-growing things planted in flats now.
I found my Wyatt's Wonder seeds, and a few others. Moranga squash is one. I got the seeds last year, but didn't have room for them. They don't have the nice russet color of Musquee de Provence, but they're kind of flat and deeply-lobed-- AND they're C. maxima (not moschata) so I'll give them a try.


----------



## pluto (Aug 24, 2012)

I have a severe lack of green thumb abilities and will be moving this summer destroying any attempts at growing more than my house plant. Please know all who posted here, I am LOVING these discussions and photos and am living vicariously through you all, thank you. Happy growing season!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So, what is going on with the enclosure? What are you trying to accomplish? Kinda crazy how much they've grown already!


I am in the process of building about a 1200sq ft insect exclusion house. I wish there was a shorter name, probably like "net house." I think I posted some pics of set-ups in last year's thread. The big game plan is to line the bottom four feet with 6 mil plastic which will also act as a wind break. Use the top pvc rail of the four ft wall to secure the bottom of the net. 

Then I will run a 7 foot tall line rail of pvc down the middle of the patch and run the net from one side over the 7ft rail and down to the other side. And hold on there is more, as a bonus feature, I will be running shade netting from the seven foot rail down to the outer 4ft wall. 

I have started down this path, and while I am starting to wish I had not, the die is cast. But once it is up, I am sure that I will be glad that I did it.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> I am in the process of building about a 1200sq ft insect exclusion house. I wish there was a shorter name, probably like "net house." I think I posted some pics of set-ups in last year's thread. The big game plan is to line the bottom four feet with 6 mil plastic which will also act as a wind break. Use the top pvc rail of the four ft wall to secure the bottom of the net.
> 
> Then I will run a 7 foot tall line rail of pvc down the middle of the patch and run the net from one side over the 7ft rail and down to the other side. And hold on there is more, as a bonus feature, I will be running shade netting from the seven foot rail down to the outer 4ft wall.
> 
> I have started down this path, and while I am starting to wish I had not, the die is cast. But once it is up, I am sure that I will be glad that I did it.


Wow, that's going to be a lot of net...

So...the only weakness I see to your plan is any that are already in the soil. I'm only vaguely aware of the control means, but I presume it similar to squash bugs where you'd normally burn vines, disc the field late in the fall to disturb the pupa, and till it before last frost to destroy even more.


And you pretty much necessitate hand pollinating, but that's not as much a concern for giants.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Very impressive Col. Now you’ve got me thinking about using row covers. How are you going to protect from TStorms & wind?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

1st Tomato Blossom. I’m starting to get excited about tomatoes in June. 
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is down in Mineral Va.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So...the only weakness I see to your plan is any that are already in the soil. I'm only vaguely aware of the control means, but I presume it similar to squash bugs where you'd normally burn vines, disc the field late in the fall to disturb the pupa, and till it before last frost to destroy even more.


You are correct, sir. But my main goal is to bomb the plants with systemic insecticide and to do that with a clear conscious, I need to keep the bees out. Plus, it will keep out svb that are born outside and fly in. Last fall I tilled the patch and put out grub killing granules. This spring I put out grub killing granules. I will also till before the netting goes up and put out another dose of grub killing granules.

Merit works great for svb's but it is hard on bees. So really this is more of a bee exclusion house plus any other insects like squash bugs that may fly in.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Very impressive Col. Now you’ve got me thinking about using row covers. How are you going to protect from TStorms & wind?


I assume you mean protecting my net structure from the wind as I have flashbacks of my ******* canopy last year being blown away literally 20 minutes after I posted pics.  My hoop house has worked well in storms this year with cinder blocks at the bottom with a cord tied around the cinderblock and around the pvc pipe above.

I will weigh down each 5ft section with a cinder block or maybe every other one. Plus, inside every vertical pvc post there is a four foot piece of rebar that I driven a foot in the ground. So the pvc fence structure is sturdier than it looks.

Now if your talking about the wind and my plants, then I am probably just marginally better off than before. I have one three foot silt fence around the patch. and then another 4ft fence of 6mil plastic inside of that fence. So I will have two wind breaks, which will probably mean little if the mother of all storms hits. But, I would have been in the same situation as in years past. 

Thanks for asking.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> 1st Tomato Blossom. I’m starting to get excited about tomatoes in June.
> Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is down in Mineral Va.


My god, I just want to taste one of those now.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> 1st Tomato Blossom. I’m starting to get excited about tomatoes in June.
> Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is down in Mineral Va.


Home grown tomatoes in June... Hmmm... I will try not to be bitter.  Where we live in Oregon where planting our tomatoes in June is the norm. Enjoy your early season.


----------



## Lord_kobel (Oct 4, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> I am in the process of building about a 1200sq ft insect exclusion house. I wish there was a shorter name,


Bugproof bunker?


Also, I should probably plant out some of my first seedlings....


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, after 3 years of trying. Assuming 25 seeds per pack...I am now officially 1 for 75 on getting gourd seeds to germinate!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well, after 3 years of trying. Assuming 25 seeds per pack...I am now officially 1 for 75 on getting gourd seeds to germinate!


That sounds about like my success rate with luffas! Even when I got plants to germinate, I'd wind up with all the same gender, or no flowers on the male plants while the female plants were blooming (or vice versa). On the extremely rare occasions when fruit would start to form, they would be killed by frost before they got mature enough to be fibrous. 
So when I finally got one single fruit to mature, I called it a win, and decided to wash my hands of them...so to speak. 
So, naturally, here I am a few years later with 8 seeds planted from what's supposed to be a miniature variety. Some people never learn.

Lord_kobel -- Yep, looks like planting time  The seedlings do look good!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Cinder blocks are a great idea. There’s a few in the yard I can use. Thanks Col. 

Started the tomatoes using the paper towel method in early February. It’s a great way to get a head start It was a brutal winter but spring feels like summer. I’m just glad I could get the seedlings in the garden before it gets to hot. 

The corn is growing but the millet isn’t (frustrating!)

I love reading the Pumpkin posts. I googled every single pumpkin mentioned & learned so much. It’s so much fun.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well, after 3 years of trying. Assuming 25 seeds per pack...I am now officially 1 for 75 on getting gourd seeds to germinate!




Well...I guess one is better than none! I hope that one you have, so far, makes it and gives you some gourds! Here's to hoping maybe some stragglers will germinate and pop up for you to give your single one some friends!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I got my Sunflowers started, yesterday, in my greenhouse. I just kept forgetting to start them...grrrr. Oh well.

They are both Giant varieties: the Mammoth Gray Stripes I usually plant and some new Russian Giant ones that a friend sent me some seeds of. We will see how they do as, last year, animals ripped all mine up and the one that made it was broken before it could bloom...sigh...

It's getting closer and closer to time to start germinating my pumpkins, squash and cucumbers...counting down the days!!! This weather needs to stop giving us every other day temp drops!!!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I made a sunflower house for my daughter out of the russian giant ones a few years back. They seemed much more hardy and not as big as the mammoth, and attracted some different bees, which I found interesting. Don't know if the seeds are any good.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I made a sunflower house for my daughter out of the russian giant ones a few years back. They seemed much more hardy and not as big as the mammoth, and attracted some different bees, which I found interesting. Don't know if the seeds are any good.


Interesting. If I can get some of each to germinate and get to full size/bloom, it'll be cool to see the differences in the two and what they each attract in my area. I love sunflowers...they are gorgeous and always give me those first "Fall is coming" feelings in the Summer...plus, they give me seeds for the animals for the Winter!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I made a sunflower house for my daughter out of the russian giant ones a few years back. They seemed much more hardy and not as big as the mammoth, and attracted some different bees, which I found interesting. Don't know if the seeds are any good.


That is such a cool idea. I mean that sounds really cool. I would love to see pics if you have them.




WitchyKitty said:


> Interesting. If I can get some of each to germinate and get to full size/bloom, it'll be cool to see the differences in the two and what they each attract in my area. I love sunflowers...they are gorgeous and always give me those first "Fall is coming" feelings in the Summer...plus, they give me seeds for the animals for the Winter!


I have a couple of packets of sunflower seeds myself. I had planned on planting them around the "bug bunker" to catch rain off and to add decoration. I grew sunflowers one time around the mailbox several years ago. They were really easy to grow. But now that I am trying to grow sunflowers for the fair, it will probably be hard as heck. The state fair has a category for the best sunflower head and the best set of three sunflower heads.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

6:45am. Found a Leaf Footed Bug. We trapped/killed it. Is it me or is it WAY to early in the year for these 
F’ers?!?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> That is such a cool idea. I mean that sounds really cool. I would love to see pics if you have them.


Afraid I was much more interested in the bugs at the time...and there was so much bee activity my daughter was afraid of the house, so, no pics. 

This is a sweat bee that preferred to come to the russians. 









Huntsman (more commonly known as daddy long legs, but NOT a spider, and not to be confused with the huntsman spider)










Longhorned bees would be sleeping on the sunflowers every night/morning until they warmed up in the sun.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Is it possible after just two male flowers showing up? This early start has really been exciting. I will not let it grow because the vine is just 5 ft with no meaningful side laterals. But I have never had a pumpkin after just two male flowers. And this was one of the plants that I was going to cull.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UO, since you mentioned bugs, I saw one of the coolest bugs of my life. I wish I had taken a pic. It had a light silver body and at the top of it body it had two giant black eye markings which were just for show. It looked like a fishing lure similar to the one below but the body was a shimmering silver grey with no real markings. Apparently it was a eastern-eyed click beetle.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> 6:45am. Found a Leaf Footed Bug. We trapped/killed it. Is it me or is it WAY to early in the year for these
> F’ers?!?


The invention of stucco seems to have introduced breeding grounds for all true bugs, allowing them to overwinter and emerge earlier.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> UO, since you mentioned bugs, I saw one of the coolest bugs of my life. I wish I had taken a pic. It had a light silver body and at the top of it body it had two giant black eye markings which were just for show. It looked like a fishing lure similar to the one below but the body was a shimmering silver grey with no real markings. Apparently it was a eastern-eyed click beetle.


Beetles are my absolute favorite bugs. I know butterflies get all the love, but I find beetles beautiful. Good news is that's a predatory species, eating less desirable things in your yard. 

That said, here in the west, the painted ladies have gone freaking insane this year. (video is for California, but going on here in Utah too)

https://www.nbcnews.com/video/annua...ies-reaches-southern-california-1457087043556


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I put in several different varieties of sunflowers last year. I didn't notice whether they attracted different pollinators, but that would be interesting to watch for. 
Some of the big ones develop such heavy heads that they'd tip when the ground got saturated and it was windy. The root systems were just too small to hold them down, even though some of the stems felt almost like baseball bats. 








Since we have some beetle fans here---- I've only once seen an eyed elater myself. Funny thing is, it's an Eastern Click Beetle, and the only one I've seen was when I was little kid and we were on that family road trip out west. (I knew it when I saw it, from my Little Golden Nature Guide.)
But, along the same lines, I did get to see a way cool click beetle earlier this year, on the Osa Peninsula. Their normal markings aren't as pretty, but they amaze me. This one's eyespots are phosphorescent, and it glows so brightly you could read by it. It also has red phosphorescence under its elytra-- wing covers. It doesn't show when they're sitting or crawing, but when they fly they show red light, too, like a little airplane.







(my picture, but not my hand)


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

*April Showers will Bring October Pumpkins*

It has been a very wet April and May. Seeds I just planted 6 days ago are already a couple of inches tall. Attached are progress photos of my garden for this year: Seedlings of pumpkins, squash and corn; Big Max pumpkins starting to flower; and a special treat of vining wild roses among native plants that look a lot like baby's breath. The wild roses mysteriously appeared about 10 years ago. Not sure where they came from as I never planted them. To make it even more creepy all my dead pets (fish, gerbils, hamsters, birds, fancy rats, etc.) are buried underneath them.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Holy Pumpkins! What state do you live in Skeleton Crew?

Thank you for all the Beatle info. I love them. Especially the June Bugs. Their gleaming green in the sunshine is beautiful. 

The Cedar Waxwings returned to the Mulberry tree. I’m so happy. I was worried about them. 

Attached is a photo of the black iris. I’ve been growing them for over 10yrs.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Ugh. It is raining yet again & expected to rain all day Mother's Day. I haven't planted by bed yet but there's no point if it's just going to rain for 5 days straight.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Wow, I finally decided to check in for the first time this year, and we’re already 29 pages in!!! What a great start!

I just started preparing my garden for the year, and man am I glad that is done! I spent 2 days getting all of the weeds out, and tilled the entire area. My goal is to till it two more times before I plant my seeds the end of May. I was planning on buying seeds from johnnys seeds, but decided to purchase them from a local nursery instead. I believe a have about 7 different varieties I’m going to try this year. I believe I’ll be direct sewing the seeds this year since I plan on having around 40 plants this year.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Don't know that I mentioned, but the seeds I bought this year were coated, so I didn't dare do the baggie method I normally do. I'd been getting nervous since it'd been a week, but we finally have some pumpkins. 3 of the Big Moose have sprung to life. I double checked one of the minis on one of the Early Giants, and they both had barely germinated, so will bee a bit behind. 










We also sewed a bunch of indian corn I got in a free pack with one of my orders and a bunch more sunflower seeds directly into the garden, and transplanted the millet.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> . I believe a have about 7 different varieties I’m going to try this year. I believe I’ll be direct sewing the seeds this year since I plan on having around 40 plants this year.


40 plants! Wow that is very impressive. 

UnOx - I googled Big Moose. It’s very pretty. I’d love to grow something like that

The JBLs sprouted. I’m getting excited about the pumpkin arch. We usually have the arches in the back yard but we decided to move it & hopefully make it a part of our Halloween display. Also planted 2 seed packets of Lion’s Tail for fall/Halloween garden


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Last cold snap of the year. Suppose to be a low of 49 tonight, then mid 60's for the low over the next 10 days. Heck, next Wednesday is suppose to be high of 90. Talk about not having a spring. lol


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, Mayor-- 40 pumpkin plants! Holy cow! (I'm thinking I might find room for 15 or so!) 
I went ahead and put one single pumpkin seed-- a Wyatt's Wonder -- in the garden, covering it with a milk jug. If/when it comes up, I'll take the covering off pretty quickly so it firms up enough to face the wind and sun. If it doesn't germinate (the ground really hasn't warmed up yet. We've had lows in the mid to high 30s in the last few days.) that's no big deal. I'll try again in another week or two.
I feel like I'm so far behind when I see the progress of others on here! I have to remind myself that I always get a late start, but I always have something ripen before Halloween. That's what counts.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I have to remind myself that I always get a late start, but I always have something ripen before Halloween. That's what counts.


Plenty of time left for Halloween growers such as yourself. If I have a pumpkin worth getting an official weight on then Sept.5 is my weigh-off date. My local fair is September 20th. My goal was to be pollinated by June 1st, plus with the heat any July pollination is iffy. Believe me, when you post that pic of all your pumpkins displayed nicely it will make me feel like I was lazy.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Lesson from the millet experiment. 

Millet is delicious. That is all. 

Something dug all of it up and ate it from the garden yesterday/last night, after my cats ate what they could reach indoors.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Lesson from the millet experiment.
> 
> Millet is delicious. That is all.
> 
> Something dug all of it up and ate it from the garden yesterday/last night, after my cats ate what they could reach indoors.


Oh no ~ that sucks! I’m so sorry


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Lesson from the millet experiment.
> 
> Millet is delicious. That is all.
> 
> Something dug all of it up and ate it from the garden yesterday/last night, after my cats ate what they could reach indoors.


ahhh... We're sorry to hear that. We have neighbor cats that come in and mess things up in our yard. They kill our snakes, squish our frogs, and of course see the entire backyard as their littler box, especially my little potato container which is mostly sand. But our number one nemesis in the Northwest is the slug. They chew down new growth faster than I can throw out slug bait. We mourn your loss because we know they cost you quite a bit for the experiment. And of course, on a somewhat selfish note, we were eager to see if your millet turned out as beautiful as the pictures online.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Yeah, I was prepared for a huge fail from the get go, but to have it down to it being eaten is hard to swallow. I'm not set up in any way to prevent such eating in the future either. I actually encourage the likely culprits of cats or skunk (more likely with the digging) to keep away other unwanted things anyway.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I actually encourage the likely culprits of cats or skunk (more likely with the digging) to keep away other unwanted things anyway.


But still it really sucks. My millet isn’t doing anything. It’s got chicken wire wrapped around it. Idk if it’s even alive. 

Remember when I promised not to grow pumpkins in front yard? Well I found a Cinderella packet from 2016 & a underused corner out front


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Col- Yeah, yours is an entirely different routine for a different goal. There's no way on earth we observers could ever consider it lazy! 
I just try to do the best I can with the conditions I have. I know I'll never grow a respectable giant, but variety I can manage...generally. I'm not going to get cocky or anything! haha! 
I'm really hoping I can make a go of Wyatt's Wonder, even though I don't expect anything near what they give for possible maximum size. They say 110 to 120 days, which is more than what our growing season usually offers...plus we're having a late spring. (Facebook keeps rubbing it in, showing me pictures I posted on this date in previous years.) If they don't ripen, there's still Early Giant. (As previously mentioned, they're nowhere near "giant" but they're big, and, you know, early.)
UnOrthodOx-- That's a stinking shame about the millet-- especially after you've put the effort in to start them indoors, and they were doing well. Sorry. 
Kdestra-- I hope you wind up with some. If so, we can hear a review. 
Hahaha! Finding some seeds and tucking them in a corner you've sworn off using for pumpkins--that sounds so like me, too! My tiny luffas didn't germinate (iffy source, anyway) which is probably just as well! 
Chubstuff-- I would be upset with anything messing with frogs, snakes, etc. in my yard & garden, too! We have a big dog, and while she loves cats, she also likes to chase (she won't hurt them, but if they run, it's a game to her), and to bark, so not to many neighbors' felines visit our yard. 

I planted some Job's Tears the other day. I tried growing them several times when I was a kid, and barely got more than my initial seed back, but that was then (and I was in an even colder, shorter-season zone than I am now.) If I have any success, I want to try making one of those macramé/beaded gourd rattles, which (if things work out) I intend to use for the Halloween after this coming one. 

It's a beautiful day today, and I might just be encouraged to get some cucurbits in the garden. Yay!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ok. Now I have to google “Job's Tears“ brb


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Our weather is, finally, warming up to outdoor planting temps!! Now that our lows are out of the danger zone...so far...and our highs are jumping up to 70's and 80's all of the sudden (why do we never have a nice, long Spring or Fall, anymore?? Just right up to 80's...sigh...), I went ahead and started planting my seedlings in ground, outside. Of course, no sooner do I do this and the weather says possible severe storms, tomorrow. Sigh, again. Here's to hoping everything doesn't get pummeled. 

In just a few days, a week at the most, I'll be starting my pumpkins, squash, cucumbers and gourds! Baggie method to get germinated ones, indoor plant start, then once I get those first true leaves and can find out the directions the vines will go, they will be planted outdoors. I do have some Pumpkin on a Stick seedlings planted outside, today, though...though we all know those are technically eggplants, lol. The Mammoth Giant Sunflowers are planted outside, too, now, but the other giant Sunflowers that I haven't tried yet are sprouting slower and need more time in the greenhouse...so far, only one sprouted. I am hoping for, at least, two of that one...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Sorry to hear about the millet getting munched.  I deal with plant destruction via hungry woodland critters on a daily basis...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Here's the type of rhythm instrument, gourd and Job's tears shekere, that I hope to make sometime, though I'm not growing that shape of gourd, and I'll probably choose some more natural-looking cording. (haha-- like this, only not like this.) 
https://www.niceshopus.com/content?c=shekere&id=7 
I have no idea about the supplier-- not recommending nor denigrating, just using their picture and giving them the credit for it. While I was looking for a decent shot, I stumbled across another use for Job's tears, in jewelry. I probably won't be making one of these-- I can imagine the smell! (It has picture credit made in.)
https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/images/piranatr.gif


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> While I was looking for a decent shot, I stumbled across another use for Job's tears, in jewelry. I probably won't be making one of these-- I can imagine the smell! (It has picture credit made in.)
> https://www2.palomar.edu/users/warmstrong/images/piranatr.gif


I think functional jewelry is always a good idea. When one can look fashionable and wear their lunch around their neck, it's a bonus.  (And really a great idea if someone just wants to step their Voodoo Halloween costume up a notch.)


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Absolutely nothing to do with Pumpkins:

Saw a wagon out for garbage. I don’t need it but no way was I letting it go to landfill. I asked if I could have it & then posted it for free on my garden list. (Gardeners always need stuff). My garden friend grabbed it.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> I think functional jewelry is always a good idea. When one can look fashionable and wear their lunch around their neck, it's a bonus.  (And really a great idea if someone just wants to step their Voodoo Halloween costume up a notch.)


Yeah, the costume enhancement is tempting, but I'm afraid the dog might make off with it ...so she could roll in it. (pew!)

Love the garden helper, K.! Nice of you to re-home the wagon.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Sitting here listening to a particularly violent hailstorm in the dark of the morning. 

The sunflowers might be toast (they are generally tough, so maybe not). Most the tomatoes have a row cover on, though, and at least I had decided against trying to push the pumpkins out yet.

That's an awesome wagon Kdestra. Who's pup? I can just see him riding down the street in the wagon LOL.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Oh no, I’m so sorry about the hail storm UnOrthodox. Hopefully you can save your plants. 

The pup belongs to my friend, Andrew. He’s a really nice guy. 

It’s probably strange that I pull stuff off the curb but I hate seeing useable things go in the landfill. Would you believe I picked this set outve the trash 2 weeks ago. Had to fix table leg & clean but we love it


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Up and working on the enclosure at about 8am this morning. I have all of the pvc side wall structures completed. Next step, to roll out the plastic sheeting and connect it to the pvc. You can see the vine on the right is about five outside of the hoop house which puts the overall length at about 8 feet.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Col. Fryght, I think you put as much work into your pumpkin plants as I do into my entire garden! 

Kdestra-- I love the rescue patio set! I expect Green Man to join you for tea.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Poly fence up. I am taking an afternoon break and will be back at it tonight. The goal is to get the middle pvc row installed. The middle row will be like a towel bar and I will drape the netting and shade cloth from one side over the bar to the other side.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

That is one hell of a production. I'll try to get more pics of mine this weekend. Was going to be moving them outside, but weather...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

It's amazing all that you are doing for your pumpkins, Col. 

Kdestra, great score on the patio set...I'd have grabbed that up, too, in a heartbeat!!!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I have some sprouts! We have a serious deer problem so I have them under netting until they get bigger. I planted in a different area this year so hopefully it will be better. Last year I had the plants in full sun but the vines went out under trees so my pumpkins never turned orange. Now I know sunshine is important for ripening so I chose a hill that gets pretty constant sun all day. ?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I have some sprouts! We have a serious deer problem so I have them under netting until they get bigger. I planted in a different area this year so hopefully it will be better. Last year I had the plants in full sun but the vines went out under trees so my pumpkins never turned orange. Now I know sunshine is important for ripening so I chose a hill that gets pretty constant sun all day. ��


It is a never ending learning process. My first two years, I could not get a pumpkin to the finish line. Not sure about your space size, but I have found that my deer will not jump over a DOT silt fence. You can get it at Home Depot for like $50 for a hundred feet. You can see the black silt fence in the pics above around my patch. And another plus is that the silt fence will help act as a wind barrier.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Col Fryght that is a great idea! I will look into that fencing. I have never heard of it before. Last year, the deer weren't interested in the pumpkins but I have them in the high deer traffic area this year. I went to a class put on by the extension office and they gave us a list of deer repellent plants so I'm going to put some of them in the areas I don't want deer (my entire yard, lol). Chives are on the list and they grow quickly. Last year I had success with a deer and rabbit repellent spray I bought but you have to remember to spray every couple days and after it rains. I figure I'll have all the gardening knowledge I need in another 20 years or so.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well the Big Moose were aggressively bursting from the pots to where I risked damaging the roots if I didn't get them in, so they're out. It's not a hoop house, but it'll have to do. 



















The third row was inside some corn (in case these need shade), so I couldn't row cover it, just hoping this week of wet doesn't bring more hail. 










How big the plants were. Genuinely surprised how big the plants and roots got. First year with a giant variety was not properly prepared for this indoors session, even after getting bigger pots than I normally do. 










The early Giants are going into a more problematic area to plant, possibly later today if the rain holds off. They aren't bursting yet, and growing slower, plus about half the size to begin with. Been hardening off but it's too windy to leave them out this morning. (that's some nasturtium with them, going to be used as a trap crop)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The B.E.E. (Bug Exclusion Enclosure) is rounding into form. I have the insect netting over the entire 1200sqft. and the shade netting on the western half is up and the eastern half is secured on one side but not stretched out. As you can see the shade netting does not run the entire length of the structure. The one corner of my patch is in constant shade starting around 2pm so I am letting that end get a little more sunshine. 

I have learned a lot of lessons during the process and hopefully next year will be easier and faster. My main concern now, is finding out how secure the B.E.E. is during a serious over the top wind driven thunderstorm. Only way to find out....fingers crossed.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I swear my neighbors would turn me in to the DEA if they saw that on my property!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I swear my neighbors would turn me in to the DEA if they saw that on my property!


LOL....the shade cloth does make it seem more sinister in nature. I will admit that when I am inside, it does feel awkward like I am waiting for someone to tell me I can't be doing this.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

LOL! Too funny! 


Well, the rest of my sunflowers have finally been sprouting in my greenhouse so, once the weather gets warm and not windy and raining, again, I'll get those planted out in the garden.

I finally have my mini October Pumpkin, Daisy Gourd, Cucumber and Zucchini seeds all in their germination baggies. In a couple days, I should, hopefully, have some germination happening and I can get them potted. Once they get to first true leaf size, outside they will go!! All of them will be growing upwards, this year! (Though, I have an empty large planter that still needs something...if I get a lot germinated and going, I may plant some gourds or mini pumpkins in there. We will see.)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Seriously, how does it get sooooo hot, sooooooo darn fast!!!!!!!!! Pumpkins basically shut down at 90 degrees, and look at my forecast. Heck, 90 degree high is the coolest for the next week.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Wanna trade for lows in the low 40s and thunder/hailstorms all week?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Wanna trade for lows in the low 40s and thunder/hailstorms all week?


Kind of? I know how to keep plants warm, but I can only keep them so cool. But me personally, I am good with the warmer weather.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I sit here everyday reading about the delicate dance that folks out there are performing to get their pumpkins to grow. My seedlings are now in four inch pots, so I'm not feeling all that bad, but still... none of mine live in air conditioned shade tents or hot houses covered in snow. The Northwest, for all it's reputation for nothing but rain, is surprisingly temperate. 

But still, I crave that one moment when I am just a step ahead of everyone. This weekend I believe I have stumbled on that moment. I went out to the pumpkin patch and found all the little pumpkins I left behind last fall because they were still green when Halloween arrived. Over the winter, most decomposed as I thought they would. It's kind of fun to see their seeds pop up and wonder what they're going to turn into. Last year, in the spot where my Hubbard squash was, all the seedlings I left to grow turned out to be some weird warty looking yellow squash. I have no idea where they came from as I've never grown them before.

But in the midst of winter, a new pumpkin was born; unique and special. It ripens in winter and is picked in spring. It is a haunter's dream pumpkin because it is 100% organic, devoid of additives, paint, or paper mache. I proudly present our first ever home grown Corpsed Pumpkin.









Okay, so it's probably not all that unusual to find a hollow, moldy pumpkin after letting it sit out all winter, but I still think it's cool. And I'm pretty sure it's the first pumpkin picked this year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Chubstuff ~ I adore you


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

How are you resisting carving that beauty!?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

This nasty bug was chewing on my sunflowers. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s very tiny. A little bigger then the size of a pin head. One got stuck under my finger nail when I scraped it off. 
Can anyone tell what it is? Thank you so much


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff, that's so awesome, lol.


Less than 2 days and I already have about 85/90% germination of all my mini October pumpkin, daisy gourd, zucchini and cucumber seeds in their baggies. My main hold outs seem to be my zucchini seeds. Only one has germinated, so far. I really only need two plants, so I hope, at least, one more sprouts. All of the cucumbers germinated, and I think I have one hold out of each the gourds and the pumpkins. We will give them more time, though, because it hasn't even been two days! I usually get close to 100% germination each year.

The sun will, finally, be out, today. We have had so much rain and cold weather...now I can get my other sunflower seedlings outside! Also, I have to go do something about my Pumpkin On A Sticks...something is eating them all up!!! I'm going to try some Neem oil, maybe...


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> This nasty bug was chewing on my sunflowers. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s very tiny. A little bigger then the size of a pin head. One got stuck under my finger nail when I scraped it off.
> Can anyone tell what it is? Thank you so much


Being far from the east coast, I've never seen similar, but can narrow down the possibilities significantly. It's clearly Hemiptera order, so related to stink bugs and the like. 

How certain are you it was eating on the sunflowers? 

Given the rather significant camo on this guy, I'd almost suggest a species of ambush bug. Potentially feeding on aphids or something similar.

Do you have oak trees near by any chance?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra-- I'd look at treehoppers. They are legion, and some have pretty specific ranges, but that's where I'd start-- similar to this:

https://bugguide.net/node/view/10205

I'll add another:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pcoin/4007677401
The color will vary somewhat from one individual (or one location) to another.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Thank you UnOrthodox & Ooojen . 
I did a lot of checking around & posted it on Friends of Bakers Creek. The nasty critter a Leaf Hopper???? Apparently they feast on Sunflowers. I’ve been growing sunflowers for years & never saw one before. It’s got me very worried.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Kdestra-- I'd look at treehoppers. They are legion, and some have pretty specific ranges, but that's where I'd start-- similar to this:
> 
> https://bugguide.net/node/view/10205
> 
> ...


That’s it! Yikes 


https://bugguide.net/node/view/1098816


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Correction: I now have 100% germination. 

It looks like I'll be putting all my little seeds into pots, tomorrow, then they will be safely planted in their homes in my veggie garden after all these storms are over...calling for more, tonight, with every kind of storm issue: wind, hail, heavy rain, tornadoes, lightning, ect...we already lost a huge tree limb from last night's storms...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty said:


> Correction: I now have 100% germination.
> 
> It looks like I'll be putting all my little seeds into pots, tomorrow, then they will be safely planted in their homes in my veggie garden after all these storms are over...calling for more, tonight, with every kind of storm issue: wind, hail, heavy rain, tornadoes, lightning, ect...we already lost a huge tree limb from last night's storms...


I really feel like I need more single-click response options than just "thanks" and "like". I like the safe planting, but not the storms. They did some damage in my yard, too.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I really feel like I need more single-click response options than just "thanks" and "like". I like the safe planting, but not the storms. They did some damage in my yard, too.


Exactly. I always say I don't know how to "react" to some posts and comments, as I'd "smiley pumpkin" that I agree with you and I like safe planting, too...but I would "sad/angry" pumpkin that you had storm damage in your yard, too.

Thankfully, last night's storm doesn't seem to have done any real damage like the previous night's did, but I am seeing we have more storms, yet, on their way. This is ridiculous.

I got my germinated seeds all potted, this morning. They will stay cozy and safe in my greenhouse until they are strong enough and it's safer dang weather! It's sunny and nice, today, for once...but not for long...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Storms, booo! But, I am curious how the B.E.E. will hold up in a gulley washer. But, as they say, be careful for what you ask for.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's mostly cloudy, but not bad here today. However, I can't set foot in the garden or I'll sink in up to my ankles. 
Things are very slow to come up, and I'm not yet sure what will and what won't need to be replanted. I tried three Wyatt's Wonder seeds. I put one in the ground with a cut-off milk jug over it to hold the heat in. No sign of germination. I let one germinate indoors, and then planted the sprouted seed out (with milk jug mini-greenhouse" over it). Nothing has shown up above ground from that, either, and it has been the better part of a week. A third one I started at the same time as the second one above, but I put it in a little peat pot instead of planting it right outside. It did great, and I transplanted it out yesterday (into the mud). We'll see where it goes from there. We're looking at rain tonight, tomorrow, then again Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. It's not likely to get dry enough to work in my (heavy soil) garden for quite a while. 
One success-- my Oaxacan Green corn is up. It's another long-season crop, so replanting later wouldn't have been an option. I'm taking more long-season gambles this year than usual (late pumpkins, dent corn, black garbanzos, bottle gourds are not yet started). I hope we have a late fall!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I don't know how you people deal with tornadoes. We have one maybe every decade or three in the whole state. And while I was driving when the last one hit, right where it hit, and it was only a little F1, it did some fairly impressive damage. 

Stay safe.

We had a freak windstorm this morning, tore a tree down in my neighbor's yard, but my place was still fine when I left for work.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The sky is turning black in ol’Virginia.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, the near constant rain, high winds and storms is getting old, real fast. Illinois crops are soooo far behind, I think last I heard they should be at about 65% to 75% planted but were only at about 15% or so. The fields are nothing but mud and lakes. 

While we, finally, have some sun, today, the wind has been picking back up a little...though no where near as bad as it has been, thankfully, just rather breezy. It's a tease of a day, though, as we have soooo much more rain coming and bad storm possibilities. I dragged the huge tree limb that the storms ripped off my poor tree across the entire yard to the driveway, yesterday...that's a major workout, especially for someone with MS, lol...and my husband had to cut it all up into pieces. 

As for tornadoes, we deal with them every year. Illinois is kind of on the far outskirts of "tornado alley", sort of, so while we don't get them as constantly and severely as the main states in the central "alley", we still have quite a few formations and touchdowns in and around our area each year, and many watches and warnings throughout the season. 

We tend to have enough problems just with the high winds we keep getting...winds around here have been getting insanely bad and continuous, and worse and worse each year, it seems. At our old house, we had a bad storm and the wind was so terrible it sucked in the windows and doors making that terrible "get your butt in the basement NOW" whistling sound and watched through the basement windows as the winds swirled stuff through the air and tore our neighborhood apart. We went outside, roofs were damaged, gutters ripped off, trees were broken or ripped out of the ground and tossed onto houses, random outdoor furniture was everywhere, a boat sat in the middle of our street, lines were down...all the neighbors were just walking around our street in complete disbelief, trying to help each other clean up. We thought we had been hit by a tornado. We later found out it wasn't a tornado, but a straight line wind. Crazy. Now, every time we get high winds I...and the poor kitties...have flashbacks to that day and get nervous. I'm just glad the tornadoes missed our area, last night, and we just got normal storms. Not sure what's coming with tomorrow's storms, though. Sigh.

The moral of all this babbling is our weather bites anymore in the Spring/Early Summer and planting is getting frustrating. This is why I start as much as I can, indoors!! 

I hope all of you who are dealing with crummy weather...which seems like much of the US...fair well with getting your planting going and thriving.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

We just drove back from TX, through OK and MO with some pretty nasty weather all around us. We've had some hard straight-line winds at home, too, but what saved us from tornadoes is that it just didn't get warm enough to have the contrasting temps. I hate to complain about our weather when they're still getting tornadoes south of us!
One tree broken, and one leaning pretty hard up by our driveway







The broken one is a mountain ash (rowan). There were huge numbers of buds, almost ready for the bees to enjoy...but it's not to be. 
The next wind issue was really odd. It picked up one of my seed starter flats off the ground and dumped it over. As low as it sat, and with it just watered so it was heavy for its size, I never would have figured that would happen. 









I was able to save a few plants, but it's really to late to start new eggplants and long-season peppers. *sigh* Next year...
But again, it could be much, much worse.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Very true...it could definitely be worse.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

They're saying that windstorm was 65 MPH winds. And we've already had 3" more water than a normal water year. The water year is measured through SEPTEMBER.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Tornado watches for us, again, along with more heavy rain, possible very high winds and hail. I'm soooo glad I have my veggie garden tucked in between my garage and the neighbors fence...it helps block the wind a tiny bit from those two directions, but if the wind comes from the others directions, there is less protection. The house blocks a little of one direction. Not much help for heavy drowning rain and hail, though...

I am, also, sooo glad my summer seedlings are still in the house...in the basement, where they should be hiding should we have a tornado. The house could blow away, but at least my pumpkins and gourds will be safe...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

What a friggin learning experience. My patch runs hot like 102 degrees hot for a couple of hours during the day. I have two huge fans blowing that are set to come on at 74 degrees. The B.E.E. is retaining some serious heat, but the leaves are not wilting. It is the craziest thing and it hurts my head. I guess a 102 in the shade is better than 92 in the sun. lol 

As a temporary solution, I cut out four windows in the plastic poly on one side. I am hoping that this will release any trapped heat. On the window side, the insect netting runs all the way to the ground so bugs are still being excluded. If this does not fix it, then I might just buy one of those super shop fans with 4ft blades. Pic below shows the window that I cut out of the poly but the insect netting is in front to do its job.


----------



## CJSimon (Sep 6, 2007)

Working in my patio garden today and found these growing at the back end of one of the beds.
Could they be pumpkins?















After Halloween last year I broke open the jack o lantern pumpkin that
I didn’t get around to carving, to let the squirrels and birds feast on it.
I also broke open couple of litte white and orange along with one of 
those blue/green (jarrahdale?) pumpkins. 

Could these have sprouted from one of the seeds left behind?
I was going to pull them up, but decided to post here and ask the experts first.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Those are definitely.....some sort of squash type plant which could possibly maybe maybe not but probably are pumpkins!!

My best guess is that they ARE from those critter seeds so let them go a while & see what happens.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Had a tornado touch down across the river in Maryland then we lost power for almost 24hrs but thankfully no hail. But the worst thing that happened was some sort of Malware made it so I couldn’t read the Halloween forum so I back-doored through Pinterest. 

I’m so glad everyone is ok. That straight wind WK


> We thought we had been hit by a tornado. We later found out it wasn't a tornado, but a straight line wind[\Quote] was a Derecho. We were hit very hard by one a few years ago. Lost power for a week
> https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...e-ready/?utm_term=.c5aadb2f4baa&noredirect=on
> 
> We finally erected the pumpkin arch. Soon JBLs will be climbing up across the front walk way


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Just saw that on the WaPo site. Here I have zip. Nothing. The sun has come out. That line broke up before it got to me.

So I'm now off to water things.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

CJSimon said:


> I was going to pull them up, but decided to post here and ask the experts first.


Oh my, experts. If you follow us long enough we will probably fall short of that lofty title. lol With four or five true leaves, those guys are pushing three to four weeks old. That is what I love about pumpkins, is they really do want to survive and thrive. Not sure how much space you can allow, but the minimum would be about 200sq ft.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Guess what I found in the garden tonight..........SVB (squash vine borer). It was inside the B.E.E. against the insect netting so it stood out like a sore thumb. You know how you don't hear a voice for like decades and then you hear it and it makes you stop in your tracks. The second that I saw him, I knew what it was. 

As UO mentioned earlier, I can only exlcude outside svb's not the ones that have survived tilling and two doses of grub killers. But at least I am battling them in defined space, plus in theory, there should be fewer in the ground next year. But at least I can spray bug killer without mercy since I will not be killing any bees.

It is on like Donkey Kong with my arch nemesis:


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> It is on like Donkey Kong with my arch nemesis:


Ha! Love it & great catch. 
A guy down in N Carolina killed one already & a lady said she sprays them with hairspray. I’m really digging the hairspray idea. 

Sooo we went to Home Depot to pick up a fence post for the pumpkin arch. The place was insane. We got out of there ASAP but we forgot to buy the damn fence post ?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> What a friggin learning experience. My patch runs hot like 102 degrees hot for a couple of hours during the day. I have two huge fans blowing that are set to come on at 74 degrees. The B.E.E. is retaining some serious heat, but the leaves are not wilting. It is the craziest thing and it hurts my head. I guess a 102 in the shade is better than 92 in the sun. lol
> 
> As a temporary solution, I cut out four windows in the plastic poly on one side. I am hoping that this will release any trapped heat. On the window side, the insect netting runs all the way to the ground so bugs are still being excluded. If this does not fix it, then I might just buy one of those super shop fans with 4ft blades. Pic below shows the window that I cut out of the poly but the insect netting is in front to do its job.
> 
> View attachment 583637


My experience thus far (granted, non giants) is that you will still set pumpkins when the days go over 100. It's the early morning temps that seem critical.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> Guess what I found in the garden tonight..........SVB (squash vine borer). It was inside the B.E.E. against the insect netting so it stood out like a sore thumb. You know how you don't hear a voice for like decades and then you hear it and it makes you stop in your tracks. The second that I saw him, I knew what it was.
> 
> As UO mentioned earlier, I can only exlcude outside svb's not the ones that have survived tilling and two doses of grub killers. But at least I am battling them in defined space, plus in theory, there should be fewer in the ground next year. But at least I can spray bug killer without mercy since I will not be killing any bees.
> 
> It is on like Donkey Kong with my arch nemesis:


Yes, you are in one of the few instances I actually advocate going to town with the pesticide. In fact...I'd heavily consider a good duster for your setup.


----------



## PutnamHaunt (Jul 30, 2018)

This thread reminded me to plant my seeds! Holy cow! Better late then never


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

PutnamHaunt said:


> This thread reminded me to plant my seeds! Holy cow! Better late then never


Living in CT, you are still fine since you enjoy moderate July temperatures normally. The largest pumpkin grown in North America was grown last year in New Hampshire. But life is a tradeoff on the east coast, mild summers = harsh winters. Best of luck on your plants, and post pics so we can follow along.


----------



## CJSimon (Sep 6, 2007)

Thank you for your replies, RCIAG AND Col. Fryght. 

Sadly, my entire patio/garden area an L shape and probably less than 200sq ft total. 
They pumpkins are growing out of a small bed at the top of what would be the vertical
line of the L. 

Attached is a picture of the garden last Spring. I’ve added some additional containers to
this year’s garden, which limits even more space. Not to mention my cherry tree and lilac 
bush are twice as big this year, creating more shade in that back area.

I’m going to clear out any accumulated junk in that back area and leave the pumpkins to 
do what they will. 

Thanks again, pumpkin growing experts.
(you all have way more experience than I do, which makes you experts in my eyes)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> A guy down in N Carolina killed one already & a lady said she sprays them with hairspray. I’m really digging the hairspray idea.



Yes, I use hairspray on houseflies all the time. It sticks their wings together. But for SVBs they get nothing short of napalm.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Looking at last year's pumpkin thread, I was lamenting on June 17th that I had already found a half dozen svb worms in my vines and that I should have been more alert three weeks earlier. I guess this is three weeks earlier.  At least I have been spraying systemic insecticide for the previous three weeks, placed granular grub killer around the stumps, and I have been looking for eggs. So at least that part of my defense system was up and running.

I have zero time to work in the garden this weekend due to a giant work project. I am actually at the office now at 8:30 on a Sunday and I will have to be here early again tomorrow. But, I will put in three or four hours on Wednesday as I am taking Wednesday off. The game plan will be to inspect the vines for eggs, sevin dust the vines, and bury the vines with dirt.

I did put out three svb traps which I had leftover from last year. I am not sure how potent the lure and kill strip are after a year, but they were in individually sealed packets. I will order new ones on Wednesday. Last year, I killed 22 in the first 48hrs when I put them out in July. I have two in the B.E.E., and one about 100ft outside the B.E.E.. My thinking on the one on the outside is that I want to lure some away.

Thanks to WitchyKitty for posting links to the old threads on the first page of this thread. They are sometimes hard to search for on this forum. If you are new to pumpkin growing, there is a wealth of information in this old threads.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

CJSimon said:


> Thank you for your replies, RCIAG AND Col. Fryght.
> 
> Sadly, my entire patio/garden area an L shape and probably less than 200sq ft total.
> They pumpkins are growing out of a small bed at the top of what would be the vertical
> ...


Beaurtiful patio. There are bush varieties if you really want to try a pumpkin. 

Here's my Cheyenne Bush pumpkin grown in a container back in 2016.


----------



## CJSimon (Sep 6, 2007)

Thank you,Unorthodox. I’m proud of my little garden space.
Of course, come October, everything gets moved out and
cut back to make way for Halloween.

That’s a great looking pumpkin plant. I might have to try those.
Did you start them from seeds or buy already started plants?

These plants are some volunteers that popped up after letting the squirrels 
and birds feast on the pumpkins after Halloween last year.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

OMG! I am off to order those Cheyenne seeds now!!

Wait...no I'm not, I have more than enough seeds right now, just bookmarking a site. I'm also starting a couple more pumpkin-on-a-stick seeds so they come a little later than the other 2 that are a pretty good size now.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Had a tornado touch down across the river in Maryland then we lost power for almost 24hrs but thankfully no hail. But the worst thing that happened was some sort of Malware made it so I couldn’t read the Halloween forum so I back-doored through Pinterest.
> 
> I’m so glad everyone is ok. That straight wind WK
> 
> ...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

SVB...ug. I am hoping to never see another one of those, again, like the one I saw and attacked last year. 

CJ, your patio looks lovely! I grow small pumpkins and gourds both in the ground and in containers! I wonder what your volunteer will end up being? I hope you get a cool pumpkin from it!

Col., I agree, it is a pain to dig through all the years General Halloween threads to find past Pumpkin Growers threads, that is the exact reason that I take time, when I have it, to look for them and link them in the beginning of each of our new year's threads. Soooo much easier to have them right there when I want to go back to them during the growing season...and, also, good for any newbies that join the threads each year! They can just read my first posts way back in the beginning of the threads and be able to go back and see what we did previous years, see our pictures, conversations, ect. (Same reason I link a couple specific websites that have good pumpkin growing info!

We had more rain, today...as if we needed more. We had a little sun, yesterday, rained all night and all morning, today, now it's sunny, again...more rain and storms are in the forecast, tonight, and every day this week except maybe Friday. Blah. 

Some thing is still nibbling my POAS...I worry they won't make it. Between the rain, not much sun and insect damage, they aren't fairing too well. They are still alive, though, so I'll just keep an eye on them.

My pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers and zucchini seeds are all popping up out of their dirt pots in the greenhouse! It won'd be long, now, before I can get them in the ground, outside, and get them big and strong!! So exciting! I'm trying out new stuff I haven't grown, before...those Daisy Gourds and Little October Pumpkins...I hope they grow big and produce lots of fruit!! (Thanks to ooojen for the daisy gourd seeds!)


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

CJSimon said:


> Thank you,Unorthodox. I’m proud of my little garden space.
> Of course, come October, everything gets moved out and
> cut back to make way for Halloween.
> 
> ...


That was started from seed. They are a tough to track down variety, I had to import from Canada.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Yes, I use hairspray on houseflies all the time. It sticks their wings together. But for SVBs they get nothing short of napalm.


Love the smell of napalm in the morning.... Smells like victory


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

SVB trap report. 12 hours in, and the two inside traps have zero kills. But the trap outside the B.E.E. had two confirmed kills. Plus, I might have solved my heat problem but we shall see. I bought a new 100ft hose to run down to the patch. The old one sprung a leak. 

I hooked up a sprinkler to it and put it in the center of the B.E.E. and within 10 minutes of being on the temp dropped from 82 to 71. I cannot find my timer, but my wife has volunteered to turn the sprinkler on for 5 minutes at 12, 2 and 4pm tomorrow. 

I need a game changer, the temp today got to 108. But the crazy thing is my plants are still not wilting and it hurts my head that there is a difference between shade heat and direct sun heat.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

That's very interesting about the sun vs. shade heat tolerance. I've had plants wilt in the low to mid 80s, but in the sun, of course. (I guess they're like me-- true northerners.) 

Lovely patio, CJSimon! If you're looking for Cheyenne Bush seeds, Seed Savers has them sometimes, but they might be out right now. However, this place seems to be handling their seeds:
http://www.honeymanseed.com/productDetail.asp_Q_catID_E_151_A_subCatID_E_476_A_productID_E_12553

I have two Wyatt's Wonders in the garden...still just cotyledons. Now we're supposed to have 5 days of rain, so I don't know when I'll be able to get back out and plant the rest, but at least my longest-season pumpkins are in.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

You know, the shade thing might explain why my french pumpkins only did well when planted inside a field of corn. I'd always assumed the shade made them cooler, but it might be the direct sunlight was just too much. 

I lost one of the moose pumpkins. Not sure why, really, but it was dead when I uncovered them. Everything else is in the ground now, and I've pulled my heat tents. Not that the weather is much better, but we're not approaching 30s at night any more. Things are going REAL slooooow with the cold temps though. Looks like another week with highs 10+ degrees below normal.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> That's very interesting about the sun vs. shade heat tolerance. I've had plants wilt in the low to mid 80s, but in the sun, of course. (I guess they're like me-- true northerners.)
> 
> .


Exactly. My plants basically always wilt in the upper 80s and guaranteed to wilt in the 90s with full sun. Hopefully, I will be able to report back some soild temperature drops from the afternoon sprinkling program.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> You know, the shade thing might explain why my french pumpkins only did well when planted inside a field of corn. I'd always assumed the shade made them cooler, but it might be the direct sunlight was just too much.
> 
> .


Thank you for making me feel less crazy. It's like how people in Arizona say it is dry heat, and I am like whatever, hot is hot. But, my leaves look great. Your french pumpkin experience lends support to what I am seeing.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WK - here's the pumpkin arch. The JBLs are growing quickly. 
You're soooo right about hail. It seems like everyone on the board has had to deal with it this year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

PutnamHaunt said:


> This thread reminded me to plant my seeds! Holy cow! Better late then never


yay! what kind of pumpkin seeds are you planting


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

That arch is going to be adorable! I can just see it all loaded with tiny pumpkins!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> That arch is going to be adorable! I can just see it all loaded with tiny pumpkins!


Thank you. Hopefully the JBLs grow quickly & hide the wonky arch. Hubby & I had a bit of a disagreement about how to support it. We both want the same thing: look good & not fall during storms. —— I hate when we argue over stupid stuff


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Thank you. Hopefully the JBLs grow quickly & hide the wonky arch. Hubby & I had a bit of a disagreement about how to support it. We both want the same thing: look good & not fall during storms. —— I hate when we argue over stupid stuff


I find that we rarely argue over important stuff. It's always the stupid stuff we get all upset over. For the record, wonky looks fine. Anyone with half a brain knows what's going to happen to the arch. It's like watching the ugly duckling grow up. What's not to love about the transformation?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yep, you can't be a real gardener and not see things the way they're_* going to*_ look!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

"Princess grass"  Found at a local nursery. Supposed to get 5' tall, not sure what it's scientific name is. 










The Moose:










Early Giant.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I find that we rarely argue over important stuff. It's always the stupid stuff we get all upset over. For the record, wonky looks fine. Anyone with half a brain knows what's going to happen to the arch. It's like watching the ugly duckling grow up. What's not to love about the transformation?


That is so true. Thank you being so awesome!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> WK - here's the pumpkin arch. The JBLs are growing quickly.
> You're soooo right about hail. It seems like everyone on the board has had to deal with it this year.
> 
> View attachment 583673
> ...


Love the arch. (and the whole path in general) 

Long term plans at my place are for a whole tunnel down the side of the house.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Yep, you can't be a real gardener and not see things the way they're_* going to*_ look!


Do you ever see weeds or vines in other gardens & pull them? I can't seem to stop myself from doing that. 

Found these window boxes at Home Goods. Can't wait to hang them. They will look beautiful in October filled with pumpkins and gourds


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col., your area looks awesome!!! I let out an "Oh no!" when I read you found an SVB inside the structure. I hope you're able to control them this year, especially after putting so much time and money into your set up.

I was able to till my patch really well a second time last week and had everything looking great. I go out to look at it the other day and there are a ton of weeds popping up again. My plans are to till one more time as soon as the ground hardens up, then direct sew all of my seeds. It seems that as soon as the ground is just about dry enough that I can till we get a storm come through and make everything wet again. 

This year I have sworn that as soon as all of my pumpkins are picked I'm going to till everything really well and spray weed killer over the entire area in hopes that I don't have as many problems next year. It's not like the area I'm using is only going to be used for gardening for the first time this year. It's been used as a garden for as long as I can remember by an older gentleman that lives right behind the area. 

Anyone have any suggestions for weed prevention that they do either before, during or after their crops have finished up?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra said:


> Do you ever see weeds or vines in other gardens & pull them? I can't seem to stop myself from doing that.


Would you like to come and visit me for a week or so? We have a nice guest room, and there'd be plenty for you to do! haha!
Seriously, your planters are beautiful, and I bet they'll be stunning all full of pumpkins!



Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> It seems that as soon as the ground is just about dry enough that I can till we get a storm come through and make everything wet again.
> ...
> Anyone have any suggestions for weed prevention that they do either before, during or after their crops have finished up?


We've been having the same situation-- and the same resultant carpet of tiny weeds. I want to finish planting, but the garden is kind of a mud pit.

DH sells seed, wich comes on pallets. When there's more than one variety on a pallet, there's often a thin pallet-sized cardboard sheet between. They're not corrugated-- about the weight/thickness of a cereal box. Last year I put a couple of the cardboard sheets around the bases of some gourds to see whether they'd work to keep weeds down. The answer was a resounding yes! I tacked down the corners, but when it rained it made the sheets conform tightly to the surface dirt, and they didn't catch the wind enough to tear or rise up. When the vines spread across them, it was easy to take a paring knife and cut a little slits in the cardboard for vine roots to get through and take hold (though it wouldn't have been _*necessary*_ -- I just like them to have lots of roots.) There was no problem if I caught a little bit of the cardboard with the tiller-- no mess like if you catch a bit of landscape fabric. And come fall, they're already starting to break down, and can just be tilled in with the rest of the organic matter. 
If you can find a business or an individual that has lightweight scrap cardboard pieces, I highly recommend asking for some. I'm going to be using a lot more this year!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for weed prevention that they do either before, during or after their crops have finished up?


This year before I planted I laid out a 6mil poly sheeting to kill the grass/weeds and hopefully burn up svbs. This weekend I plan to lay some old remay over non plant areas of the patch. The remay will let water through, but will block out weeds and maybe trap some svbs as they hatch.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

POLLINATION DAY 2019, at least for the 1576. I had a female about 15 feet out in the right place at the right time. Next week, we are suppose to cool off to the mid-80s which should make for some good growing weather. The female opened this morning and the lobs were uniform and did not look abnormal. Plus, I had three males from the 1576 open this morning to volunteer their pollen. 

I flicked the pollen off the males onto the female and then tossed in the males with two rubbing the sides in the one in the middle. Basically a pollination version of the movie Eyes Wide Shut. But if I recall correctly, WitchyKitty is a fan of the Eyes Wide Shut method also. 

Pics are posted below:
























.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Kdestra said:
> 
> 
> > Do you ever see weeds or vines in other gardens & pull them? I can't seem to stop myself from doing that.
> ...


Don't tempt me... I love traveling & seeing other people's gardens. It's one of the many reasons I enjoy "The Pumpkin Growers Thread". 

Sometimes when I see: "When do you start decorating for Halloween thread" I think..... 2yrs ago when I bought Pumpkin Seeds ? (planning 2019 in 2017). 

Hey Col. Congratulations on the confirmed kills.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for weed prevention that they do either before, during or after their crops have finished up?


This winter I'm planting Crimson Clover as a cover crop. Saw it at the library garden - it's beautiful & fixes nitrogen in soil.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Hope you have better luck with the clover. It was supposed to be in the green manure mix I tried this year and it got a whopping 0% germination. 

Here's hoping for pumpkin set, Col.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Hope you have better luck with the clover. It was supposed to be in the green manure mix I tried this year and it got a whopping 0% germination.
> 
> Here's hoping for pumpkin set, Col.


Awww man, I was hoping this would grow for me. The clover at the library was beautiful.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I probably just planted too late in the season to get it started before winter and tilled too early for it to come up in spring.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I'm definitely planning on putting something over my rows to help keep the weeds down in the immediate vicinity of the plants. I'm hoping to till everything really well, make my mounds, lay down landscapers fabric over the mounds, cut holes in the fabric and plant the seeds, then each week I plan to till until the vines have reached the point that I can no longer till. I do like the cardboard and cover crop ideas as well and may give that a shot if I can get my hands on some cardboard.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

SVB Score Board Update: 

Two Inside Traps - Zero
One Outside Trap- Three


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

120% confirmed SVB


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 120% confirmed SVB


They are out in your state already. Wow! Sounds earlier than normal but I guess June is right around the corner. Isn't it crazy that most of us have been posting about pumpkins since January 1st and I think I put up my first wind barrier in February. Amazing how time flies.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I had a productive night last night. I put 10/10/10 fertilizer around the pumpkin stumps. I also put out granular systemic insecticide (Merit75) around the stumps and throughout the patch. It will also kill grubs in the grass even though it is not a contact killer per se. And to top it off, I watered the stumps with a 5/10/10 solution. 

I don't think I mentioned it, but I installed a timer for my sprinkler on Weds.. The only way I can keep the B.E.E. temperatures down is to water the netting. I water for 5 minutes every hour starting at 10:45am till 3:45pm at which time 80% percent of my patch is in total shade. My old timer would only allow me to water every two hours. So basically I water my plants for 30 minutes everyday. We have not had any rain in about a month so my plants are really enjoying it. 

I will know this weekend whether my pumpkin has set on the one plant. If it has, then the award winning series "Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape" shall start in earnest.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Kdestra said:
> 
> 
> > 120% confirmed SVB
> ...


A guy down on the boarder between N. Carolina & Va saw one 2 weeks ago. It was only a question of time before they showed up. 

Your entire set up is astounding! I'm probably going to set up SVB traps similar to yours


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

*The Shallow Grave Cemetery Pumpkin Patch Update*

It has been right at two months since I planted the first seeds for this years crops. My how the little ones have grown. Photo 01 shows a two week comparison of the Big Max; the vines have grown about a foot per week. Photo 02 shows a two week comparison of the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins; they are just starting to flower. Photo 03 - Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. Photos 04-05 are the Bloody Butcher corn which is now about knee high. The variation in plant sizes is due to the staggering of when I planted the seeds; something I learned from my grandfather. This allows a continuous crop from early fall through late fall (which allows for a fresh display of fall crops in September and then again in October). Gramps also told me to only plant one variety of corn so that it doesn't get cross-pollenated. I however didn't listen and have decided to plant three varieties; we'll see how they do.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Well I just beat the weeds & mint in my herb garden for another month. I tear out the mint with extreme prejudice yearly & every year it wins by the end of the summer but I'm OK with that.

I can now put in the annual herbs that have been sitting around for a month & rearrange the perennials that are already in there. Then I'll put in my pumpkin on a stick seedlings.

I try to take pics at the start of every season so I can remember what it looked like when I had things under control because by September it ends up a flowering herb mess. I'll see if I can them up soon.

Let's see what perennials I've got this year...mint, weeds, catnip,mint, sorrel, mint, lovage, weeds, mint, parcel, mint, asparagus, mint, some lettuce that reseeds itself yearly, mint, & bee balm. 

And mint.

Anyone need any mint?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm in a love/hate relationship with my milkweed at the moment. I love having the butterfly garden and all the other things it brings, but that stuff is going absolutely bonkers this year. The roots...it's all one plant, really. I'm taking an axe to the sideshoots that keep cropping up in the regular garden before it takes over.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> Well I just beat the weeds & mint in my herb garden for another month. I tear out the mint with extreme prejudice yearly & every year it wins by the end of the summer but I'm OK with that.
> 
> I can now put in the annual herbs that have been sitting around for a month & rearrange the perennials that are already in there. Then I'll put in my pumpkin on a stick seedlings.
> 
> I try to take pics at the start of every season so I can remember what it looked like when I had things under control because by September it ends up a flowering herb mess.


Can you come down to Arlington Va for Happy hour on June 12th? A bunch of my garden friends are going to be there 

https://celtichouse.net/happy-hour-arlington-va-dc/


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

We might be at the beach that week, I have to check.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'm in a love/hate relationship with my milkweed at the moment. I love having the butterfly garden and all the other things it brings, but that stuff is going absolutely bonkers this year. The roots...it's all one plant, really. I'm taking an axe to the sideshoots that keep cropping up in the regular garden before it takes over.


"Same" or at least that's what my teenagers tell me to say. 
But - yes, I want to ax the sh!t out've the sideshoots


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> We might be at the beach that week, I have to check.


It's a hole-in-the-wall type of place. Nothing fancy


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Your entire set up is astounding! I'm probably going to set up SVB traps similar to yours


Thank you. But the real test will be during inclement weather. It has not rained since the B.E.E. came online. 

Below is a link to the svb traps that I use. As has been pointed out in the past the downside is you might be drawing more to your patch and you are killing only males. But for me, I feel like it makes sense in my overall svb defense strategy.

https://www.greatlakesipm.com/monitoring/ready-to-use-kits/home-amp-garden/glms32543k-squash-vine-borer-svb-kit-3-station::1


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Here's my herb garden & my newly planted pumpkin-on-a-stick seedlings. I'm going to try to start a couple more this weekend.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I finally started planting today! I tilled the entire area two more times and planted a row of Howden, Connecticut Field, and Bid Max. Each row had 12 seeds planted about 6 feet apart. Tomorrow I hope to plant 9 mounds containing different grounds as well as Indian corn. I’m glad the worst part is behind me, now I just have to hope for a good germination rate!

Now the battle will be to keep the weeds down.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> POLLINATION DAY 2019, at least for the 1576. I had a female about 15 feet out in the right place at the right time. Next week, we are suppose to cool off to the mid-80s which should make for some good growing weather. The female opened this morning and the lobs were uniform and did not look abnormal. Plus, I had three males from the 1576 open this morning to volunteer their pollen.
> 
> I flicked the pollen off the males onto the female and then tossed in the males with two rubbing the sides in the one in the middle. Basically a pollination version of the movie Eyes Wide Shut. But if I recall correctly, WitchyKitty is a fan of the Eyes Wide Shut method also.
> 
> ...


Hahahaha!! Yes, I do tend to put the males right in there when I'm done hand pollinating, lol. The more the merrier! 

Eyes Wide Shut...lol...

Happy to hear about your first good, quality female!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Weeds...omg, the weeds, this year!! I spent sooo long, today, trying to weed the veggie garden, the flower gardens, the cracks between the sidewalk slabs...any crack in or near any cement, really...between the stone edging, along the shed...the weeds are worse than ever, this year! 

Add in that our whole neighborhood has Maple trees and we had a crazy major unusual amount of "helicopter" seeds and a lot of wind and rain...those stupid things have sprouted everywhere...E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. I have never seen so many maple tree helicopter seeds and, now, sprouts/seedlings!! I don't have the energy to combat all these tiny trees!! 

Sigh. 

I did get the last of my seedlings planted, today, from out of the downstairs greenhouse (besides some herbs I recently started for my mom). The Little October Pumpkins, Daisy Gourds, Zucchini and Cucumber seedlings are now out in the veggie garden at the bases of their trellises/cages. (...and one extra mini pumpkin seedling in a half barrel planter). We will let the seedlings get bigger and then I will thin down to the strongest one or two per area...should they do well and make it, that is. Here's to hoping!

My sunflower seedlings are starting to get bigger, now, so I'll have to thin those, soon. My Pumpkin On A Stick seedlings are, well, I just don't know. As I said, previously, they have been getting some nibbling on them from some insect that I am unsure of...I have treated them with neem a couple times, but we keep getting so much rain, it probably doesn't help much. They aren't really growing...but they aren't dying, either. They are just living as is, I guess. I just keep babying them and watching them, hoping they finally do something, soon. I'd really like to have, at least, one of them make it so I can see them in person.

I'm enjoying seeing your pictures really starting to show up in the thread, now. I'll take and post some pictures as soon as my seedlings I just planted take hold and start to grow.

I hope all that are dealing with SVBs can keep them under control, this year...and that I don't get any! I have enough issues dealing with the squash bugs...and squirrels...


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So...I tried starting another 20 seeds each of the minis that didn't come up via the baggy method. 

Yeah, I got dud packets.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Weeds...omg, the weeds, this year!! I spent sooo long, today, trying to weed the veggie garden, the flower gardens, the cracks between the sidewalk slabs...any crack in or near any cement, really...between the stone edging, along the shed...the weeds are worse than ever, this year!
> 
> Add in that our whole neighborhood has Maple trees and we had a crazy major unusual amount of "helicopter" seeds and a lot of wind and rain...those stupid things have sprouted everywhere...E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E. I have never seen so many maple tree helicopter seeds and, now, sprouts/seedlings!! I don't have the energy to combat all these tiny trees!!
> 
> ...


I hear you about the weeds and Maple tree helicopters!! It’s never been close to this bad. I’m constantly pulling weeds and mini maples. We have two Maple trees and two Japanese Maples in our yard and have trees growing everywhere!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

Good news, my pumpkin has set on the 1576 plant. I am currently at 3 DAP (Days After Pollination). Below I have posted a before and after picture. The circumference today was 9 1/2 inches which is impressive to me. I did not measure it before pollination but it looks to be about 3 inches at the most.

Here is where it gets interesting. Last year, I was at about 185 lbs after 30 DAP and my pumpkin was approximatley 425 lbs at seasons end. According to one chart I need to be at 485 lbs to be on pace to break 1400 lbs. The Georgia record is 1306 set in 2017. Side note, it was set in the north GA mountains, which is has the distinct advantage of running 8-10 degrees cooler than Atlanta.

I am not suggesting that 1400 is realistic, but I will be using it and last years results as a ceiling and a floor. I hope to be closer to the ceiling. I also threw down some remay that I had for years. Just trying to add another layer of svb protection by making it difficult for them to take flight even if they emerge from the soil.

1576 PUMPKIN ON MAY 30: DAY OF POLLINATION










1576 3 DAP









SVB DEFENSE LAYER


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I wouldn't worry too much about drawing in male SVBs, either. The adults males are only harmful for their contribution to the next generation, and if you can get them trapped before said contribution occurs, it's a win. It's the females that you wouldn't want to attract...but the traps don't, so it's all good, I think. 
Looking forward to the Tale of the Tape, Season 3 (right?) 

I'm keeping my eyes open for the little SVB buggers! It's early, of course. But man, is there pest pressure this spring! ...like I've never seen! Even before I got my pumpkins planted, volunteer summer squash were sporting mating pairs of cucumber beetles like Christmas ornaments on a tree-- and this is on seedlings that don't even have their first true leaves yet! Ordinarily cucumbers beetles aren't a problem for me at all until mid-to-late summer. I'm deliberately leaving some of the volunteer squash in the hope the beetles will lay eggs on them...and then I can pull the plants out. I did move my cucurbits so they're not in the same exact spot this year as last, but I've only got just so much practical space to use. There's nowhere I can put them that's too far away for flying pests to find them.
I also killed my first squash bug in May. I seldom see them in the garden; years will go by without any-- but not this year!
Last winter when it was 35 below zero, my gardening friends and I were consoling ourselves with the idea that the hard freeze would mean fewer pests this summer. So much for that! 
Weeds are crazy here, too, but at least the wanted plants are also growing by leaps and bounds.  Two days ago I only had 2 Job's Tears plants up, out of three packs of seeds. Yesterday there were over 20. One more little rain to soften the surface, and I should have enough to hold me for quite a while.

Nice herb garden, RCAIG!
For those growing pumpkins on a stick-- Bear in mind that the plants can get pretty large. In my garden they had a diameter of over 2' and were well over 3' tall...and that was in a short-season climate. 

Mayor-- Your garden space looks fantastic! I'm direct-sowing most of my pumpkins, too. I started a few in pots, but most of the time, for me, it proves to be more work than it's worth. (Different circumstances for different growers!) 
I rarely use the baggie method, because I generally get good germination rate and it saves a step to just stick them in the ground or a pot. I did baggie-up some old (2013?) Victor/Red Warty seeds, just wanting to know early on whether they were geminating. I only had 3 seeds left in the packet. Every one of them sprouted. I really only wanted one, but ...
It's hard for me to destroy any plants I deliberately started. I plant one seed per "hill" and leave it alone instead of planting 5 and thinning to 2. Intellectually I assume they're not sentient, and I know it's just a quirk of mine, but there it is, I have 3 RWT plants. They're all full of potential once they sprout. I can tell right now I'm not going to be very good at culling Wyatt's fruit to try to get a moderately large one! 

I tried to be a little smarter this year than last, and I planted my pumpkin species (maxima and pepo) each together with their own kind. I hope that will make pollination easier. (No C. moschata this year.) I thought I was about done, and then I found some "Toad" seeds. The pkg. says C. maxima. but 2 online sources said C. pepo. I have read it's an F3 hybrid, so the characteristics will be a bit unpredictable. I wonder whether it might be an intergeneric X. I'd plant them in the middle of the patch, but they're small, semi-bush, and would probably be over-run. 
If anyone here has grown 'Toad', I'd love to hear your experience.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ah, the Tale slipped in there as I was writing.
Wow, 9.5" by day 3!? Congratulations!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Ah, the Tale slipped in there as I was writing.
> Wow, 9.5" by day 3!? Congratulations!


Your double screen response system probably has a 10 minute delay between the time you start and finish.  It is nice of you to include everyone in your responses. Yes, it is season 3. The first two years that I posted about my pumpkin growing, I could not get anything to survive. But my third season, I figured it out, and the Tale of the Tape was born. I hope that my experience encourages lurkers to keep at it even if the first year is a disaster. 

I do apologize if I miss someone's post. Sometimes when the pages turn over to the new one, I do not notice it right away. It is interesting to read and follow along with everyone's progress or pics of past success.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Now the battle will be to keep the weeds down.
> View attachment 583811


YOWZA! How does one keep the weeds away on a plot that large?

But that is the neverending battle no matter how large your garden happens to be isn't it?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> 1576 3 DAP
> 
> View attachment 583855
> 
> ...


Wow!!! its beautiful ???


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I look forward to your tale of the tape each year Col.! You know we all are pulling for you! Even if I don’t get the results I desire, I’ll always pull for everyone in this thread to do well each year since I know how frustrating this hobby can be. You grew some really impressive pumpkins last year and with your setup this year I really think you’ll smash your personal best!

Ooojen, I used to start my seeds in pots, but I dreaded the extra work of planting them in the pots, making sure they were out in the sun when it was nice, then bringing them in during bad weather, then transplanting them into the ground. It just became too much, especially when I started using a larger plot of land. I’ll just monitor the ones I planted and if I notice some don’t germinate then I’ll throw another seed in that spot and hope for the best. I’m the exact same way when it comes to terminating plants. I just can’t do it, ever! Last year I planted two seeds close together on my mounds and even when they both would germinate I couldn’t get myself to kill one off. That led to an area that was way overgrown and I don’t think I gave the plants enough space. This year I only did one seed every 6 feet, and spaced the rows about 8 feet apart. I honestly think I’ll get better results with giving the plants more space. I do plan on planting 2 large size pumpkins and will put 3 seed in pots to start. The 2 best looking plants will go in the ground.

RCIAG, my plan is to till in between the rows at least once a week until the plants get too big. That was also the plan last year, but it rained ALL THE TIME, and I could never get into the patch. The weeds absolutely took over. I’m just hoping this year isn’t nearly as bad and I can do some weed control for a few weeks until the plants are established. I’m also going to be taking my own grass clippings, as well as my coworkers clippings and dumping them in between the rows. I just bought 100 feet of landscaping fabric that will be going over each row with a hole cut out for the plant to come up. I’m going all in this year and am going to do whatever I can to get great results. My family plans to carve 70 pumpkins this year for Halloween, and being able to grow half of that would be great. 

Best of luck to everyone!!!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I forgot to add that today I spent an hour spraying weed killer around the perimeter of the fence. I figure weeds growing on the outside will eventually become weeds growing on the inside.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So...I tried starting another 20 seeds each of the minis that didn't come up via the baggy method.
> 
> Yeah, I got dud packets. <img src="http://www.halloweenforum.com/images/smilies/sad.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Frown" class="inlineimg" />


Same thing happened with my corn & millet. Roughly 30 corn stalks grew out've the packet & exactly 2 millet. I'm never buying Jung seeds again. 

The weeds & vines are insane aren't they!!!! I've been killing cucumber beetles too. It's hard to believe they are already destroying plants.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

We had the same weather last year, too much rain. We also bought the wrong landscaping fabric & the weeds grew under & through it. 

Which is why we're not doing a garden this year, we gotta do some maintenance on it, get rid of the weeds, get some good compost on it, till it a couple times, etc., just regain the whole thing again.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Literally, a raised planting bed. Funny pic that I saw tonight.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I forgot to add that today I spent an hour spraying weed killer around the perimeter of the fence. I figure weeds growing on the outside will eventually become weeds growing on the inside.


Just avoid round-up. I am sure they will never see all of it, but a California couple was recently awared 1 Billion dollars for cancer allegedly caused by round-up. Not sure if it does or does not cause cancer, but there is starting to be too much suspicion.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Placed a nice flat stone under the 1st. Baby Cinderella Pumpkin. There are several Male flowers I'll be able to pollinate her with. I'm going to cover her vines with dirt & protect her w/chicken wire


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra, it's always so exciting when you get your first female! Good luck with her!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Placed a nice flat stone under the 1st. Baby Cinderella Pumpkin. There are several Male flowers I'll be able to pollinate her with. I'm going to cover her vines with dirt & protect her w/chicken wire


Way cool. I know you know this, just keep an early morning eye out for her to open. I pollinated my second plant this morning around 6:45am. Mother Nature always amazes me. They know when morning time is even if they are not receiving any sunshine until 9ish. Be sure to let us know in a couple of days how things turned out.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Kdestra, it's always so exciting when you get your first female! Good luck with her!





Col. said:


> Way cool. I know you know this, just keep an early morning eye out for her to open. I pollinated my second plant this morning around 6:45am. Mother Nature always amazes me. They know when morning time is even if they are not receiving any sunshine until 9ish. Be sure to let us know in a couple of days how things turned out.


Thanks guys & thanks for reminding me about AM pollination. 

Its kind've funny because in winter I could sleep until 7am but now I'm already outside by 5:30am.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> So...I tried starting another 20 seeds each of the minis that didn't come up via the baggy method.
> 
> Yeah, I got dud packets.


Awww, I'm sorry you got a bad batch of packets. That's really crummy. At least with minis you should still have some time to try if you want, since they grow pretty fast.



Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I hear you about the weeds and Maple tree helicopters!! It’s never been close to this bad. I’m constantly pulling weeds and mini maples. We have two Maple trees and two Japanese Maples in our yard and have trees growing everywhere!


So many trees...soooo many trees......



Col. Fryght said:


> Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape
> 
> Good news, my pumpkin has set on the 1576 plant. I am currently at 3 DAP (Days After Pollination). Below I have posted a before and after picture. The circumference today was 9 1/2 inches which is impressive to me. I did not measure it before pollination but it looks to be about 3 inches at the most.
> 
> ...


Awesome first pumpkin set!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Placed a nice flat stone under the 1st. Baby Cinderella Pumpkin. There are several Male flowers I'll be able to pollinate her with. I'm going to cover her vines with dirt & protect her w/chicken wire


Yays!! More females forming! I can't wait until mine are that far!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Just a little bit of weed killer info: For those that I don't just pull, I make a homemade, safe weed killer: 1 gallon white vinegar, 1 cup salt and a tablespoon of dishsoap. Mix and spray on weeds on a warm/hot, sunny day. I usually make smaller batches, but that's the main recipe. It works fairly well, actually.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Congrats on the pumpkin set...is that a second layer of SVB defense, or did you take down the bigger dome?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Congrats on the pumpkin set...is that a second layer of SVB defense, or did you take down the bigger dome?


The B.E.E.(Bug Exclusion Enclosure) is still intact and fully functional. I just thought since I had the remay that I would throw it down just for hoots and hollers. The real test is June and early July. If I make through those months without a single svb attack then I should be home free through the rest of the season.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Dumb question or maybe I'm just dumb but how do you tell the difference between a Male & Female SVB? Googled & did research but still not sure. 
Is the female a brighter color? 
Thank you!! ???


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> how do you tell the difference between a Male & Female SVB?


Males are thinner with the females having a wider body. The male is on the left and the female is on the right in the picture below. Since the females have more area, they do appear more colorful. Not a dumb question, heck I did not even know that there were males and females until I started my defense deployment research a couple of years ago.  

The picture is from a Michigan State extension article on SVBs. It is one of the best write-ups on the topic. Here is a link:https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/squash_vine_borer_biology_and_management


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Kdestra said:
> 
> 
> > how do you tell the difference between a Male & Female SVB?
> ...


Thank you, this is one of the articles I read, reread & read again.
But is there is a way to the difference between males/females while in flight? (For example, I've learned how to tell the difference between Male/female monarch butterflies & male/female bumblebees) 

On a positive note: they aren't fast & I've been able to whack them with my hand. Probably didn't kill it but still hurt it.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I can tell that the dead ones in my trap are males, which makes sense because of the female pheromone used to lure them into the trap. I kind of can tell when they are flying because as you mentioned the females seem more colorful. The males appear more black when they are flying. I think their black wings cover more of the males in flight but less of the females. But in all honestly, I am never certain until they land on a leaf or fall dead to the ground.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

We have finally hit growing temps with highs in the 70s and 80s and lows in the 50s, but we're still not out of the woods as Saturday is expected to get down to the 30s!

Taking a look at what's survived what they are saying is the wettest/coldest spring on record, I'm down to 4 Big moose that look like they will pull through and maybe 6 of the Early Giants, none of which look good, and I'm pretty sure the gourd is dead. Even most of the corn and sunflowers I planted are dead. M

You can't prepare for record weather, though. My indoor operations/budget was just nowhere near enough to keep these indoors as long as would have been needed this year. 

I do see the volunteers are just starting to make an appearance (more than a month behind 'normal'). I'm going to go see what seedlings are available at the nursery, and might just transplant the volunteers to have better spacing through the entire middle dead zone in my garden.

Going to hit the fertilizer next week and see if we can't get these things back on schedule.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> We have finally hit growing temps with highs in the 70s and 80s and lows in the 50s, but we're still not out of the woods as Saturday is expected to get down to the 30s!
> 
> Taking a look at what's survived what they are saying is the wettest/coldest spring on record, I'm down to 4 Big moose that look like they will pull through and maybe 6 of the Early Giants, none of which look good, and I'm pretty sure the gourd is dead. Even most of the corn and sunflowers I planted are dead. M
> 
> ...


Check with your local extension office. They might give away free seeds from last year (mine does) They had really nice seeds too. 

Sorry about the lousy weather. Hope the sky clears up for you


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> We have finally hit growing temps with highs in the 70s and 80s and lows in the 50s, but we're still not out of the woods as Saturday is expected to get down to the 30s!
> 
> Taking a look at what's survived what they are saying is the wettest/coldest spring on record, I'm down to 4 Big moose that look like they will pull through and maybe 6 of the Early Giants, none of which look good, and I'm pretty sure the gourd is dead. Even most of the corn and sunflowers I planted are dead. M
> 
> You can't prepare for record weather, though.


It's one of the reasons farming is such a daunting job. When you're always at the mercy of Mother Nature's latest whim, it's tough to plan ahead. Here's hoping the plants want to live more than the weather wants to wipe them out.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Scored one for the team by whacking & stomping this SVB??? 
Did I ever tell you all about how I got kicked off a garden forum for killing SVBs?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your weather swings UO. Those swings are way to dramatic for plants to handle. You certainly have more perseverance than most growers. I am sure that has to be silver lining to the weather in Utah somewhere.

Kedestra, that was female that you took down before she could lay her 60-100 eggs. Not sure why anyone would kick you off a gardening site for killing SVBs. Even organic growers throw in the towel against them. And to be honest, I have not heard of a beneficial effect of SVBs.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

We've had those severe weather swings here in the upper midwest, too. (Ask WitchyKitty!) We had 80's for a day or two, and then back to the 30's a couple nights later. Things really stalled in the garden.
But -- I pored over some pictures I took last year, and it looks like the first couple weeks of June really saw things taking hold and taking off. I'm hoping for the same this year. 



Kdestra said:


> Same thing happened with my corn & millet. Roughly 30 corn stalks grew out've the packet & exactly 2 millet. I'm never buying Jung seeds again.


That's too bad they turned out so poorly, but I wouldn't write Jungs off completely. I get a ton of seeds from them, every year. I got most of my decorative corn from them last year (and a couple kinds this year, though I only got one planted.) Around half my pumpkin seeds came from Jungs, and almost all my bottle gourds the last couple years. I've had good germination with all. It's possible there were some nematodes or other seed-eating soil pests taking advantage of the unusual weather this spring, or maybe they did have a dud batch. They're a reliable family-owned company, though, and if you contact them, they might make it right with you.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Scored one for the team by whacking & stomping this SVB������
> Did I ever tell you all about how I got kicked off a garden forum for killing SVBs?


Now that completely confuses me. Killing pests that kill gardens is one of the biggest things I see on gardening forum posts. Your approach is even totally organic. Not one chemical used.  That had to be one very weird gardening forum.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, I don't feel so bad, the nursery's pumpkins looked even worse than mine. I think I'm just going to try to start some more of what I have left I was planning to save for next year.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Kdestra said:


> Scored one for the team by whacking & stomping this SVB&#55356;&#57219;&#55356;&#57219;&#55356;&#57219;
> Did I ever tell you all about how I got kicked off a garden forum for killing SVBs?


What were you supposed to do, pick them all up & put them on someone else's garden?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

SVB Trap Update

Inside Traps: Zero
Outside Trap: Four


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

UnOrthodOx said:


> As for what I'm planting this year.
> 
> Bearing in mind, I purchase 100ish basketball sized pumpkins every year, I'm shooting for contrast in my growing.
> 
> ...



You know...I'm actually right on target with 4 Big moose and 5-6 early giants depending on what survives. I'm just not used to having so much space in the garden, but the idea is to give these things space. Keeping it down to 10 plants will really help with watering in July as well. I probably need to move 2 of each to better facilitate that plan...I got overzealous.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

That garden forum was "over-the-top"organic. Even mentioning killing bugs was enough to make people scream. I honestly think some people enjoy being aholes. 

My little pumpkin blossom hasn't bloomed yet. I covered her & a few baby pumpkins with cheap cake covers I bought at Ross $1.99. It's working really well & keeps the freaking cucumber beetles off the blooms.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Things are going right along. I submitted a leaf for tissue testing to Western Lab in Idaho yesterday. They have a special program just for the testing of pumpkins. Here is a link: https://westernlaboratories.com/atlantic-giant-pumpkin . I ordered the complete tissue test and I will post the results here when I get them back.

I want to know what areas that I am deficient in before my pumpkin gets too far down the road. Ideally, I want my pumpkin to be near 300 lbs in about 30 days. The tissue test is $46 and I will do one or two more as the season progresses. I am going to make the assumption that the plants will have similar results since they receive the same amendments and fertilizers.

The B.E.E. will get a structural test before the weekend is out. Starting this afternoon we are expected to have thunderstorms nearly everyday with Thursday thru Monday being 80-100% chance rain events. I have this image of me being like Capt. Ahab on the Pequod outside in my rain suit trying to keep the hatches battened down on the B.E.E.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Today is the day I look forward to every year...the last day of planting!!! I spent 5 hours in my patch roto-tilling, putting landscape fabric over my rows to help keep the weeds off, then formed 9 small mounds for gourds and single plant pumpkins, then finally planted everything. 

I ended up planting: 

Two more rows of sweet corn (20 seeds per row).
Four rows or ornamental corn (11 seeds per row).
One mound of Toad pumpkins (5 seeds).
One mound of Cinderella pumpkins (5 seeds).
One mound of Caveman Club Gourds (5 seeds).
One mound of Lumina pumpkins (5 seeds).
One mound of Big Apple gourds (5 seeds).
One mound of Striped Cushaw squash (5 seeds).
One mound of Gooseneck Gourds (5 seeds).

Already planted were 12 Connecticut Field, 12 Howden and 12 Big Max. Wow, that comes to around 73 plants that will be in the ground!!! I will probably cull a total of around 20 from the mounds which will leave me right at 50 for the season. I would be happy if I just got one good one per plant after last year's debacle!

Once the seeds germinate on the mounds, my plan is to only keep one or two plants and trim the rest. I still have two open mounds that I am reserving for the "Giant" pumpkin seeds I put in peat pots at home. I figure I'll get them in the ground next Thursday.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I have a question for everyone. How long will you keep a pack of seeds for future use? I have enough leftover seeds from this year to plant the exact same patch next year, but I worry about how long they will last. They'll be kept at room temperature the entire year so they won't get overly hot or cold at all. If I get good results this year, I will more than likely plant the same patch next year, and if I could just use the leftover seeds that would be a bonus. 

I know I always have old packs of seed laying around my shed at my house, but I never know how old they are and am always worried they'll be bad.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I have a question for everyone. How long will you keep a pack of seeds for future use?


I planted pumpkin seeds this year were packaged for 2015-- three different varieties. I got 100% germination for the few I planted, and the plants appear vigorous and healthy. I used some even older gourd seeds...2013, maybe? No problems. 

I love seeing lists of what types people are trying! My pumpkins:
Mr. Fugly
Rouge Vif D'Etampes
Galeux d' Eysines (Peanut)
Blue Doll
Wyatt's Wonder
Jamboree
Moranga
One Too Many
Victor/Red Warty Thing
Orange Cutie
Sugar Pie
Toad
Goosebumps II
Early Giant
For the moment, I've left a couple open-pollinated volunteers at the edge of last year's patch. We'll see. I just have one or two plants (generally 1) of most varieties, but I have 3 Victors, and 5 Toads-- Victor just because they germinated, and Toad because they're cute and I'm told the vines stay small (semi-bush). I'm kind of taking a chance only planting one of some varieties, but if I lose something, I should still have decent variety. I'd like a JBL, but the garden is about full. I wanted to keep 8'-12' between plants for the standard vining types. I'm definitely toward the closer end.

I also have Tiny Turk, miniature turban squash. I saw them in the store last year, and they were so adorable I had to give them a try.

I'm not sure whether I remember all the Lagenaria gourds. Off the top of my head, Peruvian Pear, Peruvian Sugar Bowl, Maranka, Canteen, Warted Mayo Bule, Long-handled Dipper, Harry's Dipper, Mini Pear, Mini Nigerian Bottle, Cannonball, Hard-shelled Warty, and Birdhouse. I only planted one or two seeds of each. There are a few more varieties I'd like to have in, but they're 120 growing-day vines, so I didn't even bother this year. 

I'm just starting my decorative gourds (Cucurbita pepo types) -- 
TN Spinner
Egg
Small Bowl
WitchyKitty Hybrid (offspring of her cute painted-ghost gourds)
I have Daisy Gourd seeds that I misplaced- ugh! I know I just saw them a few days before I planted the others. I need to sort through my somewhat large seed stash and get them planted, too.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Mayor of Haddonfield said:
> 
> 
> > I have a question for everyone. How long will you keep a pack of seeds for future use?
> ...


Mayor, seeds can be saved for years & based on what you said - your seeds will be in great shape for growing next year. You can always use the "paper towel method" for germination. That way you know your seeds are viable before you plant them. Btw your field looks beautiful. 

Ooojen, you put me to shame. I only have 4 different types of pumpkins growing. If you really want JBLs grow them on an arch.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I envy those of you that can plant so many varieties. I look forward to seeing Mayor's club gourds. They are a cross of long gourds and bushel gourds.And I have never heard of Blue Dolls- those sound cool. And who can compete with a pumpkin arch. If that turns out like I imagine it with dozens of little pumpkins then it will magazine worthy.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I have a question for everyone. How long will you keep a pack of seeds for future use? I have enough leftover seeds from this year to plant the exact same patch next year, but I worry about how long they will last. They'll be kept at room temperature the entire year so they won't get overly hot or cold at all. If I get good results this year, I will more than likely plant the same patch next year, and if I could just use the leftover seeds that would be a bonus.
> 
> I know I always have old packs of seed laying around my shed at my house, but I never know how old they are and am always worried they'll be bad.


I, too, have seed packets that I save in a cool/room temp, dry, dark kitchen cabinet year after year. I have some that are 3 to 4 years old and still get 100% germination.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I wish I could have all those varieties, too!! I don't have anywhere near enough room, though. I can't wait to see what those of you who can grow that many get, though!!

ooojen, I hope you get some "Ghost Gourds" aka "Gourdkins" from those seeds!! They are originals of the white pumpkin offspring I got mine from, so, as long as you get germination, you should get a zillion ghosts of your own, lol. Goodness knows my one plant had a high yield of ghostly fruit!! 
As for your Daisy Gourds, you did send me some of those seeds, along with the PoaS seeds...did you put them elsewhere when you got some out for me?? I hope you find them!! 

I have a few pics of my Daisy Gourd and mini Little October Pumpkin seedlings to share...still tiny and not much to look at, as I got a later start than I wanted due to weather. I have one pumpkin seedling in a planter on it's own, then the gourds and other pumpkins are in the garden beds inside of their tower cages that they will grow up on. I forgot to mark which was which between the gourds and pumpkins, so I guess it'll be a surprise, lol. (I haven't thinned them, yet, in each spot in the towers. Probably the two strongest plants per towers will be left at some point...maybe one, I haven't decided, yet.) I've got lots of other veggies and such started, too, but I'll just post the pumpkins and gourds, for now.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I have a question for everyone. How long will you keep a pack of seeds for future use?


I have kept seeds from purchased seed packets for two years and they have done very well. I saved the plumpest looking ones and just left them in the packet folded up tight. They stayed outdoors all winter long under cover, and this year they all grew without a problem. 

I don't think I'll ever actually need to have seeds survive much longer than a year, though. I'm finding that cutting up the pumpkins after Halloween and saving the seeds has worked out really well. This year will tell us whether or not pumpkins that people leave out on the side of the road will do well. They all sprouted well, and will go into the ground this week. Keeping our fingers crossed as all our "exotic" varieties are actually those left out by others.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ooojen, that is a great variety you have planted! Once everything is harvested you have to share a picture of them all! I like be planting a large variety of seeds. It’s so exciting to see what you end up getting for decorating.

WitchyKitty, your plants look great so far, even if you got a late start!

Thanks to everyone for their opinions on the old seeds. I know in the past I’ve planted seeds from previous years and have been able to grow something from them. Seeing that everyone seems to have good results makes me believe I wasn’t lucky and that they’ll last a few years.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mayor, I am most envious of that patch! I had the opportunity for similar when we decided to remodel instead of move. I have to remind myself about my tendonitis and how much work that would be.

Forecas todayt: "Widespread flash flooding"


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Forecas todayt: "Widespread flash flooding"


☠ oh no!!! ☠ How much rain are you expecting?

My Pumpkin blossom bloomed this morning & of course the Male flowers were either too old or not open. Hand pollinated with what was available but idk its enough.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I am excited about the different varieties I have, but I don't have a huge number of plants-- Already fewer than half of what Mayor of Haddenfield hopes to have AFTER culling. I really hope Mother Nature and her Insect Minions don't decide to do a bunch of culling for me! I'm a little nervous about my decision to just plant one each of some varieties.
Really, Mayor, your pumpkin area looks amazing! I hope it proves to be a fantastic growing season for you, and all the rest of us. 
I love those striped cushaw squash; they're so beautiful! Last fall was the first I'd seen them around here. 

Again, cucumber beetles are out like I've never seen in my life. Ordinarily common stalk borers are my only concern at this stage. I made an emergency run to get Sevin dust this morning, and now I'm channeling a Gardener Prince:
"Dust Sevin and we'll watch them fall
They stand in the way of pumpkins
And we'll smoke them all..."









WitchyKitty, your plants are ahead of mine! My one Wyatt's Wonder has a couple true leaves, but most are just starting to put out their first. Between cold and rain, we certainly got a late start, but here's hoping the weather has turned the corner now. The next week's forecast looks good. 

Good luck with your saved seeds, Chubstuff! I'm not quite brave enough to dedicate the space, just in case they don't turn out to be what I want. But as it happens, I got 2 plants last year from purchased seed that weren't what I wanted. One of two Musquee de Provence from Baker Creek was actually more like a butternut squash, and the other odd one was quite a pretty, intense orange squash thing...I don't know for sure what that vine was supposed to be, but not that. Anyway, buying named seed is no guarantee, either, so yours might be the better idea. 

Kdestra-- I did actually buy an arch of sorts last year. You know those canvas-covered frames people use for carports and such? 







Our local Menards (home DIY) had display models that were just 2.5-3' deep, so shoppers could get an idea of the materials without taking up a lot of floor space. They closed them out and sold the displays, so I picked it up cheap to use for a mini pumpkin/gourd trellis and probably for a structure to hold the entrance to a spider web tunnel for Halloween. I just need some help setting it up so it won't blow away (I'm thinking PVC and concrete pads). I don't know whether it will happen in time for mini pumpkins.

Ed in: I took the canvas top off, and might eventually rig some light-weight mesh fencing over the top.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, saved seeds could have had cross pollinated parents, so you never know if you will get the same thing or a hybrid. I experimented, last year, with saved seeds from pumpkins we found on the side of the road. One was a Jarrahdale, and I actually got the same thing grown from it's seeds. The second was a medium white pumpkin...but, as anyone who knows from last year's thread, I got some white pumpkin/gourd hybrid that were still white and medium sized, but rather bottle neck shaped...which I painted into ghosts, lol. (These are the seeds I sent to ooojen to see if she wanted to grow some "ghost gourdkins" this season.)

You just never know if what you took the seeds from is what will grow from them the next season!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

"Really, Mayor, your pumpkin area looks amazing! I hope it proves to be a fantastic growing season for you, and all the rest of us. 
I love those striped cushaw squash; they're so beautiful! Last fall was the first I'd seen them around here." 

This is my first year trying to grow the striped cushaw. Each year I like to buy a large one so I can carve the Ghostface mask from Scream. I always like to try and find some different types of pumpkins to carve, so this year I decided to try and grow my own striped cushaw. I doubt I'll be able to grow anything near the size of last years, but I'll try.

This is last years, and it was probably close to 20 inches tall. It looked good when it was done, but my goodness was it tough hollowing out the top of it where it narrows!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I am excited about the different varieties I have, but I don't have a huge number of plants-- Already fewer than half of what Mayor of Haddenfield hopes to have AFTER culling. I really hope Mother Nature and her Insect Minions don't decide to do a bunch of culling for me! I'm a little nervous about my decision to just plant one each of some varieties.
> Really, Mayor, your pumpkin area looks amazing! I hope it proves to be a fantastic growing season for you, and all the rest of us.
> I love those striped cushaw squash; they're so beautiful! Last fall was the first I'd seen them around here.
> 
> ...


If you get a chance go to Ross & buy the cake covers. Bought mine on clearance for$1.99. The cucumber beetles won't be able to reach them. So far it's working for me


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Nicely done! It looks like you have a little buddy who thinks so, too.

WK-- It's a gamble with open-pollinated gourdkins, but I'd call your little ghosts a definite win! I'm anxious to see whether I get the same thing.

Kdestra-- thanks for the reminder! I have a friend who works in the town with the nearest Ross...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Kdestra-- I did actually buy an arch of sorts last year. You know those canvas-covered frames people use for carports and such?
> View attachment 584113
> 
> Our local Menards (home DIY) had display models that were just 2.5-3' deep, so shoppers could get an idea of the materials without taking up a lot of floor space. They closed them out and sold the displays, so I picked it up cheap to use for a mini pumpkin/gourd trellis and probably for a structure to hold the entrance to a spider web tunnel for Halloween. I just need some help setting it up so it won't blow away (I'm thinking PVC and concrete pads). I don't know whether it will happen in time for mini pumpkins.
> ...


Ohhhh I love it!!!! You could buy some cattle pannell fences at Tractor Supply to build walls/roof & rebar or fence posts to reinforce sides. Probably need zip ties to secure everything.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

A friend of mine is a teacher. His school was dumping tons of art books. We saved them and put out a free bookshelf. 
In the stacks of books I found this cool book titled: Gourd Craft!!!
Sadly I am not very artistic but I was wondering if anyone on our group would like it? It was originally $26.95 but you can have it for free if you don't mind paying for shipping (I'll ship cheaply through office)


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

These are such beautiful books. I couldn't let them go in landfill. If you see something you like let me know, I'll pull it & we can work out shipping cost.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I don't want to snap it away if someone else is interested, but if you don't have any other immediate takers, I'd have good use for the book! I recently bought a gourd etching/cutting tool, and tips sure wouldn't hurt! 

I do use cattle panels and hog panels in the garden. I just wasn't sure whether the tubing would support the weight on top, in addition to the plants'. Reinforcing the sides with posts is an excellent idea.
My setup is narrow, like I said, just a mock-up, more or less, rather than an actual building. So maybe...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I don't want to snap it away if someone else is interested, but if you don't have any other immediate takers, I'd have good use for the book! I recently bought a gourd etching/cutting tool, and tips sure wouldn't hurt!
> 
> I do use cattle panels and hog panels in the garden. I just wasn't sure whether the tubing would support the weight on top, in addition to the plants'. Reinforcing the sides with posts is an excellent idea.
> My setup is narrow, like I said, just a mock-up, more or less, rather than an actual building. So maybe...


Totally yours. Send me your address & I'll mail it on Monday.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thank you very much!

There, finally! I made several tries before I got a PM sent without an error message. Apologies if it sent repeatedly!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Thank you very much!
> 
> There, finally! I made several tries before I got a PM sent without an error message. Apologies if it sent repeatedly!


Got it! Just replied. I'm so glad you're taking the book. It's a lot of fun to sit back & read.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I noticed the first sign of life today! 7 Connecticut Field, and 3 Howden have broken through, but none of the Big Max so far.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I noticed the first sign of life today! 7 Connecticut Field, and 3 Howden have broken through, but none of the Big Max so far.


It's always so exciting to see them come up!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

*Blossom Question*

A question going out to all the folks who have a few more years experience growing pumpkins than I. 

I have just put my pumpkins into the ground today, and they're all doing fine, but I have a question about them. Because I jumped the gun on planting the seeds, a few of my potted pumpkins were already stressing about their container size and have put out blossoms. I remember reading somewhere that I was supposed to cut them off so that the leaves will have a chance to grow. Do you agree with this approach, or can I just leave them on without affecting the overall outcome of the pumpkins growing?

Thanks, for whatever suggestions you can offer.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> A question going out to all the folks who have a few more years experience growing pumpkins than I.
> 
> I remember reading somewhere that I was supposed to cut them off so that the leaves will have a chance to grow. Do you agree with this approach, or can I just leave them on without affecting the overall outcome of the pumpkins growing?


I think any answer your are going to get is going to be anecdotal. But, I personally do believe that a plant only has so much energy and you want to encourage the plant to spend that energy in the direction that you desire. Your are still a long way off from vining and setting pumpkins. So, I would give you a thumbs up on cutting flowers. But I would not be offended in any way, if someone posted the exact opposite answer.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape

The set pumpkin on my 1576 (10 DAP) had a nice week gaining 15 inches of circumference. A little bummed, because she is not on pace to be a thousand pound pumpkin. She would need to be about the size of a basketball and she is the size of a mini-basketball/cantaloupe. I am inclined to pollinate another pumpkin on the vine this week.

However, I might be inviting trouble. The new pumpkin might encourage the plant to abort the other pumpkin or it might rob enough nutrients that the second pumpkin may be even smaller. I will probably leave well enough alone. But unless the 1576 has a spectacular two weeks, I will be fortunate to be close to my 425 from last year at the 30 DAP mark. 

I thought I had a pumpkin setting on the 1742 but it stopped growing. I pollinated another pumpkin yesterday, but it was filled with water so no high hopes there. My patch was deluged yesterday receiving two inches of rain in 24 hrs. One thing that I did not take into consideration on the B.E.E. was the extra weight of wet insect netting and wet shade cloth. Overall, the B.E.E. held up well, but one side does appear to be leaning. I will shore that side up with some support later this week.


1576 (3 DAP): 9/12 Inches Circumference [Last Sunday]









1576 (10 DAP): 24 1/2 Inches Circumference [Today]


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> I think any answer your are going to get is going to be anecdotal. But, I personally do believe that a plant only has so much energy and you want to encourage the plant to spend that energy in the direction that you desire. Your are still a long way off from vining and setting pumpkins. So, I would give you a thumbs up on cutting flowers. But I would not be offended in any way, if someone posted the exact opposite answer.


I think that's what I'll do. I am always eager to jump the gun on having plants do something, in part because I have family members who are always calling and wanting to know if there are tomatoes or beets ready for eating sometime in mid June when I'm putting the plants in the ground.  The pumpkins unfortunately seem to have to deal with everything being pushed just as early.

Thanks for the opinion.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

SVB Trap Update

Inside Traps: Zero
Outside Traps: Seven


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Unforecasted frost this morning, we just missed the snow line! I think the early Giants might be toast, but looks like the Big Moose come out of it OK.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I found cabbage loopers on my brussels sprouts! I pulled off all of those tiny buggers I could find & smushed 'em all. I've got some Thuricide coming tomorrow.

I love that name, Thuricide!! It's organic & safe for me to eat. I've read it's not good for monarch butterflies but I'm literally going to be using it on 6 plants in a raised bed so I can be super careful with it. I'm not spraying all over a garden. I also read in reviews it might be good for your squash bugs.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> ....Do you agree with this approach, or can I just leave them on without affecting the overall outcome of the pumpkins growing?


I agree with Col. Fryght. 
There's a fair chance that the flower/fruit would blast anyway, but not before it took some energy from the parent plant. I'd encourage more foliar growth, to make sure the plant doesn't try to put everything it has into making a few seeds, and then give up.

Tale of the Tape is all about perspective-- interesting, but boy, talk about pressure! I would be thrilled to have a pumpkin the size of a walnut...but that would be way too slow in the competitive giant pumpkin world. 

My Wyatt 1 has 3 true leaves. That's the most advanced of the bunch. I'm anxious to see some vining.  

RCIAG -- I haven't had cabbage loopers yet, but there were regular cabbage worms on the tiny seedlings that I started a while ago already. They wasted no time, munching away on plants less than 1.5". Please let us know how the Bt works for you! 
Pests are just ridiculous this year! One of my seed-started tomatoes was eaten down to the skeleton-- all the leaves stripped. I didn't find the perpetrator, though. The good news is that I've been keeping my cucurbits dusted with Sevin, and I haven't seen any more live cucumber beetles.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Well, I finally put our pumpkins in the ground today. Thanks, Col Fryght and Ooojen for your advice on clipping the flowers. I'm including a picture of the newly planted critters. If the spacing looks a bit wonky, it's because after placing all the pumpkins the appropriate distance apart from each other, I went into the empty spaces and added Giant California Zinnias. 

I don't know if it actually helps, but I think the big yellow flowers on all our squash look boring. If I was a bee, I would just bypass the whole pumpkin patch in favor of all the flowers growing just a few feet away in the main vegetable/flower section. So, every year, I put out the Zinnias. I don't pinch them back, because they have to grow up taller than the vines that will surround them. But by the time the pumpkins bloom, the Zinnias will be in bloom as well, attracting bees who might take pity on the sad looking yellow flowers. 









You'll also notice a few of my "craters" don't have anything in them. This year I've planted seeds to see if over the season they catch up to my early planting in pots. We shall see.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Off topic...but what do you guys think of this new site. Trying to keep an open mind, but it reminds me of New Coke. Someone thought it was time to re-invent the wheel, but it was just different not better. Most forums stopped storing pics because of costs, so I get trying to highlight click bait advertising. And of course no amount of complaining is going to change anything. Just my two cents.

Dark mode makes it a little more bearable. It is up at the right where the three dots are.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I hate it. 

@chubstuff, I've been tracking visitors to my pumpkins for years. Mostly Squash bees and bumblebees with a few leafcutters mixed in. Very rarely do honeybees show interest. Since Zinnia are native to most of NA, you would be attracting those native pollinators. Wind breaks and nesting locations is another great step if you want them to stick around.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Off topic...but what do you guys think of this new site.


I too am trying to keep an open mind, but if it actually saves the site better than the previous incarnation, I will be happy. It's only taking a bit of exploring to find all the things I used to use that have moved to new places. I do miss being able to thank someone or tell them they had a killer post. There is a difference between liking someone an thanking someone, and I enjoyed having both at my disposal.

Oh... and I miss the pumpkin emojis. They were fun and unique.



Col. Fryght said:


> Dark mode makes it a little more bearable. It is up at the right where the three dots are.


For this advice, I can't thank you enough. I really was disappointed over the white background. Having a version of the darker, more Halloween appropriate visuals is nice.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I hate it.
> 
> @chubstuff, I've been tracking visitors to my pumpkins for years. Mostly Squash bees and bumblebees with a few leafcutters mixed in. Very rarely do honeybees show interest. Since Zinnia are native to most of NA, you would be attracting those native pollinators. Wind breaks and nesting locations is another great step if you want them to stick around.


I have pictures of my pumpkin flowers with tiny frogs in them; and like you, I do see the bumblebees visiting. We leave our back yard un-mowed months into spring so that the dandelions will bloom. They carpet the backyard "lawn" and provide early season food for bumblebees, which we have a large number of. We also have a fallen apple tree that we have left untouched for years that has been the home to mason bees since the first year after it was cut down. I think all our bees are at least content that we're not freaking out when they fly near us. I even try to ignore the wasps, as they too seem to have a place in our garden.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Okay, someone remind about any pumpkin nub concerns. I noticed tonight that my pumpkin has a giant nub sticking out its bottom. It seems like they normally fall off, but this one is huge like a ham bone from a Honey Baked ham at Thanksgiving. 

On the bright side, I could not resist measuring the pumpkin. It put on an 1 1/2 inches in circumference since Sunday morning.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I hate it.
> 
> @chubstuff, I've been tracking visitors to my pumpkins for years. Mostly Squash bees and bumblebees with a few leafcutters mixed in. Very rarely do honeybees show interest. Since Zinnia are native to most of NA, you would be attracting those native pollinators. Wind breaks and nesting locations is another great step if you want them to stick around.


This year I planted strong smelling herbs around the pumpkins: tons of catnip & Fernleaf lavender. So far it seems to be driving off SVB but bringing in flocks of hoverflies. The little guys love the foliage, excellent predators & are great pollinators


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Off topic...but what do you guys think of this new site. Trying to keep an open mind, but it reminds me of New Coke. Someone thought it was time to re-invent the wheel, but it was just different not better. Most forums stopped storing pics because of costs, so I get trying to highlight click bait advertising. And of course no amount of complaining is going to change anything. Just my two cents.
> 
> Dark mode makes it a little more bearable. It is up at the right where the three dots are.


Trying to navigate as best I can.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Good... Now it's dark ?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I don't want to snap it away if someone else is interested, but if you don't have any other immediate takers, I'd have good use for the book! I recently bought a gourd etching/cutting tool, and tips sure wouldn't hurt!
> 
> I do use cattle panels and hog panels in the garden. I just wasn't sure whether the tubing would support the weight on top, in addition to the plants'. Reinforcing the sides with posts is an excellent idea.
> My setup is narrow, like I said, just a mock-up, more or less, rather than an actual building. So maybe...


So at sea right now & can't figure out how to send message but I sent your book today.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra said:


> So at sea right now & can't figure out how to send message but I sent your book today.


Thank you! Yeah, I'm not sure whether we have PMs here any more. Dangit, I was going to send my email address-- I wish I had. If our PMs are obliterated, I don't have your address to send the shipping cost. I could just as well have written it down, but I didn't anticipate this complete re-do! I'll look around a little more tomorrow. My apologies if I don't get it sent until after I get the book (presumably with a return address.) 

Nope, not a fan of change for its own sake. If they were going to eliminate some features (like messages) it would have been nice to get some sort of warning...or was there one and I just missed it?

Things have moved on, but I wrote a comment this morning that sat here unable to be posted most of the day. I might as well go ahead with it---
Chubstuff-- Your crater plantings nudge me to make a series of comments I've long thought of doing. I'd love to see some discussion on Conventional Wisdom-- when and why growers follow it, when and why they don't. I'm not trying to rip on anyone else's way of doing things. I'd just like to start a discussion on why we do what we do. We all have differences in our growing conditions, and different things work in different areas.
For initial planting, I do exactly what you do, Chubstuff. I don't plant the seeds or plants in a raised mound-- quite the opposite. I plant in a slight depression, with raised dirt around it. If we get short bursts of rain, the water doesn't run off like it would from a hill or mound. It stays and soaks in. 

I'm sure the wind difference isn't dramatic, but being down a little gives little starts a tiny bit of wind protection compared with being up on a raised hill. As the plant grows, a small amount of dirt gradually washes back down, and further stabilizes the stem base. 
Does anyone here know where the idea of planting pumpkins in mounds started? I can see it for drainage if you live on borderline-swampy ground, but otherwise, not so much. 

Next conventional wisdom questioned-- planting 5 seeds to a hill and then thinning to the strongest one/s.
I can see this working a little if you plant your seeds 5 or 6 inches apart so there's absolutely no competition for resources until after the point where they're getting true leaves and you can select the strongest plants. But if they're closer together, logic tells me that competition for moisture (especially) and sunlight can set them all back just a little. As long as I plant the pkg's larger, plumper seeds, I've found slow-growing dud plants to be very, very rare. Generally by the time the plants have a few weeks growth on them, you can't really tell which ones took off best as seedlings. On the off chance you do get a serious dud with malformed cotyledons, you can always replant. If I score the edges of a pumpkin seed and keep it warm, it germinates in 2 or 3 days-- not much time lost. Like I said, though, it's pretty rare with decent soil and decent seeds. I planted quite a few seeds this year and didn't have any that looked _bad_ as seedlings. So I find them to be better off _without_ having to compete for resources when they're just starting out-- plus it's less work, and less waste of seeds that I could be planting in successive years. 

One more for now, since I'm talking initial planting--
I've read that you should plant pumpkin seeds with the pointed end down, so the root can go straight downward. I've found if I do that, a lot more of the cotyledons will emerge still covered by the seed coat. That can put them off to a very bad start. If I plant the seeds with the point tilted just slightly upward, the root still finds its way down, but the point on the seed coat tends to catch in the soil as the cotyledons push upward. The coat gets left behind in the dirt while the seed leaves back up into the sunshine unfettered. 

There are more. I'd love to hear others' ideas though! Any challenges to "conventional wisdom" or general advice? Any CW that you've found very important to follow?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Thank you! Yeah, I'm not sure whether we have PMs here any more. Dangit, I was going to send my email address-- I wish I had. If our PMs are obliterated, I don't have your address to send the shipping cost. I could just as well have written it down, but I didn't anticipate this complete re-do! I'll look around a little more tomorrow. My apologies if I don't get it sent until after I get the book (presumably with a return address.)


Took a screen shot of your address before the change. I wanted to make sure I had it on my phone. Feel free to PM me on FB: "Karak Destra". Don't worry about shipping- we'll work it out. 

I'm an unconventional conventionist when it comes to Pumpkin Planting. I mix them up into my flower gardens & try to confuse the SVB. There's a touch of magic seeing a Cinderella pumpkin popping out of the bright yellow/orange zinnias. Sometimes I plant JBLs under a tree & let them climb it (you should see people's faces) October in Virginia is beautiful & the pumpkins are the perfect garden accessory ?


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Wow, I really wasn't ready to see the site look like this when I came on this morning! This is going to take some getting used to. I was on the mobile version for just a short amount of time, so I'll need to get back on and try and find my way around. I'm typing this on the desktop version and I'm not a fan. I do like that is appears nice and crisp, but I also prefer the black background, and can't find a way to change it on the desktop version. Also, I really don't care for the HUGE icons to click on to respond with quotes, or give likes. Who knows, maybe it's just me that sees it like this, but it's terrible! As I scroll down, the icons literally take up the entire screen!!!

Here's what I see:


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Chubstuff-- Your crater plantings nudge me to make a series of comments I've long thought of doing. I'd love to see some discussion on Conventional Wisdom-- when and why growers follow it, when and why they don't. For initial planting, I do exactly what you do, Chubstuff. I don't plant the seeds or plants in a raised mound-- quite the opposite. I plant in a slight depression, with raised dirt around it.


Oregon has a general policy that if ground is not covered, Mother Nature will put something on it, in general weeds. I'm now officially retired, so I experiment quite a bit with what seems to work for our area and in particular my garden. I have raised beds for most of the garden since I can get the wood for free and they look cool. But I have to admit, they're not the end all and be all for me that other folks seem to think they are.

I find the soil in the raised beds still compacts much the same way it does out in the "lawn" area, it's just more difficult to break up to add compost and the like because I can't use my tiller. My current tiller is about 21 inches and it's just slightly too big to run in the raised beds. This year I'll invest in a smaller, 11 inch cultivator and see if it can help make a difference. But that whole YouTube mythos about the soil just magically turning into perfection over the years by using wood chips or adding compost hasn't happened after three. 

So, on tilled flat areas, planting in trenches means that the water goes to my pumpkins, and not to the weeds that want to grow in the bald spots. Having the little craters to dump water onto the pumpkins and only the pumpkins seems to help control the weeds.

Over the weeks to come, I will put out wood chips that I get for free from Chip Drop to help reduce the amount of dust and choke back a few weeds, but mostly, if I don't water the ground, they don't show up in a blanket of green. Another perk of the wood chips is that the pumpkins grow the entire season on a relatively dry surface leaving them without ground spots or weird coloration marks for the most part. None of that running around trying to put cardboard under the pumpkins.



ooojen said:


> Next conventional wisdom questioned-- planting 5 seeds to a hill and then thinning to the strongest one/s.


This is my first year planting seeds directly into the ground. My guess is that I will continue to plant seeds in pots for the years to come because it gives me something to do waiting for spring. But again, if it does work out that all that pre-spring work doesn't have a net gain for pumpkins, I'll try to behave, and just plant more tomatoes and flowers that definitely see an advantage to early planting in pots.



ooojen said:


> One more for now, since I'm talking initial planting--
> I've read that you should plant pumpkin seeds with the pointed end down, so the root can go straight downward.


I toss seeds into pots and the ground willy-nilly because I figure that's the way nature does it. Usually at least one of the three I plant comes out looking great. If I had some of the more expensive pumpkin seeds that some folks have, I would probably be vastly more diligent.



ooojen said:


> There are more. I'd love to hear others' ideas though! Any challenges to "conventional wisdom" or general advice? Any CW that you've found very important to follow?


This is the reason I am here on this particular thread. I love hearing what people do to grow their pumpkins. Some of the folks like *Col. Fryght, UnOrthodOx, Kdestra *and, of course you, amaze me with what they do. I love following your exploits to create the perfect pumpkin patch and the myriad of pumpkins you're planting. I'm waiting for the pictures in October showing them all off, because I'm pretty sure that's where I'm going to find the next great pumpkin I can't live without. 

The advice on growing has helped a great deal, and I really enjoy reading about the different approaches and tricks that everyone uses to make their pumpkins a part of Halloween's brightest stars. Bravo everyone.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Wow, I really wasn't ready to see the site look like this when I came on this morning! This is going to take some getting used to... I do like that is appears nice and crisp, but I also prefer the black background, and can't find a way to change it on the desktop version. As I scroll down, the icons literally take up the entire screen!!!


Yikes, those icons are horrible.

in a previous posting Col. Fryght said: Dark mode makes it a little more bearable. It is up at the right where the three dots are. That should help solve the bright white page dilemma. The three dots should be just to the right of your avatar icon in the upper right.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> A friend of mine is a teacher. His school was dumping tons of art books. We saved them and put out a free bookshelf.
> In the stacks of books I found this cool book titled: Gourd Craft!!!
> Sadly I am not very artistic but I was wondering if anyone on our group would like it? It was originally $26.95 but you can have it for free if you don't mind paying for shipping (I'll ship cheaply through office)


This is another area where I think we could all help out the ailing Post Office and do each other a great favor. Along with sharing seeds, it might be nice to share books, or links to particularly helpful sites. At some point ooojen will probably glean all she can from the Gourd Craft book, and it could be sent back into the system in the same way Kdestra did for her. A post asking if anyone wants the book will more than likely garner multiple responses. It seems so much more personal than dropping it off at the local thrift store or library. You know that the next one to own the book will love it as much as you did.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

chubstuff said:


> Yikes, those icons are horrible.
> 
> in a previous posting Col. Fryght said: Dark mode makes it a little more bearable. It is up at the right where the three dots are. That should help solve the bright white page dilemma.


I'm only seeing it like this on the desktop version, and unfortunately there aren't 3 dots that I can click on.

I tried getting on the mobile version a little while ago and it just didn't want to load. It was taking forever so I'll give that another chance later on.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Apparently I still can't log in on my iPhone. I keep getting a message that "An error has occurred." I'll try my iPad this evening. I was able to see it this morning on my iPad.

Edit*
I finally was able to get on using my iPhone, but couldn’t get there directly from the bookmark I have saved. I found the 3 dots and it looks much better.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I finally was able to get on using my iPhone, but couldn’t get there directly from the bookmark I have saved.


Whenever there's a migration to a new site, inevitably links will break, bookmarks will die a horrible death. Not all mind you, but more than likely enough to fill up a decent sized haunt full of Internet ghosts.



Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I found the 3 dots and it looks much better.


I was so happy to read Col Fryght's post about how to change the background color. It's a small thing, but it makes dealing with all the other changes much easier.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Omg...what happened to the site?? I found the dark background thing, which helps a little, but I'm not sure what I think of this...I need to figure it out. I was able to log on on my phone app, but it looks just as weird and confusing as the desktop version. I need to go figure this all out. I really hope we didn't lose PM's and such. I'll miss the little pumpkin faces and being able to like or thank, as well. Sigh. 

My pumpkin and gourd seedlings are doing okay...starting to get their next set of true leaves. I lost one...all the wind snapped it, I think. It was a leggy one to start with, so that probably made it break easier. I had two in that spot and one would need to be thinned, anyway...just have to keep the other safe!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Note: You can still send PMs, and all mine seem to still be there. I just clicked on my tiny profile picture circle at the top, right of the page and clicked on conversations. (Note: the three dots to change the background color and such are right next to that little profile pic circle icon.) It's not the same as it was, though...set up just a little differently.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Well, no sooner did I get my pumpkins into the ground on a nice cloudy day, but the weather changes to dramatically hot. We're getting 95 degree days, and that isn't normal for June in Oregon. The poor pumpkins and a few of the recently transplanted tomatoes are just hammered even with deep watering every day. Even my perennial flowers and veggies are wilting as the heat bakes the water right out of their leaves faster than they can replace it. The forecast is for more of the same into next week. I'm going to hope everyone pulls through, but for now all my planned transplanting is on hold until it cools off a bit. I think I can keep the plants alive in their pots because they're at least shaded. Those transplants and perennials out in the sun are struggling. *SIGH*


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Chubstuff, I don't know how much you have planted, but can you make a temporary shade for your plants that are in the full sun? I sometimes take some light weed block material, or light colored old fabric or such, and make a little tent of sorts over each plant...usually with the fabric tied to four sticks or such. The fabrics let a little light through in the morning and evening, but block that high noon worst heat. Lighter fabrics will even filter some light through all day. That was how I protected some of my pumpkins and plants in previous years when we got waaaay too hot, too soon, and my plants were still young. If you have planted a lot, I can see how that might be difficult, though. Maybe just do it for the ones struggling the worst if you have a lot planted in ground?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The messages showed up for me yesterday, too. They weren't there at first; nor were the buttons for reply, like, share, report.
As to the pest situation in my garden--- still ridiculous. Flea beetles galore, tiny volunteer tomatillo seedings already covered in potato beetle eggs...BUT, it's very gratifying to see little piles of dead cucumber beetles under my pumpkins (after the Sevin dust). I haven't seen any more squash bugs, either, since the first couple.
Several of my pumpkin plants appear to be stalled. The soil they're in is way too heavy clay. I wanted to move the patch just a little, and I put half of it on an old building site adjacent to last year's patch. It has been in alfalfa for several years and then corn. I thought the dirt was more improved than it actually is. It needs about a foot of composted manure worked in! But the rest (and the gourds) look ok. They're behind schedule from the late spring, but I think they'll be fine if all goes well from here on.
It's only 60*°* F right now, and doesn't look like it will warm up much today, but we got a little rain, and it was time for it.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor - I was able to log in with iPhone yesterday but can't today?!

Chubstuff - for small seedlings I use the cheap cake covers as wire cloches. You can cover then with bits of torn old row cover material & it will protect your babies. 

So glad we put the Halloween lights on the JBL arch. Those vines have almost reached half way up the arch. If we waited any longer we would have risked damaging the tender shoots. 
This is the earliest we've ever decorated for Halloween & I feel a bit silly. But the lights aren't obvious & soon will be covered in vines. 

Tried the light before we put them up * but* With my luck.... the stupid lights won't work in October


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I have pictures of my pumpkin flowers with tiny frogs in them; and like you, I do see the bumblebees visiting. We leave our back yard un-mowed months into spring so that the dandelions will bloom. They carpet the backyard "lawn" and provide early season food for bumblebees, which we have a large number of. We also have a fallen apple tree that we have left untouched for years that has been the home to mason bees since the first year after it was cut down. I think all our bees are at least content that we're not freaking out when they fly near us. I even try to ignore the wasps, as they too seem to have a place in our garden.


This is so beautiful & makes my heart smile. I love watching wasps. They're deadly predators


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> This is another area where I think we could all help out the ailing Post Office and do each other a great favor. Along with sharing seeds, it might be nice to share books, or links to particularly helpful sites. At some point ooojen will probably glean all she can from the Gourd Craft book, and it could be sent back into the system in the same way Kdestra did for her. A post asking if anyone wants the book will more than likely garner multiple responses. It seems so much more personal than dropping it off at the local thrift store or library. You know that the next one to own the book will love it as much as you did.


I'm always looking for books. My teacher friend said he has more books for me. I'll let you know if there's anything interesting. 

Btw we started out with 180 books by Sunday we only had 36 left. I'm sure we would have been able to give them all away but it rained & we brought everything inside.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Chubstuff - for small seedlings I use the cheap cake covers as wire cloches. You can cover then with bits of torn old row cover material & it will protect your babies.


Thank you so much for this idea. I will have to toddle off to Ross in search of the elusive cake covers.  



Kdestra said:


> So glad we put the Halloween lights on the JBL arch. Those vines have almost reached half way up the arch. If we waited any longer we would have risked damaging the tender shoots.
> This is the earliest we've ever decorated for Halloween & I feel a bit silly. But the lights aren't obvious & soon will be covered in vines.


DANG! I was about to report that we're putting up our stairwell mausoleums in order to start working on the ones that will fill in the gaps. But it got too hot to work on them, and we're going to have to wait for it to cool down a bit. I was all excited to be able to say I was the first to get my Halloween decorations out early, but you beat me to the punch.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> Chubstuff, I don't know how much you have planted, but can you make a temporary shade for your plants that are in the full sun?


Thanks again for your suggestions. The new site isn't emailing me when someone posts to the site the way the old version did. But I have found the "alerts" option in my account info, and am now trying to make up for lost time thanking those who have tried to help. I took your advice and actually went out with beach umbrellas and a couple of our larger umbrellas we put out for shade in the summer. They are now shading the frailest of the pumpkins during the midday sun.

The plants seem to suffer through the day regardless of the extra shade, but rebound overnight. I think they're just going to have to deal with the heat until it breaks later this week. For us, having temps into the 90's is really rough on plants because there's no build up to it. Our weather is usually in the 70's this time of year. It was the day I planted the pumpkins. Oh well, the joys of gardening often come with the need to scramble to save what we plant from all manner of weirdness. Thanks again for the suggestion.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Chubstuff, you are right about Uorigin ad blocker. It has made this site so much more bearable. I would still rather have a wider text area. I am irritated that the date that posts were made is now missing. I wanted to go back and look and when I did certain planting activities this year. And my old posts no just state 3 months ago which doesn't help me much.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Chubstuff, you are right about Uorigin ad blocker. It has made this site so much more bearable. I am irritated that the date that posts were made is now missing.


If you didn't see Frankie's Girl's post in the Community Feedback Thread, you can hover your mouse over the time post (The ones you hate that say 2 months/ 4 months/etc.) and it will bring up the exact date and time the post was made.

For example. Your post shows it was made 2 hours ago, but hovering the mouse over that 2 hours, I can see the post was made June 12, 2019 at 8:15 p.m. The first post made on this thread/conversation was actually made by you as well 5 months ago. By hovering over the words "5 months" up pops January 1, 2019 at 8:59 a.m. I won't be using it too often in relation to what I post. I don't really want to be reminded how many of these posts I do at 3:00 a.m. in the morning.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I have attached my tissue test. The results were surprising. I was deficient in four categories, sufficient in 5, and over in 2. The most woeful deficiency was in nitrogen. Who knew? I thought I had hit that pretty hard. It just goes to show how much these plants use, plus rain washes out nitrogen quicker than most nutrients.

Until I researched it, I did not know that copper was a key player in the production of pollen. Who knew? It kind of makes sense that my low areas are basically early stage nutrients since the plant is sucking them up. I will make a mental note to self to do a tissue test next year when the vine is about 5-6 feet long so I have a several weeks to make corrections before setting the pumpkin.

Rest assured, I am addressing the nutrient problem areas. I think my set pumpkin is going to be really orange. My pumpkin has a nice dark yellow tone. Between 10 DAP and 20 DAP, my pumpkin needs to put on 50 inches of circumference to be on pace for 1400lbs. That is not going to happen. But if I can beat last year with an orange pumpkin then I will be all smiles. Plus, I have my other plant which has double the secondaries and hopefully I can get a pumpkin to set soon.


View attachment 712612


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I had no idea this type of thing existed. Pretty neat. I might think about that in a year or two

I've been working 13 hour days with little time to take pics as I'm mostly checking when I leave, pre dawn
, my daughter is doing the maintenance on the garden. The Big Moose pumpkins are looking quite healthy, we just did our first round of fertilizer. 

The Early Giants that got frost damaged, it looks like 4 are starting back from a nub, I don't know if they'll ever fully recover. 

I'm trying to start the rest of the Big Moose now, the early giants got tossed out by my kids who thought we were done during a cleaning event. Cleaning events being so rare without a fight, it's hard to get mad at them. 

I also have some wonky seeds I saved from lordy knows what I might start to replace the early giants if they don't start taking off.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

DANG! I was about to report that we're putting up our stairwell mausoleums in order to start working on the ones that will fill in the gaps. But it got too hot to work on them, and we're going to have to wait for it to cool down a bit. I was all excited to be able to say I was the first to get my Halloween decorations out early, but you beat me to the punch. 
[/QUOTE]

It's always Halloween at our house. 
I painted our house numbers several years ago


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Posted a pic below, just in case anybody was curious what it was like inside the B.E.E.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

[I know it says 10 hours ago. This was a double post from last night and I thought that I might as well use the space.  ]

I pollinated the 1742 plant this morning at about 6:45 am. The 1742 plant is the one in the back of the above picture which is about three times larger than the 1576 plant in the foreground. I had six males open up on the 1576 which I used to pollinated the 1742.

Genetically, not much would get passed down in the first generation. Though some believe that the pollinator contributes to shape the first year. The 1576 has such a great orange color and shape that I would love for those traits to be passed down.

The 1742 has not wilted one time in the GA heat and is the TN State record pumpkin. I think the two together would make a great southern pumpkin. Fingers crossed, on the pollination. If it does not set then I will have to start setting secondary vines.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Triple post.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Posted a pic below, just in case anybody was curious what it was like inside the B.E.E.
> 
> View attachment 712621


Wow. Just wow. My tiny babies look so...tiny...compared to your full grown plants, lol! They look awesome!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. You are so impressive! I hope you win the grand prize!!! 

Was checking the pumpkin arch this morning & found these jerks. Didn't find any more but I'm ready


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Flat-out amazing, Col! Thanks for sharing the view of your setup! It's fun to see how the Big Boys do it!
Me, I'm over in the amateur corner, waiting for something to start vining. ?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I am soooo an amateur, but thanks everyone for the nice comments. I think my payoff will be next year when I can learn from the mistakes that I made this year. Believe me, I am always amazed at the creativity and hard work that we all put in.

I promise you that my wife would rather me grow a pumpkin arch than build a DEA target in the back yard.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

"I promise you that my wife rather me grow a pumpkin arch than build a DEA target in the back yard."
???


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. If you grew a Pumpkin Arch it would be epic!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

L'arc de Triomphe Citrouille ?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Col. If you grew a Pumpkin Arch it would be epic!!


Due to HOA rules, I cannot really grow one in the front. But if I did, I would want it to be at the driveway entrance. I appreciate the confidence that you have in me, but I am very content to see how your arch turns out.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

I miss being able to change font size and color. But overall, I am okay with the changes thanks to the ad blocker suggested by Chubstuff. On the bright side, the new software recognizes the camera orientation of my phone both vertical and landscape. The old software only recognized landscape on my Iphone. No more complaining about the new software. Let the Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape begin.....

I love the color of the pumpkin. I have a feeling that it is going to be really orange. There is already an orange ring around the blossom end. You will notice the scrape marks on top. I scratched it with my fingernail when it was little. I am hopeful that the marks will be less prominent in the future.

The 1576 [17 DAP] is growing well just not at a 1400 lb. pace. Of course my wife reminds me that I do have to eventually move whatever I grow.  The 1576 had a circumference of 24.5 last Sunday. This week it grew to 35.5 inches of circumference which is a 70% increase in size in a single week. But, if I was on my way to growing a 1400 lb. pumpkin it would be closer to a 70 inch circumference. That stat truly staggers the mind.

You will notice the leaf covering the pumpkin is missing. That was the leaf that I used for my tissue test. The leaf was going to have to go once the pumpkin got bigger, plus it seemed liked the best one to determine what nutrients were getting to the pumpkin.

Last year my 425 was around 70 inches at 30 DAP, so I will have a better feel for my pace in a couple more weeks. I am also posting a pic of a double stamen. I have never seen one before and thought it was cool. Maybe it is like finding a four leaf clover and will bring luck to my season. 

1576 (10 DAP) [ Last Sunday ]










1576 (17 DAP) [ Today ]


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> I pollinated the 1742 plant this morning at about 6:45 am. The 1742 plant is the one in the back of the above picture which is about three times larger than the 1576 plant in the foreground. I had six males open up on the 1576 which I used to pollinated the 1742.
> 
> Genetically, not much would get passed down in the first generation. Though some believe that the pollinator contributes to shape the first year. The 1576 has such a great orange color and shape that I would love for those traits to be passed down.


Wow... I'm content to plant seeds, you're going full bore Gregor Mendel on us. That's amazing. In time you might be able to name a pumpkin because of your hybridization. I think I would actually buy a seed packet called Col. Fryght Monster Pumpkin.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Ahhh... this is my biggest dilemma when I'm gardening. I see a sprout coming up that I know what it is, and it just hurts to weed it out because it's not where it belongs. The squash seedlings coming up are most likely from the mutant warty squashes that came up from the year before that I let grow. I pulled up a carcass of one of them while I was rototilling earlier this spring. I am so tempted to leave in one or two just to see what they mutated into this year, but I'm pretty sure that they'll all go once I realize they're in competition with something I intentionally planted. I just hate to take them out when they've gone to so much effort to survive.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

And almost everything looks like that when it's just a little sprout, weeds, pumpkins, radishes, lettuce, etc. They're almost all those 2 little leaves, then you gotta let them grow a bit before you can tell them apart.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

RCIAG said:


> And almost everything looks like that when it's just a little sprout, weeds, pumpkins, radishes, lettuce, etc. They're almost all those 2 little leaves, then you gotta let them grow a bit before you can tell them apart.


Hahahaha.... yeah, that's true. But the weeds I know are going to grow up in this tilled area are noticeably different than the pumpkins and squashes. I love pumpkins because their first leaves are so large and so distinctive. It's not like tomatoes or lettuce where you hope you're pulling the weeds out and not your crops. While they can't be seen in the picture, the tiny, little, two-leafed weeds are already beginning to sprout. I have no problems pulling them out.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Due to HOA rules, I cannot really grow one in the front. But if I did, I would want it to be at the driveway entrance. I appreciate the confidence that you have in me, but I am very content to see how your arch turns out.


Living in a HOA neighborhood would kill me or..... I'd end up killing them.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra said:


> Living in a HOA neighborhood would kill me or..... I'd end up killing them.


Yeah, same here; that would be a tough one for me, too.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Yeah, same here; that would be a tough one for me, too.


One of the advantages of living on a one lane dead end road. Not many people complain about how I decorate the place come Halloween. That said, I would love to have the number of kids dropping by that the housing development has just a few feet away. They used to visit before the HOA decided to put up a fence between us and them. Right neighborly.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

As of this morning, I am at 20 DAP (Days after Pollination) on the 1576. I am way off on the 1400 lbs. chart. At Day 20, I am suppose to be at an average circumference of 78.5, but my pumpkin is at 41.5 inches (6 inches more than Sunday morning).

And at 20 DAP, a total OTT (Circumference, Side to Side and Top to Bottom) average of 182 inches for 1400 lbs. and I am at 103.5 inches. I will have a better idea in couple of weeks where my final target may land.


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> *The Shallow Grave Cemetery Pumpkin Patch Update*
> 
> It has been right at two months since I planted the first seeds for this years crops. My how the little ones have grown. Photo 01 shows a two week comparison of the Big Max; the vines have grown about a foot per week. Photo 02 shows a two week comparison of the Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins; they are just starting to flower. Photo 03 - Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins. Photos 04-05 are the Bloody Butcher corn which is now about knee high. The variation in plant sizes is due to the staggering of when I planted the seeds; something I learned from my grandfather. This allows a continuous crop from early fall through late fall (which allows for a fresh display of fall crops in September and then again in October). Gramps also told me to only plant one variety of corn so that it doesn't get cross-pollenated. I however didn't listen and have decided to plant three varieties; we'll see how they do.











Curse of the Corn - strong storm blew over my entire corn crop









Risen Again - mixed-in some good-old-fashion top soil to the potting soil to give the stalks some much needed support


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> View attachment 712746
> 
> Curse of the Corn - strong storm blew over my entire corn crop
> 
> ...


Really glad you were able to pull your corn back up. I'm planning to use some old fencing to keep my corn from being blown over. 

Little baby squashes are popping up. Hopefully they turn out as pretty as the picture


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> As of this morning, I am at 20 DAP (Days after Pollination) on the 1576. I am way off on the 1400 lbs. chart. At Day 20, I am suppose to be at an average circumference of 78.5, but my pumpkin is at 41.5 inches (6 inches more than Sunday morning).


Hang in there. I remember I didn't start packing the pounds on until after I turned 35. Maybe your pumpkins will do the same and hit a growth spurt in girth over the summer. I'm still amazed that even at your current diameters, your pumpkins are larger than anything I've ever produced except my Big Max, which were still only about 60 - 80 pounds.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I have a question for all of you longtime gardeners. I'm not sure if it's a problem for anyone else, but I have a rather obnoxious mole who enjoys digging under the pumpkins and the corn. He leaves behind huge mounds of dirt that so far haven't killed anything but a few corn seeds, but he's gotten very close to wiping out a pumpkin or two. I don't have the heart to kill him. Is there anything that can be done to encourage him to go next door where they have a big unmowed field or just out into my "lawn"... the area of grass and weeds that's not part of the garden?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

No moles here. Plenty of insects though...


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, three of the big moose are starting to vine and show little male buds forming.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I have a question for all of you longtime gardeners. I'm not sure if it's a problem for anyone else, but I have a rather obnoxious mole who enjoys digging under the pumpkins and the corn. He leaves behind huge mounds of dirt that so far haven't killed anything but a few corn seeds, but he's gotten very close to wiping out a pumpkin or two. I don't have the heart to kill him. Is there anything that can be done to encourage him to go next door where they have a big unmowed field or just out into my "lawn"... the area of grass and weeds that's not part of the garden?


Try sprinkling hot pepper flakes all over the ground where he digs.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Try sprinkling hot pepper flakes all over the ground where he digs.


I will have to try that. Now if I could only figure out where he's going to dig next. I might actually have more than one. The mounds of dirt seem to pop up sporadically throughout the garden. But we have plenty of cayenne pepper in our house, and I'd be more than willing to let the critter sniff it.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Today must have been the official start of heavy SVB infestation season. I had 7 in my outdoor trap over the last month, and today I caught 6. I nearly doubled the amount in the outdoor trap. But the two indoor traps are still at zero. I did kill one under the remay cloth on the ground and I had a female flying around a week and half ago. So in total, I have killed three inside the B.E.E. with one being before I put out the two indoor traps a month ago.

My 1742 is certainly pollinated. I will be at 10 DAP early next week. I learned my lesson on the 1576 and I am not going touch the skin at all. No scratch marks from me. I am little disappointed that the stem end of the pumpkin will not be symmetrical. But hey, this is the one for size and the other one will be the pretty one.


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Happy New Year to all the Halloween loving pumpkin growers. Ooojen mentioned it was time for a new thread, and what ooojen wants, she gets.  Yes, I am in full seed buying mode. I am following the Giant Pumpkin seed auctions closely. Here is a link to the auction list: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=138
> 
> I am pretty much set on growing just two plants with 750 sq ft. alloted to each plant. The only way this will work in Georgia, is if I actually build that insect exclusion structure. As the regulars know, I generally plant about 24 plants and let the vine borers decide who lives. I generally can get about 6-12 pumpkins to the finish line with a lot of SVB defensive effort.
> 
> ...





Col. Fryght said:


> *SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*
> 
> I miss being able to change font size and color. But overall, I am okay with the changes thanks to the ad blocker suggested by Chubstuff. On the bright side, the new software recognizes the camera orientation of my phone both vertical and landscape. The old software only recognized landscape on my Iphone. No more complaining about the new software. Let the Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape begin.....
> 
> ...


Col. Fryght with your experience when should female flowers begin to show for Big Max and Jack-O-Lantern varieties? I planted Big Max in early March (3 1/2 months) and the Jacks in early May (1 1/2 months). Both are flowering with male flowers and have been for awhile but still no female flowers. I've been giving them plant food (Hasta grow) every two weeks for nutrient supplements and plenty of water. I live in a climate similar to yours (temp + humidity). Any suggestions?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> Col. Fryght with your experience when should female flowers begin to show for Big Max and Jack-O-Lantern varieties? I planted Big Max in early March (3 1/2 months) and the Jacks in early May (1 1/2 months). Both are flowering with male flowers and have been for awhile but still no female flowers. I've been giving them plant food (Hasta grow) every two weeks for nutrient supplements and plenty of water. I live in a climate similar to yours (temp + humidity). Any suggestions?


Others have more experience with flowers, but I typically find that the females start appearing about two to three weeks after the males. Others in the group, please chip in if your experience is different. IMO, plant stress causes the plant to focus on survival of the main plant. If your plants are wilting from noonish through the afternoon then your plant is heat stressing. I mention this since you wrote that we have a similar climate.

My suggestion would be to dose your plant with a strong flowering fertilizer like a 0-30-20. Maybe twice the first week, then weekly from there on out. It sounds like your fertilizing program is keeping the plant healthy so I would not dose extra nitrogen or keep it around 10. Amazon has several like Miracle Grow Bloom Booster, Flower Fuel, Flower Power, etc. But that is where I would start plus maybe adding shade cloth if you plant looks wilty most of the day.

As always, others are free to enhance my answer or disagree. I did not stay at an Holiday Inn Express last night.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Well the Thuricide is working, I've found things that used to be worms & no new holes. I also started some other pumpkin seeds so we'll see how they go. 

So far they're just those 2 little leaves but one is a Cinderella & the other that's come up us a jarrahdale. I have NO PLACE to put them but I'll find one or make one.


----------



## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

Glutton for punishment that I am, and inspired by you all, I'm going to take another run at growing pumpkins this year. I finally managed to actually yield a few last year (only JBLs, but still ?) and am hoping to improve on that in 2019.

This year, I've got three different plantings of Connecticut Fields, and have my fingers firmly crossed. They were planted on 10 June, and it looks like the vast majority of seeds germinated. Now the hard part begins...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Defenestrator said:


> Glutton for punishment that I am, and inspired by you all, I'm going to take another run at growing pumpkins this year. I finally managed to actually yield a few last year (only JBLs, but still ?) and am hoping to improve on that in 2019.


Welcome back to the madness. I am confident that you will get it figured out. I did not get a single pumpkin to the finish line my first two years of trying. But I stuck with it, and I now I can. It's just that my finish line definition just keeps adjusting upwards.


----------



## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

Col. Fryght said:


> Welcome back to the madness. I am confident that you will get it figured out. I did not get a single pumpkin to the finish line my first two years of trying. But I stuck with it, and I now I can. It's just that my finish line definition just keeps adjusting upwards.


Thanks...I'm hopeful! 

Actually, your success and helpful documentation over the years has been one of the things that inspired this latest effort. It would have been much easier for me to give up and blame my locale (bugs, mildew, etc.) if you weren't demonstrating how very possible it is to have success in the same general neck o' the woods.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

Not a bad week in general. We are enjoying daily thunderstorms, with one of them being like a 15 minute hurricane turning the sky pitch black and bending the trees. But, the B.E.E. pulled through with minor concerns. I will probably post about the improvements later in the week. As for the pumpkins they are growing steady, but not off the charts.

1576 [24 DAP]

This lady has orange written all over her. I am so excited. She is a heavy mustard color with a hint of orange. The shape is more of a barrel shape with the top half being more uniform with some nice ridges. Today's circumference was 49 inches which is 13.5 inches more than last week. As mentioned before steady growth. She grew 14 inches two weeks ago and almost the same this past week. The OTT ( CIrcum., Side to Side, and Top to Bottom) total is 119 compared to 103.5 inches last Wednesday morning.

1742 [9 DAP]

I will measure him tomorrow on his 10 DAP birthday. I need for him to be at a circumference of 27.5 inches to be on pace for 1400 lbs. The pumpkin is growing well and seems to have rounded out a little bit better.


1576: Last Sunday











1576: Today











1742: Last Wednesday











1742: Today


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Thank you for reminding me I need to water my sprouts & spray my plants again. I saw some of those moths yesterday*_littlebastidswon'tgetmybrusselssprouts*_.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Omg! Those are beautiful pumpkins. They don't even look real!!! You're doing an amazing job Col.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The corn is now about 6.5 ft tall & pumpkins are plump


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Forgot to post picture of Pumpkin Arch. Its growing beautifully


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Everyone’s pumpkins look great! I was away on vacation last week and came home to find out it rained almost every day. I quickly checked my patch yesterday and it looked pretty rough. I have about 12 of the 36 I planted didn’t germinate, and my mounds that have my gourds look pretty bad. Half the patch is just covered in weeds and the other half looks pretty good. 

Tomorrow I’ll be roto tilling and weeding the gourd mounds, and I also need to transplant the giants I started in containers. It does look like our weather should be nice this week for once! 

Keep up the good work everyone!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's fun to see everyone's progress...it also distracts me from my own lack thereof!
My pumpkins and gourds have been in the ground for a month-- a cold, wet month (just a couple sporadic warm days). I've had quite a few years' experience growing pumpkins, and I don't think I've seen them get off to a worse start. BUT, at least I was able to plant them. I know some farmers (and gardeners) in Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, parts of Illinois, and parts of Ohio weren't even able to get crops in. I expect I'll get _something_ even if it's not a banner year.
Gourds...I don't know. I thought last year was bad with all the rain! I did wind up getting quite a few gourds, but their quality was very low. They were thin-shelled, and a lot of them rotted rather than drying. Most were good for fall displays, anyway. This year... it's too late for great quality bottle gourds, but we'll see what the weather does from here on, and what happens with the little decorative ones.
This year's pumpkins-- first, Wyatt's Wonder. I started this one fairly early, and it was the first one out in the garden, by at least a week. Check out the cotyledons, and you'll get an idea how small the leaves still are. They call it a 120 day pumpkin, which means the sensible thing to do would be to hoe it out and give the space to the 90-100 day vines. (Nope, I'm not that sensible-- more stubbornly optimistic.)









Then just a couple that look fairly representative of the rest of the plants-- Moranga and Jamboree
















Pretty sorry-looking, eh?
By contrast, this is how my plants looked at this time last year (even after recovering from being hit with herbicide drift, which set them back considerably). 









They were all running, and I had little pumpkins forming on several. They were green, too! Wow!


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> A guy down on the boarder between N. Carolina & Va saw one 2 weeks ago. It was only a question of time before they showed up.
> 
> Your entire set up is astounding! I'm probably going to set up SVB traps similar to yours


Eureka - Finally have female flowers, pumpkins should be following soon !!! - I am a novice at growing pumpkins / corn (3rd year trying) but this is what I have learned so far - sorry for the long post:
Corn:
1. Plant in a sunny area regardless of what climate zone your in, they love sun light and can take the heat
2. If planting on filter fabric directly on the ground make sure to create mounds about 6"-8" around the stalk by using a 50/50 mixture of top soil with fertilized garden soil. The top soil will give it some density to help prevent your corn from falling over as it grows
3. Water daily in dry conditions and give it a fertilizer high in phosphate / potash (0/10/10+) - I use Morbloom by Alaska; (anything containing fish or fish oils) with I fertilize every week for the first month of growing cycle then every twp weeks after.
4. Make sure to space it far enough apart (min. 18" around) so that it has room to grow and doesn't shade neighboring plants.
5. Use a good garden soil - I've been using Miracle-Gro garden soil. And yes age of product does make a difference. While plant my corn I ran out of the fresh soil so I used an un-opened bag from last year that was stored in my garage. The plants in the fresh soil grew twice as fast.
6. If possible plant seeds into the final location as most varieties of corn don't like to be transplanted - I lost about 1/2 of my seedlings during transplanting.

Pumpkins:
1. The first two years I planted Big Max pumkins in a partially shaded area starting in late June. I never got any female flowers/pumpkins but I think it was because I didn't give them enough time to develop. This year I planted them in full sun area starting in mid March. I finally got female flowers/ pumpkins to start growing by Late June but the plants are showing major signs of heat stress. My recommendation is to plant in a partially shaded area that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. i also planted most of my ornamental varieties of pumkins and squash in partially shaded areas. The only varieties I planted in full sun had darker/greener leaves (Jack-O-Latern and Warty Goblin).
2. Plant this variety early (March/April) as it takes about 3-4 months before pumpkins start to develop.
3. Water daily. I usually water around noon and heres why - If you water in the morning the flowers are open and you risk washing away all the pollen, If you water at dusk then the leaves wount have time to dry-out and you start to get mold on them.
4. Use a good liquid plant food every two weeks until pumpkins form; then weekly thereafter. I used Hasta-gro but switched to Morbloom since it doesn't contain nitrogen.
5. Hand pollinate using a q-tip or by cutting the male flower and gently rubbing the female flower.
6. As the vines trail-out they will start to develop long roots at the junction between the main vine and secondary vine. I cover this area with additional garden soil to provide more nutrients to the end of the plant. 
7. As the pumpkin starts to grow place a piece of foamboard, cardboard or a bed of hay under it to provide support.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Very productive day. In addition to vine maintenance, I put the 1576 on a 2ft x 2ft plywood base with a layer of sand on top. I learned my lesson last year not to wait or they are too heavy to put on the platform. The pumpkin will have to be adjusted as it starts to get big. I will be able to pull on the platform and not the pumpkin. I also increased the height of the pool noodle spacers holding up the vine. And I added the ooojen Sevin dust perimeter around the edge of the plywood and also around the pumpkin.

Michael Meyers Sick Head from last year gave me the idea about the pool noodles- too bad he is not posting this year. When the platform is no longer visible, then you will know that I am having a good year.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Amazing! The pumpkin looks gorgeous!
I used the pool noodle advice last year, too. In sharp contrast with the above, I used mine underneath the pumpkins themselves, instead of a sheet of plywood, to keep them a bit off the ground.  Much smaller pumpkins!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*1742 10 DAP Birthday*

The Day 10 range for a 1400 lb pumpkin is a circumference range of 21.5 - 33.5 inches and the average is 27.5 inches. The 1742 measured in at 27 inches which is more than the 1576 which came in at 24.5 inches. Now that I have experience with the chart, I feel like everyone can get a warm fuzzy at the 10 day mark.

However, the rubber meets the road at the 20 day mark. At 20 DAP, the average is a mind boggling circumference of 78.5 inches. An increase of 61 inches in only 10 days. My 1576 fell way short at 41.5 and appears on its way to something between 300-500.

So while I am happy that the 1742 is on a better 10 day pace than the 1576, I am learning that it means little in terms of where I will be at 20 days.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> It's fun to see everyone's progress...it also distracts me from my own lack thereof!
> 
> This year's pumpkins-- first, Wyatt's Wonder. I started this one fairly early, and it was the first one out in the garden, by at least a week. Check out the cotyledons, and you'll get an idea how small the leaves still are. They call it a 120 day pumpkin, which means the sensible thing to do would be to hoe it out and give the space to the 90-100 day vines. (Nope, I'm not that sensible-- more stubbornly optimistic.)
> 
> Pretty sorry-looking, eh?


I totally sympathize with your predicament. My pumpkins look nothing like folks growing them further south. I am in awe of what they're doing. Worse yet, as I feared, my test starting pumpkins in pots vs planting them later in the ground seems to say planting in the ground is just as good. Seeds popping up from the rototilling are actually growing faster and heartier than those put into the ground from pots. Now there is just one less kind of seed I can plant toward the end of winter to help me more patiently wait for spring.

Worse yet, while there are pictures of six foot corn out there, ours are just barely poking their heads out of the ground. (Which is fine, because we get corn in late August after all the local corn is long gone. But it still is frustrating to see such beautiful corn and pumpkins already well on their way.)

















On the plus side, my harbingers of Halloween are all doing great. I use the blooming of our flowers to tell me how far along I should be on my Halloween prop making. Once the orange and yellow lilies start to bloom, I know I should have at least one project in production. If not, I'm running behind. (I'm running behind. hahaha.)


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Amazing! The pumpkin looks gorgeous!
> I used the pool noodle advice last year, too. In sharp contrast with the above, I used mine underneath the pumpkins themselves, instead of a sheet of plywood, to keep them a bit off the ground.  Much smaller pumpkins!


How well did the pool noodles work out?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Col. -- I admit to a degree of benign envy (Not the Deadly Sin type; the kind that's happy for you to do well, and wistful for myself) BUT-- I don't think I could handle the pressure! Growing a monster is quite a committment! 
Chubbstuff-- Yeah, such a cold, wet spring! I had hoped things would take off by mid June, but, no. However, I see my summer squash have tiny buds coming, so that's some consolation. At least _something _is making progress! 
I love lilies, and those bicolors are especially beautiful! (Already behind on Halloween here, too. I'm hoping DD will help me cast half my face in alginate tonight. ? Alginate to plaster to latex to urethane foam...) 
Kdestra -- The foam worked very well! We had a pretty rainy summer last year, and the ground was wet a lot of the time. Two or three little ring slices helped keep the fruits up just enough to keep them from scarring or possibly rotting. 
Your trellis is looking fantastic!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> (Already behind on Halloween here, too. I'm hoping DD will help me cast half my face in alginate tonight. ? Alginate to plaster to latex to urethane foam...)


I love having a place on the Internet where someone can post that sentence and not even have to explain it.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Everyone's pumpkins, corn, gourds and flowers are looking great!

I can relate to those of you having issues here in the north, with me. My gourds and mini pumpkins are all still quite small. (So are most of my other veggies, too.) We have had so, so much rain and our temps have been below average. Tomorrow, we are finally supposed to start getting warmer weather...which I, personally, will hate, but my garden will love! There are still daily chances of rain and storms, though. Ug. The only things really growing fast are my sunflowers...which I'm hoping will make it, this year, as I lost them all last year due to animals and wind damage. It's super windy, again, today, so I had to go outside an adjust their stakes. Soon, they will be too tall for me to support and will be on their own...

Interestingly, it seems my single mini pumpkin plant that I stuck in a large planter is doing better than those in the ground. Possibly better drainage from all the rain, I'm thinking...

I'll wait to post pics until I have something interesting to look at, lol.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> The only things really growing fast are my sunflowers...which I'm hoping will make it, this year, as I lost them all last year due to animals and wind damage.



I look forward to seeing your sunflowers in action. I planted some sunflowers seeds from 2017. So far about 10 of the 24 seeds have germinated. I just want to get four of them to the finish line. The county fair has a category for largest sunflower head and best collection of three heads. Not sure why they do the three thing, but they do that for a lot of the fruits and vegetables.

Also, I want enough seeds to have for the future and to share. They were from the Ohio state record plant for largest sunflower head at 27 1/2 inches. If my plan works all of you are welcome to my sunflower seeds next year and from any pumpkin that makes it to the finish line this year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Not the best pictures of my sunflowers. I never ever expected them to grow over 15ft. They are only supposed to be 5ft


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Not the best pictures of my sunflowers. I never ever expected them to grow over 15ft. They are only supposed to be 5ft


How long did it take your sunflowers to mature?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> How long did it take your sunflowers to mature?


Maybe 2 months. I planted them with the tomatoes to bring in more pollinators. Maybe the Tomato-Tone is what boosted them to that height. 



https://www.espoma.com/product/tomato-tone/


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

There are times that I wonder why I ever picked Pumpkins to grow instead of something else. 

Yesterday I spent about 5 hours tilling and reseeding. We got so much rain that the mounds that I formed were starting to wash away. And the weeds this year??? I would bet that I’ve spent 10 hours, and have gone over the same area at least 6 times in the past month and I’m still getting weeds like crazy!!!

After tilling yesterday I had to replant 3 Connecticut Field Pumpkins, 4 Howden and 6 Big Max seeds that didn’t germinate. I also was able to plant the giant pumpkins that I had started in pots, and had a ton of the gourds that had their hills washed out or they didn’t germinate. 

This morning I gave everything it’s first round of fertilizer, and sprayed all of the plants with Seven. Even though my plants are small, I noticed a few Cucumber Beetles around them, and several of the leaves have been destroyed. Does anyone know if a plant can still thrive after being eaten so much?









Here’s one of the healthier plants


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> There are times that I wonder why I ever picked Pumpkins to grow instead of something else.


There are days when I wonder why I even garden at all, but on those days when for a moment I seem caught up with all the chores that need doing and I can stop, sit down, and watch the garden grow, I know why I do it every year. There will come a day when my age probably makes me realize the trade-off isn't worth it, but that day isn't today. 



Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> This morning I gave everything it’s first round of fertilizer, and sprayed all of the plants with Seven. Even though my plants are small, I noticed a few Cucumber Beetles around them, and several of the leaves have been destroyed. Does anyone know if a plant can still thrive after being eaten so much?


I've found that most of my plants want to survive. They get ravaged by slugs, I go in and drop the slug pellets, the slugs die back, and the plants recover from damage I thought would kill them. As long as the tips where the primary growth is happening are still in place, my pumpkins seem to push through almost everything thrown at them by insect pests as long as I treat it as soon as I see the damage.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Calling all Pumpkin People. I am fighting fungus on about 40 leaves between the two plants. With all the rain and clouds, I should have figured. I have totally forgotten what it is, so I putting out the call. It starts out as light green dots, which start to turn brown and then leaves a hole in the in the leaf. I sprayed my Cadillac of fungicides, Quintec tonight. I usually save it for August/September, but it is too early in the season to let this get out of control.

Pic Below. Thanks in advance for identification and advice.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Calling all Pumpkin People. I am fighting fungus on about 40 leaves between the two plants. With all the rain and clouds, I should have figured. I have totally forgotten what it is, so I putting out the call. It starts out as light green dots, which start to turn brown and then leaves a hole in the in the leaf. I sprayed my Cadillac of fungicides, Quintec tonight. I usually save it for August/September, but it is too early in the season to let this get out of control.
> 
> Pic Below. Thanks in advance for identification and advice.
> 
> View attachment 713067


Copper fungicide. I get a lot of grief from organic growers but used correctly - it works 









Liquid Copper Fungicide Conc - Bonide


Controls powdery mildew, downy mildew, black spot, peach leaf curl, rust, and other listed diseases. Perfect for use on vegetables, roses, fruits, nuts, herbs, ornamentals, and turf. Incredibly easy to apply and can be used up to the day of harvest.




www.bonide.com


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Home - Bonide







www.bonide.com


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

It seems like it is downy mildew. Does anybody concur?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Copper fungicide. I get a lot of grief from organic growers but used correctly - it works
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Funny you mentioned this product. I was looking at it a week or so ago wondering if it would add copper to my plant since my tissue test said that I was low in copper. My only concern is that I read that copper should not be applied when temps are in the 90s. I don't know if that means 90 degrees when it is fresh or the days following.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Funny you mentioned this product. I was looking at it a week or so ago wondering if it would add copper to my plant since my tissue test said that I was low in copper. My only concern is that I read that copper should not be applied when temps are in the 90s. I don't know if that means 90 degrees when it is fresh or the days following.


I only apply it at dusk when the temps are below 85.

Had a major set back with pumpkin/JBL arch... turns out they weren't JBLs. They are some type of cross pollinated gourd & that's what happens when your gourds are cross pollinated. (Lesson learned)
So I ripped everything out & bought new JBL seeds.

On a happier note: the Red Husk Spectrum corn is tasseled


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Col-- is there "down" on the under-side of the leaves? That's kind of a tough one to ID because it manifests so differently at different times. Sometimes it manifests almost like a mosaic virus.

It sounds like you have a good local extension office. You might want to run a leaf past them and see what they think. They'll probably be aware of what specific problems are showing up in your area. With the necrotic spots following discoloration, there are actually several fungal OR bacterial possibilities.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Started at square one: ripped out all vines & replanted only jbls


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SVB Trap Watch*

2 Inside Traps: 0
1 Outside Trap: 19


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Col-- is there "down" on the under-side of the leaves? That's kind of a tough one to ID because it manifests so differently at different times. Sometimes it manifests almost like a mosaic virus.


It almost seems like some sort of blight which I am not sure if blight is a virus or fungus. I get light green areas that turn to brown dots and the brown areas become holes. And yes, the light green areas and brown areas are consistent on both areas of the leaf. I did take leaf sample last night, and will be sending it in to the lab.

I also got my tissue test back on my 1742 which I will share later on.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Super BUMMER day for me. I sent off my tissue sample. The disease guy asked me to email pics. He responded that he is relatively certain the I have a bacterial disease which lives in the soil with no cure. It has a fancy scientific name but is commonly known as pumpkin bacterial spotting. 

Copper fungicide and Manzate/Dithane fungicides will slow it down but not stop it. I guess my only hope is that I can slow it down enough to get a pumpkin across the finish line. But the disease specialist says that it will kill my plant and can infect/rot the pumpkin until the waxy shell is developed. 

The bacteria can overwinter especially in any plant debris left in the ground. If it comes back next year then I will be faced with taking 2-4 years off depending on which State Univ. Ag Dept. you believe. I am just hoping that the test proves otherwise or that I can somehow slow it down. 

I simply have no words, if all the work that I put in this year is for naught. But if anybody understands, it will be my fellow growers on this forum.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I'm so sorry, Col. Fryght. That's really awful news. So, am I correct in inferring they're testing a sample to confirm or eliminate the possibility? If so, here's hoping for the latter. It would be crushing to lose all your input so far, and worse to have to wait years to try again.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I'm so sorry, Col. Fryght. That's really awful news. So, am I correct in inferring they're testing a sample to confirm or eliminate the possibility? If so, here's hoping for the latter. It would be crushing to lose all your input so far, and worse to have to wait years to try again.


Thank you for your concern. Yes, they will be testing to confirm the bacterial disease. Fingers crossed that maybe the pictures that I sent were misleading.

I had a function to attend tonight and just got home. But I have been instructed to cut off all infected leaves and begin spraying copper fungicide tomorrow along with a mancozeb based fungicide. I chose Manzate Pro-Stick which should be here early next week.

The infected leaves are "inoculated" from treatment according to the second email that I received from the disease specialist. I have to bear down and hope that I can keep the other leaves in check. He said that I have an advantage over commercial growers since I have fewer plants and can aggressively treat each leaf.

I have posted pics below from the Purdue website of a severly infected leaf and pumpkin. Their leaf is much more infected than my leaf but they look similar.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I've been concerned about the possibility of those bacterial blights, myself (Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas). I have seen them on pumpkins in the area, and from what I read, it's becoming a real problem in the upper Midwest. They say the pathogen generally comes in on the seed coat and there's no seed treatment yet that completely eradicates it. (Soil and surface water can carry it, too, of course.) 
I sincerely hope that isn't what you've got. I always feel like we each have a bit of "investment" in each others' success on this thread.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Just trying to learn something--- Did they recommend the fungicides just in case it proves to be a fungal disease rather than a bacterial one, or do specific fungicides have some positive effect at controlling bacterial diseases, too? (I've heard that copper is helpful for either, but I wondered about others.)


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col., I am sick to my stomach hearing about your potential problem. I actually let out an audible "Ugh" when reading it. We spend so much time on this hobby and to have something like this happen would be horrendous. I'm hoping that once they test the leaves it comes back as something else. Best of luck with your results, I know every one of us that post here are rooting for you!!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Oh no Col. I just read your post out loud to my daughter. We both love watching you grow you giant pumpkins. 
Is it possible to enject something into the Pumpkin or the ground to stop the bacteria?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Oh no Col. I just read your post out loud to my daughter. We both love watching you grow your giant pumpkins.
> Is it possible to enject something into the Pumpkin or the ground to stop the bacteria?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Just trying to learn something--- Did they recommend the fungicides just in case it proves to be a fungal disease rather than a bacterial one, or do specific fungicides have some positive effect at controlling bacterial diseases, too? (I've heard that copper is helpful for either, but I wondered about others.)


A faculty member at the Cornell Univ. AG Dept. sent me an email last night recommending Kocide 3000 which is a copper based fungicide. However, like copper sprays it will only suppress the rate of growth. He told me that he lost two plants with 1100 lb pumpkins that had a bacterial disease last year. But was able to get them to the weigh-offs 30 days later even though the pumpkins stopped growing.

The upside to our conversation was the bacterial diseases like pumpkin spotting have a light soil foot print if you remove all of the tissue. He thinks that I will be fine for next year. He grows in the same patch every year and the bacterial disease has not re-emerged this year. That is some good news.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Oh no Col. I just read your post out loud to my daughter. We both love watching you grow you giant pumpkins.
> Is it possible to enject something into the Pumpkin or the ground to stop the bacteria?


No cure for these strains of bacterial diseases. Doing some research, I found that they have really reared their ugly heads within the last five years. There were commercial pumpkins farms in Illiinois that lost 70% of their pumpkins.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

As I mentioned earlier I had a business function that kept me out of the patch last night. When I went to the patch this morning the leaf spotting had spread to nearly 80% of the leaves on the 1576. My 1742 had about 30% of the leaves infected. I think the source was the 1576 which might explain why the plant struggled so hard with secondaries.

I was in the patch form 6:30 am to 8:30 am pruning and spraying copper fungicide. I have like 25 leaves supporting the 1576 and I still have 200 or so on the 1742. If I can just keep the 1742 alive for 30 more days, I could still have a special season.

No matter what happens, I will still be posting and supporting all of you and I will plant again next year. But for the remainder of this year, you might have to put up with off topic posts like me knocking out my honey-do projects.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I've been concerned about the possibility of those bacterial blights, myself (Xanthomonas and Pseudomonas).


Ooojen is breaking out the fancy talk. For those who are interested Xanthomonas is pumpkin spotting and Psuedomomnas is angular leaf spots. They are closely related. The best ag post is from Purdue University about pumpkin spotting and mentions angular leaf spotting.

Here is the link: https://vegcropshotline.org/article/bacterial-spot-of-pumpkin/

And of course Michigan State always does nice write-ups. Here is their article on these pumpkin bacterial diseases:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/bacte..._an_old_enemy_and_an_emerging_bacterial_disea


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> We both love watching you grow you giant pumpkins.


Thanks for the support and I found your post humorous. I can imagine you telling your daughter: "See, your mom's interest in growing pumpkins is completely normal, you should check out this guy's unhealthy obsession." lol


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm so sorry, Col. That's heartbreaking to hear and see, especially after all the crazy hard work you've been putting in for those giants! I truly hope this is something you can get under control, at least long enough to get some good sized pumpkins that won't rot on you. I, also, hope whatever it is doesn't overwinter on you. I'll be rooting for your pumpkins even harder, now!

The pictures you posted that showed those spots on the pumpkin skin...that looks like what my Jarrahdales had, last year...one second, fine, next they all were suddenly rotting like that. I can't remember if my leaves had those same marks or not, but since I always get Powdery Mildew near the mid/end of my seasons, it'd be hard to even tell. Now I wonder if I had that or a similar disease pop up. I hope it didn't stick around in my soil...but those were over a bit from where my minis and gourds are now planted, anyway. 

I have purchased pumpkins around here...north central Illinois...that I had this happen to, as well...a weird, sudden ringed, spotted rot...different from regular, general rot. This year, we may not even have much for pumpkins or corn in Illinois, which we are usually known for. The season is waaaay too far behind due to weather, and local farms and orchards have been posting higher amounts of deer pumpkin plant destruction, too. Sigh.

My Sunflowers are really going, now. My pumpkins and gourds are starting to take off, too. Even my PoaS are finally beginning to do something after being stunted all this time! Here's to hoping the sudden jump we just had from chilly and constant rain to 90's and sunny in one days time doesn't kill everything...I'll post pics, maybe tomorrow.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The bacterial disease information is pretty intimidating. But I get the reason for fungicides if secondary infection is what does the most serious damage to bacterially-infected pumpkins. Still hoping for the best, Col.
WitchyKitty-- I've seen it on commercially-grown pumpkins around here, too. I wind up buying a pumpkin or two from a neighborhood grower's stand if they have some variety I don't-- but I've gotten extremely careful about what I'll bring home. 
Yep, it has been a rough growing season so far! From highs in the 60s to the 90s in two days. Just a few miles from us they got 7" of rain the night before last. We were lucky it played out before the storm got here. We only got .7", but that was on top of an inch the day before, and more the day before that. 

Now, a tip that might be helpful for some people-- I've mentioned that SVB wasn't generally a problem here, but they reared their ugly heads last year. We always have Common Stalk Borers (CSB), usually in late spring or early summer. I have 2 gourds already CSB infected. Any kind of stalk-boring grubs or caterpillars can be hard to get rid of. I hate having to slice up the stems, leaving them open to infections or breakage, so I've been kicking around some alternatives.
I ordered some industrial syringes, which have blunt needle tips rather than the really sharp tips of most medical syringes. I filled one with Sevin (I must be out of Malathion :/ ) and injected the stem of a borer-attacked plant, once through the borer entry hole, and again about an inch and a half up the vine. The entry holes on both were below the cotyledons, so the plants wouldn't have much chance if this didn't work. 
Anyway, the blunt needles are good, because you can feel where the hollow in the stem is-- the needle "bumps" against the solid part instead of piercing it and putting pesticide where you don't want it. (Not sure whether I explained that well...but it works.) The insecticide runs down the hollowed out part of the stem, and should get the borer where it sits. It's a lot less invasive than slitting the stems open.
I tried this out about 5 days ago, and the gourds look better than before. I caught it early enough that they never got to a full wilt, but they're definitely growing, so I think it worked. 

Two of my gourd plants are starting to vine now. It's some progress, though they're still small and though the pumpkins haven't gotten to that point yet. I can see tiny little flowers developing on my summer squash, too. Last year at this time I was harvesting, but I'll take what I can get-- again, it's progress.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I ordered some industrial syringes, which have blunt needle tips rather than the really sharp tips of most medical syringes. I filled one with Sevin (I must be out of Malathion :/ ) and injected the stem of a borer-attacked plant, once through the borer entry hole, and again about an inch and a half up the vine.


Great note to growers. I have heard of organic gardeners doing this same approach with Captain Jacks Dead Bug Brew which is considered to be organic by most people. It uses bacteria that is lethal to the grub but not the plant. I cannot personally verify that the organic brew works, but if that is your cup of coffee then you might want to give it a sip.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Not sure what stage of grief I am in (lol), but the I am going to fight this to the end. As a result the Tale of the Tape shall continue until there is nothing to tape and it will follow this disease update post. I feel I have an obligation to myself to see how this plays out on a local gardener level. All those crazy stats of near total devastation for commercial growers is intimidating. But the disease expert reminded me that I have the advantage of a smaller scale. I can essentially monitor every leaf in my garden and I can more effectively apply beneficial sprays than a crop duster airplane.

Additionally, I am curious as to how long I long I can suppress the disease. AG studies are on a commercial level, and none of them mention a time frame. Also, those that report stats on infected fields sometimes show a stat where the percentage of infected plants exceeds infected pumpkins.

One thing that I have seen, is the copper fungicide does tremendously slow down the disease versus no copper fungicide. Once the disease hit solidly in the 1576 it spread to a majority of the plant within 24 hours. On the 1742 where I only removed 30% of the leaves, the spread after the copper fungicide has been minimal. My only caveat is that maybe the disease has to hit a certain threshold before it can overcome the plants natural defense system.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

I am always amazed at how fast pumpkins grow. The 1742 is within 6 inches of the 1576 which had a two week head start. But to be fair, the disease is more progressed in the 1576 and I have removed about 80% of the leaves. The 1576 is at 58 inches which is 9 inches more than last week, but 5 inches slower than what it had grown the previous week.

The 1742 is growing about as well as a pumpkin can grow even without being compromised. It is now at a circumference of 52 inches which is an increase of 25 inches more than it measured on Monday which was its 10 DAP birthday.

The 1742 has averaged just a little over 4 inches of circumference growth per day over the last 6 days. Given the current circumstances, I cannot begin to estimate future growth reliably but it is currently on pace to double my previous best and come in around 900 lbs.

1742 (9 DAP) [Last Sunday]










1742 (16 DAP) [Today]










1576 (24 DAP) [Last Sunday]










1576 (31 DAP) [Today]


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

1576 is certainly a beauty- great shape and color! Hoping for the best!
Did they suggest any sort of disinfectant wash for the fruit itself? That could be practical when you don't have an entire field to deal with. Just a thought...
I'm glad 1742 has such a good growth rate. We're all pulling for them! 

So some of the organic folks were using syringes, too, eh? Maybe I need to network more. Funny thing, this is my only social media gardening connection now (other than having a few gardener friends on FB). I used to be on several of the Garden Web fora, some Cactus and Succulent boards... It just takes so much time to keep up!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> So some of the organic folks were using syringes, too, eh? Maybe I need to network more.


I came across a lot methods when I scoured the internet several years ago. Another interesting method which I cannot personally verify involves toothpicks and a flashlight. The theory was that at night you could use the flash light to see the grub in the vine and the harpoon him with a couple of times with toothpicks. This sounded too much like a snipe hunt for me to ever try.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, 3 of the 4 original Big Moose pumpkins have really taken off. 

But, I got female flowers blooming yesterday, and all of them have several more female buds coming along. I have NO males yet. I've never seen that before. The 4th original Big Moose looks like it's getting a bunch of male flowers, but hardly vining, and no females. I'm starting to wonder if these plants are male/female, though I've never seen that in pumpkins. 

The early giants continue to struggle. I'm starting to think that area has more problems than I thought. It was the most disturbed area from construction, and we'd composted last years' pumpkins over there, it also is where all the runnoff goes underground (my rain gutters empty into a gravel pit underneath that area). It might just be crap soil over there/ I might need to get some biochar into the area.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

This is the most beautiful squash I've ever grown


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, this is my first time trying to post pics with the new site...we will see how this goes. I still don't have too much to look at, but my Little October Pumpkins and Daisy Gourds are finally starting to vine a little. My Sunflowers survived the two high wind thunderstorms we had, yesterday, thankfully. My three Pumpkin on a Sticks are finally starting to actually grow, again...they did nothing for so long after the transplant as babies. I have no idea where they SHOULD be in size by this time of year, but everything else is way behind from the weather, so I'm pretty sure these guys are super far behind...but I don't know....they are just still so small.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> . My Sunflowers survived the two high wind thunderstorms we had, yesterday, thankfully.
> View attachment 713251


Sunflowers look great. I am sure having that fence next to them helps with the wind. How old are they? I might have waited a little to late to plant mine, unless they grow really quick. I just don't remember from when I planted some about 8 years ago.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Had a major set back with pumpkin/JBL arch... turns out they weren't JBLs. They are some type of cross pollinated gourd & that's what happens when your gourds are cross pollinated.





Col. Fryght said:


> Super BUMMER day for me... I have a bacterial disease which lives in the soil with no cure.


I am so sorry to hear that some of our best posters here are having so many problems. I know most of us shrug it off and say, "well, that's gardening," and move on. But dang, these stories are heartbreaking. I'm not hoping to make an arch, or produce a prize winning pumpkin. I'm just goofing around in the back yard. If my pumpkins make it, I'm tickled because they have a place already set aside for them in the front yard. But if not, the stakes aren't nearly as high as they are for others.

For those with loftier ambitions, I sympathize with your frustration. I wish that Mother Nature would be just a bit kinder to all of us than she seems to have been this year.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I was able to get in the patch again today and everything is staring to look up. Of the 13 I replanted last Monday, 10 of them have germinated. I tilled the patch what will hopefully be my last time. I hope that next week at this time I’ll have vines covering most of the patch. I did have about 4 plants that are vining.

I was able to give a second round of fertilizer and sprayed again. As I was weeding I noticed my first SVB. 

By the way, it’s exciting to see everyone’s progress! We should be seeing a lot more pumpkins and gourds in the next few weeks.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Sunflowers look great. I am sure having that fence next to them helps with the wind. How old are they? I might have waited a little to late to plant mine, unless they grow really quick. I just don't remember from when I planted some about 8 years ago.


Thanks! You would think the fence would help, and the garage on the other side, but they were blowing all over the place (a lot of central and northern Illinois got hit, twice, with winds so strong with the storms that we had power outages, trees down, lines down, roof damage, ect. Tornadoes were even spotted. We lost our power, twice, shortly, just from the wind, alone. I was amazed my sunflowers didn't break. I do have them staked, which helped a little, but they are much larger than the stakes, now.) 

It looks like I started my Sunflowers, indoors, on May 7th. (I had to scroll back to look because I could not remember for the life of me, lol.) They Giants are already about as tall as me, if not taller, and other kind I am growing...I forget the name...on the left, are just a little shorter and smaller.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

For those that use insecticides, I’m curious as to how you go about using them. Do you use a liquid spray and just spray the leaves? Do you spray the base of the plant as well? Do you spray the underside of the leaf? How often do you spray, and when you do, do you spray in the morning, afternoon or evening. 

Today I used Seven in a spray bottle, but with all the plants I have it is pretty tedious. I’m thinking about trying the stuff you hook up to a hose. With all the time I’ve put in up to this point, I don’t want to lose my plants to insects.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Your plants looks wonderful, WitchyKitty. Yes, the PoaS are a bit behind for the time of year, but they look so nice and healthy that I bet they'll grow like crazy with some warm weather. 
Mayor-- All I generally do this time of year is dust around the bases of the plants to protect the stems from CSB. Those tend to live out their first instar in some smaller plant (like coarse grass at the edge of the garden) and then crawl to my cucurbits and bore in to their wider-diameter stems. Crawling over the ring of Sevin dust should kill them. It might if it wasn't raining every day and washing away the dust! 
I did dust the entire plants a few times early on when the cucumber beetle legions marched in. But the plants were very small at that point, so it wasn't a big deal. 
Once the plants start to bloom, I don't generally use any pesticides in the patch unless it's a critical situation, because of my bees, and wild bees, too. On the rare occasion I feel the need, I remove all the flowers from the area so bees won't be attracted in.

Lest I suffer any hubris over my stem injection pest control--- We got some very hard wind with the last couple storms, and one of my affected gourds broke off. It appeared I got rid of the borer, but even a bit of support wasn't enough to hold the hollowed stem against the wind.
The upside was that I'd planted two plants of the form that I lost. I still have a chance of getting some of that type from the other. I only planted one each of most of the ones I'm growing.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WK - I love your trellises & everything else. 
Chubstuff - Thank you for your condolences but I honestly blame myself. I'm trying to convince myself that the weird gourds were actually "bait" plants" for the svb & cucumber beetles ☠?
Mayor - I only spray bottom of the plants because that where all of my problems seem to be.
Ooojen - the winds seem to be blowing all the way here.

We're getting the hell outve town & heading up to the Hudson River Valley. I'm worried about my garden because we haven't had much rain but keeping my fingers crossed everything will be ok for a few days. We'll be hiking up Bear Mountain. There's an abandoned town somewhere. https://www.nynjtc.org/historic/doodletown. I'll try to get good pictures


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Delete double post


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Deleted triple post


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> For those that use insecticides, I’m curious as to how you go about using them.


Before the B.E.E., I would always spray in the evening when the bees were gone from the patch. If you are going to use a systematic, you might want to think about a drench at the base of the plant to even further reduce bee interaction. I am not sure that contact spray is going to be much good, but if used, I would only spray the vines and the stems about five inches up.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Also, Bayer Tree and Shrub is generally considered the best systemic insecticide available for borers from the big box stores.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

One last thing, I suggest uisng two/three tablespoons of Bayer Tree and Shrub per gallon if you go that route. The active ingredient in Bayer is imidacloprid. I believe the store stuff is .50 of the active ingredient. I use the commercial stuff which is .75 and I use two tablespoons. I drench the base with one gallon every 4-5 days.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I almost missed it! My first (male) pumpkin flower of the season! It was already starting to close up when I got out there. It's on my container grown Little October Pumpkin. It looks like I have another getting ready to open, tomorrow, and many more tiny babies all around it. I can't wait until I start getting females and my other plants start blooming, too! (My first zucchini flowers are opening, too, and my cucumbers suddenly have many little flowers. Again, all males, but it will start bringing in the bees and other pollinators!!)


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I don't have any flowers yet but mine are starting to vine. We have had an unseasonably cool summer so far so I hope that doesn't impact pumpkins too much. I planted about 2 months earlier than I did last year so really hoping to get a few decent sized pumpkins this time. But I'm just thrilled when I can successfully grow anything! I love seeing the progress pics from all you giant growers.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I don't have any flowers yet but mine are starting to vine. We have had an unseasonably cool summer so far so I hope that doesn't impact pumpkins too much. I planted about 2 months earlier than I did last year so really hoping to get a few decent sized pumpkins this time. But I'm just thrilled when I can successfully grow anything! I love seeing the progress pics from all you giant growers.


Ours was unseasonably cool and rainy, too...we just started to get hot temps...too hot, actually...and up popped some flowers. I guess they were just waiting for some sun! Mine are only just starting to vine, as well. For my pumpkins and gourds, this was the only one I had flowers on, so far.
I hope you get some warmer pumpkin growing temps and some pumpkins going!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I have been picking the flowers off of our pumpkins hoping to see some larger leaves telling me they can take the stress of growing fruit. I have let my hubbard squash have at it, though. They already have large leaves and set little squashes, so I'm hoping all the pumpkins will be jealous and start growing.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Thank you to everyone for their advice on the insecticides. I may give the Bayer a try. 

WitchyKitty that’s awesome! I’m very jealous and can’t wait to start having flowers. Mine just started to vine this past week, so I’m expecting males to be forming before too long.

Our season has really picked up the last week and a half. After a very wet start, the temps have consistently been in the 80s and the plants seem to be taking off.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The Big Moose don't seem to be liking the 90+ degree temps too much. They appear stressed in the afternoons, and even in the morning,s the flowers are kind of limp. But they look different than other pumpkin flowers i've grown anyway, so maybe that's just how they are. 

Female flower yesterday and I had a male to hand pollinate with. 

Interestingly, the former two females still have the little pumpkins, they haven't withered away as normally I would expect. They aren't growing exponentially either, so I don't know that they are set either, but they might have gotten crossbred with some random neighbor's squash.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Just tossing it out there for those who use Imidicloprid -- It's available in gradual-release granular form, too. Digging a tbsp into the ground once a month or so is easier than spraying, and you don't have to worry about drift.
I no longer use it outdoors (nor recommend it after very early spring), because as a systemic, it does wind up in the pollen and nectar. It's not usually leathal in those low doses, but it does leave bees more vulnerable to other diseases (like Nosema). Some years in the past, I dug some Marathon into the soil when I first planted my cucurbits out. That gets them past their most vulnerabe-to-CSB stage, and my hope is that it works its way out of the plants' systems before they get to bloom stage.
I didn't use any this year. 
There's another caution with Imidicloprid. While it kills a number of insects, it has actually been shown to increase fecundity in mites. So if spider mites are an issue in your area, using Imid. will make the infestation all the worse.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Below is the Wisconsin Pumpkin Growers Club spray recommendation for insects and fungus/disease control based on sprays available at big box stores. Your mileage may vary. 


Spray Program for (Insects and Foliar Diseases). Products you can buy local.
At planting time Spread Granular Bayer Grub killer (.5% Imidacloprid )
in front of the growing area. Do this during the season
May 22 Ortho Bug B Gone & Garden Disease Control
June 12 Triazicide & Immunox
June 26 Malathion & Bayer Tree and Shrub
July 3 Ortho Bug B Gone & Garden Disease Control
July 10 Triazicde & Immunox
July 17 Malathion & Bayer Tree and Shrub
July 24 Ortho Bug B Gone & Garden Disease Control
July 31 Triazicde & Immunox
August 7 Malathion & Bayer Tree and Shrub & Copper Fungicide
August 14 Ortho Bug B Gone & Garden Disease Control
August 25 Triazicde & Immunox add Permethrin if you see aphids
Sept. 6 Malathion & Bayer Tree and Shurb & Copper Fungicide
Sept. 17 Copper Fungicide
This program is dependent on the weather. Make adjustments as needed.
*____*


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*20 DAP BIRTHDAY- 1742*

Happy Independence Day fellow growers! Today is also 20 Days After Pollination for the 1742. I am very happy to report on this festive day that the pumpkin is still growing strong. It has been averaging 4 inches of circumference growth per day over the last week. I will never know how much growth I am losing with energy going to combat the disease or when the disease might take over my plant. But on this holiday, I am celebrating the fighting spirit to keep moving forward. Okay, that was a little over the top. 

The 1742 had a circumference of 68 inches at 20 DAP which is the largest that I have ever had at this point. On the 1400 lb. + chart, the average is 78.5. So I am 11% below the average where I need to be for 1400 lbs. I am clearly falling off the chart but I still might be on course for a 800-900 pound pumpkin. Assuming that I can keep the bacterial disease at a slow progression.

The overall numbers for OTT (Over the Top) measurements were 68 inches circumference, 49 inches top to bottom, and 47.5 inches side to side. That puts my total OTT at 164.5 which mathematically equates to approximately 105 lbs.

Theoretically, if I continue to miss the chart mark by the 11%, then at 30 DAP I should be at 352 lbs. We are going to let optimism reign on this holiday.

*1742: 20 DAP*


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Nice looking pumpkin!

My vines aren't running yet. We got yet another 2.5" of rain yesterday (in less than an hour), but none yet today (still a 50-50 chance later...and rain predicted for tomorrow and Sat.) The garden is starting to drown. I lost my Kajari melons, and a couple of my little muskmelon plants. So far the pumpkins are holding on, but the soil is awfull compacted around their roots.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Your pumpkins are looking great Col. You may not get the size you desire, but you are on your way to getting a huge pumpkin! Keep up the fight against the disease.

Our weather has been doing much better after a terrible spring. Temperatures in the 80s and not as much rain. I did spot another SVB this morning. It looks like I need more insecticide.









I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t like the spots on these gourd leaves.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

They are starting to vine nicely.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> They are starting to vine nicely.


It is always fun to see plants "catch" and start to grow like a foot every day. Its too bad that the spring weather set you back, but hopefully you will be pollinated in a couple of more weeks.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It rained pretty much all day yesterday & all my plants loved it!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t like the spots on these gourd leaves.
> View attachment 713362


There are a few pumpkin varieties that have those spots naturally-- some of the Cucurbita moschata types. Because of the regularity of the spotting, and the fact that it's on both older and newly-forming leaves, I really think it's just natural patterning.
Your plants look great! I'm glad they're running-- fruit shouldn't be far behind!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> The overall numbers for OTT (Over the Top) measurements were 68 inches circumference, 49 inches top to bottom, and 47.5 inches side to side. That puts my total OTT at 164.5 which mathematically equates to approximately 105 lbs.


You have now officially gone over the weight of the largest pumpkin we've ever grown. If it was our household we'd be out there with a can of orange paint spraying the pumpkin and calling it good.  

We will be rooting for your pumpkin to pass the 300 pound mark as it will allow all of us in the house to casually say, "Yeah, I might be overweight; but really, I don't weigh anymore than a pumpkin."


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Hahaha! 
I'd be calling it good, too. As a matter of fact, I was thinking earlier that Col. Fryght's pumpkin is already at the weight that was my upper limit, wildest-dream sort of back-of-my-mind "goal". I might have to dial that goal back by half this year though.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> There are a few pumpkin varieties that have those spots naturally-- some of the Cucurbita moschata types. Because of the regularity of the spotting, and the fact that it's on both older and newly-forming leaves, I really think it's just natural patterning.
> Your plants look great! I'm glad they're running-- fruit shouldn't be far behind!


Thanks ooojen, that makes me feel better. I don’t recall which type of gourd was planted there and will have to check my sheet showing what was planted where and do some research on what their leaves look like.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I too would LOVE to grow a 100 pounder some day! I think I probably could if I tried, but I always go for quantity since we carve so many. I’ll just sit back and admire the Col. 

Someday I will carve something that big. There are so many possibilities!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Someday I will carve something that big. There are so many possibilities!



I would be more than happy to let you carve my giant pumpkin if I can get it to the finish line. Of course, it would help you lived a little closer.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> It rained pretty much all day yesterday & all my plants loved it!


That huge rain storm saved my garden 

The pumpkin arch isn't a complete loss. I left one vine on there just in case it was a jbl. It turned out to be some sort of striped mini.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Cute, Kdestra! You might have little 'Hooligans' or something similar! That should be fun!

The Orange Cuties, which were the last pumpkins I planted (really late) have surpassed the plants that have been in for almost 2 months. Sugar Pie and Peanut are starting to move a little (along with one of the 2 Wyatt's). There's some random volunteer right along the edge of the garden, more in the grass beside it than in it-- and that has had several male flowers even though it's only about 8" tall. It might wind up being a summer squash, but I'm going to let it be, since the rest of the patch doesn't look stellar.
We have a little sunshine today, but we did have rain overnight, again. This would have been the year for Marathon; I can't keep contact pesticide (my Sevin dust) from washing away. It takes those little CSBs no time at all to find the stems, and when it's windy all the time, the stems snap right off once they're hollowed out.
Here's a common stalk borer in a tomatillo stem. (They're generalists, but they particularly like Lagenaria gourds for their larger host plant-- more so than pumpkins.)
Telltale frass below entry hole; common stalk borer in place-- I had to dig the root out to get this one because he was about 1/2" below the soil level; and the extracted little vile beast. The stripes get less distinct as the caterpillar gets larger.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

^Wow, corn stalk borer caterpillars look like striped serpents. They almost make my svb white chubby grubs look cute.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

The 1742 is still growing which is good thing. It is starting to take on a less than circular shape which makes it harder to measure. The insulation board it is sitting on is 2 ft x 2ft, you can tell how in one week that it is now beyond the board.

I am at DAP 23, and the circumference is 78 which is a 26 inch increase over last Sunday. The top to bottom is 52.2 and the side to side is 55. The total OTT is 185.5 which is an increase of 21 inches from the morning of July 4th. 

I hate it when a 10 day birthday is so close to the Sunday morning Tale of the Tape, because I really do not want to obsess about measurements. However, I am currently projected at a weight of 150 lbs. which is an increase of 45 lbs. since July 4th or 15 lbs. a day. Okay, I am obsessed about the numbers. 

1742 DAP 16 [Last Sunday]











1742 DAP 23 [Today]


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Something ate my new white pumpkin sprouts. Only 3 germinated and sprouted. Now there's just one left. Whatever it is hasn't bothered my other pumpkins, which were planted quite a bit earlier and seem to be doing great.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen, those corn boarers are disgusting. I hope I never find them in my corn. 
Col. As always you amaze me. btw I borrowed your idea & placed foam insulation board under my Pumpkin. 
Lady Frog, have you ever used sluggo? It kills slugs. I sprinkle it around all of my seedlings. I also use cheap metal cake covers to protect young plants. It keeps birds & other critters off until the plants are strong enough to survive on their own. 

The corn (10ft tall) & pumpkins made it through yesterday's storm. The wind was about 45mph but the real shocker was the lightning!! Lightning struck 2 houses & caught them on fire.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra that's a great idea. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that slugs did that - I live in slug central! We actually had slugs on two of our cars last week (that's a new one). 

I have a dumb question - are there special strains of pumpkin that grow to be huge? Or can any pumpkin do it under the right circumstances?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> Kdestra that's a great idea. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that slugs did that - I live in slug central! We actually had slugs on two of our cars last week (that's a new one).
> 
> I have a dumb question - are there special strains of pumpkin that grow to be huge? Or can any pumpkin do it under the right circumstances?


Always glad to help kill slugs ☠☠☠

Normal pumpkins can grow pretty darn big. A few of my French heirlooms weigh around 75lb. Now the gigantic pumpkins are special breed all to themselves. The Col. Knows way more then I do so I'll let him explain it. 

Had an idea, I decided to start writing measurements of pumpkins on foam board. That way I can simply keep track. I had to do it quick - the mosquitoes swarm after T'storms.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I have a dumb question - are there special strains of pumpkin that grow to be huge? Or can any pumpkin do it under the right circumstances?


Sooo not a dumb question. They way companies sell their seeds, you would think any seed could grow a giant. Atlantic Giants is the variety of large pumpkins that can generally attain weights near 300 lbs. under perfect garden husbandry. But the way most companies advertise them with a 600-700 pound pumpkin on the seed packet it can be misleading. 

There is only one seed variety than grow a pumpkin over 300 lbs. and that is Dill's Atlantic Giants. Howard Dill was a Canadian grower in the 70s-80s who became famous for mixing the strain with other large squashes. Every world record over the last forty years is from the Howard Dill Atlantic Giants strain.

Competitive growers have taken his strain to a whole new level where the current world record is over 2600 lbs. and pumpkins over 1500 lbs have become commonplace in certain growing areas. To reach these kind of weights you would need a seed from one of these competition pumpkins. The pumpkin I am growing this year is from a seed of a pumpkin that weighed 1742, though I will get nowhere close. I would love to have something over 800.

I apologize for the long answer, but it was in my wheel house.


----------



## dhn1993 (Jul 12, 2017)

Good day everyone. I'm back from my long slumber, roughly this time last year I was last online. I love seeing your photos and tips for growing pumpkins. I started doing it myself this year, just sugar pumpkins. These pics were taken about a week ago, so the plants are a bit bigger now. So far, a few are growing strong, but there's some others that are stubborn to grow. Now I know even if nothing happens this year, I've learned a lot from growing these pumpkins that next year should be much more fruitful. I've got one problem that is really kicking my hind end. These horrible abominations of Satan himself - Leafhoppers....

I've got to get some insecticidal soap of some kind, but I'd hate to resort to chemicals.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

dhn1993 said:


> I've got one problem that is really kicking my hind end. These horrible abominations of Satan himself - Leafhoppers....I've got to get some insecticidal soap of some kind, but I'd hate to resort to chemicals.


Welcome aboard and great pictures. We love pictures. Growing pumpkins is a great way to do something outdoors and Halloweeny during the off season. I had no idea about leaf hoppers. Not sure if they have ever attacked my plants. On the bright side, they do no seem to be the type of insect that will lay grub boring offspring.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

That _is_ a plus-- no stem boring. The minus is that leafhoppers often carry diseases from one plant to another. 

By the way just so there's no confusion, what I posted earlier was a common stalk borer. It's a slightly different beast from a corn borer (European Corn Borer). ECB moths lay eggs on corn or one of a few other grains (sorghum, esp. broom corn, is one). The larvae stay in the plant they hatched in. I've never seen them bother Cucurbits.
Common Stalk Borers, are a whole different thing.  The moth generally lays eggs in grasses, and when the CSB caterpillar gets too big for grass stems, it crawls off to a larger plant to bore into the stem.It might kill several plants before it gets large enough to pupate. They _do_ like cucurbits (especially, from my experience, Lagenaria gourds. But they'll go for a pumpkin or decorative gourd on occasion, too.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving the pumpkin pics and new info, and welcome to the new pumpkin growers!

My Little October Pumpkins and Daisy Gourds are really starting to take off, now! My container grown mini LO pumpkin now has two baby females on it!!! They have a bit to go before they can bloom, but I was thrilled to see them. Still none on the rest, though. The POAS plants are starting to get bushier, too, if still small. Since my pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers and zucchini are all blooming, now, the bees are starting to arrive!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> I borrowed your idea & placed foam insulation board under my Pumpkin.


First year that I have used the insulation board. I bought plywood for the other pumpkin and it was just cumbersome to wield around and in between the vines. When I went back for another piece they were out. I looked down the aisle and saw the pink board insulation display and thought why not? It is really sturdy stuff.

It is so lightweight to use. I had to re-adjust my pumpkin when it was over a 100 lbs and had no trouble at all. The pumpkin slid nicely on the board. And your idea of writing notes on the board is creative. I never would have thought of that, but then again I really have no board left to write on but it would have been useful the first three weeks or so.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> That huge rain storm saved my garden
> 
> The pumpkin arch isn't a complete loss. I left one vine on there just in case it was a jbl. It turned out to be some sort of striped mini.


WAHOOooo... rain when you need it. The mini is really cute. I'm glad it didn't wind up in the compost bin.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> First year that I have used the insulation board. I bought plywood for the other pumpkin and it was just cumbersome to wield around and in between the vines. When I went back for another piece they were out. I looked down the aisle and saw the pink board insulation display and thought why not? It is really sturdy stuff.
> 
> It is so lightweight to use. I had to re-adjust my pumpkin when it was over a 100 lbs and had no trouble at all. The pumpkin slid nicely on the board. And your idea of writing notes on the board is creative. I never would have thought of that, but then again I really have no board left to write on but it would have been useful the first three weeks or so.


And here I thought you had pink insulation foam board for the same reason everyone else does on the Halloween Forum...... To make "Grave Stones"of coarse.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> First year that I have used the insulation board. I bought plywood for the other pumpkin and it was just cumbersome to wield around and in between the vines. When I went back for another piece they were out. I looked down the aisle and saw the pink board insulation display and thought why not? It is really sturdy stuff.
> 
> It is so lightweight to use. I had to re-adjust my pumpkin when it was over a 100 lbs and had no trouble at all. The pumpkin slid nicely on the board. And your idea of writing notes on the board is creative. I never would have thought of that, but then again I really have no board left to write on but it would have been useful the first three weeks or so.


And here I thought you had pink insulation foam board for the same reason everyone else does on the Halloween Forum...... To make "Grave Stones"of coarse.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

dhn1993 said:


> Good day everyone. I'm back from my long slumber, roughly this time last year I was last online. I love seeing your photos and tips for growing pumpkins. I started doing it myself this year, just sugar pumpkins. These pics were taken about a week ago, so the plants are a bit bigger now. So far, a few are growing strong, but there's some others that are stubborn to grow. Now I know even if nothing happens this year, I've learned a lot from growing these pumpkins that next year should be much more fruitful. I've got one problem that is really kicking my hind end. These horrible abominations of Satan himself - Leafhoppers....
> 
> I've got to get some insecticidal soap of some kind, but I'd hate to resort to chemicals.


My very limited experience with Leaf Hoppers is that they haven't really caused that much damage except to make a few ugly leaves. The cardinals ate them & I don't see them very often now. I planted sunflowers & zinnias to bring in birds & pollinators so its really helped control their population 

Loved your pictures - you are way more organized then I will ever be.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SVB TRAP REPORT*

Inside Traps: 0
Outside Trap: 21

I chatted with a North Carolina grower last night, and he felt that he had less svbs than in previous years. I would tend to agree with my outdoor trap being only at 21 svbs this season.

Last year, I had that many within 48 hours of putting the trap out. But then again, this year I did not have a huge uncovered flowering pumpkin patch singing a siren's song to the svbs.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I noticed I had male flowers open on 3 or my plants this morning! I also spotted a bee leaving one of them, so that’s a good sign! It always such a good feel when you start to see the flowers open, and the females shouldn’t be too far behind. 

One thing that did worry me was the shape of the flowers. They didn’t really seem to open up very wide and have a nice “bell” shape to them. It kind of looked like they only opened partially. It’s possible that they had been open for quite awhile and were starting to close up, but based on past experience that usually only happened later in the day. It kind of makes me wonder if I need to add some kind of fertilizer to the soil. This weekend we did receive a lot of rain in a short amount of time.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

On another note, I'm very jealous, and excited, to see how big Kdestra and the Col.'s pumpkins are right now!!! Both of you are really killing it so far and I love it. Keep the pictures coming.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> On another note, I'm very jealous, and excited, to see how big Kdestra and the Col.'s pumpkins are right now!!! Both of you are really killing it so far and I love it. Keep the pictures coming.


Thank you so much. I wont get anywhere near the Col. But I'd be super happy to reach 150lbs. 

This is my single Millet ... There are 2 more but they are small & don't have the "cat tail'esq" flower on top. It's beautiful, the color is deep & rich. I've got one more seed packet so I'm going to try growing them in 2 separate pots. I so badly want this for a fall entryway


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

One of my first two tiny, baby females already aborted. It's just way too hot, more than likely. The good news is that another one showed up, so I'm back up to two, lol.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Lovely millet, kdestra!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> On another note, I'm very jealous, and excited, to see how big Kdestra and the Col.'s pumpkins are right now!!! Both of you are really killing it so far and I love it. Keep the pictures coming.


All of your pumpkins will start rolling in soon and I love the color of your leaves. They look so much healthier than my diseased leaves. I have only the one pumpkin, so I am envious of everyone who has several plants with the potential to produce beauties.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SEASON OVER*

The most bizarre ending to any pumpkin season in the history of pumpkin growing probably occurred today. The most important thing is that everyone is okay which is crazy because how can multiple people expose themselves to injury in a pumpkin patch. Read on....

I get a call at work from my wife doing that crying thing where she is crying so hard that when she talked it sounded like dry heaves. I was having a hard time understanding her. I understood something about her car and that it kept going forward when it was in reverse. I am like,"What?." Then she says that she is sorry about my pumpkin. And I am like, " You mean your car is in the pumpkin patch?"

Apparently, she thought she was in reverse claims that she was and the car zoomed forward. In this case zooming forward meant driving off the back of the driveway down a 12 ft embankment into the backyard. The car came to a stop with all four tire in my patch and my pumpkin underneath the car.

Like I said the good news is that no one was hurt. She had a friend with her and our daughter was in her car seat. I understand that it is kind of funny, and will be funnier as time passes. I went home disassembled the parts of the B.E.E. that I needed to get the car out. I got the car out, and it is fine with some dents and scratches from the the 4ft rebar posts that she side swiped and/or mowed over which supported the pvc railing. 

I will never post pics of the car in the patch, out of respect for my wife. But I have attached some after pics. It will be a real funny story to tell some day, but honestly, I am just so glad that no one was hurt. The craziest end to a pumpkin season that you will probably ever hear about.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. There are no words..... to describe the indescribable heartbreak.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Update....

Okay, so when I got home to move the car out of the patch, they left pretty quick because my wife was going to a doctors appointment and her friend was going with her to keep her company and watch our daughter. Later, when I got home from work at the end of the day, I got a little more detail. Funny how details trickle in. In a way it is better, but in a way it boggles the mind.

So, my wife says that twice she tried to go in reverse and the car went forward. So she gets out and takes our daughter out also. Her friend offers to help. Now mind you, the car now has its front wheels on the back edge of the driveway. So her friend got in by herself. She felt the car lurch forward and hopped out of the car a-la Starsky and Hutch style. At which point they all watched the car roll down the hill into the patch.

When I asked my wife earlier in the day was everyone okay she said yes, but maybe she was too embarrassed to tell me that they all watched the empty car roll down the hill. This whole incident is so frigging out there that it basically fails to register. It will get funnier as the years go on, but man this is out there.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., I agree...I am at a bit of a loss for words...I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry for you. I'd say cry, at first, and maybe throw some things...then, years later, maybe laugh, lol. Ug. I am suuuuper glad no one was hurt but I am so, sooooo sorry for your pumpkin patch and all the work you put in for such an insane, catastrophic ending. Sorry your car got scratched up, too. More Ug. Wow.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Is there anything left under that tent that may have survived to, maybe, at least get you any size of pumpkin for the season?? Did a base vine survive??


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Is there anything left under that tent that may have survived to, maybe, at least get you any size of pumpkin for the season?? Did a base vine survive??


Good thinking WK!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I’m just sitting here with my mouth hanging open. That is incredible. I feel so sick for you, and I know your wife has got to be sick about the whole ordeal. I’m glad everyone is ok.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

O......k.......

Wow...come to ask what you used for shade cloth as I'm apparently going to have to shade the Big Moose....and wow.... 

I haven't been following too close, but was there nothing in the other half of the enclosure?

One of the two set pumpkins I now have. The bees have finally showed up as well, so I expect more soon. As you can see the leaves are NOT happy with 90's, in fact, these were some of the better leaves, and with 100's coming soon and me going on vacation in a week, I want to build them a shade this weekend. .


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> Thank you so much. I wont get anywhere near the Col. But I'd be super happy to reach 150lbs.
> 
> This is my single Millet ... There are 2 more but they are small & don't have the "cat tail'esq" flower on top. It's beautiful, the color is deep & rich. I've got one more seed packet so I'm going to try growing them in 2 separate pots. I so badly want this for a fall entryway


Ooo, love the millet...I don't think I'll try them again, but great look.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Wow...come to ask what you used for shade cloth as I'm apparently going to have to shade the Big Moose....and wow....
> 
> I haven't been following too close, but was there nothing in the other half of the enclosure?


I used 40% shade cloth and the best price I found was marvins gardens on ebay. They ship within 48 hours and were easy to deal with and did I mention they had the best price. And my other plant was culled last week. It finally was over taken by the bacterial leaf disease that I was fighting. So there is no more.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Is there anything left under that tent that may have survived to, maybe, at least get you any size of pumpkin for the season?? Did a base vine survive??


I like the way you think and I appreciate all the support it helps to have people to share it with who get it. I am not sure what step that is in the recovery process, lol. No I am officially done and will start in a month or so preparing for next year.

As to calling it quits for this year, I am losing about a dozen leaves a week to the disease wich is a small number over all but it is all old growth on on the main and secondaries. The lab guy felt like I could keep the disease from taking over for about 60 days. So maybe not much point in trying another pumpkin. Plus, I am down to pretty much just the secondaries on one side and about four on the other side as far as car damage.

Also, I would have to rebuild the B.E.E. while not expensive to repair, I don't think I have the energy to spend a full day or two on that project especially if my plant could die. I would have to repair half of the pvc fencing which would would involve pulling up about 15 4ft rebar stakes that were bent by the car or the fencing as it collapsed. And each pvc section is screwed together. And I would have to re-cut new pvc for the broken or bent sections.

But, I absolutely love the positive/can-do enthusiasm that you and Kedestra display.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m just sitting here with my mouth hanging open. That is incredible. I feel so sick for you, and I know your wife has got to be sick about the whole ordeal. I’m glad everyone is ok.


Thank you. I still cannot get my mind around it. Who jumps out of moving car? But, I am glad the car was empty if it was going to go through my backyard. This will put pressure on you and the other growers to get something to the finish line so I can enjoy your pictures.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Is there a chance you could you take down the B.E.E. set up, clean up the dead and broken stuff and just leave the secondaries a bit to see if they do anything on their own? Sigh. Seriously, it's just beyond crummy. My heart feels for ya'!

Well, if you decide to call it quits for the year, hopefully, you can get it all cleaned up, fully get rid of that disease you were dealing with and maybe start fresh, next year, with all the knowledge you have of setting up your B.E.E. set up and be ready to go, all prepared for the next season should you decide to try, again.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Thank you. I still cannot get my mind around it. Who jumps out of moving car? But, I am glad the car was empty if it was going to go through my backyard. This will put pressure on you and the other growers to get something to the finish line so I can enjoy your pictures.


Do you mind me asking if your car is a manual transmission? I learned how to drive by using stick shift. I know most people know how to drive them but I'd never jump out. I'd throw the emergency break.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Is there a chance you could you take down the B.E.E. set up, clean up the dead and broken stuff and just leave the secondaries a bit to see if they do anything on their own? Sigh. Seriously, it's just beyond crummy. My heart feels for ya'!
> 
> Well, if you decide to call it quits for the year, hopefully, you can get it all cleaned up, fully get rid of that disease you were dealing with and maybe start fresh, next year, with all the knowledge you have of setting up your B.E.E. set up and be ready to go, all prepared for the next season should you decide to try, again.


Speaking for myself & probably everyone here -if I lived closer I'd go help clean up & bring a few beers


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Sigh...I don't even have any pumpkins or gourds growing, yet, and I have already started the war on Squash Bugs. This is not good. It's too early for them!!! I captured sooo many of them, yesterday, and had to scrape and remove leaves that already had eggs and babies on them. I don't have the energy to start fighting these things this early. They were so bad, last year...I was hoping I had done enough to slow it down for this year, but I guess not. I don't have high hopes for my pumpkin/gourd crop, this year, again. I'm getting ready to give up trying to grow them...my MS makes it harder, now, and the constant fight with squash bugs and powdery mildew we get in this area, later, so terribly is exhausting. Here's to hoping I can still manage to get some pollinated and to maturity before everything kills my plants...


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, Col...

If you really want a pumpkin to carve, I didn't plant the Cheyenne bush pumpkins till mid July last year and got 1-2 carveable size per plant...

But, maybe we prep the site for next year? 

Clear all the plants, and sheet compost the area? I haven't read up on the bacteria disease, but if it's soil born, a good sheet composting should kill the hell out of it. You got enough of the black plastic to do the whole area if we could round up enough compost material.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Do you mind me asking if your car is a manual transmission? I learned how to drive by using stick shift. I know most people know how to drive them but I'd never jump out. I'd throw the emergency break.


Sad to say it was an automatic. I am taking it to the mechanic tomorrow.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well, Col...
> 
> I haven't read up on the bacteria disease, but if it's soil born, a good sheet composting should kill the hell out of it.


It has a light soil foot. The disease is called angular leap spotting. I posted several university links a while back about it. It is passed via the seed. It can live in the soil if hibernating in plant tissue. I just need to do a good job of pulling everything.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Is there a chance you could you take down the B.E.E. set up, clean up the dead and broken stuff and just leave the secondaries a bit to see if they do anything on their own?


I like the way you think. I am going to start taking it down over the next couple of weeks. If there is something to pollinate then I will. I am afraid that I am going to run into the problem that Mayor had pollinating in the horrible heat. But I will give the plant a chance but it is going to me a low maintenance chance.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> . I'm getting ready to give up trying to grow them...my MS makes it harder, now, and the constant fight with squash bugs and powdery mildew we get in this area, later, so terribly is exhausting.


With everything going on, I missed your post about your MS. It puts things in perspective about growing plants. I hope that any setbacks with your MS can be mitigated.

Well, you seem to have a knack with sunflowers. Maybe if I get some seeds from the 27 1/2 sunflowers this year, you can join me in trying to grow a record flower. I think the world record flower head is 32.25 inches and I believe the US record is 28 inches.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> With everything going on, I missed your post about your MS. It puts things in perspective about growing plants. I hope that any setbacks with your MS can be mitigated.
> 
> Well, you seem to have a knack with sunflowers. Maybe if I get some seeds from the 27 1/2 sunflowers this year, you can join me in trying to grow a record flower. I think the world record flower head is 32.25 inches and I believe the US record is 28 inches.


I may have mentioned about my MS last year...I started having sudden, severe symptoms back in April of 2017, and was diagnosed, for sure, a year later in May 2018. My first brain lesion hit my Cerebellum, which controls balance, coordination, ect. I was out of work for 6 months that first year trying to get the extreme vertigo under control, learning to walk, again, without support, getting more of my coordination back, getting my speech better, dealing with numb body parts and my right side not functioning properly, and other assorted symptoms...lots of time, meds and PT. 
While I still have all these issues, they are much more manageable (though get worse at times when something causes symptom flare), I am able to drive and walk without a cane or walker, again, and go back to work a few hours here and there, so that's really good. In the time since, my extreme pain and fatigue has been a 24/7, every second of the day battle...this is what is kicking my butt when trying to garden...or do anything, actually. Gardening in the Summer heat is even worse, as heat is a symptom trigger. I have another MRI and Neurologist this coming Wednesday, so we will see if my MS meds are slowing the progression or if even more lesions have popped up...and maybe my doc will have thought of something else to try for my crazy pain and fatigue. (I have been going to an MS specialist at Loyola University Hospital in the Chicago area. It's a drive, but much better specialized neurological and MS care than what I can get around here.)

Anywho, the moral of the story is, yeah, my MS has impacted my ability to work as hard keeping my garden weed/bug/disease free. I'm doing my best, though, and I tend to push myself because I'm stubborn, lol. I can't bring myself to give up my veggie and pumpkin garden. We will see how things go. (I did, actually, still put my garden in that year that I couldn't function properly...I already had stuff growing in my greenhouse before the MS hit, so I still got it out there. I couldn't really walk well, and I was so dizzy, my neighbors probably thought I was drunk gardening until they learned I had MS, hahahahaha!!)

As for my Sunflowers...ahhh, I meant to take a picture. They are getting so big, and I have two varieties, this year. I need to be prepared to tie them to something if we get more storms or severe wind in...their stakes are waaaaay too small, now, lol. I wish I had measured my sunflower heads from two years ago. They were massive. I don't think it was over 28 inches, though, lol. That's something I'll have to shoot for, someday! I am guessing this is just for the seed center, not the petals?? Or are petals included in that measurement? I have two pics I took when I was below them watering and weeding...I was under them taking pictures up into them:


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Car checked out fine with the mechanic which is good on so many fronts. But still hurts my head why my wife's friend would jump from a car with a working brake. But it is time to move on. Below is a pic of the car and part of the pumpkin underneath. I appreciated that no one took shots at my wife or her friend. Though I clearly have leverage in plenty of arguments going forward.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow-- that was not what I expected when I came to check the thread! 
I'm so sorry, Col. Fryght. I can hardly even comprehend what happened. Hit by a car... I would have even expected a lightning strike or a brush fire before that! My heart just sank for you. The time, the effort, the money, all down the drain.  ...though I suppose you did gain knowledge and experience through it all. You know by your SVB traps that your exclusion net worked. You learned more about diseases, and probably know a seed source to avoid next time you order. You learned about how quickly the heat can build up in your enclosure, and figured out how to address that. Maybe next year, immediately implementing the things you learned this year will give your pumpkins those extra pounds...
Again, I'm very sorry for the loss--- but I'm glad your wife didn't have transmission trouble at some critical juncture while on the road. I feel for her, too. We all like you, and we're saddened by what happened. She (I'm assuming...) loves you; she must be absolutely crushed by your disappointment.
When someone loses a much-loved dog, I wouldn't want to start pushing a puppy on them immediately BUT, I did think along the lines of UOO, that some little thing to tend might help a bit -- possibly one of the small 90 day pumpkins for your daughter. I can imagine the pictures: Her with a little sugar pie pumpkin this year, compared with next year's picture of her with your giant...and look how much bigger they both are now.

Witchy Kitty -- Your garden and yard looks lovely in spite of your health (and weather) challenges. You're a trouper!

I got one more lesson this year on the unpredictability of pumpkin growing. Contrary to the usual way of things, the plants I planted earliest are for the most part well behind the pumpkins I planted weeks later (one of the two Wyatt's is still an exception, though it's not doing much. It may have helped a little that I covered it with a milk jug when I put it out.) Early struggles with cold, wet soil seem to have done lasting damage to most of the pumpkins and gourds. I have plants that are approaching 2 months outside that haven't yet started to vine. A couple plants are still less than 10" across.

For standard-sized pumpkins they say 45 to 55 days (general average) from pollination to store-able ripeness. Our average first frost date is late Sept, so we're already crowding the date pretty hard (plus we really don't get much for heat units after the first week of Sept.) I'm hoping for a warm fall and a late frost! Or maybe I can get some fruit that doesn't store, but that lasts until Halloween.
I have a couple Orange Cuties that were almost an afterthought when I could see the rest of the plants weren't doing well. They passed the others, and took off in the last week or so. I had a female flower on one yesterday! None of the other pumpkins was even close to producing male flowers, though. Unfortunately, OC is a C. maxima, but I gave it a shot of zucchini pollen, as a hail Mary action. Occasionally intergenerics take; I don't have much to lose by trying.

I grew big sunflowers last year. I'm sure one of them was over 20", but definitely not 28. They aren't a great choice for my area because of the wind we get. The biggest ones goosenecked and got in the way of other things. I grow sunflowers mostly for the birds, and the bird here aren't really crazy about gray-stripe, so I only planted smaller oilseed versions this year. I did leave one volunteer in the garden, though. It's not over 3' and it's already leaning ?


----------



## Defenestrator (Jul 27, 2009)

Wow.

I popped in to the thread today thinking I would quickly catch up on how well everyone's pumpkins were doing, and then post a few humble photos of my tiny (and tardy) patch finally exhibiting some actual growth. 

Instead, I'm reading these amazing posts demonstrating how folks can work through the craziest stuff that life can throw at a person, and somehow manage to get on with it all with grace and humor. 

I've always said this was an amazing and unique community, but wow are the last couple days worth of posts demonstrating that on an entirely different level. Anyway, thanks to all of you for sharing incredible stories of persevering through illness, accidents, and 'life happens' with such aplomb.

With that all said; now for my meager, discordant, and oh-so-dull-by-comparison contribution; I now have something beginning to resemble a pumpkin patch, and some vines finally starting to flower:


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Sigh...I don't even have any pumpkins or gourds growing, yet, and I have already started the war on Squash Bugs. This is not good. It's too early for them!!! I captured sooo many of them, yesterday, and had to scrape and remove leaves that already had eggs and babies on them. I don't have the energy to start fighting these things this early. They were so bad, last year...I was hoping I had done enough to slow it down for this year, but I guess not. I don't have high hopes for my pumpkin/gourd crop, this year, again. I'm getting ready to give up trying to grow them...my MS makes it harder, now, and the constant fight with squash bugs and powdery mildew we get in this area, later, so terribly is exhausting. Here's to hoping I can still manage to get some pollinated and to maturity before everything kills my plants...


Wish I lived closer - I'd come over & help. Is there anything I can do?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. I agree with Oojen - please consider growing a few sugar pies or minis. 
Defenstrator, that was a lovely post & your plants are lovely too. 

The pumpkin arch is growing great but I have a serious lack of male flowers. I read that several of us have had that problem this year. Its soooo strange!!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Ooo, love the millet...I don't think I'll try them again, but great look.


It is beautiful but I'm following your advice & never growing it again.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Awww, Col., that picture of your car on top of your pumpkin is painful to look at...Again, glad everyone, and the car, is okay, though. 
Let us know if you end up trying to grow any small, quick maturing ones or keep your secondaries if they seem viable enough. I say you should still try to grow something, but I'd suppose if I were in your place, I might not want to after the heartbreak of losing the giant. I'd have to be in your shoes to know what I'd feel like doing, I suppose. (You could always do a mini vine or two in a large container somewhere, like I do, so you could clean up your current pumpkin patch without worrying about it.)

Thanks, ooojen. 
I feel ya' on the weather and wind woes. I hope you can get something to finally pick up and start growing faster, soon, here! Mine weren't doing anything, either, and as soon as our temps finally jumped, my plants picked up speed immediately. I am still behind, though. I remember my first years growing, I already had mature JBLs in July...this year, I barely even just started having teeny females pop up on just a couple of my vines. Certainly no where near having any pumpkins growing and ripening! I barely even have any male flowers!

Defenestrator, your patch is looking great! It's always exciting to start getting flowers and starting to vine!! That's when you know things will start moving right along, quickly! 
I agree, this is definitely an awesome community we have here!

Kdestra, thanks. 
Hmmm...do you know any long distance squash bug repelling spells??? LOL
Glad your pumpkin arch is doing well. Here's to hoping you get some more males...along with females!

As for me, just another day of fighting off squash bugs. Grrrr. It's gonna be a loooong season...or terribly short if the bugs and excessive heat win out...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

This is my little girl who is only 14 but already 5'9 & the corn is now over 10ft. 
Side note: a creepy old bastard was staring at her in the grocery store. I tried to hit him with my cart. I'm probably going to need bail money if men keep acting like that. (Hint, hint)


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Since I hadn’t seen my patch since Thursday I decided to go and check it out, and while there I did some weeding and fertilizing. I’m not sure why, but I’ve now had two plants turn yellow and die. I decided to pull the one awhile. Anyone know what causes this?









I do have several plants that are looking quite nice and have noticed baby pumpkins forming. I’m hoping their flowers will open in the next 2 weeks.

















Right before I was about to leave I spotted this guy on one of my vines.









And then I used my phone to take care of the situation.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yesterday I saw my first SVB of this year. Apparently they're an established thing here now. I had hoped those couple nights of -35 degrees back in January might have taken them out, but no. One was after my only promising vines (the late-planted Orange Cuties). It certainly looked like it was laying eggs, but I can't find them, and I couldn't get the moth killed.
There are fireflies in my garden, a toad that lives near the edge of the pumpkins, and a Chipping Sparrow nesting in the asparagus patch, hunting the garden for food for its young. I have a stand of swamp milkweed that brings in monarchs, and some dill that I hope will provide for swallowtails. And though there's not much for them at the moment, I hope eventually there will be pumpkin flowers to draw in squash bees, and my own honeybees. I just don't want to dump the place full of poison. I guess I'd give up my pumpkins before I'd poison the wildlife. _sigh_ It used to be so much easier a few years ago! I could plant them, virtually ignore them, then come back and harvest.

I saw my first rootworm beetle of the season yesterday, too.
We have a friend who is a professional agronomist. He was here and we chatted with him last week. I brought up pumpkins and rootworm beetles in conversation. Companies that develop new pesticides and seed companies that work on naturally pest-resistant varieties have field trials where they see what works, hands on. The agronomist said that when they want to test the efficacy of a potential new product, they have to make sure there are plenty of the pests they're looking to control. He said that when they test rootworm resistance or control in corn, they plant pumpkins in the field the year before, insuring that there will be loads of rootworm beetles in the area. It's not just my garden.

Kdestra-- That would be tough, having pervs oggling your 14 year old! I have a tiny little 22 year old DD who people are more likely to assume is a young teen! 

Mayor--- Just tossing this out as a remote possibility, but is there hard pan in your soil that might keep your pumpkins from throwing really deep roots? The yellowing seems worst right over the ground cover...where it would heat up the most intensely. 
It's great to see baby pumpkins coming, though! Best of luck getting ahead of the SVBs!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

It's no BEE, but the shade canopy is up. 

They did not wilt into oblivion today in the 97 degree heat, which is encouraging as I'm about to take a 10 day trip. Not being able to watch these for 10 days is going to be hard. 










One of our two set pumpkins. large pie size right now.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen...ug. I am not liking hearing that your SVBs stuck around. I'm sorry to hear you saw one. I saw one for the first time, last year, and it killed one of my vines. I was really hoping it was a one time thing, but if you have them, again, I may, too. I don't like using bug sprays and such, either, as I have a lot of animals and beneficial insects in my yard and garden. I try to keep my veggie garden as organic and pesticide free as possible. When my Squash Bugs get out of control, I try a garden safe botanical insect spray directly on them, but it's not really strong enough for them, I don't think, so i end up just throwing on some gloves and catching them by hand. I don't want to deal with SVBs, too. I'll have to keep an eye open for them and the bottoms of all my vines...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Nice tent and pumpkins, UnOrthodOx!

I know what you mean about the heat worries...we have been very hot, all of the sudden, and now we have a worse heat wave coming Thursday through Sat, maybe Sunday, with temps in the mid to upper 90's..with some weather models saying possibly hitting 100's for highs, and heat indexes even hotter in the 100's...with our usual 10000% humidity, too, probably. Ug. I grow my pumpkins and gourds upwards, so I don't have much of a way to block them from the scorching afternoon heat...I may need to figure something out. All my veggie garden and flower gardens may suffer...except for my peppers and tomatoes, they may like it. We have, also, come into a very dry spell after a maybe record wet June...so all this heat and no rain is hard on the gardens.

I hope your patch will be okay while you are gone for 10 days. Do you have someone who could peek in on them from time to time, maybe?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m not sure why, but I’ve now had two plants turn yellow and die. I decided to pull the one awhile. Anyone know what causes this?



I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but here are my thoughts from my experience. When a whole plant goes belly up really quick it usually has nothing to do with fertilizers or even disease. Lack of fertilizers will cause a variety of growing impairments but not immediate death, unless you way, way, way over do it.

Disease usually builds up over a couple of weeks and then it reaches critical mass and the plant goes quickly. But you did not mention any leaf/ vine issues.

From you photos the ground looks hard. Hard pan around here when watered breaks up into large pieces at the top which I see in your photos. So I second ooojen, which probably means that we are both wrong since I agree. lol. 

Anyway, I think your root system on a couple of plants was diminished and the heat got them in one fell swoop. 
I ended up not using my weed/watering tree weed fabric because the water did not flow through extremely well. But one of the advertising points was that it would help heat up the soil around young plants to encourage growth. Maybe fabric would have no effect on the deep roots of a tree, or when covered with mulch on the roots of lesser plants.

I understand that concept in May when you are trying to keep the soil temperature above 65 to help the root system. But I am not sure that you want to be heating the soil during the summer.

Of course if your weed block plants are your best plants, then just ignore me and have a great season.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but here are my thoughts from my experience. When a whole plant goes belly up really quick it usually has nothing to do with fertilizers or even disease. Lack of fertilizers will cause a variety of growing impairments but not immediate death, unless you way, way, way over do it.
> 
> Disease usually builds up over a couple of weeks and then it reaches critical mass and the plant goes quickly. But you did not mention any leaf/ vine issues.
> 
> ...


I think you and ooojen just may be correct. When I yanked the one plant out I was actually quite shocked by how easily it came out until I saw just how small the root was. The plant was half decent sized somehow but there wasn’t much root holding it into the ground. I had no idea what hard pan was, but I rototilled this area at least 6 times before planting and I kept getting very frustrated. Every time it would rain I’d give it a few days until it was dry and I could rototill again. It would always be hard as a rock and I was getting frustrated. The areas where I planted last year is in the same patch but this year we planted corn and my gourds there. That area was like walking on sand, even after it rained and dried. The soil was awesome and so easy to get through. I guess I’ll go back to planting the pumpkins there next year. 

I never really thought about the landscape fabric being a hinderance due to the extra heat it creates, and to be honest it did absolutely nothing to control the weeds! The weeds still grew under the fabric and even pushed the fabric up in the air so it’s just kind of floating on top of the weeds. I don’t think I’ll be using it in the future. At the end of this week we are supposed to get up to 97 degrees so I’m worried about that now as well. I should just plant corn, it’s much easier!

On a positive note I did have my first female open today, which was totally unexpected! Plenty of bees in the area as well. No more insecticide for this year.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I should just plant corn, it’s much easier!


You say that until we start to grow it. 

As far as hard pan, I have no idea what the garden definition is, but I know it when I see it. I would assume that it is dirt that lacks organic matter, and which allows it to compact easily. Till in some compost and gypsum and you will see a difference in just a couple of years.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yep, compost should do the hard garden spot a world of good, but it takes a lot. If you can till in 5 or 6 inches of compost cover, it won't be too much.
Hard pan is compaction of soil a little below the surface layer. In areas that have been tilled repeatedly for a number of years, walked on a lot, or driven on by machinery, it can get like concrete, even when the top few inches are tilled and broken up. With heavy soil of course it's all the worse, as (like you said) every hard rain turns the surface to concrete, too. (Around here there's a fine line between leaving hardpan and so having sub-surface soil like bedrock, or doing deep tillage and suffering wind erosion.) 
A healthy pumpkin in friable soil can have a (branching) taproot 3' long-- great for avoiding heat and drought. But if the root hits hardpan a few inches down, it will turn sideways (or worse, stop). So, yeah, the deeper the roots the better...and it perpetuates itself-- If you can get deep roots going they'll help break up the soil. 
Compost will help encourage earthworms, too, and they're helpful for breaking up hardpan. 
The constant early rain was rough on my heavier soil garden area, too. I'm quite sure compaction is one of the reasons many of my plants are so far behind.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Hey Mayor, why not check out the Illinois Giant Pumpkin Growers site. The information is basically same for all pumpkins. The biggest regulator to size is genetics. They have some newsletters and grower information on their website. 

http://www.igpga.com/


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

When we first moved into this house 3 years ago, the backyard had been dug up, as the water line had been replaced from the house to the back alley water main. They, apparently, dug up a whole bunch of hard, awful, part clay soil when they dug it up and then filled it back in with the crummy soil on top. (He had a fenced in dog area over that, too, which i'm sure made the ground worse.) The ground back there gets sooo solid and compacted in that large strip of much of the back yard that it actually cracks and we have deep mini canyons all over. It took forever to get any grass to grow back there, and this is why we ended up doing a raised garden bed for all of our veggies, sunflowers and pumpkins/gourds. We had to add a lot of organic soil, and we keep adding more and mixing it down into the old dirt, every year. The more dirt we add and hand till in, the less shallow all of the roots are.

Sooo, I agree with the others about it probably being because of shallow roots, hard soil and the heat.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Hey Mayor, why not check out the Illinois Giant Pumpkin Growers site. The information is basically same for all pumpkins. The biggest regulator to size is genetics. They have some newsletters and grower information on their website.
> 
> http://www.igpga.com/


Thanks Col., I’m definitely going to check it out!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor - try lasagna composting 









How to Make a Lasagna Garden


Lasagna gardens are no-dig, no-till gardens. They are created by layering organic materials wherever you want to make a new garden.




www.thespruce.com





First I add cut grass then I add a layer of leaf mulch on top. I do it every time I mow (once a week) It's shocking to see how quickly it breaks down & rapidly improves soil

Ooojen - its infuriating when I see old men perv on young girls. I told hubby I'm not taking it anymore & will call them out in the middle of the store. Hubby completely agreed 

It's been a pretty darn good summer here. The pumpkins are growing great. Not that many svb & consistent rain.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> Mayor - try lasagna composting
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Another vote for 'lasagna composting', though I was brought up calling it sheet composting. Its how I originally made our garden, just covered the lawn with newspaper, then grass and leaves. I really should do the whole area again because they stirred up all that good stuff down into the clay when we remodeled, but I'm trying to do it in quadrants. 

The pumpkins are night and day better under the shade tent. Now I've turned my attention to our watering problem. 

Our sprinkler system was destroyed in the remodels and my daughter has just been doing it since. But, for a week's vacation, that's not going to be a solution. 

We already have it set up in 4 zones so she just has to turn on each zone and time it. 

Primary problem is any of the automatic timers I can find are only 5/8 instead of 3/4 inch and thus kill my pressure. I've come to realize we're likely going to have to sacrifice something, so the easement might not survive our vacation, and I'm switching to a drip line system in the garden to just water the bases of the pumpkins. If the sunflowers and corn have to be sacrificed, so be it.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'm switching to a drip line system in the garden to just water the bases of the pumpkins.


I forget to mention one improvement this year. I added WIFI watering with the B-Hyve water spigot controller. It was pretty cool to turn on the water from work. It also measures the gallons used which is a nice feature.

I even used it when I washed my dog. I could be in the driveway and turn the water off and on as needed with my cell phone which is over kill because if I had a nozzle on the end of the hose, I would not need to turn it off and on. I posted a pic of my model below which runs about $70, anything advertised much cheaper does not include the transponder.

I also ordered a drip kit. I was going to install it last weekend, before my patch became a parking lot. My only advice on the drip kit is spend the extra $2 per fitting and get the ones with the valves so you can turn off individual lines if you need to.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Mayor - try lasagna composting
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks Kdestra. I’ve had all of my coworkers bring in their grass clippings to put in between everything we are growing. Since it’s such a big area it’s going to take awhile to cover it all, but we’ll get there. In the fall I’ll be sure to collect all of my leaves and dump them in there as well. I also plan on buying some gypsum and mixing that in with the ground as well after I’ve harvested everything. It may take a couple years but I’ll eventually get the ground to be perfect.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I forgot to mention, in my earlier post about the raised bed, we used cardboard sheets and newspaper to first cover our grass/weeds/crummy soil when we built the raised bed, then layered more stuff on top of that like the organic soil and leaf mulch, more soil, and so on. It worked quite well!!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Col. Fryght said:


> I forget to mention one improvement this year. I added WIFI watering with the B-Hyve water spigot controller. It was pretty cool to turn on the water from work. It also measures the gallons used which is a nice feature.
> 
> I even used it when I washed my dog. I could be in the driveway and turn the water off and on as needed with my cell phone which is over kill because if I had a nozzle on the end of the hose, I would not need to turn it off and on. I posted a pic of my model below which runs about $70, anything advertised much cheaper does not include the transponder.
> 
> ...


Ok, now that thing is wicked cool...but our secondary water spigot is well outside my wifi zone. 

We have a hardware store that specializes in the drip lines, and prior to construction I had my whole garden set up with it, so I'm kind of going back to what I'm familiar with.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

That clay is a bear to deal with! 
WitchyKitty-- We had/have the same situation from where we had lines dug in for the geothermal heat/AC. When they filled it back in, they buried the topsoil and left clay on the surface. (That's the partial shade north flower bed I've been gradually dealing with over the last few years. It's _finally_ looking decent.) I should have done something like your raised beds--- maybe a couple rows of landscape bricks, and a foot of good soil over the top.
Kdestra-- Good on you, calling them out. You're a good mom!

Impressive watering system, Col! I need a LOT of garden hose to reach the far side of my garden...and it's across a county road. No automated system for me.

We got a sprinkling of rain, but we could use more since the heat is still on. (I know, it's relative, but the high 80's is hot to me!)
My later-planted, shorter-season pumpkins are jumping, though. If the SVBs don't kill them, I should get some Orange Cuties and some Toads. Some of the C. maximas have started putting out male flowers, even though they haven't started to vine. I probably should pinch the flowers off before they open, but a few squash bees have started to show up, and I don't want to deprive them of the little food that's available. It would make more difference to them than to the plants' productivity.
Some of the tiny decorative gourds (TN Spinner and Round) are growing well, too. I'll try to just enjoy them and try some of the maximas again next year.
As to the SVB, I went ahead and ordered some marathon granules. I'll just use it on the plants right where I saw the moth, and I'll keep flowers picked (or covered, for the females) so bees can't get to them. Bees will still have the rest of the patch.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

By the way, it now seems you can only edit right after you post...or maybe only until someone else posts. Whatever the deal is--- Back when Col. Fryght told about his disaster, my reply (which I intended to be sympathetic) was prefaced with a "?". That was NOT something I intended to insert. I really have no idea how it wound up on the post, but by the time I saw it, I wasn't able to edit it out. So-- just to be clear, I didn't find it amusing in any way, shape or form. You regulars probably already figured that, but, still, it makes me cringe when I see it, and I wanted to get that said.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The husks of the Red Spectrum Corn aren't exactly what I'd deem: "A third or more red"





Jung Seed: Vegetable Seed, Flower Seed, and Garden Supplies


Jung Seed has been a leading supplier of organic, heirloom, fruit, vegetable, flower, herb, perennial, and annual plants and seeds since 1907.



www.jungseed.com




But there is one deep burgundy stalk that is out of space & time. I don't have photoshop & I didn't alter the color. Most of my gardener friends are unimpressed because corn is beneath them but I hope you all can see it's uniqueness


----------



## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I think you and ooojen just may be correct. When I yanked the one plant out I was actually quite shocked by how easily it came out until I saw just how small the root was. The plant was half decent sized somehow but there wasn’t much root holding it into the ground. I had no idea what hard pan was, but I rototilled this area at least 6 times before planting and I kept getting very frustrated. Every time it would rain I’d give it a few days until it was dry and I could rototill again. It would always be hard as a rock and I was getting frustrated. The areas where I planted last year is in the same patch but this year we planted corn and my gourds there. That area was like walking on sand, even after it rained and dried. The soil was awesome and so easy to get through. I guess I’ll go back to planting the pumpkins there next year.
> 
> I never really thought about the landscape fabric being a hinderance due to the extra heat it creates, and to be honest it did absolutely nothing to control the weeds! The weeds still grew under the fabric and even pushed the fabric up in the air so it’s just kind of floating on top of the weeds. I don’t think I’ll be using it in the future. At the end of this week we are supposed to get up to 97 degrees so I’m worried about that now as well. I should just plant corn, it’s much easier!
> 
> ...


I feel your pain, most of my pumpkin crops did the same thing. They looked so promising in May but have now completely withered away due to the heat. The squash / pumpkins that I planted in the shade are still hanging around but have contracted a bad case of powder mildew. My Jack-O-Latern and Warty Goblin varieties that are planted in full sun are still "growing" but have yet to produce any female flowers. I ended up planting more corn in the dead pumpkin beds as the corn has done really well in the hot / humid climate (over 9' tall). I've been using black filter fabric placed over the ground, covered in garden soil, so it could be the filter fabric is absorbing to much heat and baking the root system? I think I will try to plant some seeds directly in the ground to see if it makes a difference.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> By the way, it now seems you can only edit right after you post...or maybe only until someone else posts. Whatever the deal is--- Back when Col. Fryght told about his disaster, my reply (which I intended to be sympathetic) was prefaced with a "?". That was NOT something I intended to insert. I really have no idea how it wound up on the post, but by the time I saw it, I wasn't able to edit it out. So-- just to be clear, I didn't find it amusing in any way, shape or form. You regulars probably already figured that, but, still, it makes me cringe when I see it, and I wanted to get that said.


Ooojen, speaking for myself but I'm sure everyone agrees - we totally understand


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> The husks of the Red Spectrum Corn aren't exactly what I'd deem: "A third or more red"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm liking this stuff, I'm most interested to see if it retains any color when it dries in the fall.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, ooojen, I never thought you were laughing about it. I figured it was an accidental emoji typo or something and just ignored it, lol.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Okay some years, are just not meant to be productive. So, I got all gung-ho this week about my surviving vines. It is hard to explain, but when the disease set in, I turned the four closest vines on each side of the plant backwards towards the plant that was pulled instead of terminating them. Kind of like spider legs.

The thinking at the time was to generate more leaves and to fill the void left by the pulling of the other plant. After the car incident, that plan seemed to provide me with 8 good twenty foot long secondaries attached to the vine that were still popping out females. So far so good...

I started pollinating females this week as they matured. However, I get home from work last night and the last foot of each vine has been eating off on 6 of the 8. I have never had that happen before in my life, even before the B.E.E. Yes, I have a boat load of deer, squirrels and some years rabbits, but they have always left my garden alone.

I do have at least two pumpkins pollinated, so am I am excited about that. But, I will at least need to get the exterior poly fence of the B.E.E. back-up to keep the animals out. The 6mil poly at the big box stores is the wrong size, I have to order it online. Looking at next week before it comes in.

But I am pessimistic, about the disease. Right after the incident, I lost about a 100 leafs over the next three days. I am now back to a normal progression of a half dozen per day. I guess the immediate stress sent a lot of the leaves over the edge.

Anyway, I have regained my fighting spirit for what is worth and all of your positive support has played a big part in that. Plus, the realization that even if I only get one small giant pumpkin to the finish line, odds are that I will still have a good showing at the county fair.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

And I totally forgot to mention, that ooojen's errant emoji never even registered with me as I read the comment. Plus, it looks more like a japanese crying emoji on my small laptop screen. lol You guys get what I must have been going through, which is why it probably never registered with me.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

My big moose responded similarly when the kids stomped on a vine, the secondaries went wild. I've also getting females still blooming on vines that have a set pumpkin already. Since I'm going to value numbers more than size, I don't mind, it's just interesting to watch how different it is from the field pumpkins I normally grow.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., I am so glad you decided to give your remaining secondaries a chance!!
On the other hand...it is beyond crummy that you lost so much to suddenly being chewed on and eaten. I'm rooting for you to get those last one or two to the finish line and get even a decent little pumpkin for all the work! Weird little thought...if it's deer or such eating your vines and pumpkins, do you happen to have a bar of Irish Spring soap?? Deer and some other animals don't care for the smell, so my family has found that if you grate it on or closely around the plants you don't want eaten, it can help deter them and maybe protect your remaining pumpkins you have started. It may not help for all animals, but we know, for sure, deer don't like the smell of it and neither do some rabbits.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> My big moose responded similarly when the kids stomped on a vine, the secondaries went wild. I've also getting females still blooming on vines that have a set pumpkin already. Since I'm going to value numbers more than size, I don't mind, it's just interesting to watch how different it is from the field pumpkins I normally grow.


Same! ..... big or small I want them all

It is really interesting isn't. I've got this one vine it has one big, fat, round pumpkin then on a secondary vine it's got an oblong thing. It looks like it could be fake pumpkin from Granden Road


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ooojen, at no point did I think you were laughing at the Col’s problem. I agree with everyone else in that we all know how much time and energy goes into this, and we all want each other to succeed.

Kdestra, your corn is awesome looking! It totally looks like something I’d use to decorate my front porch with!

Col., I love that you’re still giving it a shot, even after everything you’ve gone through! Just to get anything to grow at this point has got to be considered a victory!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Do you happen to have a bar of Irish Spring soap?? Deer and some other animals don't care for the smell


Do I have Irish Spring? I got my mom to switch to Irish Spring back in the 70s. I just loved the smell over Ivory soap which was the family standard. I have been an Irish Spring man since I was a wee lad. lol


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

It's been brutally hot & the next 3 days are headed over 100. Let's hope the pumpkins survive


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

So, I go out to my patch this morning and I pollinated another female flower. But as I walked around the garden, I notice three more vines that have had the ends chewed off. Then as I am inspecting my pollinated pumpkins this week, I notice that one has a quarter size bit mark in the side. Great.

Squirrels have never bothered me before, but when my giant split open, I came home to squirrels feasting away. I think they have now acquired the taste and until I seal things off, I am an open buffet. I did powder all my set pumpkins with sulfur and cover them with a t-shirt until I have time to erect some sort of temporary fencing like hardware cloth or chicken wire around the babies.

But my main concern is still my leaf situation. I have attached a pic below. It is hard to believe that all of that is just one plant. The middle section looks greener than it really is because it is mostly grass. But, I am giving them a chance.


----------



## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

It now feels like it's waaay over 100° outside now & it will be staying that way until Tuesday.

I haven't lost anything yet but if I don't get out there, suit up in a gallon of DEET & water what I have I will have NOTHING. No peppers, no cukes, no pumpkins, nothing.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., sorry about your squirrel problem...I have that same problem every year in both my garden and when I have them out for decor. I had to use strictly fake pumpkins, now, for outside decor, and if we carve pumpkins for Halloween, we bring them inside each overnight, and put them back out for the evening, lit, then back inside...ug. The squirrels feast on it all. Last year I had to use small, wire fencing circles around each and every pumpkin/gourdkin, as they were getting nibbled on.

I have my first Zucchini going, I checked it, today, and it looks like something bit into it. Grrrrrr. Rabbits can't get in, so probably the squirrels...

As for the heat, we are getting hit hard with it, too...temps in the 90's to near 100 and heat indexes up to 110/115. Add in our usual humidity that makes the air feel soooo thick and heavy at times and it's just miserable outside. I am losing all my pollinated cucumbers, and some of my baby, unopened female pumpkins and gourds are aborting, too. It's so depressing...still fighting off the squash bugs, too...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RCIAG said:


> It now feels like it's waaay over 100° outside now & it will be staying that way until Tuesday.
> 
> I haven't lost anything yet but if I don't get out there, suit up in a gallon of DEET & water what I have I will have NOTHING. No peppers, no cukes, no pumpkins, nothing.


 DEET = Old Bay Seasoning for mosquitoes


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Just some passing thoughts on a rainy morning. I read that the edit deadline is 24 hrs, but that if you hit the exclamation mark at the bottom is messages the moderators. The moderators will review our reasons for making a late edit and adjust the original post if warranted.

Also, we can post GIFs now which is a cool feature. Not sure how many would be applicable for pumpkin growing, but I sometimes cannot help myself like now.


----------



## JaCk (Jul 15, 2014)

Hello, all! Kinda late to join into this thread this year, but it’s nice reading through everyone’s posts. Like others have said, it’s brutally hot out here in Colorado. Upper 90’s and 100, so I’m noticing my garden in drying out by the end of the day, with some of my pumpkin plants wilting. They perk up after an evening watering, though. So I just upped my watering times to see if that helps. 

Sorry to hear about the squirrel problems, Col! Hope you get it figured out...

This year, we’re just growing JBL and mini ghosts, and I’m hoping to try to get them on my trellis. First female flowers just showed up this week! Looking forward to this thread up until harvest.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My vines are going crazy, now. They are everywhere. I had to tie a rope between my two square trellises (not really trellises, but they were display rack from show from my husbands work that they were getting rid of and they are perfect for growing vines up, lol.) and, since these trellises are on each end of my garden, I'll have to walk under my mini pumpkins and gourds. Makeshift pumpkin arch, I guess...except since it's rope, it will probably sink in the middle from the weight and pull both trellises down, lol. I'll work on it when the weather's cooler...this was an early morning rush job before the worst of the day's heat hit. I'm still loosing some females...sigh...thankfully, today should be the last of the heat warning days...for now. 
I finally found some tiny female daisy gourds! I forgot which I planted on which trellis, baby pumpkins or gourds, so now I know. The gourd one is the one that's going crazy with vines! It was just vining, though, no females until now. I hope the heat doesn't get these guys, too!

The war on squash bugs continues. Sigh. Now, not only are they on my pumpkins and gourds, they are on my zucchini, too!! This is ridiculous. I can't keep going out, grabbing these guys, scraping eggs, removing leaves, ect...it's too dang hot and too much work. There are so many, like last year. I never had this problem at my old house. It's like this neighborhood is the "Lair of Squash Bugs".

The first of my sunflowers is opening! It's one of my shorter varieties that I planted. The larger ones should be opening, soon. Here are some pics...one of the first bloom opening and one of how dang tall these guys get, lol. Use the neighbor's flagpole to get an idea, lol. (granted I'm lower, looking up, but they are up to the bottom of the flags.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> The first of my sunflowers is opening! It's one of my shorter varieties that I planted. The larger ones should be opening, soon. Here are some pics...one of the first bloom opening and one of how dang tall these guys get, lol. Use the neighbor's flagpole to get an idea, lol. (granted I'm lower, looking up, but they are up to the bottom of the flags.
> View attachment 714242
> View attachment 714243


Sunflowers are looking great. My fastest growing ones are about three feet tall. I so wish that they were as big as yours.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Sunflowers are looking great. Mine fastest growing ones are about three feet tall. I so wish that they were as big as yours.


Thanks!! I started mine indoors, so maybe that's why I have a slight head start?? Unless you started yours, indoors, too? Mine were small, for a bit, then just all of the sudden shot up and grew into trees! I need to measure how tall they get...and how big their flower heads are when they fully open.

My neighbor, who's backyard is just across the alley from my back yard where the garden is, came over while I was in there working and said how much she loved my sunflowers. They are right there on the corner that's closest to her yard, so she can sit there and enjoy them, too!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

If I had a lot of land, I'd have a field of pumpkins/gourds and a field of sunflowers, lol. Alas, we bought a house with a tiny back yard.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey JaCk! Nice pictures ???

Wk - I wondered what your trellises were. I love them.


----------



## dhn1993 (Jul 12, 2017)

Wow, just reading everyone's posts about what's been happening because of this heat wave we're dealing with, and then Col. Fryght's major loss, I'm having it a bit difficult to keep hopes up for a lot of us wanting a decent bounty this season. Some of ya'll are really having it worse than us with higher temps and such, so that means you've got to be a bit more creative in handling it. I live in North-East Tennessee, so my temps are roughly in between the mid and upper 80s. most of this week, it was plum raining and overcast, so the pumpkins just couldn't get any sunlight in them! Not to mention because I was so uninformed before starting this garden, it floods a little bit with excess rain and some of the plants get submerged on the roots down because my natural soil is clay. But for the past few days its actually been really sunny and pretty, so the pumpkins were able to grow a bit more. Since my last pics, it feels like they've grown like weeds! My plan now is to possibly take out that smaller pumpkin plant and train the other plants to use the rest of that room to grow. There are some weeds sharing the bed, but they're easy to pull up. I'd like to actually use some shade cover overhead like some of you are doing. I'd love to hear of opinions of how it is right now and what could be done!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

dhn1993 said:


> Wow, just reading everyone's posts about what's been happening because of this heat wave we're dealing with, and then Col. Fryght's major loss, I'm having it a bit difficult to keep hopes up for a lot of us wanting a decent bounty this season. Some of ya'll are really having it worse than us with higher temps and such, so that means you've got to be a bit more creative in handling it. I live in North-East Tennessee, so my temps are roughly in between the mid and upper 80s. most of this week, it was plum raining and overcast, so the pumpkins just couldn't get any sunlight in them! Not to mention because I was so uninformed before starting this garden, it floods a little bit with excess rain and some of the plants get submerged on the roots down because my natural soil is clay. But for the past few days its actually been really sunny and pretty, so the pumpkins were able to grow a bit more. Since my last pics, it feels like they've grown like weeds! My plan now is to possibly take out that smaller pumpkin plant and train the other plants to use the rest of that room to grow. There are some weeds sharing the bed, but they're easy to pull up. I'd like to actually use some shade cover overhead like some of you are doing. I'd love to hear of opinions of how it is right now and what could be done!
> View attachment 714291
> 
> View attachment 714289
> View attachment 714290


I'm using a broken patio umbrella to shade my peppers from the brutal heat.


----------



## Squirrelbane (Jun 19, 2016)

Hi everyone! long time lurker, first time grower. I currently have two pumpkin plants on the go (not sure on what variety I have, the guy I bought the seedlings from said they were "just big halloween ones"). They have been happily sitting in a grow bag in my garden but after a bout of wet weather (torrential rain) I put them in my greenhouse for safety. Well they've been in there for a week and it's now turned into a scene from Day of the Triffids. They have pretty much trebled in size and started growing fruit. I was told to remove all but one pumpkin on the plant to ensure it'll grow large, which I have done with one of the plants but left the other to just do what it wants. Now here is where I'm unsure... Do I leave them in the greenhouse and let them take over, or do I put them back in my garden?. I live in the U.K so it is not massively hot at the moment, plus I live in an area that experiences a lot of rainfall. My greenhouse has the first morning sun and shade from 3pm (I use it to grow carnivorous plants). I have experience growing marrows and courgettes but these are my first pumpkins.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

dhn1993 said:


> . I'd like to actually use some shade cover overhead like some of you are doing. I'd love to hear of opinions of how it is right now and what could be done!


Your large plant has really good color. I am curious as to how much space you are allowing your pumpkin plants. It is a challenge to grow plants in less than 150 sq ft. if you are growing regular size pumpkins.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> *SEASON OVER *The most bizarre ending to any pumpkin season in the history of pumpkin growing probably occurred today.


We're so sorry to read this. I know we're over a week behind in responding. The new site seems to randomly stop telling me threads I'm following actually have new posts. The Pumpkin Grower thread which is one of my favorites, just dropped off the map. 

It's part of the joy of this thread that we live vicariously through others growing things we can only dream of. Were we to grow a pumpkin of the size you grow, Col. Fryght, we'd never get them out from from the back yard. So, whenever we read of successes, it brings a smile to our faces. The heartaches cut just as deep. Time may add humor to the affair. But so much went into what you were doing, and so many lessons were passed along that helped us out. So, we shake our heads and wonder why Mother Nature makes sucking/boring insects, pumpkin viruses, hot weather when flowers are blooming, and all the other stuff she does. 

And now, this. We're glad your family and friends are safe. We're saddened to see your pumpkin gone. It was so much fun to follow along. Thanks for the sharing the season with us. Good or bad, all gardeners have stories to tell, and we're really grateful that everyone here is willing to tell theirs. Even if we have to send along condolences for the saddest.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Squirrels have never bothered me before, but when my giant split open, I came home to squirrels feasting away. I think they have now acquired the taste and until I seal things off, I am an open buffet.


Squirrels are amazingly smart rodents that know what they like. They tend to test and retest areas where they have found food in the past. Ours eat just about everything, including ant traps that have sugar in them. I put them out, they have them torn apart and emptied in days. They have tried to chew through our recycle bin in an effort to see what's inside that. 

While it might not help since the scent of pumpkin is in the water so to speak, we have a bird feeder out in our front yard. The squirrels see that as a year long festival of entertainment and leave the backyard mostly alone. Perhaps in years going forward, you can put out a bird feeder in your front yard to entice the squirrels away from the back yard. I don't recommend putting a squirrel feeder out, though. We tried that and our squirrel population went from about three to seven in just a week. When we took it out and left only the bird feeder, the squirrels returned to more manageable numbers.

Now, our backyard rodent problem is rats. We had neighbors who have been raising chickens for years. The whole time we never had a rat problem, because their buffet was just down the road. But the neighbors are getting rid of the chickens, and the rats are trying to find new homes. They dig under the pumpkins and watermelons and we're watching them die because the water flows down the holes instead of around the fruits. SIGH... nature has a way of reminding you who's boss on a regular basis.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Squirrelbane said:


> Hi everyone! long time lurker, first time grower. Do I leave them in the greenhouse and let them take over, or do I put them back in my garden?.


Thanks for coming out of the shadows- the more the merrier. The big question is how big is your greenhouse in terms of area? I know some UK growers have huge greenhouses to protect their pumpkins. And pics would help. 

My idea of a big plant and your idea of a big plant may not be the same. It is okay to leave more than one pumpkin on the vine if you are growing pumpkins under a hundred pounds. When you say big pumpkins, how big?

Look forward to hearing your response.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Squirrelbane said:


> Do I leave them in the greenhouse and let them take over, or do I put them back in my garden?.


Col Fryght is right that there are various factors affecting your decision to leave the pumpkin where it is or move it. I'm thinking moving it outside would free up much needed greenhouse space. However, pumpkins aren't exactly the sturdiest of creatures. I've wiped out a few just trying to weed around them and breaking off their stems. So, as a part of your choice, decide if moving it will damage the vines. Once they're growing they're not going to want to move. They're even going to set down roots along the vines if they can. 

So, if moving the whole pumpkin seems ungainly, you might want to play it safe and just leave it where it is this year, and plan for a different approach next year when you grow them again.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

After 5 days & nights with temps over 100' it's RAINING!!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

We just had 3 days of temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s. I made sure to water everything on Saturday morning which was the middle of the high temperature days. I was pretty worried about how my plants would hold up, but I have to say that after starting off slowly, and losing 3 plants to disease, everything has been taking off lately.

My vines have been growing at an incredible rate and they’ll soon be growing outside the fenced in area. Each day I’ve been walking around the area and have been trying to reposition the vines away from the fence. If they get outside the fence, the old man that mows that area has a tendency to run over the vine tips.

I noticed I had 5 more female flowers open today, but no bee activity near two of them. I decided to hand pollinate just to be sure.

Fingers crossed that the next two months are as good as the last 2. If so, I should have my best results yet.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Our vines are finally beginning to see a bit of growth. Most have set at least one fruit. I don't hand pollinate, so I am happy with the results so far. 

All of the plants I worried about are now showing signs of rat holes next to them draining off the water. While I'm reluctant to do anything to wipe out moles because they seem to just borrow and move on, rats are another matter. They create permanent runways that they maintain, so my plants don't stand a chance. They've dug under my Asian maple tree and half of it has died off without the soil to trap water for the roots. So, it's game on between me and the rats. 

Once their gone, all holes have to be back-filled not just for the plants, but to keep them from becoming yellow jacket nests next year. I really hate interfering with what animals do out in my garden, but at some point I will step in. The rats seem to have crossed that line.

On another matter entirely, one of my pumpkins seems to have gone variegated. 










Those are my two Rouge Vif D’Etampe pumpkins. They both seem to be just fine, and I hope that's not some strange disease I'm staring at. But they sure do look different from each other. Does anyone know why? (The weeds that are growing in their basins are now pulled out and dropped on the ground to decay and provide both nutrients and cover for the coming warm days.)


----------



## Squirrelbane (Jun 19, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Thanks for coming out of the shadows- the more the merrier. The big question is how big is your greenhouse in terms of area? I know some UK growers have huge greenhouses to protect their pumpkins. And pics would help.
> 
> My idea of a big plant and your idea of a big plant may not be the same. It is okay to leave more than one pumpkin on the vine if you are growing pumpkins under a hundred pounds. When you say big pumpkins, how big?
> 
> Look forward to hearing your response.


I think my idea of a big plant will probably be the runt of the reject crop for most of the growers here! I've just seen some of the examples here and to say I'm blown away is an understatement.
I have 0 idea of how big these pumpkins are going/meant to get, I am completely in the dark with them.

I've included a couple of photos....my cat just had to help.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Nice job - Mayor. 

Chubstuff, I had to deal with rats last year. Sad to say but we carefully put rat bait down the holes. This year = no rats. I don't like putting out bait but its better then glue traps. What ever you do please don't put out glue traps. It traps birds, reptiles, possums & more. 

Squirrelbane, I never reject a pumpkin. Because of the 100 degree temps I only have 2 official pumpkins. Let's hope more will bloom


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Forgot to mention the RVD'E chubstuff - but I fear you may have a problem (fungal, blight, not sure) I give my pumpkins lots of tomato Tone & spray w/copper fungicide. 
Best of luck!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm still fighting the Squash Bugs, daily...they have found my Zucchini, now, too. Sigh.

...but even worse, I spotted the dreaded SVB!!! I was horrified! I saw it near my Zucchinis, as well. I ran to the garage to get my organic garden safe bug spray (I knew it wouldn't kill it, as this stuff is made from plants and a bit weak, lol, but I just wanted to stun it so it'd land and I could get it) I ran back and it was gone. The hunt was on. I kept spotting it, but it would get away from me. I tried to spray it a few times, barely hit it, lost it, again. Fast forward about five minutes and my MiL comes over while on her walk. She comes back to see the garden and, while we are talking, I spot it!! I was like, "Shhhhh, one second, one second"...and I creep up to it and spray, I hit it but it starts to fly around. I lost it, again, we start talking again, then I spot it up on a gourd leaf. Again, I tell her shhh and hold on, at this point, she is looking, too, as I told her what it was and how dangerous that tiny thing could be. We both spot it, I start spraying, it flies around and I'm shooting that crummy bug spray like crazy with wild abandon!! My MiL is witnessing my wild dance of the bug spray, and pointing to where it kept moving...probably laughing at me, too, lol. I finally caught it on a leaf and sprayed like crazy until it dropped down. I start spraying it on the ground and I'm like, wait, why am I doing this?? I stop shooting and start stomping...but it wouldn't die!! I kept stomping and stomping and was like, omg!! Come on, what the heck, why won't you die?!?! Again, my MiL is watching my crazy war dance and laughing...she was saying stuff, but who knows what, as I was so crazed about this one, single tiny bug. I couldn't kill it because I was wearing softer flip flops and it was on mulch, so I was barely touching it. I finally got it after what seemed like an eternity of stomping, lol. Any neighbor who may have been watching this entire scenario would probably have been laughing their butts off! 

Being me, though...I immediately felt bad and apologized to the poor, dead, thing. I hate killing bugs of any kind and try really hard not to...but SVB, Squash Bugs and these evil Japanese Beetles are going to destroy my gardens, so I have no choice. I feel so terrible...the insects are just doing what they were born to do, and we go and kill them for it...

I lost a lot of baby pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers and zucchini to the insane heatwave we just went through (and possibly insect issues, too). I have all these vines but lost most of the first females. This will hurt my total amount I will get for the season something terrible. I normally have cucumbers and pumpkins by now. I was able to get one, single zucchini to maturity before the rest aborted from the weather, insects, ect. I hope I can get some going, soon...

Here is a picture of me garden, this year. Left tower is Daisy Gourds, behind that is Carrots, a tower of Cucumbers, my Sunflowers, then moving to the right is Jalapenos and Salsa Peppers, Tomatoes and Zucchini in cages, then moving down on the right is my Pumpkin on a Sticks, then finally my tower of Little October Pumpkins. In the center, I have pots of lavender, a planter with another Little October Pumpkin plant, and a planter of herbs. 

My Daisy Gourds have gone crazy and are trying to make a break for it into the neighbors yard, lol. I have been trying to reroute the vines all over the place. On the opposite side, where you can't see, I actually have stuff tied to the fence and then back to the tower to reroute one crazy long vine from taking a dip in the neighbor's pool!!. Some had to have their ends nipped to stop vine growth. If you look close, I had no idea what to do but tie a yellow rope from the Gourd tower to the Pumpkin Tower and let the vines start climbing across, lol. It's going to start to sag from the weight, so I'll be ducking a lot, lol. (I tried to tie the towers down on the opposite sides so they, hopefully, won't pull out of the ground and tip inward!!) Next year, we need an arch, for sure!!!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Its beautiful WK! I'm glad you killed the SVB. Those things are horrible. I understand how you feel about killing them but this is "life or death" for all of your cucubits.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Its beautiful WK! I'm glad you killed the SVB. Those things are horrible. I understand how you feel about killing them but this is "life or death" for all of your cucubits.


Thank you!

I know...I was really hoping that if I sprayed at her enough she'd just fly away...no such luck, sadly. 

I just hope I got her in time...I keep checking all the lower vine bases.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Chubstuff, I had to deal with rats last year. Sad to say but we carefully put rat bait down the holes. I don't like putting out bait but its better then glue traps. What ever you do please don't put out glue traps.


We are probably going to go with standard snap traps. We have too many animals that might suffer finding a poisoned rat, including a very inquisitive dog. We can put out the traps at night and then collect them before letting the dog out in the morning. We won't be using glue traps. There are too many snakes and frogs in our garden to put out something that indiscriminately destructive. 

But thanks for your post. It's comforting to think I won't have to be trying to kill them off every year. We shall see just how determined they are as opposed to how soft-hearted I am. ...sigh...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Forgot to mention the RVD'E chubstuff - but I fear you may have a problem (fungal, blight, not sure) I give my pumpkins lots of tomato Tone & spray w/copper fungicide.
> Best of luck!


I was hoping no one would say that, but I'll spray it with a fungicide and watch it carefully. If it doesn't fruit soon, I'll just pull it out. It's the only one in the entire garden that looks the way it does. This has been a rather frustrating year for pumpkins. Normally, I just plant them, water them, and come fall I have tons of pumpkins. This year it's been one complication after another. I'll feel almost guilty ripping the guts out of any pumpkin that survives this year.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Squirrelbane said:


> I think my idea of a big plant will probably be the runt of the reject crop for most of the growers here! I've just seen some of the examples here and to say I'm blown away is an understatement.
> I have 0 idea of how big these pumpkins are going/meant to get, I am completely in the dark with them.
> 
> I've included a couple of photos....my cat just had to help.


I say if you can afford to leave it where it is, do so. Moving it now will disturb all that growth, unless you have a really great way to pick it up and transport it while supporting all the vines. Others on this site are amazing when it comes to what they grow. I try to admire what they do without even thinking about trying to duplicate it. hahaha. I'm content with a few pumpkins I can call my own come Halloween. And fortunately for them, size doesn't matter. I'm happy that they just turn orange on time.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> Normally, I just plant them, water them, and come fall I have tons of pumpkins. This year it's been one complication after another. I'll feel almost guilty ripping the guts out of any pumpkin that survives this year.


Yep, I can remember those simpler days-- plant them, pull weeds a couple times come back and have loads of pumpkins.
I've said more than once that I don't want to invest space and time on open-pollinated seeds from mystery crosses. You might get something nice; you might get nothing.
But this year after seeing the stuff I planted limping along slowly, slowly, I decided to leave a couple of the volunteers that came up late and out-performed the "wanted ones". (There's one kind of cool bicolored thing that might be half egg gourd..?)
The plants I deliberately started are still way behind where they should be. I just looked at some of my pictures from last year, and it's ridiculous how far behind this year's plants are. I'll share comparison shots once I get a current one (it's dark out now).
On the bright side, the 3 varieties of tiny pumpkins I have are doing pretty well so far. Of course they can blast at any time, but I have decent fruit set on "Toad", "Orange Cutie", and, "Sugar Pie". Most of the should-be-larger pumpkin plants have tiny, head-of-a-pin sized fruits behind female flowers deep in the growing points. It's something. If I can get a couple fruits off each plant, I'll be happy. It was gratifying to get a big crop last year, but I did have more than I needed...even more than I could foist on family and friends. 
The bottle gourds might be a lost cause. I see I had big ones by this time last year, but they still didn't wind up being very thick, and a lot didn't dry. Again, time will tell. The decorative gourd vines are looking pretty good, but I don't see many flowers coming. One female bloomed, but I was too busy to catch it, and there were no males in the area.
It's a challenging year for me, but I'm not giving up yet.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Yep, I can remember those simpler days-- plant them, pull weeds a couple times come back and have loads of pumpkins.


Ditto! This year I gave up on the French Heirlooms & grew basic fat orange pumpkins. I'm also trying without much luck Big Moose (not a single blossom) 

If it wasn't for the funky cross pollinated hooligan - the pumpkin arch would be a complete bust. I love the funky greenish/yellowish hooligan. It's very healthy & has firm, plump fruit. It didn't mind the 100 degrees temps. I'm very proud of it.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Yep, I can remember those simpler days-- plant them, pull weeds a couple times come back and have loads of pumpkins... I just looked at some of my pictures from last year, and it's ridiculous how far behind this year's plants are.


Last year, I couldn't even see the ground the pumpkins had grown so thick. This year, I can walk between the rows watering without a problem. I will be hoping that some that are actually fruiting will hold onto their pumpkins and go the distance, but I'm still a bit skittish that anything will make it out to the front yard this year. Such is the nature of gardening, though. I suppose it's time to start the pep talks about those that don't grow become compost for those that do. My pumpkins live very high stress lives thanks to my motivational speaking approach.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Squirrelbane said:


> I think my idea of a big plant will probably be the runt of the reject crop for most of the growers here! I've just seen some of the examples here and to say I'm blown away is an understatement.
> I have 0 idea of how big these pumpkins are going/meant to get, I am completely in the dark with them.
> 
> I've included a couple of photos....my cat just had to help.


I would definitely not try to transplant a vine that long. Enjoy the ride and see what happens. I would just try to give it as much space as possible. Of course it helps to own a nursery. The Paton brothers hold the UK record at 2433 lbs. Below is a pic of Ian Paton and their enclosed, air conditioned, watering system, and CO2 furnace set-up.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Wow, so much to unpack in this thread. I can't even imagine the heartbreak of losing your pumpkins like that! What a freak accident. You have a good sense of humor about it which must be helping your wife to feel a little better about it. In my house, a comparable sin would be if I burned down my husband's garage and I think if I did that I'd never have the guts to admit it.

We have had really weird weather and I think it's affecting the pumpkins. It has been unseasonably cool and we have had the wettest July on record. I saw a large female blossom just about ready to open (finally) but no males to be seen. There were a few that already shriveled up. Crossing my fingers that I get at least one growing soon. My setup is very amateurish compared to all of you but I just want at least one pumpkin that I grew myself. Stupid slugs ate all my white pumpkin sprouts and the phlox I planted in my perennial garden (currently just 2 blueberry bushes). I call myself the haphazard gardener for a reason ?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> Wow, so much to unpack in this thread. I can't even imagine the heartbreak of losing your pumpkins like that! What a freak accident. You have a good sense of humor about it which must be helping your wife to feel a little better about it. In my house, a comparable sin would be if I burned down my husband's garage and I think if I did that I'd never have the guts to admit it.
> 
> We have had really weird weather and I think it's affecting the pumpkins. It has been unseasonably cool and we have had the wettest July on record. I saw a large female blossom just about ready to open (finally) but no males to be seen. There were a few that already shriveled up. Crossing my fingers that I get at least one growing soon. My setup is very amateurish compared to all of you but I just want at least one pumpkin that I grew myself. Stupid slugs ate all my white pumpkin sprouts and the phlox I planted in my perennial garden (currently just 2 blueberry bushes). I call myself the haphazard gardener for a reason ?


I hope you can get something going, soon!!! I'm sorry about your white pumpkin sprouts and phlox.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Hi all. I have a question for the experienced growers out there. Normally, I just let my pumpkins do whatever they want to do. There are always a couple of big pumpkins and a whole bunch of smaller ones because I don't trim back any of the ones that are growing to make bigger pumpkins out of the ones left behind.

This year, I'm wondering if I should. The growth on the vines has been terrible, the rats have stunted over half of my crop by whatever it is they're doing, and I'm looking at the fruit just now coming on. I have a couple of pumpkins that have two fruit growing and I'd be more than happy with that. But I also have seen pumpkins rot off the vine for no reason even though they start out nice.

So, the question. Do I take the two that seem to be growing well, and knock off all the others that come along? Would that help them ripen faster as well as grow bigger? I'm just trying to hedge my bets on the outcome of this years crop with so many complications that have popped up. All advice is welcome. Except the suggestion that I knit myself a pumpkin if I want to see a nice looking one this year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Great just great. ... .. one out've the two pumpkins that grew started rotting. 
The stem started to shrivel yesterday and this morning it has discoloration. 

-- Cubstuff -- normally I'd say knock the other pumpkins off but this year is tough. If you knocked them off, you might not have any pumpkins


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

RIP pumpkin ☠☠☠
I've never seen a pumpkin shrivel like this before it's like an eggshell 

On a happier note: the crazy hooligan/JBL is super productive. I cut out another non-JBL gourd that was growing in the arch. It was kind've sad but also liberating. I've never been so aggressive in maintaining a plant before.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

It seems we are all having a tough time growing anything this year. This thread should be renamed "pumpkin growers support group"


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SVB TRAP REPORT*

Outside Formerly Inside Traps: 27
Outside Trap Entire Time: 31

In two weeks the formerly inside B.E.E. traps have almost caught up with the one outside trap. I guess I should be thankful that I survived the main SVB season, but I still have another six weeks of SVB battles.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It seems that a number of us are having better luck with the minis than the big ones. It's certainly the case in my garden.
Some comparison shots, last year to this year--
First, July 14, 2018 ... then this year, July 24 (yeah, ten days further along)














The gourd patch July 19th of last year, and this year, on the 24th. We have a huge amount of weed pressure, and I can't even count the hours I've spent keeping these enormous patches clean.














Yeah, pretty sad. I haven't seen anything resembling a female flower on the bottle gourds. I think they're a lost cause. Last year I had some full-sized gourd fruits at this time, and they still didn't have enough of the season left to thicken up like they should.
I had some really nice Rouge vif and Early Giants at this time last year, too. They needed ripening time, but they were doing well. I don't even have female flowers close yet this year. They're coming, but they're still way down in the growth points of the vines.
Chubstuff-- Good question! I'll be wondering the same thing-- when I finally get some set fruit on the normal-sized vines.

The minis are a bright spot! They're doing quite well and I'm glad this is the year I decided to put in a few kinds.
I only have one "Sugar Pie" vine, and it has only one fruit (other blasted during our hot spell) but there are quite a few females coming, and the fruit it has seems to be developing quickly. With a little luck I should get several.
"Orange Cutie" is wowing me! It's supposed to be a semi-bush form. I've grown it before, and it generally has main vines 6 or 7 feet, with little branching-- still quite productive. This year I have one vine that's just a bit larger than normal, and another that's enormous! It has several set fruits, and a lot of female flowers coming.
"Toad" is an amazing little plant. I usually avoid bush types, but I really liked the look of the tiny, slightly-bumpy pumpkins, so I planted a few. It looks like they're going to be quite productive little things!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Sorry about your rotted pumpkin Kdestra...I hope your other one does well!

Ladyfrog, I agree, lol. PGS Group!

I FINALLY have a female opened!! It's one of my Little October pumpkins, I think. The bees were busily working on them, but I hand pollinated, too, just to be safe. I want ONE pumpkin, at least, out of this forest of vines I now have!!!

My PoaS plants are blooming...so hopefully I will have mini pumpkins, soon. (Really, eggplants, right? lol.)

Both of my smaller, but still big, sunflowers are now bloomed. The first to bloom is starting to get a bigger center for seed growth, now. We will see how big they get. The Giants are getting even more Giant! One has to be 12 feet, by now!! I hope the stem...trunk?? LOL...will be able to support the flower head when it opens up that high!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Toad -- it has the bumps, but the white spots are temporary (preventative fungicide). I think they're just adorable. I guess I'm fixating on what's doing well.  Sugar Pie in the middle, Orange Cute right. OC looks prettier irl; here the light is filtering thorugh the leaves and it looks all green.




















And some mystery volunteers...which would ordinarily have been ripped out long ago...but what do I have to lose? I left each plant a lot of space, and they're not exactly crowded this year!
The second one looks like it has some zucchini in it, but I didn't grow any zucchini last year. It's vining-- not a bush type. The firs one looks more bush type, and while it's larger, it reminds me of an egg gourd. Those both came up late-- late enough that I could tell my C. maximas were stalled. They outpaced the stuff I deliberately planted.














Sorry about your pumpkin Kdestra! By the time they get that size, they usually have pretty good odds. 
I did plant some of the French heirlooms again (Galeux D' Eysines/Peanut, and Rouge Vif d'Etampes) but I'm glad I didn't bother with Musquee de Provence, pretty as they are.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yay for the female flower and tiny pumpkin, WitchyKitty! It's lovely, and that's encouraging!
Your sunflowers and Pumpkins on a Stick look great, too!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> It seems we are all having a tough time growing anything this year. This thread should be renamed "pumpkin growers support group"


????


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Thank you everyone for your condolences. I'm thinking about giving up pumpkin growing next year & just growing minis. 

WK - you are an artist 

Ooojen - I'm at a loss for words.... I showed your photos to hubby - he was dismayed 
OC is adorable. Bush types are a great idea I might look into them. 

The Red Spectrum Corn has got to be over 12ft. Theres no way I can get a quality photo of my little field tho.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Oh, and ooojen, I meant to say about your comparison shots...it's just crazy, isn't it?? Normally, at this time of year, I already have pumpkins and I'm eating or canning lots of veggies, ect. This year...yeah, no.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I know it's sort of commiserating but I feel for everyone out there who is staring at bare ground instead of overgrown pumpkins this year. It's been a very weird year. Some of my pumpkins are setting fruit, but their vines aren't exactly large enough to pump a lot of growth into them. I still feel like come Halloween, I will be out back with a can of orange spray paint trying my best to make what I have look good. sigh...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> They outpaced the stuff I deliberately planted.


That has been the case with all the volunteers that I let survive this year. I really have no idea what they're going to be when they start to actually take on a shape I can ID, but they're doing much better than most of my transplants. Even the seeds I planted in the ground are doing as well, if not better, than the batch that I planted early on in pots.

Next year, I will probably consider giving the pumpkins a rest to see if growing clover or something will rejuvenate the soil. I have other parts of the garden where I might plant one or two just for fun, but a big patch may not be on the docket. Of course I'm saying that staring at a garden struggling to survive. This winter as I stare at seed catalogs I'm sure my feelings will change.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just pollinated two more mini Little October pumpkin flowers!! Still no open female Daisy Gourds. I pollinated some Cucumbers and two Zucchini, too, so I'm hoping things will be starting to look up a little, now. We will see. Disaster is always just around the corner...storms overnight...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

Back on track as long as the leaf disease stays at bay. I have the B.E.E. barrier fence rebuilt bigger and better. The old enclosure was 1200 sq ft., and the new one is 1900 sq ft. It was hard to get motivated to fix the old one, but I found the energy to build a new one the way I want it for next year. It took about 12 hours to take the old fence down, pull all the rebar supports, and re-install with additional fence posts. I plan on leaving the outer silt fence up, and the rebar posts during the off season. That should tremendously cut-down the install time next year.

I only have one squirrel surviving pumpkin that I pollinated within a couple of days after the car incident. The numbers are starting to look good. It was pollinated about 7/15. It currently has a circumference of 39 1/2 inches and overall OTT of 98 inches which puts it at about 21 pounds. I measured it on Thursday night, and it is putting on about 3 inches a days in circumference which is the same pace as my road kill pumpkin.

I am also including a pic of my squirrel bite pumpkin. Since the squirrels ended the vine, I decided to try and save the pumpkin. It was size of a lemon and a squirrel had taken a quarter sized chunk out of it. I covered the wound in sulfur. It is certainly growing slower, but it is now the size of a cantaloupe. Basically, I am in "Kedestra" mode and trying to get anything and everything to the finish line this year. lol


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., I'm so glad you have a couple pumpkins left to work with...I hope the squirrel bite one makes it and heals! 
I'm happy that you rebuilt your B.E.E. bigger, better and easier to install...next year will be so much easier for you for that! 
I can't wait to see if your pumpkins get big and make it to the finish line!!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

What's the best fertilizer to use for pumpkins? I've been adding compost around the stems every few weeks. Is there anything else I should add? I have 3 growing right now but they are growing very slowly.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Do you have three vines growing or three pumpkins growing slowly? My two cents will be different depending on the situation.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

We're back. I'm told there was a blistering heat wave (as in a stay inside warning 105+) while we were gone. They're alive. Don't look GREAT, but alive.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> What's the best fertilizer to use for pumpkins? I've been adding compost around the stems every few weeks. Is there anything else I should add? I have 3 growing right now but they are growing very slowly.


Ok, when I started 6 separate JBL vines on the pumpkin arch - I used higly deluted 20-20-20
The temps were in low 60s at night & didn't burn. Now in mid/late July I switched to Tomato 
Tone 3-4-6 & occasionally water them with deluted Epsom salt (lots of argument about the effectiveness but leaves are very green) 

As you've read my big pumpkins aren't doing great but I'm not as attentive with them as I am with the jbls on the arch. I use Tomato Tone on my tomatoes & peppers (occasionally watering with epsom salt) they taste as good as the look. 






Espoma | Tomato! Organic Fertilizer or Tomatoes & Veggies. | Espoma


Espoma Organic Tomato! Fertilizer for Tomatoes & Vegetables




www.espoma.com


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Col., I'm so glad you have a couple pumpkins left to work with...I hope the squirrel bite one makes it and heals!
> I'm happy that you rebuilt your B.E.E. bigger, better and easier to install...next year will be so much easier for you for that!
> I can't wait to see if your pumpkins get big and make it to the finish line!!


Thank you. I wish I had your sunflowers. I lost my two biggest plants this week. I have three left that are about 3ft tall. I had better have a good sunflower August.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey, Col. super happy about your pumpkins btw I have an air soft ... all I have to do is make it click & the squirrels run. Now before anyone gets mad, I don't shoot at animals. I'm just tired of running outside looking like an idiot chasing them & throwing booms or the leaf blower, etc.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Not sure, but I suspect this might be the final nail in the 2019 pumpkin coffin. My husband sprayed the ragweed across the drive from my pumpkins. It doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing; there's always drift in every direction. Not real pleased with him, but we can't undo it. 
This one is toast, along with at least one more:








New growth looks pretty bad on everything nearby, and of course the new growth is where the upcoming female flowers were. The OC plants on the far side of the garden are fine.




















Even the volunteer sunflower got hit.









It's a bit discouraging.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Do you have three vines growing or three pumpkins growing slowly? My two cents will be different depending on the situation.


Two may be on the same vine (I'll check tomorrow in daylight) but the third is definitely on its own. I am wondering if the weather is partly to blame. It's been unusually cool this summer.
Kdestra - Thanks for the info! I have some tomato fertilizer already so I guess I might as well try it. I did the epsom salt thing last year but not sure if it helped. It didn't hurt, at any rate.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Not sure, but I suspect this might be the final nail in the 2019 pumpkin coffin. My husband sprayed the ragweed across the drive from my pumpkins. It doesn't matter which way the wind is blowing; there's always drift in every direction.
> 
> It's a bit discouraging.


I learned that lesson last year when I thought that I could spray the weeds in the pathways if there was no wind and I sprayed right on top of the weeds. Everything suffered. This year my paths look pretty ratty, but at least the plants aren't dying because of what I've done this year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Awww..I'm so sorry, ooojen!!! I hope some of them still pull through! Maybe give them a really good spray of water and deep watering to dilute the weed killer that got on them??


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ladyfrog, I really hope you are able to get something going before too long! I love the suggestion of changing the name to Pumpkin Growers Support Group! That's very appropriate, especially this year.

chubstuff, I have never been able to cull smaller pumpkins in hopes that by doing so would grow larger ones. I used to plant 2 seeds right beside each other and tell myself I'll get rid of the weaker of the two, but I could never do it. Now I only plant one seed in each spot. I am glad to hear that the hooligan/JBL is super productive! 

Col. Fryght, it's amazing that the inside trap has caught up with the outside trap that quickly!!! I'm also glad to see that you improved the area for next year and are going to continue on with the pumpkins you have growing. I always enjoy your Sunday morning Tale of the Tape. My question to you is, would you use the traps even if you didn't have the enclosure, or do you think the traps will just end up luring in more SVB than you normally would have? I'm getting tired of losing plants to SVBs. I'm considering buying some for next season to help out my patch. It's about impossible to get into my patch and put insecticide on all of my plants once they get to this stage since there are so many vines. 

ooojen, the difference between last year and this year is pretty stunning!!! I hope that at some point your plants start taking off. I planted some Toad plants for the first time this year as well and they are actually doing pretty good. Hopefully the spray doesn't completely kill everything that you have going!

Witchykitty, congratulations on finally having a female open. That's such a good feeling, especially when it feels like it may never happen. Your sunflowers are really quite amazing!


kdestra, I'm sorry to hear that one of your pumpkins started to rot. You hate to see them get so far, only to have them die so early. Don't give up on growing them next year. I know I've had years like that, but I'm always glad that I tried again the following year. 

UnOrthodOx, that's great news that they are still alive after being away for so long and having such blistering heat.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

My own pumpkins are kind of a mixed bag this year. I started off planting 36 regular sized field pumpkins on June 1. On June 24 I had to replant 13 seeds since the originals didn't pollinate. After the replanting I had around 33 plants that started growing. Of those 33, I've already had to pull two plants that really never took off and just withered. I noticed today that it appears that I may have 3 more plants that are dying as well due to the leaves turning yellow, and one of my pumpkins that was just pollinated around 10 days ago has already started to turn orange, which is a shame because it was about the size of a soccer ball, and was growing nicely. My guess is the plant got his by an SVB.









Of the remaining 28 plants, I'd say that there are maybe 10 more that are really way behind the rest of the plants. I may end up pulling some of them to make room for the rest. That would leave me with only 18 out of 36 original plants. That really isn't the number I was looking for. I was hoping to have at least 24 good plants through the entire year. 

I do have several plants that look really good, and I'd guess that I have at least 15 pumpkins that are growing and are anywhere between only a 1 DAP to 14 DAP. Fingers crossed that they all make it. My first one that pollinated back on July 15 looks really good, and is on pace to be one of the largest I've ever grown. I'd say it is about 12 inches tall at this point, so if I could get another month of growth out of it I'd be ecstatic! 









I also have a few others that are about the size of a basketball.








My gourds and giant pumpkins are all doing very well at this point. I know I've had several Toad pumpkins form as well as Luminas and Cushaws. Here's hoping they make it at least another month. Now we could use a little rain, whereas last year it rained every day!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor, those were fantastic back to back posts. I think you broke ooojen's record for longest pumpkin post which was set last year. Seems like your patch has turned the corner from some earlier struggles.

The svb traps are always a catch-22. It made a lot sense this year since I wanted to see how many svbs were coming out of the ground inside the B.E.E. I think I have decided that traps are an overall plus. First, it is an early indicator that I need to step up my systemic insecticide when the trap starts catching svbs.

Plus, that trap basically kills males which I think is key. Tthe trap uses the female pheromone so you are attracting males not females. So at least your are not attracting more egg layers, and by killing off the males maybe you will put a dent in the mating activity.

That is the conclusion that I have come to, but I see both sides of the coin.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Mayor, those were fantastic back to back posts. I think you broke ooojen's record for longest pumpkin post which was set last year.


I may not be the norm, but I read all the posts, even the long ones and enjoy them all... especially the ones with the purty pictures.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

You know what? It turned out for the best that only one very healthy JBL vine grew on the pumpkin arch. 
Here's why: very easy to maintain (water, prune, shape, fertilize & hunt/kill pests)

Of course I'd rather have 3 or 4 healthy vines growing but if they were all this healthy & heavy It would probably collapse. 

This is what I've learned: Go bigger next year, add top support & try the irrigation system the Col. suggested (still might buy it this year & use while on vacation) 

I wish you all could stand under it: see the sun gleeming through the leaves & the blue sky peaking in between. The JBLs are hanging like Christmas ornaments (exactly the way I hoped they would)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra, your arch looks lovely! 

I can't remember if I said this or not, but I had to tie a rope between the two towers of mini pumpkins and gourds. Vines are crawling across it like crazy from either side...it's getting so heavy I had to start nipping the ends of the vines so they didn't grow bigger, lol. I am worried it will just collapse on me from the weight. I have no way to support it, though, as there is something below it. Fingers crossed. I never intended to do this, we planned to build an arch, too, at some point, but because the vines got crazy long, I now I have this makeshift rope bridge that I have to duck under to get into my garden every day, lol. Pretty soon they will have completely taken over the front of the garden and I'll have to go around the garage and hop over the garden fence from the back to get to the rest of my veggies, lol. I'll take a pic of it, soon.

I have several little October pumpkins pollinated, now, and the first ones seem to be growing.

Today, I finally got my first female Daisy Gourd to open! All this crazy vining and just now getting a female open!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Okay, I could not resist taking some mid-week measurements. Today, the circumference was 50.5 and the OTT was 121.5 inches. Since Sunday morning, my pumpkin has added 11 inches in circumference and 23.5 inches in overall growth. 

The hypothetical weight gain stands at 37 lbs. which is an overall increase of 15 lbs. and a daily average of 5 lbs. a day. I am not sure at this point where I stand compared to the road kill pumpkin in terms of growth, but I should have a better idea by Sunday.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor-- It looks like you have a fantastic crop coming! Very impressive! Sorry about the frustrations along the way, but it looks like your persistence is paying off.

Your arch is lovely, Kdestra! I love that your yard-gardens are places not just to look at, but to explore.
My outbuilding-frame archway didn't get put up, because the sidewalk still didn't get done, and it would be in the way of the construction. Take it to the chorus..."Maybe Next Year!" haha!



chubstuff said:


> I may not be the norm, but I read all the posts, even the long ones and enjoy them all... especially the ones with the purty pictures.


Thanks for that! I've gotten the message from the Col. a number of times that some of my posts are too long. _sigh_ It usually happens when I get busy and don't check in for several days. When I come back, sometimes there are quite a few posts I want to respond to--- so I roll a few days' worth of comments into one.

WitchyKitty! Yay for the female daisy gourd, and for developing pumpkins!
Do your male daisy flowers look like mine pictured below? The first couple times I saw male flowers, I had to look twice to see that they weren't females! I don't remember ever seeing any like that before...kind of cool-looking.
I got shots of buds, and they were down in under some leaves. I just stuck my phone down in there and shot, so the quality of the pictures isn't great, but it does show the interesting shape at their bases.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I think something got lost in translation. I admire the time it takes to use two screens and respond to multiple posts. I was not throwing shade on anyone. I know my posts tend to get a bit lengthy especially on Sundays. I was just teasing Mayor for the longest post he has ever made, which was one the longest ones in recent memory. No post is too long when it comes to pumpkin posts especially if it has pics attached.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> WitchyKitty! Yay for the female daisy gourd, and for developing pumpkins!
> Do your male daisy flowers look like mine pictured below? The first couple times I saw male flowers, I had to look twice to see that they weren't females! I don't remember ever seeing any like that before...kind of cool-looking.
> I got shots of buds, and they were down in under some leaves. I just stuck my phone down in there and shot, so the quality of the pictures isn't great, but it does show the interesting shape at their bases.
> 
> ...


Those are males?? I will have to go outside and look closer at mine, now...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, here are those pics of my Daisy Gourd (on the left tower) and Little October Pumpkin (on the right tower and in the half barrel planter in the center between the two on the ground) vines that have gone crazy! Like I said, I had no choice but to run a rope across the two towers, as the main vines of each were getting super long and had nowhere to go!! Once they have both met in the middle, I nipped the ends so they don't get much longer and get too heavy and collapse. (As it is, I didn't tie the rope tight enough and it is already dipping a bit. I have to duck to get in my garden or go around back and step over the fence. The one in the planter is starting to get large, now, too, which will soon block me entirely from front entrance, lol.)
I have two plants in each tower because I didn't have the heart to kill one of each of them..plus the fear of only having one and it dying. Next year I may just have to take the risk and only have one of each...and, hopefully, an actual arch of some sort built!!
I took a pic yesterday afternoon and another, this morning, when the flowers were open. (...and if you look far in the back right near the neighbor's flagpole, you can see my giant sunflowers, which just keep getting more giant!!)


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> I think something got lost in translation. I admire the time it takes to use two screens and respond to multiple posts. I was not throwing shade on anyone. I know my posts tend to get a bit lengthy especially on Sundays. I was just teasing Mayor for the longest post he has ever made, which was one the longest ones in recent memory. No post is too long when it comes to pumpkin posts especially if it has pics attached.


Don't worry, I took absolutely no offense at all! As I was writing it I was thinking that it was starting to get quite long! I knew I hadn't been on in awhile and had a lot of catching up to do.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Thank you everyone for all your kind words about the arch. It means a lot to me 

WK - gourds have a mind of their own ??? 

Ok, you all probably wont believe this but I sware it's TRUE. 
We took the kids paddle boarding to Sandy Point state park in Maryland. I was close to shore & saw a pumpkin washed up on the beach. So of course I have to check it out. Inside the pumpkin was a note to the Sea King & Queen asking for help with family relationships, money, etc. The writer seemed depressed so we gave it to the park patrol. The park patrol said this was the 2nd pumpkin they found but never checked for notes inside. 
I don't take my phone with me when I'm on the water so I couldn't take pictures. 
Again, I sware this story is 100% true. 






Sandy Point State Park


An official website of the State of Maryland.




dnr.maryland.gov


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The really cool thing about the arch is that is an interactive display with people walking through it. Of course shooting pumpkins out of an air cannon is pretty interactive also. Maybe after the arch has passed its prime you can make like a potato gun for the little pumpkins.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> You know what? It turned out for the best that only one very healthy JBL vine grew on the pumpkin arch.
> Here's why: very easy to maintain (water, prune, shape, fertilize & hunt/kill pests)
> 
> Of course I'd rather have 3 or 4 healthy vines growing but if they were all this healthy & heavy It would probably collapse.


We will try not to be bitter that you have pumpkins floating in midair that are larger than the ones we have growing on the ground.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Thanks for that! I've gotten the message from the Col. a number of times that some of my posts are too long. _sigh_ It usually happens when I get busy and don't check in for several days. When I come back, sometimes there are quite a few posts I want to respond to--- so I roll a few days' worth of comments into one.


*"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time."* Pascal
When I'm in a hurry, the posts are always longer because I don't take the time to edit them down. I figure in a group where many of the readers are trying to make monstrously large pumpkins, a few oversized posts aren't going to hurt.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I thought I had 3 pumpkins growing but I was wrong. I didn't realize how big the babies are under the female flowers, if that makes sense! I seem to remember whatever variety I grew last year had much smaller babies. I don't always make it out each day to check on them so anyway I was wrong. But! I was able to do some hand pollinating today so I am hopeful. It really seems like early planting did not help a bit. I like living near the coast but it's very difficult to grow things ? I'm thankful for this group - I can live vicariously through all of you!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

I love reading long posts. (It keeps me away from the news) They are very informative & I've learned so many things about pumpkin types, chemicals, sprinkler systems & more. 

A volunteer yellow & green gourd grew up the little free library. We didn't plant anything there this year because we were told they were replacing the utility pole. But so far nothing has happened.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> I love reading long posts. (It keeps me away from the news) They are very informative & I've learned so many things about pumpkin types, chemicals, sprinkler systems & more.
> 
> A volunteer yellow & green gourd grew up the little free library. We didn't plant anything there this year because we were told they were replacing the utility pole. But so far nothing has happened.


Kdestra, that gourd couldn't look any better if you had planned it! How awesome that a rogue gourd decided to grow there.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I don't mind the long posts, either. Like others have said, they can be very informative! (I have been known to write long posts, too, once in awhile on this forum, lol.)

So, my Mammoth Sunflowers have finally started to open! This means they probably won't be growing taller, anymore, so I went and measured my tallest one and, I was right, it's about 12 feet tall, not including however big the sunflower head actually gets.

Also, my daisy gourd and mini pumpkin vines have gotten even more out of control, so we added a second rope across between the two towers and tightened the first one. I lost one mini LO pumpkin, but the rest that have been pollinated seem to be doing okay, so far. I have several gourds pollinated, too.

We had some oddly chilly nights the past few days...which were great for me, but bad for the garden. Besides fighting the squash bugs and aborted females due to the weird, drastically up an down temps, I am now seeing the beginnings of Powdery Mildew. I usually get this, but I was hoping it would hold off a bit longer, since everything is behind.

Here are some pics:


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty, your garden is so beautiful!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> WitchyKitty, your garden is so beautiful!


Thank you!! ?


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Well, I finally have a couple of pumpkins worthy of a progress picture. They're both from roadside pumpkins. Which speaks to something I think is more than just an old wives tale. I've heard that seeds gathered from local sources are heartier than packaged seeds because they're coming from a plant that survived the local elements. Both the pictures below are from local seeds. My Big Max pumpkins from store seed are just now forming fruit. Maybe they'll grow incredibly fast, but they sure have a lot of catching up to do.

I never seem to plant true to what I think I'm planting regardless of how much care I take. I have a spot where I swore I planted Tennessee Hubbard Squash that is producing zucchini. On closer inspection, there are two plants growing from the same basin, so I'm thinking I might still have a Hubbard squash growing as well. But if that green critter below is a pumpkin, it seems remarkably squash like at the moment. (Yeah, I know, pumpkins are squash, but you know what I mean.)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Only 3 plants wound up flat-out dying from the spray, though all the ones on that side of the garden (which was all but Orange Cutie, and a couple of the Toads) were damaged. The rest are hanging on, and some look like they're starting to come out of it, so there's hope. If I could get a couple mature pumpkins of each variety that hasn't yet set any, I'll be good with that. 
I haven't yet had any female flowers on Wyatt's Wonder (pretty sure that one's a lost cause), Victor/Red Warty, One Too Many (that one's hanging by a thread), Mr. Fugly (still might produce), Jamboree, Blue Doll, and Peanut. Tiny Turk, Rouge Vif, Moranga, and Knucklehead each have one tiny fruit barely set (so far so good) and Sugar Pie has one nice one starting to turn orange, but over a dozen S P female flowers since have all blasted, most before opening. There are *Many* Orange Cuties, a few Toads, and a couple Early Giants. The EGs have only been set a few days, but they're growing fast. They look pretty good.

Wyatt's Wonder, left, surviving, but with new growth all fried, including the end of the primary vine and all the secondary vines. In full size, you can see all the white would-be lateral vines under the leaves.






Mr. Fugly, coming out of it, but still very small for August.








Knucklehead, w/bumps just starting to show.






A few years ago, bumps like those would have meant a virus, and I'd have torn the vine out and burned it. Now I plant them intentionally ?
And-- the miniature version of Turk's Turban squash, Tiny Turk. It only has the one fruit so far, about the size and shape of an acorn.








Kdestra --The gourd on your little library looks great! I loved the type that you had growing there last year... a kind of squat bicolor, I think..?
Ladyfrog -- Good that you're getting some flowers pollinated! Now the fun part-- watching them develop!
Chubstuff -- Love the Pascal quote ( ? ) and the pumpkin pictures! Yeah, cucurbits have such convoluted genetics. I often wind up with a few What-in-the-Heck-Is-That?s, too. 
WitchyKitty-- Your Little Oct. pumpkin looks adorable! If they keep developing like they are, they should be great for painting!
I wound up with pretty atypical "daisy" gourds. (Could there be a nuclear reactor leak near me?) They're still pretty, but not what I was expecting. If I had more space I'd have planted several for variety. Yours are a better shape, but mine will be just fine, too.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ooojen, you have a great variety planted and I’m glad to hear your plants seem to have survived for the most part. I love the mini Turks Turban! I planted regular Turks Turban a few years ago and liked them. I had no idea there were minis.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

That infamous second wave of SVBs hit this week in Georgia. All three traps added about 20 kills this week. This second wave is why I have SVBs blowing out vines in September. But knock on wood, I have not seen a single blow out this year. However, I did notice a couple burrowing into a baby pumpkin. This is an extremely rare occurrence, and I don't think they can grow in the pumpkin. But either way, I dug out a really tiny grub.

As for the pumpkins, I had to cull two of them this week with one of them being the squirrel bite pumpkin. Rot had set in both of them. I will have to cull the aforementioned SVB pumpkin, but I am letting it be a target for another couple of days.

I hit 20 DAP on the largest pumpkin which I shall name temporarily 1742A. It comes in with a circumference of 63 inches and a total OTT of 149 inches. It is well behind the one that I lost which was on the main. The road kill pumpkin at 20 DAP was 68 inches circumference and an OTT 164.5 and on pace for 600-800 lbs.

But the leaf disease is a month older and the main lost almost half of its length so overall it is still impressive that the 1742A is on pace for 300-500 lbs. and is currently at 60lbs. It should break a 100 lbs. by next weekend.

Including a pic of the second biggest pumpkin 1742B. I am not sure of the DAP but I believe that it is a week behind and seems to be growing at a fast pace. It has a circumference of 50 inches, and ad OTT of 126.5.

Hopefully, I can get one of the two across the finish line.

1742A Last Sunday- DAP 13










1742A Today DAP 20










1742B


----------



## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

Everyone’s plants looks so good! I fear mine might already be done. Sorry for jumping in but I’m a little late to the party. This forum is already 40+ pages in so I apologize if this has been addressed. I saw a canopy in a previous post to block the sun. I think that might be my same issue. The plants started very well but in past weeks despite ample watering and attention everything is yellowing and wilting. I haven’t seen any insects so far but they really don’t seem well. Based on this photo is it too late?!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> *SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*
> 
> Hopefully, I can get one of the two across the finish line.


This is like a grand Hollywood redemption story. The rise toward triumph, the fall from grace, and the return of the prodigal to find a place among the family once more. Only it's with pumpkins instead of Brad Pitt. Oh, and killer SVB... that's sort of Hollywood Sci-Fi. You will never be accused of just making the same re-hashed story, Col. Fryght.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> The plants started very well but in past weeks despite ample watering and attention everything is yellowing and wilting. I haven’t seen any insects so far but they really don’t seem well. Based on this photo is it too late?


A million ways to run into trouble, so it is really hard to say. I have never grown trellis pumpkins before so hopefully one of the other growers can really provide insight. Off the top of my head, I would be curious how hot the flower box is getting and the drainage of the water. Shade cloth is relatively cheap, just need to be creative on the installation.

Is this your first year growing pumpkins? If so, hang in there and keep learning. I did not get a pumpkin across the finish line until my third year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

*ooojen*, I have two Daisy Gourd vines going, and they seem to be different varieties! One is the one I pictured in my previous post that is currently yellowish colored, but the other vine is producing dark and light spotted/striped green ones! We will see what I end up with. Your Daisy Gourd looks different from mine, but I think it will still be pretty!!! Oh, and awhile back, you asked if my male flowers on my Daisy Gourd vines looked different from other males, in that they almost looked like females, having a kind of bump below them. I went and checked and some of mine are like that, too! Weird!

*Col.*, I am sorry you lost a few more pumpkins to insect/squirrel damage (I know aaaaaalllll about squirrel damage...), but I'm happy to see you have two going strong and I love how big they are getting! I'm so happy you decided to try to keep going!!

*Brooklynhaunt*, ug. I wish I could tell you what was wrong with your pumpkin vines, but it's hard to know without being there to physically inspect them. I do trellis pumpkins, too, but I couldn't tell you any trellis growing info that would be different than growing on the ground for them not doing so well.

I agree, maybe you could make a sun shade. They could be getting too much hot sun for how young they are. I have had to make sun shades, before, when it got too hot and my plants were young. I have constructed them out of stuff like that black weed block cloth (the thinner, cheap stuff to let more light through), white material, like an old sheet or such you could cut up...anything that will add some shade but still filter a little light through. Also, I make sure the shade is just over the middle, so that was the vines and pumpkins still get morning and late afternoon sun. I would use anything I could find to basically make a small tent. Sticks, thin, long wood if you have it on hand, tall garden stakes, bamboo stakes, ect. and attach the material to each thing you chose to use with just a piece of string wrapped around the material over the stake, or a twisty tie...whatever you have.

I grow in planters, as well as in the ground. As stated above, make sure your pumpkin planters have drainage, as yellowing can mean too much water, which can lead to root rot or such if water is just sitting in the bottom of those planters.

If your drainage is fine, it could, also, be a nutrient issue. The smaller the amount of dirt a pumpkin vine is growing in, the faster it will soak up all the nutrients in the dirt. If you haven't been using any, you may need some fertilizer.

It could even be an insect issue. Inspect your vines closely, especially near the base and under the leaves, for any insects, eggs, holes burrowed into the base of the vine stem, ect. If you read back, you will know we all have different issues with insects, such as Squash Bugs and Squash Vine Borers. (You can look both of those up, then inspect your vines to see if you could have either of them.)

Good luck to you, I hope you can get your vines to perk back up!!!


----------



## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> A million ways to run into trouble, so it is really hard to say. I have never grown trellis pumpkins before so hopefully one of the other growers can really provide insight. Off the top of my head, I would be curious how hot the flower box is getting and the drainage of the water. Shade cloth is relatively cheap, just need to be creative on the installation.
> 
> Is this your first year growing pumpkins? If so, hang in there and keep learning. I did not get a pumpkin across the finish line until my third year.



Thanks @Col. Fryght yes this is the first year. They started off very hearty so it was encouraging. I just bought this Spooky seeds mix. I divided the seeds that I could differentiate and grew a little plant of each. I built the planters for the pumpkins because Brooklyn definitely doesn't have space for vines unless they are vertical I put three 1" size holes in each of the planters and put a few inches of rock above those so I think there is enough drainage...I guess I just have a black thumb this year because these aren't the only wilting leaves in the garden. The only other thing I think it could be is possibly watering too much? Does overwatering result in yellow leaves that are droopy? Thank you for your input! No pumpkins until your third year, wow! It seems that I might be on that same trajectory. I was naive this year, but I'll study up and hopefully be more prepared for next year. Does anyone else think they still have a chance? Have any of your vines bounced back after looking like this?..I'm really not going for the world's biggest like some of you pros but it would be great if I could turn this around and maybe get a few cuties to decorate with. Fingers crossed! Oh here is the picture of the seeds I got. They were obviously more expensive than most, but it does include a cool variety! Anyone have luck with these before?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> I was naive this year, but I'll study up and hopefully be more prepared for next year. Does anyone else think they still have a chance? Have any of your vines bounced back after looking like this?..I'm really not going for the world's biggest like some of you pros but it would be great if I could turn this around and maybe get a few cuties to decorate with. Fingers crossed!
> 
> View attachment 715352


Check out my long post just above yours, I tried to come up with some solutions for you...though you already answered the drainage question.


----------



## Spooktactular (Aug 15, 2011)




----------



## Spooktactular (Aug 15, 2011)

Took some time off from growing pumpkins. Bought a large pumpkin from a farmers market and saved some seeds. Best year I’ve had.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> I saw a canopy in a previous post to block the sun. I think that might be my same issue. The plants started very well but in past weeks despite ample watering and attention everything is yellowing and wilting. I haven’t seen any insects so far but they really don’t seem well. Based on this photo is it too late?!


I'm going to second Col. Fryght's idea that you might need to reduce the heat your pumpkins have to deal with. I have never raised pumpkins on a trellis, but I have watched lots of my plants suffer in pots outside on concrete decks. Yours appear to be on the concrete with the vines trellised over the concrete. That is a lot of heat for a small plant to deal with. Concrete is killer on plants because it feeds the sunlight that hits it back as radiating heat.

Try raising the boxes up off the actual concrete a few inches to help air flow and heat dissipation. My plants improved remarkably when I made wood risers for them. The leaves still burn in the hottest part of summer, but they don't die and they keep growing and flowering. Shade cloth might help reduce the amount of heat the concrete gives off in the course of the day. They certainly don't look like they're too far gone. They just look like they're suffering from heat stroke. Remove the heat, and I think you'll see them rebound.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Ooojen, you have a great variety planted and I’m glad to hear your plants seem to have survived for the most part. I love the mini Turks Turban! I planted regular Turks Turban a few years ago and liked them. I had no idea there were minis.


Thanks, I appreciate that! 
I saw the minis for the first time last year, mixed in with bagged gourds at the grocery store. I knew that was something I wanted to try! I'll keep you updated. 
How productive were your full-sized turban squash? 

Col, your "third string" puts my first string to shame! I hope they continue with quick gains for you. When is your state fair this year? Can I assume that right around entry day will be your harvest time?

Brooklynhaunt-- Container growing presents its own difficulties, but I understand it's often the only option. I recently mentioned here that pumpkin roots can go down several feet into the soil, and that protects our in-ground plants to some degree. Since it sounds like you did a good job of addressing drainage, now it's important to keep your planters from completely drying out. (Yes if they stay soggy roots can rot, and the plants can wilt, but of course getting too dry can kill roots, too, and they might not jump right back immediately when watered.) Others have made a good point about the plants overheating, too. Besided the already-mentioned shade cloth, it probably wouldn't hurt to put down a very light colored mulch over the soil surface. 
Have you noticed whether your plants bounce back a little-- un-wilt -- in the evening to early morning? If so, the issue is probably more about heat than root loss. If they don't-- that is, if they stay wilted all night (and there's no clear mechanical damage at the plants' bases) , then personally, I'd consider pruning the vines back a little while the roots have a chance to catch up. Once the roots are healthy and growing, any lost vine growth can replace itself very quickly.

WitchyKitty - I'm glad you have variety in your daisy gourds! I have a couple plants, but I only see one type of gourd. Maybe something different will show up yet. It's fun to have variety!
Oh, yeah, the squirrels  Up until the last couple weeks our pup kept them out of the yard. She's very old for her not-very-long-lived breed, and she has been doing poorly recently. She's spending most of her time in the house, in the AC. It didn't take the squirrels any time at all to figure that out. They chew up the gourds, fruit and vines both, just for the heck of it. They don't eat them; they just cut them up and leave them.
I need to hire a young, energy-filled Jack Russel Terrier for a couple months!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Spooktacular -- Did you get any doubles to mature? I had a plant a few years ago that kept putting out flowers with conjoined fruit, but I never got any past about a quarter grown.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I'm a serial poster....
Brooklynhaunt -- I couldn't read the fine print on the seed packet on this forum, but I went to Google for a clearer shot. It's a mixture all right, and some are better for planters than others. Atlantic Giant, or even Jarrahdale would be a real challege to grow in a normal-sized planter. Small Sugar is a smaller plant, but leans toward semi-bush form, so it's a little harder to train up a trellis.
No disrespect for your mix-- it has some really great pumpkins in it, but it would be much easier for you to have success if you picked a specific variety or two (or three) that were better suited for container growing.
Jack Be Little, Baby Boo, Hooligan, and Lil' Pumpkemon are a few.
I know that's no help for this year, but I hope you'll be back at it again next year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I never seem to plant true to what I think I'm planting regardless of how much care I take
> 
> View attachment 715285
> 
> ...


SAME!!!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> Everyone’s plants looks so good! I fear mine might already be done. Sorry for jumping in but I’m a little late to the party. This forum is already 40+ pages in so I apologize if this has been addressed. I saw a canopy in a previous post to block the sun. I think that might be my same issue. The plants started very well but in past weeks despite ample watering and attention everything is yellowing and wilting. I haven’t seen any insects so far but they really don’t seem well. Based on this photo is it too late?!
> View attachment 715339
> View attachment 715339


Ok Brooklyn - I'm going to be honest (used to live there near the park) 
You need more soil (a lot more soil for root growth) your boxes are drying out next to the AC vents. I'd also recommend blocking the fans with a board so they don't blow air on your plants. My girlfriend lives in Alphabet city & she has same problems.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey Ooojen ??? looking sharp with all those pumpkins. I'm super happy that they are growing despite the chem spray 



ooojen said:


> Kdestra --The gourd on your little library looks great! I loved the type that you had growing there last year... a kind of squat bicolor, I think..?


Yeah, those gourds last year were pretty (1st picture) Thank you for rembering. I'm thankful for the little rogue gourd that made it's way onto the Free Little Library & will be very angry if the utility company destroys it (2nd picture)


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I'm a serial poster....
> Brooklynhaunt -- I couldn't read the fine print on the seed packet on this forum, but I went to Google for a clearer shot. It's a mixture all right, and some are better for planters than others. Atlantic Giant, or even Jarrahdale would be a real challege to grow in a normal-sized planter. Small Sugar is a smaller plant, but leans toward semi-bush form, so it's a little harder to train up a trellis.
> No disrespect for your mix-- it has some really great pumpkins in it, but it would be much easier for you to have success if you picked a specific variety or two (or three) that were better suited for container growing.
> Jack Be Little, Baby Boo, Hooligan, and Lil' Pumpkemon are a few.
> I know that's no help for this year, but I hope you'll be back at it again next year.


2 Jarrahdales took over my front yard last year. I'm no longer growing those out front but there's a few lovecraftian vines out there that I'm rooting for. 

I'm not arguing with your assessment but 1 strong JBL, Baby Boo, etc vine needs space & according to Witch Kitty - extra rope ?


----------



## Spooktactular (Aug 15, 2011)

ooojen said:


> Spooktacular -- Did you get any doubles to mature? I had a plant a few years ago that kept putting out flowers with conjoined fruit, but I never got any past about a quarter grown.


It’s about softball size now. I’ve never had a double to mature either but I’ll see what happens


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 2 Jarrahdales took over my front yard last year. I'm no longer growing those out front but there's a few lovecraftian vines out there that I'm rooting for.
> 
> I'm not arguing with your assessment but 1 strong JBL, Baby Boo, etc vine needs space & according to Witch Kitty - extra rope ?


Lol, oh, yes...while the smaller types are best for trellising and container growing (again, both of which I do, and I have mostly grown mini varieties), they can get very, very long! I normally start with a specific trellis and then start adding ropes and such as needed. In containers, I have found that the vines will stay a little smaller and more compact...depending on the size of the container...and if planted in ground, they can get crazy long, which y'all can plainly see in my recent photos, lol. My first couple of years growing at the old house, I grew JBLs in the ground, up a trellis, then up ropes to the garage roof, then across ropes along the garage roof line, plus other vine branches out front of the garage into the grass, lol. 

(This year is just madness, though, because I left two plants per trellis instead of the one each that I should have. I knew better, but did it anyway, lol. I've had to resort to nipping vine ends to stop them getting too much longer!)

I should note, that it is possible to trellis slightly bigger pumpkins, such as my Triple Treats I was growing for awhile, around pie size to small pumpkin size...but the larger ones need a very strong fencing or trellis to grow on, lots of help holding the vines to said fence or trellis with soft cloth ties or such that gives a little, and sometimes, making little cloth hammocks for the larger ones, lol. 

Kdestra, I didn't even notice the air conditioning vents near the struggling pumpkin vines! Good catch! That could be an issue, too!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra said:


> ... 1 strong JBL, Baby Boo, etc vine needs space & according to Witch Kitty - extra rope ?


Yep, I'm not saying container growing is the best possible option, just that it's possible, and better done with smaller pumpkins than large. WK got some very good results with container-grown JBLs in the past. Personally I wound up planting the contents of my container in the ground late season last year, because the yield was so reduced ? . But there were _some_ fruits set on both JBL and WBL. One might have to do some judicious pruning, but a person should be able to get a half doz. JBLs in a container. Getting a single Jarrahdale in those circumstances would be a real coup even for an experienced grower.

Edit-- cross post, WK! Yeah, pruning can help, but it's a constant thing!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> Everyone’s plants looks so good! I fear mine might already be done. Sorry for jumping in but I’m a little late to the party. This forum is already 40+ pages in so I apologize if this has been addressed. I saw a canopy in a previous post to block the sun. I think that might be my same issue. The plants started very well but in past weeks despite ample watering and attention everything is yellowing and wilting. I haven’t seen any insects so far but they really don’t seem well. Based on this photo is it too late?!
> View attachment 715339
> View attachment 715339


Brooklynhaunt, unfortunately when the plants start to turn yellow and shrivel up that means they’re done. It could be from disease or possibly a squash vine borer. I planted 36 plants and for some reason 5 or 6 of them all of a sudden just turned yellow and died on me while the rest were fine. 

If only a few of the oldest leaves are turning yellow then the plant may still be just fine. If the newer formed leaves turn yellow then the plant is in trouble. Based off of these pictures I think some of the plants are fine and they may just be getting too much sun. This past week my plant’s leaves would droop in the afternoon due to the temps being so high, but they’d bounce back each morning.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Spooktactular said:


> It’s about softball size now. I’ve never had a double to mature either but I’ll see what happens


Please keep posting with pics. I am really excited about conjoined pumpkins. I have never had it happen before, and would just assume that they would abort. But a quick google image search proved otherwise. I am almost as excited for your pumpkin as I am mine.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Please keep posting with pics. I am really excited about conjoined pumpkins. I have never had it happen before, and would just assume that they would abort. But a quick google image search proved otherwise. I am almost as excited for your pumpkin as I am mine.
> 
> View attachment 715497


While I’ve seen them before they’ve flowered, I’ve never seen one fully develop. That’s very cool looking!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Spooktactular said:


> It’s about softball size now. I’ve never had a double to mature either but I’ll see what happens


Every other year or so we find a conjoined pumpkin lying in the local market bins. We snag them up immediately because they are just so much fun to put out. If we find one this year it will definitely find itself turned into a dual faced Jack-o-lantern; some thing we've never done before. We leave most of our pumpkins out untouched until long after Thanksgiving. But this year's meager crop might necessitate every pumpkin doing their bit to brighten up the holiday.








This is one from two years ago. We can't brag on it, though. It was just sitting in a bin and we bought it. We've never grown one.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, what happened is what I thought would happen. I never intended to run ropes between my two pumpkin and gourd towers, but when the vines went crazy, I did.

Well, all of the sudden, today, I got a huge surge of females and babies along the vines on the ropes!! This weighed down the ropes, which started to pull one of the towers over. My husband went out and stuck one of those screw in dog leash/run stakes into the ground, grabbed some more rope and tied the tower back up as straight as we could to the stake. It should hold, for now...but we have rain/storms possibly coming tomorrow night. Once the dirt softens from the rain, everything could come up out of the ground and I will have one heck of a disaster on my hands.

I started nipping as many tiny, new baby vines as I could off the main vines along the ropes so it wouldn't get any crazier or even heavier. There's nothing else we can do...except to cut the ropes and take a chance that the vines on the ropes will just carefully hang down and live...or snap, as oddly delicate and brittle as pumpkin vines are...which I really don't want to take the risk.

Next year, either we build the actual arch that we wanted to, this year, or I force myself to only leave one plant per tower instead of the two each that I, also, knew better than to have done, lol. Oh boy...I've made myself a mess. You can't say my plants aren't super happy and healthy!!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> Well, what happened is what I thought would happen. I never intended to run ropes between my two pumpkin and gourd towers, but when the vines went crazy, I did.
> 
> Next year, either we build the actual arch that we wanted to, this year, or I force myself to only leave one plant per tower instead of the two each that I, also, knew better than to have done, lol. Oh boy...I've made myself a mess. You can't say my plants aren't super happy and healthy!!


This year, just make it a part of the fun. Sit just outside the arch and tell them the horror of the pumpkins that jump off the arch and eat children. Tell them occasionally the arch will sway when the pumpkins are particularly hungry. Then just smile, point tp the bowl of candy on the other side of the arch and say, "So, how badly do you want that candy?" Hours of endless fun await.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The conjoined pumpkins are very cool. I've never seen one before.

WK - do you have any rebar? If so try reinforcing the towers with that by driving them into the ground. Rebar isn't attractive but its strong. Chubstuff's idea is super cute too ?

Here's one of the Lovecraftian pumpkins growing in the front yard. It looks like a french heirloom. Hubby has yet to name it.

The temps have been over 90 the past few day & a lot of pumpkins on the arch are aborting so I'm trying an experiment with this "blossom set spray". I'm only spraying it on a few blooms & keeping track of what grows/fails.

We're going on vacation in less then 2 weeks. I hired a teenager to water - she a great young woman but I wish my son's best friend was here. Matias is worth his weight in gold but he wont be back from Bolivia until October ?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> This year, just make it a part of the fun. Sit just outside the arch and tell them the horror of the pumpkins that jump off the arch and eat children. Tell them occasionally the arch will sway when the pumpkins are particularly hungry. Then just smile, point tp the bowl of candy on the other side of the arch and say, "So, how badly do you want that candy?" Hours of endless fun await.


Lol, fun, but my garden is in the back yard behind the garage...nowhere near the front door. 

It's not so much an arch, as we never built it, yet, but more of a dangerous rope bridge for gourds and mini pumpkins, hahaha!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> WK - do you have any rebar? If so try reinforcing the towers with that by driving them into the ground. Rebar isn't attractive but its strong. Chubstuff's idea is super cute too ?


That's the sad part...each tower/trellis already has rebar going up into the bottoms and down into the ground...the vines and baby gourds/pumpkins are just that heavy...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Love that pumpkin, Kdestra!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> The temps have been over 90 the past few day & a lot of pumpkins on the arch are aborting so I'm trying an experiment with this "blossom set spray". I'm only spraying it on a few blooms & keeping track of what grows/fails.


Let us know what you think of the blossom set spray. I was reading up on it and the testing said that while it may help set fruit in colder temperatures, it doesn't help in hotter temperatures. It also talks about the tomatoes being misshapen, so if you get mutant pumpkins, we need to see pictures.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Sorry about the rebar idea WK - It was the first thing I thought of but if there's space maybe you could squeeze a hog panel arch underneath?

Chubstuff, you're right about high temps. I'm being super careful & only spraying at night on new growth when temps drop. There are 2 notations in my journal that really stand out: 
1. Female flower blooms are much larger & fruit is pointed 
2. At least 10% more male flowers (barely any male flowers this season) 
It doesnt matter if the JBLs are mishappened because I didn't realize that the seeds I planted/saved from last year were crosspolinated. (Does that make sense?)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> That's the sad part...each tower/trellis already has rebar going up into the bottoms and down into the ground...the vines and baby gourds/pumpkins are just that heavy...


Did you use 4ft rebar? That would be super impressive if the weight pulled a 4ft piece of rebar driven a foot in the ground. Of course leverage is the great miracle of building, just ask the pyramids. The taller the tower the less force needed to bend it.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Harking back to previous posts about squirrels, I thought I would post this picture. We put out ant traps awhile back and within days, the squirrels had found them, torn them apart and ate the contents. Apparently it didn't kill any of them, because they're all still running about in our front yard. However, it did teach them if they tore into plastic things they might find treats. This was their next foray into the wonderful world of plastic dinning.










I think it's in everyone's best interest that their squirrels never develop a taste for pumpkin.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Did you use 4ft rebar? That would be super impressive if the weight pulled a 4ft piece of rebar driven a foot in the ground. Of course leverage is the great miracle of building, just ask the pyramids. The taller the tower the less force needed to bend it.


Ahhh, I think it's two or three foot rebar, I can't remember, hammered firmly into two of the legs (diagonal of each other for stability) of the towers and buried about a foot into the ground. If we don't do the arch, next year, I may get more, longer rebar for the other two legs of each. The ground back there is very hard (hence the raised beds), so it's super difficult to pound the towers and rebar into the ground. We will figure something out for next year...this year, we will see what happens, lol.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Harking back to previous posts about squirrels, I thought I would post this picture. We put out ant traps awhile back and within days, the squirrels had found them, torn them apart and ate the contents. Apparently it didn't kill any of them, because they're all still running about in our front yard. However, it did teach them if they tore into plastic things they might find treats. This was their next foray into the wonderful world of plastic dinning.
> 
> View attachment 715643
> 
> ...


Sorry about your plastic eating squirrels...I feel your pain:

You must never have heard of my tales of woe of my squirrels feasting on any and every pumpkin I set out for decor. I tried every trick I could find to deter them from my pumpkins...hairspray, red pepper sauce, clearcoat...the list went on and on. They ate through all of it. I think they actually enjoyed the hot sauce! It was like all I did was add seasoning for them...sigh. They will eat the ones still growing on the vines, too, which is why I like to grow upwards. I had to put little tiny fences around every pumpkin I had on the ground, last year, as they were starting to feast. 

It's become a joke between some of my friends each year...they post pictures of squirrels eating pumpkins, squirrels with pumpkins on their heads...any picture of a squirrel that has anything to do with eating my pumpkins when pumpkin season starts, lol. I started having to decorate with realistic fake pumpkins and gourds on my porch. We carve pumpkins to light for a couple days before Halloween and to Halloween night...but we put them outside at dusk, each night, lit, then, before bed, we bring them back in. Repeat the next night and the next...I leave them out on Halloween night, lit, though, as they should be. The faces tend to be eaten off by the time we wake up on November 1st...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, picture time!! Sorry if some are repeats...I'm in a hurry and don't feel like scrolling back to see which ones I posted. 

There are full view pics of the vines and garden and close ups of each section so you can see how many vines are on the ground under the towers and growing up my white fence, the neighbors fence, ect.

I attached some pics of my different kinds of Daisy Gourds and the Little October Pumpkins in their various stages of growing, too...just some of them, not all of them, there would be a zillion pictures, lol. The green Daisy Gourds are weird and cool looking. Then, it seems, the other vine is putting out yellow ones and yellow striped ones...some flatter and some longer. We will see how they all finish up when done growing.

On that note: ooojen...how do I know when my Daisy Gourds are mature? (Or anyone else who has grown them). I would guess theym and my LO pumpkins would be then same as others...stem starting to dry/fingernail into skin test...but those bumpy green ones will be hard to tell...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

A few more, since I could only post 10, lol. (One more full pic, in the morning, longer daisy gourd and giant sunflower starting to get bigger and get seeds)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAIR COUNTDOWN: 6 Weeks*

Officially six weeks from tonight for pumpkin entries, Wednesday, Sept. 18th. It will be a challenge to keep my diseased plant going, but heck, I did not think I was going to make it the first month since diagnosis. I think my secret is basically the 90 degree days. I read a univ. study that said 10 consecutive days of 90 day degree heat slows down the spread of the disease.

The really cool thing about a Wednesday night post is that it is the half-way point to my Sunday Morning Tale of the Tape. That makes a great time to take measurements and see how my rate of growth is going. I was hoping for 100 lbs by this weekend. I blew that goal out of the water.

My pumpkin measured out tonight at 163 inches which translates to an estimated weight of 105 lbs. I was at 68 pounds on Sunday (typo in my Sunday post of 60 lbs). I will start keeping track of weight gains. I basically have a 60 day growth period, but it is a true bell curve. When it slows down, it drops like a rock.

I love the tremendous gains that giants make even at my non-competitive level. My pumpkin weighed 21 pounds 10 days ago. It boggles my mind every year- 84 pounds in just a week and a half. Since I did 37 pounds in 3.5 days, hopefully that will translate into nearly 150 lbs on Sunday morning.

*Let the tracking begin*:

Weight gain from Sunday 7/28 to Sunday 8/4:
+47 pounds
6.71 pounds a day

Weight gain since Sunday 8/4:
+37 pounds
10.57 pounds a day


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My first and closest to mature Little October Pumpkin had squash bugs on it. I removed them and thought it was okay, but looked at the back of it and it was torn open like a ragged split. I am hoping it will heal itself over as it finishes maturing, but it's not looking good. The good news is that I have many more growing up higher where the squash bugs don't hang out, as much, so hopefully, they will make it to maturity.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., I can't wait to see how much bigger your pumpkin gets by the weekend! It blows my mind every time you tell us how many lbs your pumpkins gain so quickly, each year!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> My first and closest to mature Little October Pumpkin had squash bugs on it. I removed them and thought it was okay, but looked at the back of it and it was torn open like a ragged split. I am hoping it will heal itself over as it finishes maturing, but it's not looking good. The good news is that I have many more growing up higher where the squash bugs don't hang out, as much, so hopefully, they will make it to maturity.


Had a similar issue with a couple of JBLs so I put a few drops of copper fungicide on the wounds. As of this morning the JBLs were still hanging on the vine. They didn't get moldy or turn brown yet. I'll keep you posted.

The Blossom Spray is working. For the first time in months the garden arch vine is producing male flowers & the female flowers are setting (temps above 90 degrees). It took over 4 months for the vine to set 11 JBLs. Now after using the spray 5 more JBLs set & are flourishing.

Another piece of good news - a new big moose is growing & yes, I used the Blossom Spray on it.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra-- I love your volunteer! Yeah, it does look like there's more than a little MdP in it.
Congratulations on your Big Moose! Looking good!

The double was a great find, Chubstuff! But that squirrel damage-- Ugh! When I'm done with the Jack Russel terrier, maybe you could use him. I'm visualizing a dog pen with a tunnel attached to a big plastic tote with loose lid...
Good luck with the battle!

Col. Fryght-- Impressive gains!

WitchyKitty -- I love your bumpy daisy gourd! It's nice that you have variety! I finally have a few flowers coming that look like they might not be as deep...might be more daisy shaped.
I think you've got it right about when to pick-- drying stems and hard shells. I usually leave mine until frost nips the plants, but if you want to decorate with them earlier, I think they'd be fine as soon as the vines start to dry down.
Good luck with your "rampant" vines! The good part of that is that you should have loads of little pumpkins this fall!

We got some rain, and I had fruit set on a couple more varieties. They're a long way from the finish line, but I have hope for them.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I've been very lax this year. Talia has pretty much taken over the pumpkin tending. We've adjusted to a schedule of a small watering mid-day that seems to keep the pumpkins from wilting in the 100 degree weather. 

Thus far, we think there are 6-10 pumpkins. 4-6 of them are from the Big Moose. 2 are from a volunteer vine. While the Early Giants exploded, vine wise, while we were on vacation, they have nothing set, and arent really flowering either. 

One of the Early Giants is under the shade canopy, and it's already going orange. I'd guess it to be 30 lbs or so. 

This one here is just outside the shade canopy, and has more than tripled in size the last 2 weeks. 

When we returned from vacation:










Yesterday, this is likely the largest pumpkin we've ever grown in the garden, already:









Here's one next to the path. 

Returning from vacation: 










Yesterday with my size 11 shoe for reference.










An interesting thing to note for me, it may all be one of the big moose pumpkin plants setting these pumpkins. While there are 4, they have vined so far and wide, I can't tell for sure. I know the bigger one above and the one going orange are the same plant (which happens to be the one planted over the fish grave), but the other two are impossible to tell.

I'll likely be trying the Big Moose pumpkins again next year, provided I can find the seeds, but I would do a lot of things different, knowing I'll be needing the shade and how big these are going to get.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Looking good for being lax about your pumpkins, UnOrthodOx!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff, I have never seen a conjoined pumpkin! Very cool!! Your Lovecraftian pumpkin looks beautiful!

Kdestra, glad your spray is working and I hope your copper fungicide helps. Lovely Big Moose!

I'm loving all the pumpkin pics starting to pop up!!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Last Friday I started to notice my first signs of powdery mildew on about 5% of my patch. I’ve never sprayed neem oil or anything else on my leaves in the past, but this year I’m all in on my plants and figured I’d take care of it on Monday. By Monday morning I noticed it had spread to probably 25% of the leaves, so I decided to take action that night. I sprayed for about 2 hours to make sure everything got covered. I have to say, that stuff is pretty amazing! Since spraying I don’t think I’ve seen it spread at all, and in fact the leaves that had it look better. I just want to get a majority of the plants to September.

At this point I have approximately 20 pumpkins at various stages of growth. Unfortunately I have several plants already dying due to SVBs. I have 5 pumpkins that are already turning orange and am just hoping they make it until Halloween. My largest is maybe 30 pounds and have several others that I think are over 20. 

My gourds have really taken off as well. I planted a mound of cushaws, and I estimate I have at least 12 of them growing, with 2 of them being about 18 inches tall.

I have about 6 luminas growing, but none seem to want to get any bigger than a volleyball.

I have 3 cinderellas growing, but they all remain small at this point.

I believe there are about 6 toad pumpkins growing, and several of them have already turned orange.

I still haven’t seen any caveman, big apple, or gooseneck pumpkins unfortunately.

My two giant plants are finally vining pretty well and each of them had a fruit set this week. 

I’ll try and get pictures tomorrow.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Powdery Mildew is starting to spread for me, too, on both my pumpkins/gourds and zucchini. I only have a little neem oil left, and I don't want to spend the amount of money it would take worth of neem oil to cover all my leaves. I'm just hoping the spread is fairly slow...I remove any leaves that get too bad, it's the best I can do at this point. I don't even have the energy to make enough of my homemade PM spray. At this point, my garden is such a jungle, now, I think I will just have to let it do it's own thing, for the most part!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor you know the rule: No pics then all descriptions get down graded.


----------



## Spooktactular (Aug 15, 2011)




----------



## Spooktactular (Aug 15, 2011)

chubstuff said:


> Every other year or so we find a conjoined pumpkin lying in the local market bins. We snag them up immediately because they are just so much fun to put out. If we find one this year it will definitely find itself turned into a dual faced Jack-o-lantern; some thing we've never done before. We leave most of our pumpkins out untouched until long after Thanksgiving. But this year's meager crop might necessitate every pumpkin doing their bit to brighten up the holiday.
> 
> View attachment 715548
> This is one from two years ago. We can't brag on it, though. It was just sitting in a bin and we bought it. We've never grown one.


That’s cool. I don’t think mine is going to make it. It’s soft in one spot at the bottom. It’s doubled in size though.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Awesome pumpkins already, Spooktacular!!


----------



## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

Wow! sorry for the late response. You've all given me so much food for thought. I don't think there has been a thread on Halloween forum that is this active! 
@WitchyKitty I think I will try the shade cloth. Again a noob here, I thought giving my pumpkins nice soil and tlc would do the trick..but the factors that y'all mentioned have given me a dose of reality. I haven't completely given up, but my vines are on their last leg. Despite my luck I'm glad to see your success so far! The arches look beautiful! Can't wait to see the harvest! Good luck.
@chubstuff- Yep! didn't think about the concrete. Good point. I do however have the planters on feet about 5 inches off the concrete so hopefully they aren't baking from below. The reflection though is probably making it much worse.Urgh. Maybe I can't paint the concrete a dark color to help absorb the heat? we'll see what happens next year.
@ooojen mulch is a good idea and something else I overlooked. I'll try this too.I will say in my defense I have been super diligent about watering regularly. Pruning is something to consider also. I did do this very early when my first leaves died. I thought this might be the nature of the vines, but now I know that it was an early sign of what was to come. Also the varieties you suggested will be what I try next year. 
@Kdestra my planters are 1footx 2feet wide x 16". Do you think this won't be able to sustain a plant? I was hoping because there were only two plants per planter that the roots would have enough room. Again, good eye about the air conditioner. I think this is adding to the heat even more and unfortunately I can't cover them because I can't risk any damage to our air conditioner. 
@Mayor of Haddonfield finally. You were right about not bouncing back from yellow. The vine in the picture that yellow died a couple of days later. The good news is the others bounced back a little bit. I will keep everyone updated. Still keeping my fingers crossed for maybe one pumpkin!
Thanks everyone for your insight! It was much appreciated!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> Wow! sorry for the late response. You've all given me so much food for thought. I don't think there has been a thread on Halloween forum that is this active!
> @WitchyKitty I think I will try the shade cloth. Again a noob here, I thought giving my pumpkins nice soil and tlc would do the trick..but the factors that y'all mentioned have given me a dose of reality. I haven't completely given up, but my vines are on their last leg. Despite my luck I'm glad to see your success so far! The arches look beautiful! Can't wait to see the harvest! Good luck.
> 
> @Kdestra my planters are 1footx 2feet wide x 16". Do you think this won't be able to sustain a plant? I was hoping because there were only two plants per planter that the roots would have enough room. Again, good eye about the air conditioner. I think this is adding to the heat even more and unfortunately I can't cover them because I can't risk any damage to our air conditioner.
> ...


Thanks for the compliment on my vines! We will see what I end up with in the end.

I wanted to give you an idea of how I grow in containers, for reference...

That large planter under my makeshift arch? It is a plastic version of a half barrel type planter. I have one mini variety plant in there. Lots and lots of dirt for that one single plant. Sometimes I can get two mini variety plants going in one that size. The smallest planter I have tried to grow in was a very deep, maybe 2 foot, 16 inch diameter pot that was kept off the ground on a plant stand about a foot and a half up. Again, it was a single plant, mini variety.

I have seen people grow larger variety pumpkins on their patio or such, and some actually used things like Rubbermaid tubs, 5 gallon buckets, kiddie pools, ect. that hold a heck of a lot of dirt, lol. Whatever works, I guess! I, myself, have never tried to grow a non-mini variety in a planter, though, so I can't say from experience on that.

I hope your remaining plants keep perking back up and you get something growing!! Good luck!!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Spook, keep posting that conjoined pumpkin. I would have to nominate that as pumpkin of the year if you get it to the finish line. I culled two more pumpkins tonight. I posted a pic of one that split, it was deformed runt almost like a cinderella. It is the second one this year that has split like the grand canyon. 

The second pic is of the three largest pumpkins. The reason you do not see much plant is because I turned the secondaries away from the main plant. I think the fancy name is the "tulip bulb" pattern. Once I was diagnosed with the leaf disease and culled my second plant, I had more room forcing the secondaries back as opposed to the sides.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Mayor you know the rule: No pics then all descriptions get down graded.


Ha, ha. I had a feeling this reply was coming!

I’m planning on getting some pics today.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Spooktacular, your pumpkins look great so far!!! I love the long shapes of some of the ones you’ve grown, and hope the conjoined one makes it. Keep us up to date.

Brooklynhaunt, hopefully you can get one to the finish line. If not, don’t give up. I do think you,ay need to use some deeper planters in the future than can hold more soil and a small type pumpkin or gourd. That, along with some shade protection should help your results.

Col. Fryght, that is one massive split, and the stem on that pumpkin looks huge. I’m glad you decided to stick it out until the end of the season. You may not get the size you wanted, but you’re well on your way to getting some really nice results.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Any idea what's causing the splits?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Unorthodox & Spook - congratulations on such beautiful pumpkins & sorry about that crack Col. 

Does NEEM Oil really work on powdery mildew? I never had good results with it. So much so I don't buy it any more. 

Early this morning I yelled: "I'm going to kill you" at a SVB. Then I realized that I said it very aggressively with a lot of anger. Hopefully the neighbors don't call the police on me one day. 

Squirrels are taking out the corn. Its really frustrating because I was hoping to keep it up a lot longer. Decided to keep the corn on the stalks this year & display it like that instead of pulling corn off.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Unorthodox & Spook - congratulations on such beautiful pumpkins & sorry about that crack Col.
> 
> Does NEEM Oil really work on powdery mildew? I never had good results with it. So much so I don't buy it any more.
> 
> ...


Kdestra, this is my first time using the Neem Oil, and it definitely won’t be the last. The growth of the powdery mildew on my plants from last Friday to Monday was quite astonishing. I sprayed the plants Monday evening, and now 4 days later I think they all look as good, if not better than they did Monday. If I hadn’t sprayed, I really think it would have gone from around 25% of the leaves to 75%. Next year I’ll spray my leaves the second I spot powdery mildew. 

I really like your corn! I’m hoping mine gets to be as colorful as yours.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I just spent two hours fertilizing for what may be the last time. I grabbed some pics while doing so. I’ve given up spraying for SVB, but used the 7 bottle for a reference.
This is my
Largest so far. I believe an SVB killed the plant prematurely, because this one only grew for 14 days before it turned orange. Would love to have seen how large it could have gotten. Still not sure if this was from a Connecticut Field or a Howden plant. I’ll trace the vine back once everything dies off.








This is the opposite of whatever the first pumpkin is.







A few more














Lumina







Cinderella







Maybe a Big Apple gourd?







Cushaws. These things get massive!







Corn







Toads


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Any idea what's causing the splits?


No idea. It is only on my deformed pumpkins that look like candy corns. Those that are growing normally are coming along okay.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Fantastic, Spooktacular! But I'm sorry about the soft spot on your conjoined twins. I hope the fruit can pull though...but I have to say, that looks like about the stage where I lost mine a few years ago when I had the plant that was throwing a bunch of them. (I'm pretty sure it was a "One Too Many".) I wonder whether the tendency is for the style to make better connection with the ovary on one side....so possibly one side pollinates well, and the other not quite as well. Just a WAG. On mine it seemed like both sides grew equally up to a point, and then one side would go bad, and the other would follow later. Anyway, I hope yours makes it! 

Nice-looking corn, Kdestra. Mine looks pretty awful from our rain and wind storm (it's terribly goose-necked) but it does look like quite a few of the ears are filling. 

Wow, Mayor, what a fun post! Your pumpkins look fantastic! (Corn looks great, too!) 
I was quite tempted to grow cushaw squash this year; I just ran out of space. They're so pretty! I don't remember ever seeing them before last year at a local produce stand. I look forward to seeing photos of yours as the hit full sized! 
The Toads are really cute. It's my first year with that variety, and I really like them. They're pretty productive for such small plants too, especially with the rough start my pumpkins got.
The big torpedo is fantastic (!) but I don't think it's an apple gourd. Hard-shelled gourds like apple are in a different genus from pumpkins. They make comparatively small white flowers, and the buds don't have pointed tips. The leaves/petioles are more fuzzy than prickly, and the stems are thinner than pumpkins'. I think you have a freaky-cool pumpkin growing there. I'm anxious to see how it develops from there! I love the unusual stuff!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> Fantastic, Spooktacular! But I'm sorry about the soft spot on your conjoined twins. I hope the fruit can pull though...but I have to say, that looks like about the stage where I lost mine a few years ago when I had the plant that was throwing a bunch of them. (I'm pretty sure it was a "One Too Many".) I wonder whether the tendency is for the style to make better connection with the ovary on one side....so possibly one side pollinates well, and the other not quite as well. Just a WAG. On mine it seemed like both sides grew equally up to a point, and then one side would go bad, and the other would follow later. Anyway, I hope yours makes it!
> 
> Nice-looking corn, Kdestra. Mine looks pretty awful from our rain and wind storm (it's terribly goose-necked) but it does look like quite a few of the ears are filling.
> 
> ...


Ooojen, you’ve just helped me answer a question that I had! In my patch I noticed several leaves that were soft and almost velvety, but didn’t know what plants they were from, now I know it’s got to be the apple gourds. I have them planted in one of my mounds, but being that there’s so much planted, and everything has run together, I couldn’t tell what it was.

The only two pumpkins or gourds with white flowers are Gooseneck and the apple gourds. I just so happen to have both planted side by side and can’t tell what is what. If the torpedo isn’t a Big Apple gourd, then I’m guessing it is a Lumina that is slightly misshapen at this point. I’m really hoping to get an apple gourd, but haven’t noticed any yet.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

It's really hard to tell bottle gourds (hard shell gourds) apart until you can see female flowers. The various Bule gourds have a little different stem shape, but I won't claim I could pick them out 100% of the time. 
I know what you mean about them all running together. I used those marker flags on wires, and I wrote the variety in Sharpie. That worked until the vines grew into each other's space. Now it's all a mystery.
Another little hint for telling bottle gourds*--- the leaves smell funny. I don't think the smell is really _*bad*_, but it's unusual. I wouldn't want perfume made of it or anything, but it's not stomach-turning...just odd.

* as distinct from "decorative gourds" that don't dry with such thick shells. They're _Cucurbita pepo_, like a lot of our regular pumpkins.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Something happened to a friend of mine that happened to ooojen this year because of her husband and I believe that she has mentioned the problem in the past with local farms. It is an interesting phenomenon know as "2,4- D drift."

My friend's wife sprayed the upper pasture with Pasture Pro weed killer. She claims up and down that the wind was not blowing at all. However all the pumpkin plants have suffered a mosiac like virus and all females are deformed. The husband has submitted tissue tests on all five plants and all came back negative for any disease.

So can the two stories be reconciled?

Yes, 2,4- D drift is an in interesting scientific scenario that has lead to major lawsuits between farms for killing crops. The active herbicide ingredient in Pasture Pro and many weed killers is 2,4- D which has been used since the 1940's.

Apparently, spraying this herbicide on days with 0-2 mph winds can be equal to or more dangerous than spraying the herbicide in 12 mph + wind conditions. And the worst case scenario for spraying is when there is 0-2 mph winds on warm mornings without cloud cover. 

Certain atmospheric conditions will allow the herbicide overspray/evaporation to form a cloud over the crop area which can accumulate to deadly proportions. The cloud can last for several hours and then drift over other areas affecting other plants. And the cloud can have an astonishing range of 1/8 of a mile.

This explains how someone can spray in one area thinking they are being "safe" and kill plants in another. The recommend application time is when the wind is blowing between 2mph and 12mph. There are multiple AG articles about 2,4- D drift. I have attached one from Univ. of Penn.

xtension.psu.edu/watch-out-for-2-4-d-drift-injury-to-off-target-crops

And you know what the funniest thing about this is? That I was actually interested enough to spend an hour reading articles. I am getting too old, this would not have hit my "interesting radar" when I was younger. lol


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

My biggest pumpkin is already slowing down dramatically since Wednesday, but the second largest seems to be growing at a faster pace. But on the bright side, I am growing something that will actually be pumpkin colored. I will not being going through the white/tan/green/orange mix drama of last year.

1742A- DAP 27 is still the leader with an OTT of 171.5 inches and 120 lbs. That is only a 15 lbs. gain since Wednesday night. I jinxed myself by bragging on his growth in the County Fair countdown thread. So basically, I am thinking that I will be lucky to break 200 lbs. over the next five weeks.

1742B-DAP 20 has an OTT of 161 inches and 100 lbs. That is a gain of 45 lbs. since last Sunday. I guess with all the pumpkins being on one plant, the plant is choosing winners and losers. And I still have two more on the plant which I cannot bring myself to cull which I should. 

1742A Today










1742B Last Week










1742 This Week


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., I'm so happy you have these beautiful pumpkins!! Even if they don't get to prize winning size, they are still getting pretty impressive!! They could work in a nice display for your yard for the fall.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, my husband and I went out and he used some longer rebar hammered into the ground sideways through the bottoms of the towers to pin them down a little more from leaning inward. We will see if this will work. If they start to lean, they will just push against the rebar that is pinning it in the opposite direction. We tightened the rope again, too. Fingers crossed! We had rain, so there was a little more leaning. We have possible storms coming tomorrow...we will see if they hold.

I took some more pics...the vines are now trying to climb over my little garden fence and get into the yard. (I'll have to make sure they don't smother those asters you see in front of the white fence...they bloom in the Fall.) I took a pic from underneath the rope bridge of vines and you can see all sorts of Little October pumpkins and the two colors of Daisy gourds.This is just one section of the rope bridge, though, there are more to the left and right! There are some more pics of some of the more mature ones, too. I gave up trying to hand pollinate...it's up to the bees, now, there are just too many and too many vines!

You can see my sunflowers in the background of the full pic are now hanging downward and getting full of seeds. The animals will be so happy to have munchies later in the year once I harvest them! (As long as the animals don't climb up and get them sooner, lol.)


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Well, my husband and I went out and he used some longer rebar hammered into the ground sideways through the bottoms of the towers to pin them down a little more from leaning inward. We will see if this will work. If they start to lean, they will just push against the rebar that is pinning it in the opposite direction. We tightened the rope again, too. Fingers crossed! We had rain, so there was a little more leaning. We have possible storms coming tomorrow...we will see if they hold.
> 
> I took some more pics...the vines are now trying to climb over my little garden fence and get into the yard. (I'll have to make sure they don't smother those asters you see in front of the white fence...they bloom in the Fall.) I took a pic from underneath the rope bridge of vines and you can see all sorts of Little October pumpkins and the two colors of Daisy gourds.This is just one section of the rope bridge, though, there are more to the left and right! There are some more pics of some of the more mature ones, too. I gave up trying to hand pollinate...it's up to the bees, now, there are just too many and too many vines!
> 
> You can see my sunflowers in the background of the full pic are now hanging downward and getting full of seeds. The animals will be so happy to have munchies later in the year once I harvest them! (As long as the animals don't climb up and get them sooner, lol.)


WitchyKitty, your garden looks great!!! I love all of your gourds!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I tried to go out and count all my growing gourds and mini pumpkins, and I counted about 32 or so...not including the females that opened and may have been pollinated, today, and all the unopened females. There would be many more if I counted those.
It was hard to count the exact amount due to the dense jungle in there, lol. With all the squash bugs and powdery mildew, I am hoping they will all mature before the vines are killed or the gourds/pumpkin are attacked.

My Pumpkin on a Stick plants are starting to produce mini pumpkins!!! (eggplants) They aren't orange/red yet, but the green ones are still pretty adorable!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Colonel Fryght-- Thanks for the interesting information on 2, 4-D drift! Wow. Of course I'm familiar with herbicide drift, but I had no idea about 2,4-D forming a cloud in still air, and drifting later. Yikes!
It seems to have affected different varieties a little differently. Some are still producing deformed leaves; other have come out of it decently, though it set them back several weeks' growth. My Sugar Pies have finally managed to get female flowers formed and open without blasting...and they're coming in droves now! I hope they are able to mature! They should have plenty of time, but I'm not taking anything for granted!
Here are a couple pictures of Wyatt's Wonder. The new growth was just fried. The first picture is the south end of the plant-- old leaves hanging on, but new growth frozen in its tracks. Second is the north end of the plant, which just in the last week or so has really taken off, though there are no female flowers yet. The entire vine is maybe 6' long, tops. I imagine it's too late for this particular one to do much; there's a fair chance of frost by the 3rd week of Sept. There's more hope for smaller-fruited plants. I'm leaving this, just in case, though.














Impressive pumpkins, too, Col. Like I said before, it's hard to even imagine that's the "second string."

WitchyKitty-- I've already said how cute I think your garden is...and your pumpkins and gourds! Your pumpkins on a stick look great, too! Mine are well behind last year, but they're blooming now, too.
And this morning I did the same thing you did-- counting what I _*might*_ get of daisy gourds and (in my case) Orange Cutie pumpkins. You know they're not "in the bag" yet, but still, you just can't help it. ?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Colonel Fryght-- Thanks for the interesting information on 2, 4-D drift! Wow. Of course I'm familiar with herbicide drift, but I had no idea about 2,4-D forming a cloud in still air, and drifting later.


That's the same part that I found so counter-intuitive and amazing. That 0-2 mph wind was as dangerous as 12 + mph. I am glad to see that you have some plants trying their hardest to get to the finish line.

It did not dawn on my until Monday that we are in a heatwave which might explain my plants really slowing down. It has been 92-96 in general with yesterday hitting a 100. The most amazing thing is the humidity of 95%. 

That is where I wish for "dry" heat. A friend described it as taking a hot shower and getting dressed without drying off. I put up some of the shade cloth on Monday, but I feel like an idiot for not noticing the heat wave earlier. I mentally block those things out. It is summer, it is suppose to be hot. Bright side is that it breaks this weekend, and next week is 88 or less.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Everyone has been so quiet, today...


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAIR COUNTDOWN: 5 Weeks*

Rough week with the heat wave. I lost one of my four set pumpkins, but thankfully it was just a three week old pumpkin. I think the 1742A my largest one has stalled out. The OTT was 175.5 inches which is only an increase of 4 inches and a 7 pound gain since Sunday morning. The 1742A has an estimated weight of 127 lbs.

At least I have the 1742B still going and it is a week behind the 1742A and almost the same size. The OTT was 172 inches which is an increase of 11 inches and a 21 pound gain since Sunday morning. The 1742B has an estimated weight of 121 lbs.

As I mentioned earlier, the heat wave will be over this weekend. Maybe things will be pick up or least the 1742B will hopefully continue to grow at a steady pace.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)




----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I just went out to check on everything and I must say I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I originally sprayed for powdery mildew on Monday August 5th and it seemed to slow it down quite a bit. It seems like that round of spray has lost it's effectiveness because I have probably 50 of my leaves that have died, or look pretty bad. I think I'm going to try and spray again this evening and slow it down so my plants make it until at least the end of the month. 

I've also lost several more plants to what I believe were SVBs. The leaves have all died away and I can see the stumps look pretty bad. I'd love to clear away the dead plants, and the leaves that are covered in powdery mildew, but I'm afraid I'll end up terminating a plant that is still going strong. I may just cut away the leaves that are beyond recovery in hopes of keeping the PM in check. 

I counted how many pumpkins are currently large enough at this point to carve, and I say I have 20. There are several more that are close and if they can keep growing for another week or two they should be good. 

What else is strange is that while I have a large area that is dying off, I also have a large area that is now all of a sudden covered with new growth. There was an area in my patch up until about a week ago that I could walk all of the way through due to there being no vines, but now that area is the thickest and most densely covered area of the entire patch with new vine growth and females opening up every day. I'm not sure if this is due to, but I'll take it. Without this new growth I think my entire patch would have been done by the end of August, but now I may make it until at least the middle of September. 

Next year I'll do a better job of spraying for SVB and attacking the PM sooner.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just don't have it in me, right now, to fight the PM or the squash bugs, anymore. Like I said, before, I'm just leaving them on their own, besides watering, corralling or tying up vines, and keeping the towers up.

Despite the PM, I have new females that have set and are growing. I just hope that the vines hold on long enough for the majority of my gourds and mini pumpkins to mature. So far, there are many that look mature, though I've never grown either of these, so who knows, but the stems are still quite green...

My sunflowers are now full of seeds and drooping downwards heavily. The seeds are still white, though, so need more time to turn striped with black and firm. The one of them closest to the pole has been getting feasted on by one of my "pain in the butt eats everything" squirrels. I caught him, today. I hope he leaves the other two alone. They aren't even ready to be eaten, yet! My poor flowerbed behind the garden under said sunflower is full of white seed shells, now...

I want to be able to harvest the seeds, mature, and save them for the winter for the animals when there's no food. (I, also, want a chance to cut the flower heads down, get pics and measure them! think my one the year before was bigger...)

(Side note: I have hit my head off the same mini pumpkin, at least, two dozen times or so every time I try to duck under the pumpkin/gourd rope bridge. For being so small, it still hurts!!)


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> The one of them closest to the pole has been getting feasted on by one of my "pain in the butt eats everything" squirrels. I caught him, today. I hope he leaves the other two alone. They aren't even ready to be eaten, yet!


So jealous of your sunflowers. My biggest ones are about 4 1/2 feet tall. I am not sure if they are going to bloom by Sept. 18th. One thing that I was going to try was 5 gallon paint strainer bags over the flower heads to protect them from birds and squirrels. I have seen people use them for baby pumpkins.

Below is a link to the type of paint strainer bags that I bought. The one gallon may be big enough but I just went ahead and got the five gallon.









HDX 5 gal. Elastic Top Strainers (2-Pack) 11573/36WF - The Home Depot


Elastic Top Strainers (2-Pack) are perfect for straining all types of liquids. They remove dried flakes, lumps, filaments and other dust particles from paint. Fits snuggly on 5 gallon buckets. Strainers



www.homedepot.com


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Gosh, not much to report. The pumpkin arch is blooming magnificently. I'm smooshing eggs & stomping bugs.

We tested the Halloween lights this evening - probably should have waited until after the rain dried because I got a nice shock. Of course only half of the lights worked? We took night photos but they are horrible & not worth posting.

Btw the consumerism on the forum drives me crazy. If it wasn't for all of you I don't think I'd be here.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col., those bags are a great idea!! I didn't even know they existed, lol. We'd have to try to get a ladder in there, somehow, though, to reach the flower heads...

After reading, though, the downside to covering the sunflower heads with bags is that you'd have to make sure all of the bee pollination has already happened and all of the seeds are already growing. Sunflowers can self pollinate if needed, but it can result in fewer or deformed seeds. 

Kdestra, yikes! I hope you didn't get too bad of a shock!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I wrote this entry, then trotted out to the garden to get a quick picture of the moranga to add. A couple hours later, I came back in- haha! I got a lot of weeds pulled, spent blossoms cleaned away, and vines re-directed. I'm finally back. There are new entries, but I'll address them (and add the picture) tomorrow. 

Mayor -- sorry about the battle with PM and SVB, but having 20 carving-sized pumpkins, and more on the way, is fantastic! That new growth might give you more yet.
I hope your heat wave breaks soon, Colonel Fryght and that you have a good weekend...and good weather after.
The dog GIF had me laughing...espeically funny when he shakes!
WitchyKitty - Your un-munched sunflowers are looking great! Darned squirrels!

My pumpkins may be unusually late, but fortunately no PM has shown up yet. (If I were superstitious, I wouldn't dare say so! haha!)

I have re-adjusted (you know, lowered) my success bar. Initially I would have hoped for 7 or 8 pumpkins off each standard-sized (non-mini) vine. Now if I can get 2 or 3 mature fruits off each standard type (each one that's not in critical condition-- ie, not Wyatt's nor One Too Many), I'll be reasonably content. There are now at least small fruits set on _almost_ all the vines. We just need a good, long autumn with a late frost. I know last year I was considering not protecting/pollinating any new flowers after the middle of August. I didn't give them tough love treatment...and just as well because I think it was almost half my crop that developed after the first week of Aug. That gives me some hope.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, two sunflowers are being munched now. Only my biggest is left untouched, so far. I want to cut it down so terribly, but it's not ready, yet. Grrrrrrrrr!!! Squirrels!!!!!! I'm trying to come up with something I can protect it with so I don't have to go out and buy something. I considered one of my delicates laundry mesh bags, but they are too small...

PM has now run rampant across my garden! It was like, Boom!! Overnight everything is just covered. It's our weird weather, I'd guess. I'm thinking my vines will be dying back sooner than I'd like. I hope my just almost mature gourds and pumpkins will have enough time for their stems to dry a little and their skins to toughen up a little more...I don't want to have to harvest them too early and have them rot...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Those bags look like they'd be excellent for excluding birds, but I wonder whether squirrels wouldn't just tear them up. Seeing what they did to Chubstuff's totes, and having heard they sometimes chew their way into people's attics, I look on them as pretty formidable...but apparently the bags work for some folks if they've been recommended. Maybe it depends partly on how determined the squirrels are--- what other, easier-to-get food is available. I'll be interested to hear reviews.
Kdestra - This is the only place on the Forum where I check in regularly. I made a couple visits to the Grandin Road thread, and ...yeah...just not really Me, either.

Moranga pictures-- This is the lobed one that's consoling me for my lack of MdP. I'm really taken with it so far. It has 3 fruits set, but the plant is very small, and I'm not sure whether it will be able to support all 3. So far so good. It's very short-stemmed, so it's held upside-down.














Tiny Turk has one fairly-developed fruit, but is finally starting to put out more growth and more (2 more so far) female flowers. It's easy to miss the buds as being female. Only the "acrorn cap" part of the fruit is below the flower. The "acorn" portion of the squash develops up from the inside of the flower. Male left, female right. (The staple at the base holds the vines from twisting up in the wind. I usually don't put them next to a female but I couldn't tell when the flower was tiny and all the stalks were all short.)














And finally-- a lovely surprise! A WitchKitty gourdkin! This is the offspring of the cute little singing ghosts. (Thanks again!) They might not turn out to be exactly the same, but the overall shape is similar. I love to have variety! They're kind of deep in the patch, so I didn't see them before, but while I was weeding yesterday I saw there were several coming.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Begun the mildew wars have.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Those bags look like they'd be excellent for excluding birds, but I wonder whether squirrels wouldn't just tear them up. Seeing what they did to Chubstuff's totes, and having heard they sometimes chew their way into people's attics, I look on them as pretty formidable...but apparently the bags work for some folks if they've been recommended. Maybe it depends partly on how determined the squirrels are--- what other, easier-to-get food is available. I'll be interested to hear reviews.
> Kdestra - This is the only place on the Forum where I check in regularly. I made a couple visits to the Grandin Road thread, and ...yeah...just not really Me, either.
> 
> Moranga pictures-- This is the lobed one that's consoling me for my lack of MdP. I'm really taken with it so far. It has 3 fruits set, but the plant is very small, and I'm not sure whether it will be able to support all 3. So far so good. It's very short-stemmed, so it's held upside-down.
> ...


I had the same thought about the squirrels just chewing through the bag if I got one, lol. I've been staring at my biggest sunflower off and on all day, trying to come up with a way to keep it squirrel free until it matures...

I've never heard of a Moranga pumpkin. I can't wait to see it upside right!

Those Tiny Turks barely look like females!

Yays!!! You are getting, at least, one Gourdkin!!! I was wondering if you had planted one! The seeds I gave you came from the same mother pumpkin, so I would think you'd get the same "ghosts" that I got. Only time will tell to see if they start taking that odd shape. I really hope you get some, as those guys lasted until Christmas, hahaha! I made them into carolers with a little music sheet book in front of them, lol. If you somehow get something different, I'm excited to see that, too. I hope you get some growing and maturing! I know my plant gave me quite a lot of them!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Btw the consumerism on the forum drives me crazy. If it wasn't for all of you I don't think I'd be here.


That ad block app that chubstuff recommended works great. All the ads are blocked. The mobile version of the halloween forum is actually easy to look at even with the ads because the ads are real tiny and at the bottom of the screen.

If I did not have the ad block program on my laptop, then I would be right there with you. I would probably just use my cell phone.

*{Edit}* I think I miss-interpreted your post. I just saw ooojens post where she referred to product buying threads. I think the product buying threads are popular because it is easy to partake in.

Growing pumpkins, crafting decorations or building props are tougher to contribute to. I like our discussion and the prop building the most.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

You may have interpreted the commercialism post correctly, Colonel Fryght. I may have taken it wrong. There are a couple threads that are real buying frenzies. To each his or her own, but I enjoy the DIY style topics, myself. However, I know a lot of people find the ads here overwhelming and that's fair fodder for complaint. I just tune most of them out, unless they catch my interest. 
Good luck may you have Mildew Wars fighting, UnOrthodOx. I asked DH for a bit of leftover fungicide to spray my patch (as a preventive), and he went ahead and sprayed it for me (late afternoon). I think he feels bad about the herbicide fiasco.
The fungicide he used has low toxicity to bees, but they say it can be bad for them when the bees have other issues, like Nosema, at the same time. But bees have been increasing in diversity and numbers in my garden over the last few years, so I think it's probably not doing them any harm. So I hope!
If the pumpkins have any more setbacks this year, I won't get a crop. I need them in prime health for as long as the season lasts.

WitchyKitty -- It will be intersting to see how the gourdkins turn out. Like any open-pollinated "siblings" I'd expect them to look somewhat similar, but not necessarily exactly the same. There are a couple other decorative gourds in that part of the garden but they're pretty distinctive forms (Egg and TN Spinner), so it must be the gourdkin. I was afraid maybe it didn't make it when I didn't see any fruit for so long, but that area has gotten pretty densely vined over; there may have been little gourdkins well before I saw any.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> I just don't have it in me, right now, to fight the PM or the squash bugs, anymore. Like I said, before, I'm just leaving them on their own, besides watering, corralling or tying up vines, and keeping the towers up.


I am right there with you. I find it hard to spend more than 30-45 minutes in the patch on a daily basis. I am basically down to one simple task and one other task. 

My last big project was installing drip irrigation lines about a week ago during the ongoing heat wave. I can't water from above with my multitude of leaf problems and I figured it would be a good learning experience for the start of next year. 

The couple of hours that I spent in 90+ weather was the straw that broke the camel's back. I have averaged probably 30 minutes or less a day since then.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Since it's kind of quiet here tonight, I'll toss in some non-pumpkin cucurbits. I have 10 watermelons developing at the moment. I think one is ready, but I'm concerned about the possibility of harvesting it too early. I don't want to leave it _*too*_ long, either! ? It's full sized, yellow on the bottom, the tendrils nearest the fruit are just starting to brown and dry. I guess I'll wait a day or two.
Cantaloupe/Muskmelon are easier to gauge. I *know *these need a while yet. They're minis, though, so they should ripen fairly quickly.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

The smaller of the two pumpkins is now the officially the largest. My patch is looking rough. I would like to get three more weeks out of the leaves but who knows. My plants were germinated in mid-March so they are facing old age along with the rest of my issues this year.

My sunflowers have enjoyed the heat wave. My biggest ones have put on a foot in a week. The largest one is starting to show it's sunflower head. I have 4 1/2 weeks till the contest. Then contest requires sunflower head with seeds. Okay fellow growers, will I have mature flowers by then?

1742A- DAP 34 is now second with an OTT of 179 inches and 135 lbs. That is only a 15 lbs. gain since last Sunday night. On the bright side, if it is growing then that means it is not rotting.

1742B-DAP 27 is the new leader with an OTT of 182 inches and 140 lbs. That is a gain of 40 lbs. since last Sunday which is good. But the previous week gain was 45 lbs. So I might be on the downside of the bell curve unless the heat wave slowed things down. The 1742B has ridges which I think makes it better looking than the other. But any pumpkin that gets across the finish line is a beauty.

1742A Today










1742B Last Week










1742B This Week









Sunflower Group


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I was thinking it strange that the powdery mildew came on so soon this year. We generally don't get it until mid-September, but it seems all across the country you're all seeing it show up. I don't know that I take comfort in finding out I'm not alone in this weird year of pumpkin growing, but at least it makes me feel as if it wasn't really anything that I did wrong so much as Mother Nature throwing a curve ball into the growing season. 

I still haven't had one tomato from my vines, but if all goes well, in a week I might. By now, in a normal year, I'd have been munching on them since July. It's strange that in the historically hottest summer in history, our garden is acting like it's been winter all year long. Only our flowers have done well. It's been a colorful, if totally unproductive garden produce-wise.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

ooojen said:


> Those bags look like they'd be excellent for excluding birds, but I wonder whether squirrels wouldn't just tear them up. Seeing what they did to Chubstuff's totes, and having heard they sometimes chew their way into people's attics, I look on them as pretty formidable...but apparently the bags work for some folks if they've been recommended. Maybe it depends partly on how determined the squirrels are--- what other, easier-to-get food is available. I'll be interested to hear reviews.
> Kdestra - This is the only place on the Forum where I check in regularly. I made a couple visits to the Grandin Road thread, and ...yeah...just not really Me, either.
> 
> Moranga pictures-- This is the lobed one that's consoling me for my lack of MdP. I'm really taken with it so far. It has 3 fruits set, but the plant is very small, and I'm not sure whether it will be able to support all 3. So far so good. It's very short-stemmed, so it's held upside-down.
> ...


That Moranga is totally awesome


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> I was thinking it strange that the powdery mildew came on so soon this year. We generally don't get it until mid-September, but it seems all across the country you're all seeing it show up. I don't know that I take comfort in finding out I'm not alone in this weird year of pumpkin growing, but at least it makes me feel as if it wasn't really anything that I did wrong so much as Mother Nature throwing a curve ball into the growing season.
> 
> I still haven't had one tomato from my vines, but if all goes well, in a week I might. By now, in a normal year, I'd have been munching on them since July. It's strange that in the historically hottest summer in history, our garden is acting like it's been winter all year long. Only our flowers have done well. It's been a colorful, if totally unproductive garden produce-wise.


I'll have to go back through files to see if it's terribly early here. But, I wasn't surprised when it sprang up a few days after some heavy rainfall. 

My tomatoes did not do well at all this year.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'll have to go back through files to see if it's terribly early here. But, I wasn't surprised when it sprang up a few days after some heavy rainfall.
> 
> My tomatoes did not do well at all this year.


The is the year of PTSD. Pumpkin Traumatized Stress Disappointment. Earlier comments about creating a support group do seem to be in order.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, the animals...squirrels, most likely, got to my third, biggest sunflower. I am heartbroken. The seeds were just starting to mature and turn striped, too! Soooooo close to harvesting time. It looks like they can't reach most of the seeds in the centers, so, if all goes well, I may, at least, have some seeds to save for the animals for the late Fall/early Winter. I'm just sad I won't get a shot of the full sunflower head in my hands.

The tomatoes continue getting eaten by an unknown nightly critter...I'm guessing raccoon, maybe skunk, as we have them both running around at night.

My entire patch...pumpkins, gourds, zucchini, cucumbers...all covered in PM and dying off. I have no idea what to do about all my pumpkins and gourds if their stems haven't begun to dry, yet...I could cry. What a crummy season...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> *SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*
> 
> The smaller of the two pumpkins is now the officially the largest. My patch is looking rough. I would like to get three more weeks out of the leaves but who knows. My plants were germinated in mid-March so they are facing old age along with the rest of my issues this year.
> 
> ...


Your pumpkins look great!! 

I am not really 100% sure on a timeline for when your sunflowers will bloom and get mature seeds...but my Mammoth ones were at a flower bud stage about mid to late July, maybe, going by my pics, and are, at this moment, still have mostly white seeds and are just starting to stripe with black. If your sunflowers open and seed at the same rate as mine, you might "just" make it at 4 1/2 weeks. I hope your bloom fast and you get mature seeds fast enough...and a good size, too!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

....now they are eating into the actual sunflower head to get to the center seeds. I'm going to go out, soon, here to cut them all down and salvage any mature seeds that there may be. Then I'll toss the remaining on the ground, away from the garden, and they can have at it.

....now, besides my tomatoes, something started chomping on my Daisy Gourds! 

I give. Raising the white flag.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> ...
> I give. Raising the white flag.


This just makes me sick. I don't recall squirrels taking out my sunflowers years ago. Do they climb up the sunflower and bend it over to the ground?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> This just makes me sick. I don't recall squirrels taking out my sunflowers years ago. Do they climb up the sunflower and bend it over to the ground?


Once the sunflower heads droop down when they get heavy from seeds, they climb up them....because their stems are like small tree trunks...and sit on the backs of the head and just reach or bend under to get the seeds, I guess. I've never seen them doing it, but I've caught them several times running back down from the trunks if I go in the garden. That's why the center seeds are still there...they can't reach them. I guess if they want them badly enough. That's when they start chewing apart the sides of the actual sunflower head to get closer to more seeds.

I was so hoping to get close up pics of them when I harvested them...oh well. I removed what seeds I could and I'll save some of the ones that actually got stripes to see if they grow, next year, and the rest I'll let dry and give to the animals later.

We wrapped green fencing around both tomato cages, so we will see if that deters my tomato muncher. I just want enough for a few jars to can for over the winter...

Now I'm worried that, since we cut down the sunflowers and wrapped the tomatoes, that more of my lower gourds and pumpkins will be chewed on...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> I could cry. What a crummy season...


It's always tough when fellow haunters make comments that just don't work by clicking "like" to say we understand and sympathize. It's been a crummy season for us as well. We just hope for the best with the pumpkins out there and work on the props instead. Some things we control a bit. Mother Nature has never been one of them.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> This just makes me sick. I don't recall squirrels taking out my sunflowers years ago. Do they climb up the sunflower and bend it over to the ground?


Squirrels will climb up the stalk and then bounce on the flower head until they break the stalk if they can. It makes it easier to eat the seeds if they don't have to climb for them. I have never had one of my sunflowers survive until picking. All of them are eaten by the birds and vermin before there fully mature. I keep thinking how fun it might be to have homegrown seed at the end of the season, but the critters have other ideas. 

Maybe the invasions we're seeing from animals this year is a reflection of how poorly their normal hunting grounds did in providing them food. Our rat problem is directly related to the absence of a chicken coop two doors down. The birds seem to always eat the seeds early from things like red hot pokers and sunflowers. But we've made peace with the idea that they don't go to waste. They are eaten, and that was the original intent. 

If they start eating our pumpkins or tomatoes that will be a different story.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Aw, WitchyKitty, I'm so sorry about the pests ruining your hard work! I certainly hope some of the pumpkins and gourds can come through unscathed!
It's hard to even explain the importance to a non-grower. I know it's not just about having pumpkins; it's about having _*your own*_ pumpkins.
I hope the rest of you can keep powdery mildew at bay until your pumpkins ripen.
Colonel --You have some pretty healthy-looking pumpkin leaves in your photos, and the pumpkins themselves look great. Considering the setbacks you had, it looks like you've done extremely well for your plants.
As to sunflowers' timing, I'll have to look at last year's pictures and see whether I can get some idea. I just have black oilseed sunflowers this year, and it was less than 2 weeks from just-opening buds to pretty well-developed seeds. I can't remember whether the giants took longer, but I'm tempted to think you have plenty of time, especially with your warmer temperatures.


It has been in the 70s here, which, for better or worse, gives me no excuse not to get out there and pull weeds.
Overall, my plants have put on quite a bit of growth over the last couple weeks. They're doing better than I'd have expected. The best of them are a solid month behind where they should be, but I'm cautiously optimistic about getting _something_. Left is the best-looking part of the patch. Vegetative growth is doing quite well, but the plants aren't setting much fruit. Right is... the other side. I might run the tiller around that side, just so the weeds don't seed out too badly. I've been keeping up with weeds pretty well in and around my productive plants, but it's hard to get motivated to weed big bare patches. To the right of the barely-survived volunteer Should-be-Giant sunflower is Wyatt's Wonder. I refuse to give up competely, despite time not being on its side. C'mon Wyatt!






....


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Reading these posts, I feel really fortunate, and I'm going to give our dog a treat next time I head out! We have some squirrel damage, but it's mostly minor. They ate a few gourds, and moved on. Chubstuff's suggestion about alternate food sources might be my garden's salvation, as we have nut trees, oaks, evergreen cones, and field corn all around. I just need to harvest before the other options are gone.
I agree about the "like" option, too. I read WitchyKitty's post and I can't _like _her bad luck. Consider the "sympathy and solidarity" button clicked.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

OK, found them...among a plethora of pictures of already-ripe pumpkins from this time last year. Hmmm...

Colonel Fryght -- I would say it's good news for gray-stripe sunflower seed production. First picture August 13th, second picture with seeds filling out on the nearest plant, Aug 31st. It wasn't fully filled yet, but was on its way. (The head got oval shaped, a lot wider than high, before it finished out.) Two and a half to three weeks about does it in MN's climate, so yours should have plenty of time. 






.....


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Went digging, looks like early to mid August is about average for me on the mildew showing up. I know it feels early, but looks average.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I have several pumpkins that turned totally orange, and the vines were gettin gummy so I decided to take them off the vine awhile. I’ll leave them out in the patch until the end of August to cure. I saw one had a slight area that was kind of cut, but it was hardened over so hopefully it lasts. All of my Toad plants were also dead so I took them off as well.








I have several other pumpkins that are completely orange, but the vines still looks ok so I figured I'd leave them on awhile longer. 

When does everyone else take their pumpkins off? When they have turned completely orange, or do you just leave them out as long as the vines aren't mush? I always struggle when to cut them off. I'm very impatient and always want to cut them off right away. After cutting them off, what are your next steps? I plan to clean these with a bleach and water solution, leave them out in my patch until the end of August, then probably store them in either my garage where I work, or bring them home and store them in my basement.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> View attachment 717001


Just the pumpkins in your photo will probably make you the leader this year. You are certainly ahead going into the back nine and you still have more to harvest.

I would not put any pumpkin in the basement or basement garage. Pumpkins and dampness do not mix. You can always load up your fireplace mantle and around the hearth for a Martha Stewart photo op.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Thanks for the sympathy and solidarity, everyone, lol. I agree, we need more options other than "like".

Yeah, my giant sunflowers are too thick for the squirrels to jump on and break off, so they just sit on the backs of them like tables and reach under for the seeds. A nice little dining room for them. Sigh. I do grow them for the animals, but can't they let them mature, first?! One picture of the big one...just one was all I wanted! (I love squirrels, but they are driving me crazy at this house eating all my Fall harvests!!)

As for the tomatoes, I don't think it's squirrels. I'm guessing maybe one of the raccoons in the area? The bite marks are larger. I suppose it could be squirrels, but I've never known them to eat a tomato...especially when there are yummy sunflowers and gourds/pumpkins to eat right net to them, lol. Ahhhh, yes. I love the evil, adorable furry critters in my neighborhood.

I am wanting to harvest all of mine, too, since the vines are dying...but I'm trying to force myself to leave them on as long as possible. I don't want mine to rot. I decorate with mine, so they just go all over the house. (They USED to go outside on the porch...but squirrels...)

Mayor, those pumpkins look amazing!!! Perfect colors and shapes! I am jealous. I hope they stay looking amazing for you!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Your pumpkins look beautiful, Mayor! It's a pleasure to see them. I'm glad you're getting a good crop, with more to come! 

Good luck with yours, WitchyKitty! The vines really must be going fast; they looked so good in pictures just a few days ago.

Things are hanging on here, yet. I have several Toads, one single Sugar Pie, and quite a few Orange Cuties that look mature (and a number that don't yet). The SuperFreak hybrid has a couple pumpkins that are starting to turn orange, and it's putting out more female flowers, too. Nearly everything needs more time.
It looks like one of my remaining volunteers might be JBL, which is fun! It sat there without doing much for a very long time, but now it's starting to grow. The only place it could conceivably have come from is offspring of an egg gourd (maybe formed with JBL pollen.) I harvested all my JBLs last year, and none were anywhere near that section of the garden.






One more thing, just for fun. One of my SuperFreaks made a variegated flower. It looks rather limp; by the time I brought my camera/phone back to the garden, it had been pollinated a while, and I had a net bag over it as beetle protection. But the picture still shows the unusual coloration.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Awesome flower, ooojen!!!! I have never seen one that was striped yellow and white!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I thought it was pretty too! I hope it's not a manifestation of some awful virus or something! The plant it's on has bloomed many times over, and this is the first I've seen with bicolored petals, so I think it's probably just a little glitch. It was fun to see.
I have an entire plant that has a flowering glitch-- one of the two Mr. Fuglys. It has probably put out half a dozen female flowers, and on every one, half the flower matures a day before the other half. At least-- the petals on one side open up while on the other side they stay green-tipped and closed over. The next day, the previously-closed side opens, as the previously-open petals droop back over to cover up the blossom. The fruit will get bigger for a few days, then blast. I suppose there's not enough pollination to keep it going (?). But all the stigmata look ready on the first day they open. If I think of it, I'll try a two-day pollination on the next female and see what happens. Fortunately, the other vine is setting some pumpkins-- with one fair sized.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I thought it was pretty too! I hope it's not a manifestation of some awful virus or something! The plant it's on has bloomed many times over, and this is the first I've seen with bicolored petals, so I think it's probably just a little glitch. It was fun to see.
> I have an entire plant that has a flowering glitch-- one of the two Mr. Fuglys. It has probably put out half a dozen female flowers, and on every one, half the flower matures a day before the other half. At least-- the petals on one side open up while on the other side they stay green-tipped and closed over. The next day, the previously-closed side opens, as the previously-open petals droop back over to cover up the blossom. The fruit will get bigger for a few days, then blast. I suppose there's not enough pollination to keep it going (?). But all the stigmata look ready on the first day they open. If I think of it, I'll try a two-day pollination on the next female and see what happens. Fortunately, the other vine is setting some pumpkins-- with one fair sized.


Weird...
I had the same thought about maybe trying pollinating both days...let us know if it works!


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAIR COUNTDOWN: 4 Weeks*

I will keep it short and sweet. The 1742B has an OTT of 186.5 inches with an estimated weight of 152 pounds. Since Sunday it added 4.5 inches and a 12 pound gain. Probably no chance at 200, but my mantra from Sunday carries over: If it is growing, it ain't rotting. 

The 1742A is at 179 inches OTT with an estimated weight of 135 lbs which is the same as Sunday. So maybe I should change my mantra.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> *WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAIR COUNTDOWN: 4 Weeks*
> 
> I will keep it short and sweet. The 1742B has an OTT of 186.5 inches with an estimated weight of 152 pounds. Since Sunday it added 4.5 inches and a 12 pound gain. Probably no chance at 200, but my mantra from Sunday carries over: If it is growing, it ain't rotting.
> 
> The 1742A is at 179 inches OTT with an estimated weight of 135 lbs which is the same as Sunday. So maybe I should change my mantra.



Here's to hoping for some growth spurts!!

Still impressive sizes, though, to me!!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> When does everyone else take their pumpkins off? When they have turned completely orange, or do you just leave them out as long as the vines aren't mush?


We leave ours on as long as we can. This year, who knows when that will be, but in normal years, they're on even in early October. We cut them when we see the October rains on the forecast and bring them in for hardening. There doesn't seem to be a reason not to leave them out ripening as long as possible. We hope to get viable seed from all our favorites, so leaving them out working on that just makes sense to us.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I agree with Chubstuff; I leave mine on as long as is reasonable. That's usually when the first hard freeze is predicted. But I have a shorter growing season than the rest of you, and there are always some that really need the extra time.
I've always got pumpkins finishing up when most here have long ago harvested and moved on. It'll be even more so this year. Some of you are wrapping things up...and I just got my first "Peanut" flower pollinated the day before yesterday.

I'm somewhat tempted to harvest the ripe pumpkins off my Toad plant to see whether it might prompt it to set more fruit. The plant is still healthy, but the new fruits blast. Logic tells me there's a good chance it would jar things back into production. But I'm not sure the pumpkins would last through Halloween. My reduced yields this year have me valuing a "bird in the hand", so I'll probably leave that experiment for another year.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

So many lovely pumpkins! It seems I learn something new every time I visit this thread. After almost tearing up my plants in frustration when every new bloom resulted in death, I am thrilled to share that I have 3 regular pumpkins growing plus about 3-4 mini ones!! A critter took a bite out of one but it's still growing which puzzles me when all those early, unmolested ones just rotted and died. But hey, I'm not going to complain at this point! I will get some pictures tomorrow so in the meantime...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> So many lovely pumpkins! It seems I learn something new every time I visit this thread. After almost tearing up my plants in frustration when every new bloom resulted in death, I am thrilled to share that I have 3 regular pumpkins growing plus about 3-4 mini ones!! A critter took a bite out of one but it's still growing which puzzles me when all those early, unmolested ones just rotted and died. But hey, I'm not going to complain at this point! I will get some pictures tomorrow so in the meantime...


Awesome!! I can't wait to see them! (A critter nibbled on one of my daisy gourds and it is still alive, too...odd.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Anyone have any pumpkin news?? It's been quiet.

I am watching and waiting for my pumpkin and gourd stems to start drying so I can harvest them. I have decided to slow down the watering, now, since the vines are already biting the dust and most of the pumpkins and gourds look and feel mature, as well. I start my Fall decorating in September, so I like to have some pumpkins and such earlier than just for Halloween. (I start my Halloween decorating at the end of September...usually the last weekend.)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yay for success, Ladyfrog! I'm looking forward to pictures. They're always fun!
WitchyKitty - I'm glad most of your pumpkins and gourds have matured. It would be awful if the vines died down too soon, but it sounds like it was just time. 

My Orange Cutie vines still look healthy, but they've quit putting out new female flowers. That's just fine; they have plenty of set fruit and can just put their energy into finishing those. I have one or two pumpkins each that look like they have potential to finish on Rouge vif, Jamboree, Mr. Fugly, Victor/Red Warty, Blue Doll, Early Giant, and Moranga. SuperFreaks are turning orange and setting new fruit at the same time. Toads did well, too, but aren't setting anything new. Sugar Pie has lots of nice-looking-but-still-green pumpkins (and one orange one) ...and also has a little dusting of PM showing up on older leaves underneath the new leaves' canopy. ?They probably didn't get any of the fungicide. The volunteer JBL, if that's what it is, has 4 little pumpkins (one didn't make it) and has a good chance of forming some more if we get some warm days. Tiny Turk is going wild, with several new females every day. Barring any disaster, I should have a few to display.

My husband recently visited with the neighborhood pumpkin grower (just a side occupation for him). He has a smallish field and sells to local produce stands and stores. The grower said he has to spray both fungicide and insecticide with the big field sprayer *every week* in order to get any crop at all. I did wonder how he managed all the pests we have to deal with. He can't exactly put net bags over the flowers every day when he has multiple acres of plants. Anyway, increasing pests are probably the reason pumpkin prices have gone up. It must be quite a balancing act trying to kill off the pests but not the pollinators.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Yay for success, Ladyfrog! I'm looking forward to pictures. They're always fun!
> WitchyKitty - I'm glad most of your pumpkins and gourds have matured. It would be awful if the vines died down too soon, but it sounds like it was just time.
> 
> My Orange Cutie vines still look healthy, but they've quit putting out new female flowers. That's just fine; they have plenty of set fruit and can just put their energy into finishing those. I have one or two pumpkins each that look like they have potential to finish on Rouge vif, Jamboree, Mr. Fugly, Victor/Red Warty, Blue Doll, Early Giant, and Moranga. SuperFreaks are turning orange and setting new fruit at the same time. Toads did well, too, but aren't setting anything new. Sugar Pie has lots of nice-looking-but-still-green pumpkins (and one orange one) ...and also has a little dusting of PM showing up on older leaves underneath the new leaves' canopy. ?They probably didn't get any of the fungicide. The volunteer JBL, if that's what it is, has 4 little pumpkins (one didn't make it) and has a good chance of forming some more if we get some warm days. Tiny Turk is going wild, with several new females every day. Barring any disaster, I should have a few to display.
> ...


Wow that's crazy he has to spray so much. I have wondered how the farmers do it when we know how difficult it is to get anything to grow!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> Anyone have any pumpkin news?? It's been quiet.


Below is my largest squash-like creature. I have no idea what it is. We didn't plant any seeds remotely looking like this thing, and if it's a volunteer from last year, it doesn't look like anything we've ever planted. But it's going to be a pumpkin on our stairway Halloween night. Kids running up the stairs to get candy don't stop to stare at the pumpkins and go, "Wait a minute. I don't believe that's a true pumpkin. What are these haunters up to?"


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

As promised, pictures of my pumpkins. I have two JBL plants in a large planter and growing vertically. I don't have a lot of good gardening real estate so I have some stuff in planters and some stuff in small areas here and there throughout my yard. You can see my large pumpkins are next to the pool ?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Yay for success, Ladyfrog! I'm looking forward to pictures. They're always fun!
> WitchyKitty - I'm glad most of your pumpkins and gourds have matured. It would be awful if the vines died down too soon, but it sounds like it was just time.
> 
> My Orange Cutie vines still look healthy, but they've quit putting out new female flowers. That's just fine; they have plenty of set fruit and can just put their energy into finishing those. I have one or two pumpkins each that look like they have potential to finish on Rouge vif, Jamboree, Mr. Fugly, Victor/Red Warty, Blue Doll, Early Giant, and Moranga. SuperFreaks are turning orange and setting new fruit at the same time. Toads did well, too, but aren't setting anything new. Sugar Pie has lots of nice-looking-but-still-green pumpkins (and one orange one) ...and also has a little dusting of PM showing up on older leaves underneath the new leaves' canopy. ?They probably didn't get any of the fungicide. The volunteer JBL, if that's what it is, has 4 little pumpkins (one didn't make it) and has a good chance of forming some more if we get some warm days. Tiny Turk is going wild, with several new females every day. Barring any disaster, I should have a few to display.
> ...


I _think _they are mostly mature, lol. Since I've never grown either, and their stems are still dark green, I could be wrong. I'm just going by the deepened coloring and thicker skins (though, hard to tell with those bumpy green ones, lol.) We will see. I am pretty sure that, if the vines dies back sooner than I'd like, I'll have a decent amount make it that are mature enough, at least.

I'm glad you have some from each kind of all those varieties going well. 

I have no idea how these big pumpkin farms around us do it...I go crazy with our tiny amount we grow, lol!! Many of us baby ours like crazy...like you said, they can't go bagging flowers and propping things up, ans all we do for ours. Sad he has to spray to much.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Below is my largest squash-like creature. I have no idea what it is. We didn't plant any seeds remotely looking like this thing, and if it's a volunteer from last year, it doesn't look like anything we've ever planted. But it's going to be a pumpkin on our stairway Halloween night. Kids running up the stairs to get candy don't stop to stare at the pumpkins and go, "Wait a minute. I don't believe that's a true pumpkin. What are these haunters up to?"
> 
> View attachment 717538


 Hahaha! It looks great. Your ToTs will love it just as much as the rest of your pumpkins!



Ladyfrog said:


> As promised, pictures of my pumpkins. I have two JBL plants in a large planter and growing vertically. I don't have a lot of good gardening real estate so I have some stuff in planters and some stuff in small areas here and there throughout my yard. You can see my large pumpkins are next to the pool ?


Looking good, Ladyfrog!! Some of your pumpkin vines may want to go swimming! (Sigh...you have sunflowers that aren't half eaten by squirrels...lucky, lol.)


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Thanks Witchykitty! I have to battle deer and slugs here as well as a very short growing season so I'm happy to get anything. I keep having to redirect the vines as they do want to go swimming! One question - where do you see sunflowers? I don't have any that I know of. I also haven't seen any squirrels since I moved here 3 years ago but we do have opossums that try to steal the suet for the birds and the cat food I put out for our resident stray. I think it's really weird there's no squirrels but the dang deer are just as bad. They aren't afraid of anything and just roam through the neighborhood. Little bastards decimated my strawberries 2 years ago so I now grow them on a tall rack they can't reach!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Pictures -- yay! 
Chubstuff-- That's a cool one! Interesting color, too. I wonder whether it will change as it matures or whether you'll have something similar to "Porcelain Doll".

Ladyfrog -- Your pumpkins are looking good too! Do you know what varieties you have (besides JBL)?


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Pictures -- yay!
> Chubstuff-- That's a cool one! Interesting color, too. I wonder whether it will change as it matures or whether you'll have something similar to "Porcelain Doll".


The color of Porcelain Doll looks nearly identical to my squash, although the shape is completely different. There's a little nipple at the end of the squash where the flower was, so setting it down won't be easy without a bit of support. That's what made me think that maybe it was a squash. My squashes all seem to enjoy peculiar shapes.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ladyfrog, your pumpkins look great so far, and your plants still look healthy. I would love if my plants looked that good, but sadly the powdery mildew has pretty much killed everything off.

WitchyKitty, I’m sorry to hear about your sunflowers. I remember from years ago the squirrels eating your pumpkins on your front porch. Was that at your current house, or a previous one? For some reason I think you moved to a new house within the last few years. Either way, you just can’t escape the squirrel damage!

Col Fryght, I’m so glad you stayed with the ones that weren’t run over. Even though you may not set any records, the ones you have are still SOOOOOO much larger than anything I’ve ever grown. If I wasn’t growing for quantity, and had extra space available, I’d love to try my hand at growing giants. Maybe someday.

Like I said earlier, my patch is looking really bad. Most has died off and the pumpkins are slowly turning orange. I still have a few vines going, and females still opening on a few vines, so I’ll let everything alone for now. I normally like to cut all the dead plants out immediately, but this year I’m going to wait until the last pumpkin is harvested. I was really hoping everything would look good until September 1 at the earliest. I’m guessing all the humid days, as well as the overhead watering is what did me in. Next year I’ll start with Neem oil the beginning of August.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The "like" isn't for the die-off, but, "...the pumpkins are slowly turning orange," certainly sounds good! 
Chubstuff-- some of mine have had that shape, too-- in my patch's case, it's generally pumpkins/squash with Hubbard in their backgrounds. Those also seem to be the most attractive to pests.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Pictures -- yay!
> Chubstuff-- That's a cool one! Interesting color, too. I wonder whether it will change as it matures or whether you'll have something similar to "Porcelain Doll".
> 
> Ladyfrog -- Your pumpkins are looking good too! Do you know what varieties you have (besides JBL)?


They're from Ed Hume seeds and the package just days "jack o'lantern" ?‍♀


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

*SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE*

Burn out really setting in. I need to stay energized for my sunflower seeds but it is a struggle. I was going to build some sort of structure around them this weekend but punted on that project. Below is a picture of a green locust eating my plant. I took a pic because I was like what a cool giant grasshopper, until I noticed that he was eating the seed bed. When I flicked him, he sprouted wings and flew about 50 feet. 

So I finally put out my mesh bags. Since they are not drawn tight at the bottom, determined bugs can still get in, but I am just trying to discourage lazy attackers. I did take the bags off this morning and caught a bee pollinating one of my flowers.

The 1742B measured out at 190.5 OTT and 161 pounds. That is a good increase of 26 lbs. in a week which was 11 pounds more than the previous week.

The 1742A is done growing. It was at an OTT of 179 last Sunday, and is at 179 again this Sunday. It seems solid. I will take it off the vine if I see any weakness in the stem.

Does anybody know the growth rate of sunflower heads? My biggest one might be 8 inches in diameter. I have three and half weeks before the festival. I just seems like 20+ inches is going to be a reach.

1742B


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> Thanks Witchykitty! I have to battle deer and slugs here as well as a very short growing season so I'm happy to get anything. I keep having to redirect the vines as they do want to go swimming! One question - where do you see sunflowers? I don't have any that I know of. I also haven't seen any squirrels since I moved here 3 years ago but we do have opossums that try to steal the suet for the birds and the cat food I put out for our resident stray. I think it's really weird there's no squirrels but the dang deer are just as bad. They aren't afraid of anything and just roam through the neighborhood. Little bastards decimated my strawberries 2 years ago so I now grow them on a tall rack they can't reach!


I have no idea...I saw a picture of someone's sunflowers while looking at your pics...not there, now, though. Oh well. Who ever owns those sunflowers, I'm jealous of you not having them get eaten, lol.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I would love if my plants looked that good, but sadly the powdery mildew has pretty much killed everything off.
> 
> WitchyKitty, I’m sorry to hear about your sunflowers. I remember from years ago the squirrels eating your pumpkins on your front porch. Was that at your current house, or a previous one? For some reason I think you moved to a new house within the last few years. Either way, you just can’t escape the squirrel damage!


Powdery mildew has ended my growing, too. It hit hard.
We did move three years ago...all the squirrel damage, pumpkins and sunflowers, has been here at this house. I can only put fake pumpkins and gourds out for decor on the porch, now, real ones have to stay inside. The only real ones we put out is our carved ones for three days or so before and on Halloween...but we have to bring them inside each night and put them back out the next night or their faces get eaten off...never had these issues at the old house. Nothing ate my pumpkins.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Interestingly, though, the Powdery Mildew has covered so completely and quickly that, from a distance, it almost looks like the leaves have all been covered in frost. It would almost be pretty...if I didn't know it was a mildew destroying my vines and taking over my garden...

I think this is the hardest and fastest I've ever had it cover everything...though, this Summer has had weird weather and, heck, this end of August has been in the 70's for highs and 50's for lows! (Not normal, for us.) It feels like Fall, which I LOVE...but the veggie gardens do not. Lots of strong, crisp breezes/winds, too. Coming from humidity right before this temp drop, and now humidity, again, starting tonight with a high amount of rain coming in, that should finish everything off. I'm pretty sure I'll be harvesting, soon.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty-- I agree with you 100% about the weather. I just love it like this, personally. (I know that you have more reason than I do to dislike the heat-- but I've always liked it better on the cool side.) The garden (and in my case, the even-more-mportant crop fields) really need the heat units, though! 
With the temperature drops at night, we get very heavy dew, and it doesn't burn off the pumpkin leaves until 10 or 11 AM. I hate to use any more sprays than I have to, but here comes the powdery mildew, and none of my non-mini pumkins are ready for that.

It's interesting how many sources I've read say that powdery mildew thrives in warm (80s) and dry conditions. I never see it show up here until nights get cool and damp (and I do know the difference between powdery and down mildew).
Has anyone here tried a cedar-based fungicide (like Wondercide)? The description says it helps control insect pests, too, without harming beneficials. I might look into that for next year. Rootworm beetles are attracted by both scent and color. Masking the scent might help a little...I could hope! It'd be great if one non-toxic-to-humans product could help with both problems.

Col. Fryght -- The 1742B is doing some very impressive growing! It looks great!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

We got home from vacation late last night. The young lady I hired to water did a great job. I'm really proud of her - as far as I can tell everything is alive. 
Hope everyone is healthy & happy.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I’m finally getting results from the Gooseneck and Big Apple gourds that I planted. For a while I didn’t think I would get anything from either mound. 
















And when examining my decorative corn I noticed that squirrels must have been attacking it. I don’t grow the corn for the ears, but rather the stalks to decorate with, so it is t a big loss. I’d rather they ate the corn than my pumpkins.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m finally getting results from the Gooseneck and Big Apple gourds that I planted. For a while I didn’t think I would get anything from either mound.
> View attachment 717782
> 
> View attachment 717783
> ...


Those are very interesting with the varied green colors.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Welcome back, Kdestra! I'm glad your garden tender did well! 
Mayor- I love your gourds! I'm leaving most of mine to their own devices this year-- just hoping for the best.
I've never grown my own apple gourds. Yours looks good. The leaf on the right, though...did you squash some SVB eggs? 

I saw my second SVB of the year just a couple days ago--toward evening. It was cool out (60s) so the moth was slow, and I caught it in one of the net bags I use to cover flowers. * Squash *vine borer indeed! Fitting end!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> And when examining my decorative corn I noticed that squirrels must have been attacking it. I don’t grow the corn for the ears, but rather the stalks to decorate with, so it is t a big loss. I’d rather they ate the corn than my pumpkins.


The squirrels destroyed most of my corn too & like I use the stalks for Halloween ☠ 

Your goose necks are beautiful


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

So, one of my vines has gone to hell. But only one. And it had no pumpkins on it...










Our largest pumpkin, I don't know measurements or anything, but my rather uneducated guess would be 120-150 ish lbs.










I'm particularly excited about this year's raven grass production. These were all transplants last year, and have all caught on great. But I have about half that didn't do so great as well.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Nice work with the giant! The 120 to 150 range is impressive!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> Welcome back, Kdestra! I'm glad your garden tender did well!
> Mayor- I love your gourds! I'm leaving most of mine to their own devices this year-- just hoping for the best.
> I've never grown my own apple gourds. Yours looks good. The leaf on the right, though...did you squash some SVB eggs?
> 
> I saw my second SVB of the year just a couple days ago--toward evening. It was cool out (60s) so the moth was slow, and I caught it in one of the net bags I use to cover flowers. * Squash *vine borer indeed! Fitting end!


ooojen, I hadn't even noticed the SVB eggs on that leaf until you pointed them out!!! Now I may need to go hunting. I have seen several other leaves that had them on that I squashed, but I somehow missed those!

Unorthodox, with the exception of that one vine, your plants look great. I'd love if mine still looked anywhere near that healthy. I have a few plants that look good, but most are gone.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Been busy reading everyone's posts. 
Powdery Mildew is a pain in the behind!! I sprayed copper fungicide on a few leaves & it's been working really well. 

WK - the squirrels ate my sunflowers too. It's so depressing to come home & see stalks without heads. Reminds me of a graveyard. 

Ladyfrog - your pumpkins are lovely 

The crazy pumpkins are growing everywhere & I found a new gourd growing on the Little Free Library. My best guess is that a few french heirloom types cross pollinated into hooligans (big & small) The pumpkin arch has over 35 striped minis on it 

It's been a fun growing year for me. I don't let myself stress out over what fails and just go with whatever Mother Nature gives me.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

We saw the most amazing Hop Farms (hops are what they make beer with) while on vacation. It was like a Hop Forrest - it was so amazing we had to pull the car over. The smell was so intense, you could taste them


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Nice! That lobed and spotted lovely-- is that by any chance Thai Rai Kaw Tok? It really looks pretty, as do the rest!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> The "like" isn't for the die-off, but, "...the pumpkins are slowly turning orange," certainly sounds good!
> Chubstuff-- some of mine have had that shape, too-- in my patch's case, it's generally pumpkins/squash with Hubbard in their backgrounds. Those also seem to be the most attractive to pests.


I did plant Tennessee Hubbard Squash this year. At least that's what the seeds were labeled at the seed exchange we went to earlier this year.  I looked it up online, but couldn't actually find an image of it buried among all the other squashes. I may have the only picture of the squash posted on the Net. hahaha


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> We saw the most amazing Hop Farms (hops are what they make beer with) while on vacation. It was like a Hop Forrest - it was so amazing we had to pull the car over. The smell was so intense, you could taste them


Oregon grows a great deal of hops. With all the hipsters living in Portland, the microbreweries are running not stop. We have more IPAs than Wall Street has traders. The farms are amazing and this time of year, they do smell wonderful. They remind me a bit of Kudzu down in the South. The way they climb up the trellises makes them look as if they would go crazy if there wasn't someone there to prune them back.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> ooojen, I hadn't even noticed the SVB eggs on that leaf until you pointed them out!!! Now I may need to go hunting. I have seen several other leaves that had them on that I squashed, but I somehow missed those!
> 
> Unorthodox, with the exception of that one vine, your plants look great. I'd love if mine still looked anywhere near that healthy. I have a few plants that look good, but most are gone.


Yeah, I thought we were done for when the mildew hit first, but this stuff seems to really do the trick! It was literally the only thing I could find at the time. 









3-In-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control


BioAdvanced 3-In-1 Insect, Disease & Mite Control is triple protection for flowering plants, trees and shrubs. Kills and controls listed insect pests, such as the mite insect, and it cures and prevents listed fungal disease.




www.bioadvanced.com





I think the drip line somehow got damaged/pulled off the dead vine, even.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Oregon grows a great deal of hops. With all the hipsters living in Portland, the microbreweries are running not stop. We have more IPAs than Wall Street has traders. The farms are amazing and this time of year, they do smell wonderful. They remind me a bit of Kudzu down in the South. The way they climb up the trellises makes them look as if they would go crazy if there wasn't someone there to prune them back.


Lol!!! More IPAs than Wall Street has traders ???

Tried growing them once but I think VA is to humid for them. I'd love to make a wreath out of the vines. Maybe I'll try again next year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

There’s a new Alaska state record for giant pumpkins


Dale Marshall beat his own previous record by nearly 600 pounds at the Alaska State Fair.




www.adn.com


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> There’s a new Alaska state record for giant pumpkins
> 
> 
> Dale Marshall beat his own previous record by nearly 600 pounds at the Alaska State Fair.
> ...


Dale has a serious temperature controlled set-up which is to be expected in Alaska. For him to be within 500 pounds of the world record given the short growing season in Alaska is beyond comprehension. You can see his solar panels and water tank in the photo.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Lol!!! More IPAs than Wall Street has traders ???
> 
> Tried growing them once but I think VA is to humid for them. I'd love to make a wreath out of the vines. Maybe I'll try again next year.


The Northwest had a banner year a few years back when hops from other areas failed and all our hop growers were suddenly being given small fortunes to sell their crops. We even have a baseball team called the Hillsboro Hops. You know you have a problem when you choose a plant that is used for making beer and is a second cousin to cannabis... another popular plant in the Northwest. 










That said, the cones really are pretty when they're just beginning to turn. Kind of like pumpkins... which I will now return to discussing.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> There’s a new Alaska state record for giant pumpkins
> 
> 
> Dale Marshall beat his own previous record by nearly 600 pounds at the Alaska State Fair.
> ...


While I am impressed that a controlled environment where there is sunlight for almost the entire 24 hour period, I look at it and think, "okay, now what do you do with it?" I get a kick out of seeing Col. Fryght's pumpkins on display as a part of Halloween. Dale's pumpkin looks like it could be an ad for Pumpkin Weight Watchers, but not much more.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Yeah, Anchorage should be a pretty sweet spot for growing pumpkins! The ocean moderates their temps, and they have a growing season that averages about 2 months longer than what we have where I live. And yep, add in that long, long summer day-length, and lack of many of the pests the rest of us battle...not bad. It's still an amazing accomplishment to raise a 2000+ lb pumpkin anywhere, of course.
A friend of mine grows hops up her porch columns and along the bricks of her house. They're just for looks-- and they do look nice! (But they sometimes give her contact dermatitis when she prunes...so, long sleeves and gloves for that.) The hops mascot is great . Now I'm trying to think of how to work "dermatitis" into a cheer...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> While I am impressed that a controlled environment where there is sunlight for almost the entire 24 hour period, I look at it and think, "okay, now what do you do with it?" I get a kick out of seeing Col. Fryght's pumpkins on display as a part of Halloween. Dale's pumpkin looks like it could be an ad for Pumpkin Weight Watchers, but not much more.


Completely agree but last year I saw people carving giants and doing boat races with them. 
I'd love to grow BIG pumpkins but I don't have the attention span. My garden style is more: Fast & Furious. If you survive in my garden you stay - I don't have time to baby demanding divas.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Yeah, Anchorage should be a pretty sweet spot for growing pumpkins! The ocean moderates their temps, and they have a growing season that averages about 2 months longer than what we have where I live. And yep, add in that long, long summer day-length, and lack of many of the pests the rest of us battle...not bad. It's still an amazing accomplishment to raise a 2000+ lb pumpkin anywhere, of course.
> A friend of mine grows hops up her porch columns and along the bricks of her house. They're just for looks-- and they do look nice! (But they sometimes give her contact dermatitis when she prunes...so, long sleeves and gloves for that.) The hops mascot is great . Now I'm trying to think of how to work "dermatitis" into a cheer...


Alaska is beautiful but I could never live there - way to cold. 

Growing Hops on the porch is a great idea!!! I'm going to try it.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

My brother was stationed in Anchorage eons ago. They had a lot milder winters than we do...but they don't have a lot of heat units to their spring and summer. What I think would bother me most is the lack of sunshine in winter.

SVBs are showing up again. 
They killed off a volunteer summer squash. It wasn't a huge loss; there was who-knows-what in the genetic mix, and they didn't taste very good. I was just trying to let a few ripen for display, because they are quite pretty-- bright yellow scallop types.
Borers were also in one of the Victor/Red Warty stems, and at the base of a leaf. The leaf one wasn't too hard to extract. I injected the stem hollow with some pyrethrum stuff. I'll see how that goes. Everything I read says SVBs only have one generation here in the north. I don't believe it. I haven't seen huge numbers of them, but I've seen them most of the growing season.
Anyway, that's one more hurdle.
Just a sampling-- I'll put up some more shots later. Tiny Turk, Jamboree, Rouge Vif (not so "vif" yet, but it should start happening soon), and Victor.






...






...






...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Volunteer that looks like JBL, Early Giant starting to mature (the shot is from yesterday, and it has actually gone a lot more orange in just a day), and the Mr. Fugly with the flowers that open by halves. Pollinating both days made it set fruit. Streaked fruit like that is usually a bad thing, but it's firm and still growing.






.






.









I get a kick out of the name choices. On the left, a real doll (Blue Doll), and in the middle, a Fugly one, (Mr. Fugly). That wouldn't be my perception! But I do like them all, and Blue Doll's color is really starting to shine. Then my SuperFreak Hybrid. I couldn't remember whether I had Goosebumps or Knucklehead. It's the former. The pumpkins are smaller than described (maybe from tough condiditons earler), and the wartiness is quite variable. It's really putting out a lot of females now & has potential to be quite productive.






.






.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

L: another example of Goosebumps, this one with bumps that seem to be more typical, Mid:Galeux d'Eysines/Peanut, some 10 days from pollination. It's still very small, but it is growing a little. R: Morangas are getting deeper colored. I'd love to have a dozen of them, but I guess I'll be lucky if I get two.






.






.








Sugar Pie, not yet matured. I really like the patterning. The middle is a ripe one...still pretty, but less distinctive. Next is Toad, one of the older fruits. Now that the first batch is mature, they started to put out females flowers again. A couple of them have set. So far so good.






.






.








Down in under the Orange Cutie leaves. There are a dozen pumpkins visible in this shot. They did well but they also sprawled all over. "Semi bush"...yeah, right.








I have put in an absolutely ridiculous amount of work trying to baby these things back from the brink...repeatedly. If I can stay ahead of the SVBs, the PM, and current shortage of rain, I should wind up rewarded for my efforts. ? If not... I can say I tried!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> L: another example of Goosebumps, this one with bumps that seem to be more typical, Mid:Galeux d'Eysines/Peanut, some 10 days from pollination. It's still very small, but it is growing a little. R: Morangas are getting deeper colored. I'd love to have a dozen of them, but I guess I'll be lucky if I get two.
> 
> Sugar Pie, not yet matured. I really like the patterning. The middle is a ripe one...still pretty, but less distinctive. Next is Toad, one of the older fruits. Now that the first batch is mature, they started to put out females flowers again. A couple of them have set. So far so good.
> 
> ...


I guess for many of the growers out there, all these fun varieties are old hat. I've been growing Big Max and Jack-o-lantern for so many years, it never occurred to me that there were so many other options. I tried growing Warty Pumpkins last year from a seed exchange, but it turned out to be just a nice big pumpkin without a single blemish. I was happy it did so well, but now that I see the wonderful mutant varieties possible out there, I am sorely tempted to invest in some seeds that are truer to their names. 

Thanks for posting the pictures... and that goes for everyone. I am in awe of what some of you are growing.


----------



## All Hollows Eve (Jul 25, 2013)

Hey guys! Fairly new to growing pumpkins as last year was our first year of growing. Picked this guy yesterday! Trying to get some opinions on if this is a pumpkin, gourd or squash? Or a combination of them? The plant just popped up and this is the first full one we've gotten from it so far! Thanks for the help!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Very cool pumpkinsquashgourd! I like the odd shape.
There's not really one single correct technical definition that distinguishes pumpkin from gourd from squash.
It could be said that all pumpkins are also squash, but not all squash are considered pumpkins. "Gourd" is an even more general term, usually accepted to include things like luffas, bottle gourds, and melons-- along with squash/pumpkins. The thing is, the definitions aren't scientific, and there's not much consistency. One seed outlet will call something a pumpkin where another will call the same variety a squash. Not very helpful, is it?

There can be a lot of varieties of a single species-- like Cucurbita pepo is the species of zucchini, some winter squash, bitter little decorative gourds, sweet pie pumpkins, and some pretty big Jack o'Lantern pumpkins, too, as well as lots of things in between and as you said, combinations of more than one.
So, as to what you've got... take your pick. It's a gourd (there are some Lunch Lady gourds that can look somewhat similar) , and it's a squash. You can call it a pumpkin too if you like.
Whatever you settle on calling it, it's a very nice form of cucurbit!
Welcome, and enjoy the potentially addicting and occasionally masochism-inflicting hobby! ?


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

ooojen said:


> My brother was stationed in Anchorage eons ago. They had a lot milder winters than we do...but they don't have a lot of heat units to their spring and summer. What I think would bother me most is the lack of sunshine in winter.
> 
> [/QUOTE
> My family lived in Anchorage for 3 years when I was in grade school. My dad was AF so we lived on Elmendorf AFB from '79 - '82. I remember walking to and from school in the dark all winter and the ice was horrible. It would snow and then warm up enough to start melting and then refreeze so everything was covered in a couple inches of ice. In the summer, the vegetables grow huge from the constant sunlight. I remember going to the fair and seeing insanely huge carrots and other things. Alaska is definitely an experience.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

My family lived in Anchorage for 3 years when I was in grade school. My dad was AF so we lived on Elmendorf AFB from '79 - '82. I remember walking to and from school in the dark all winter and the ice was horrible. It would snow and then warm up enough to start melting and then refreeze so everything was covered in a couple inches of ice. In the summer, the vegetables grow huge from the constant sunlight. I remember going to the fair and seeing insanely huge carrots and other things. Alaska is definitely an experience.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen- your really rocking out on those beautiful varities!!! So many different colors & bumpity-bumps!! ????


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> My family lived in Anchorage for 3 years when I was in grade school. My dad was AF so we lived on Elmendorf AFB from '79 - '82. I remember walking to and from school in the dark all winter and the ice was horrible. It would snow and then warm up enough to start melting and then refreeze so everything was covered in a couple inches of ice. In the summer, the vegetables grow huge from the constant sunlight. I remember going to the fair and seeing insanely huge carrots and other things. Alaska is definitely an experience.


Shiver!!!! It sounds sooo cold and dark. I'm a southerner at heart


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ladyfrog said:


> I remember walking to and from school in the dark all winter and the ice was horrible. It would snow and then warm up enough to start melting and then refreeze so everything was covered in a couple inches of ice.


That would be awful! In MN we wind up with that ice situation on and off toward spring, but not most of the winter. It's a lot better when it just stays cold and snowy. I don't mind the change of seasons, and I love our moderate summers (local meterologist said we hit 90 degrees one day this summer) but dull gray winter lasts waaay to long! At least we have more daylight than AK!

Kdestra - Thanks for the nice words! I love the smooth Jack type pumpkins, too, but they're often pretty cheap locally, so I use the space I have to get more variety.
I'm looking forward to seeing your displays!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

All Hollows Eve said:


> Hey guys! Fairly new to growing pumpkins as last year was our first year of growing. Picked this guy yesterday! Trying to get some opinions on if this is a pumpkin, gourd or squash? Or a combination of them? The plant just popped up and this is the first full one we've gotten from it so far! Thanks for the help!


We called them a squash when they appeared last year in our garden from volunteers. I wonder if that's the look of squashes that mingle with pumpkins that mingle with something else. They are exactly the same as what we had although we never planted anything like it. We put them out though, because they really are neat looking.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I’m really ready for the growing season to be over, and it almost is. I have several that are still nice and green but the temperature has dropped into the 50s at night and all new females are aborting. Today I had a nice harvest, and have about 13 more in the patch, and I should be able to carve 6 of them.

I’m really happy with today’s harvest! These cushaw are HUGE! I’ll plant them again in the future! I’ve washed everything down with a water and bleach mixture and will store in my garage until I’m ready to display everything in a couple weeks. Hopefully they make it!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, Mayor, that's fantastic! What a great haul! That's the sort of harvest that inspires us to keep at it. And more to come, you say?  So happy for you!!
The cushaws are beautiful! Everthing is! Well done!

Some time when you have a minute, would you share with us what varieties you have there? A couple I know, but there are several I don't. Thanks!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m really ready for the growing season to be over, and it almost is. I have several that are still nice and green but the temperature has dropped into the 50s at night and all new females are aborting. Today I had a nice harvest, and have about 13 more in the patch, and I should be able to carve 6 of them.
> 
> I’m really happy with today’s harvest! These cushaw are HUGE! I’ll plant them again in the future! I’ve washed iteverything down with a water an bleach mixture and will store in my garage until I’m ready to display everything in a couple weeks. Hopefully they make it!
> View attachment 718407
> ...


Impressive harvest! I'm curious how big your growing area is? I agree with ooojen - you are an inspiration! I'm looking at 3 pumpkins that will make it to harvest, down from 5 last year. I think the weird weather has definitely taken its toll on everything I grew (or attempted to grow) this year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor, I am truly jealous. Beautiful harvest!


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> Wow, Mayor, that's fantastic! What a great haul! That's the sort of harvest that inspires us to keep at it. And more to come, you say?  So happy for you!!
> The cushaws are beautiful! Everthing is! Well done!
> 
> Some time when you have a minute, would you share with us what varieties you have there? A couple I know, but there are several I don't. Thanks!


Thank you ooojen. The small ones on the floor are Toads, and the large green and white are obviously the cushaw. Also on the floor, the odd shaped blueish one that is 3rd from the right on the floor should be a Lumina. I don’t have any others quite like it, and it’s closest plant is the Lumina. It is a weird one. 

The white one, in the center of the table is a Lumina. The small ones on the table are Cinderella, which, when I planted, I thought would be MUCH larger. 

The back row, third from left is Big Max. I’ll never grow that again. I planted 12 seeds and have 1 pumpkin to show for it.

The back row, 2nd and 3rd from right are Howden. They were my biggest pumpkins, and had great shapes for carving, but I only got 2 of them so far, with another yet to be harvested. 

Everything else is a Connecticut Field pumpkin. Those things went crazy this year. While most aren’t as large as the Howden, I got a lot of them. They started as a very dark green with deep ribs. 

I could be wrong about my results, because I find it strange to only get the 3 Howden, but those 3 had very distinct color and hardly any ribs compared to the others.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Ladyfrog said:


> Impressive harvest! I'm curious how big your growing area is? I agree with ooojen - you are an inspiration! I'm looking at 3 pumpkins that will make it to harvest, down from 5 last year. I think the weird weather has definitely taken its toll on everything I grew (or attempted to grow) this year.


Thank you Lady Frog! I don’t know the exact dimensions, but it’s fairly large. If I had to estimate, I’d say the area for my pumpkins is 25 feet by 40 feet?

The area for my gourd may be 20 by 30 feet?


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Mayor, I am truly jealous. Beautiful harvest!


Thank you WitchyKitty! I appreciate it.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> The back row, third from left is Big Max. I’ll never grow that again. I planted 12 seeds and have 1 pumpkin to show for it.


This has to be the part that fascinates me most about pumpkin growing. I'm assuming that your Big Max was planted from store bought seed, as was ours. We've grown it for three years running, and never once did it look anything like what you have. Ours have all been super-smooth skinned with orange and green skin that borders on fluorescent. They're beautiful, but of course this year they're still just bright yellow balls that will never make it to the finish line as anything even remotely looking like a pumpkin. 

Still, that there is so much genetic diversity inside those little seeds we plant that even the seeds we're told are one thing become something entirely different is actually one of my favorite parts about it all. I suspect if I was trying to grow a prize winner, I would think very differently. But for now, never knowing what I'm going to put on the stairwell come Halloween is part of the fun.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks, Mayor! I appreciate the information. I like to see and hear about the different varieties, and how they worked out for people.
The Cinderellas look the right general shape and color, but the size would definitely be a surprise! Mine have always been great big things! (It looks like I'll only have one this year.)
Yep, there's always that potential gamble. Sometimes it's a little disappointing (like my "Musquee de Provence" that looked more like a butternut squash) but other times there are nice and fun surprises.
It's great that you got quite a few carve-able pumpkins, but also a variety of shapes colors, and sizes. It should make for a interesting display!
I hope your gourds do well too-- looking forward to seeing those when the time comes.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

chubstuff said:


> This has to be the part that fascinates me most about pumpkin growing. I'm assuming that your Big Max was planted from store bought seed, as was ours. We've grown it for three years running, and never once did it look anything like what you have. Ours have all been super-smooth skinned with orange and green skin that borders on fluorescent. They're beautiful, but of course this year they're still just bright yellow balls that will never make it to the finish line as anything even remotely looking like a pumpkin.
> 
> Still, that there is so much genetic diversity inside those little seeds we plant that even the seeds we're told are one thing become something entirely different is actually one of my favorite parts about it all. I suspect if I was trying to grow a prize winner, I would think very differently. But for now, never knowing what I'm going to put on the stairwell come Halloween is part of the fun.


Chubstuff, you’re right. The seeds were store bought, and when they first started growing they were a bright yellow. I wasn’t expecting them to become very warty like, but I do like the appearance.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> Thanks, Mayor! I appreciate the information. I like to see and hear about the different varieties, and how they worked out for people.
> The Cinderellas look the right general shape and color, but the size would definitely be a surprise! Mine have always been great big things! (It looks like I'll only have one this year.)
> Yep, there's always that potential gamble. Sometimes it's a little disappointing (like my "Musquee de Provence" that looked more like a butternut squash) but other times there are nice and fun surprises.
> It's great that you got quite a few carve-able pumkins, but also a variety of shapes colors, and sizes. It should make for a interesting display!
> I hope your gourds do well too-- looking forward to seeing those when the time comes.


I believe I’ll have 23 carveable orange, 2 white, and I’m hoping to be able to carve 5 of the cushaw. I know of 2 Big Apple gourds, a few Caveman gourds, 3 gooseneck gourds and a few more cushaw to harvest.

I agree about the Cinderella . All 3 that I got were all small. I expected them to be 10 times their size.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Holy Cow Mayor! How much does that gourd next to your tire weigh?


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Holy Cow Mayor! How much does that gourd next to your tire weigh?


I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking it. My first instinct was to ask if he's going to use it to make a bird house for eagles or something.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Holy Cow Mayor! How much does that gourd next to your tire weigh?


The gourd by the tire weighed in at 18.8 pounds. It’s a big gourd!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Love those cushaw...I might have to try to plant those. Tell me you're going to try to carve one...


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Love those cushaw...I might have to try to plant those. Tell me you're going to try to carve one...


Not only one, but I think I can carve 5 of the biggest. Here is last years.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor, that's incredible craving ???


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Mayor, that's incredible craving ???


Thank you! My goal is to carve 70 this year.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I remember that carving (and the cute pup!) Really nice!
Seventy? That's a high bar! I hope you'll get lots of pictures.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

That is such awesome use of an unusually shaped gourd!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Some JBLs are trying to escape and play in the street along with a wayward French Heirloom type pumpkin. They are literally growing above the curb. My front yard is all garden (rosemary, lavender, zinnias, fruite trees, etc) and I just don't have the heart to rip these naughty pumpkin vines out. It's a good thing my neighbors like the garden because I've heard about people being reported for front gardens. It also helps that I give all of the neighbors JBLs in October... its kind've a bribe

The PattyPans from Bakers Creek were harvested. We ate loads of them over summer & let these grow for fall. I'm a little bummed none of them turned green like the photos.

2 new french heirloom types popped up - hope they survive. Theres also a new oval pumpkin


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra - who could be mad about pumpkins! ?


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Some JBLs are trying to escape and play in the street along with a wayward French Heirloom type pumpkin. They are literally growing above the curb. My front yard is all garden (rosemary, lavender, zinnias, fruite trees, etc) and I just don't have the heart to rip these naughty pumpkin vines out. It's a good thing my neighbors like the garden because I've heard about people being reported for front gardens. It also helps that I give all of the neighbors JBLs in October... its kind've a bribe
> 
> The PattyPans from Bakers Creek were harvested. We ate loads of them over summer & let these grow for fall. I'm a little bummed none of them turned green like the photos.
> 
> 2 new french heirloom types popped up - hope they survive. Theres also a new oval pumpkin


Kdestra, I’m loving the pumpkin pics! We’ve hardly had any picture updates lately, and this is the time of year to be posting them! Let’s see what everyone has.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Here's a few from a couple days ago. They are sitting on Amazon shipment envelopes ?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Not only one, but I think I can carve 5 of the biggest. Here is last years.
> View attachment 718576
> View attachment 718577


Ok, Yep. Going Cushaw next year.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m loving the pumpkin pics! We’ve hardly had any picture updates lately, and this is the time of year to be posting them! Let’s see what everyone has.


I gave it all I had a week ago! Late in the season I always feel like I'm the kid still filling in the last page of the test when all the other kids have handed theirs in. Everyone else harvests while I'm still waiting for my plants to finish up.
Galeux d'Eysines (Peanut) was very late to put out female flowers, and the one fruit was pretty tiny last week. It has been making up for lost time, though. It's already starting to get little sugar ruptures...the little things that will be the "peanuts" (or mangy patches if you want to go with the original idea ? ).








I'm really amazed at the active growth of my plants and at how many little pumpkins are setting, in spite of our low temperatures. We've had several days that didn't break 70 for a high, and our lows have been in the low 50s, or even the 40s a couple times. Now that they've gotten over their herbicide setbacks, the plants are ready to grow and produce, but time isn't on their side. I'll be satisfied if the half-grown ones can finish out.
Gourds, just for fun:


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

ooojen said:


> I gave it all I had a week ago! Late in the season I always feel like I'm the kid still filling in the last page of the test when all the other kids have handed theirs in. Everyone else harvests while I'm still waiting for my plants to finish up.
> Galeux d'Eysines (Peanut) was very late to put out female flowers, and the one fruit was pretty tiny last week. It has been making up for lost time, though. It's already starting to get little sugar ruptures...the little things that will be the "peanuts" (or mangy patches if you want to go with the original idea ? ).
> 
> View attachment 718782
> ...


I love the first gourd that’s covered! It looks great!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks, Mayor! Funny thing is, that's not even a variety I deliberately planted. It sure is the dominant variety in the patch, though. I like the look, especially of this particular one that grew up into the tree (kind of like a bumpy Apple. Many of them are longer and thinner.) It's one of the Bule types, as is the middle one--but the middle one *was *a seed type I purchased...and it's nowhere near as productive as the type in the first shot. If we had another couple months of good weather, I'd have gazillions of the first kind; there are literally hundreds of gourds ~ 2-3" long. They were late to start and are slow to mature. I'll get a few good ones, I think (and hope). It would be interesting to see what they'd do in a warmer climate!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog - sometimes I wonder what wont people get mad about. Nice pictures btw!

Sorry about not posting more pictures. We've been super busy since getting home & then school started. 

Ooojen it's been a crazy year. The growing season seemed to take forever. My poblano pepper plants are nearly 9 months old and the fruit isn't ripening. They're just out in the garden loitering green. 

Now for something fun. Our local Harris Teeter -aka- Kroger is having a "Guess the weight of the giant pumpkin contest


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Ladyfrog - sometimes I wonder what wont people get mad about. Nice pictures btw!
> 
> Sorry about not posting more pictures. We've been super busy since getting home & then school started.
> 
> ...


How about 415 pounds.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ladyfrog and Kdestra-- It's nice to see more pumpkins coming along!
How fun that the store is doing a pumpkin weight guessing contest! I have no idea about what they weigh, but I think it's a great seasonal idea!

My chilis have been dragging, too. I even planted out a year-old Brazilian starfish that I'd dug last fall. I though a solid root system and some healthy foliage would give it a jump start. It just started ripening fruit last week.
Decorative corn is ripening, so that's good. But something, most likely birds, are eating the ears from the tips, so I had to pick most of it.
I tried growing Job's tears when I was a kid, but never had much luck. I gave them a go again all these years later, and it's working much better! The green colors dull as the seeds dry, but they stay quite pretty. I'll try a shakere with one of last year's gourds if all goes well. They're still ripening, but here are just a few:







. .









For those growing pumpkins on a stick -- How are they doing? I have nice-looking plants, but they don't seem to be getting pollinated very well. Bees are busy on the other eggplants, but the PoaS don't appear to be drawing them in. I only got a few of the eggplant/pumpkins last year, but I thought that was because of the corn collapsing on the plants during a wind storm. Anybody having better luck than I?


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Now for something fun. Our local Harris Teeter -aka- Kroger is having a "Guess the weight of the giant pumpkin contest


Take a cloth tape measure with you next time. Measure the equator (circumference). Then measure from side to side all the way down to the table. Then measure front to back all the way to the table. Give me the results and I should be able to get you in the ballpark plus or minus 15%.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> How about 415 pounds.


I knew a 415 pound pumpkin, and the 415 lb pumpkin was a friend of mine, and let me tell you, you are no 415 pound pumpkin. (Impersonating Benson/Quail debate where Quail was no JFK. I really hate dating myself, but at least my memory is still good, lol.)

Just by comparing it to the surroundings I would guess 165-185. Please Kdestra get me the measurements so we can have fun with this!!!!!!!! That does not look like a pumpkin that requires a forklift. Below is 425lbs.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> For those growing pumpkins on a stick -- How are they doing? I have nice-looking plants, but they don't seem to be getting pollinated very well. Bees are busy on the other eggplants, but the PoaS don't appear to be drawing them in. I only got a few of the eggplant/pumpkins last year, but I thought that was because of the corn collapsing on the plants during a wind storm. Anybody having better luck than I?


I was about to ask...I have three tall plants with the little eggplants that look like pumpkins all over them...but they are all still green. When do they turn colors? When do I harvest them? What do I do with them? Lol...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Take a cloth tape measure with you next time. Measure the equator (circumference). Then measure from side to side all the way down to the table. Then measure front to back all the way to the table. Give me the results and I should be able to get you in the ballpark plus or minus 15%.


I will? Also planning to look under the table cloth to see what its sitting on. 
One thing that really irritated me is that people are digging their fingernails into it!?!?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Edit on my PoaS post, above...I just went outside and, like, overnight, the few biggest ones started turning colors just a bit. Sooooo many smaller green ones, though.

All other previous questions still apply, lol.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> I knew a 415 pound pumpkin, and the 415 lb pumpkin was a friend of mine, and let me tell you, you are no 415 pound pumpkin. (Impersonating Benson/Quail debate where Quail was no JFK. I really hate dating myself, but at least my memory is still good, lol.)
> 
> Just by comparing it to the surroundings I would guess 165-185. Please Kdestra get me the measurements so we can have fun with this!!!!!!!! That does not look like a pumpkin that requires a forklift. Below is 425lbs.
> 
> View attachment 719082


Yeah, If that’s a 425 pumpkin, then I’m waaay off! That other one has to be under 200. Good call Col.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> One thing that really irritated me is that people are digging their fingernails into it!?!?


Same thing happened to my fair pumpkin last year. People/kids poke the pumpkin and their fingernails leave marks. I don't think it is intentional. I have seen signs around giant pumpkins that read "Please touch, but do not poke."


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ugh, kids and their fingernails! There have been a couple times I've loaned some unusual plants to the local school's science classes for a day or two. Kids can't seem to restrain themselves from digging nail marks into orchid pseudobulbs or caudiciform bases- as well as pumpkins. I don't think it's malicious, just somehow it proves irresistible.
WitchyKitty-- I'm glad to hear that your PoaS are starting to color up! I think I have a couple that might be 1/4" diameter . You can harvest as soon as they color up, but that's up to you. They'll dry if they get good air circulation-- and the riper they are, the more they'll keep their shape. They look really cute if you can get a branch with little "pumpkins" all along the stem. They're nice in dried or flower arrangements, or in wreaths-- whatever you like.


"I really hate dating myself, but at least my memory is still good, lol."
No worries, Col. Those of us old enough to get such references aren't about to ridicule, and the young whippersnappers who don't can just assume it reflects some esoteric knowlege.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Just by comparing it to the surroundings I would guess 165-185. Please Kdestra get me the measurements so we can have fun with this!!!!!!!! That does not look like a pumpkin that requires a forklift. Below is 425lbs.


Picking Sunday morning to go to grocery store isn't the smartest idea ☠ ☠☠

We couldn't quite get the measuring tape underneath the pumpkin but got as close as we could. The pumpkin has approximately 130inche circumference, over 42inches from top to bottom & sits on top of 5 heavy duty black plastic crates.


----------



## Rigormortor (Sep 7, 2009)

Bringing these back from Germany and I will plant them for next season.
Im going to grow Caspers as well. Curios to see how they come out.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I harvested most of what was left in my patch. I still have two really, really nice looking pumpkins that are turning orange, but need a little more time, as well as 2 more pumpkins that are turning, and three that are completely green.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Those are really pretty pumpkins Rigomortor. Best of luck growing them next year. 

The pumpkin arch is dying and it makes me sad. Started the seeds last February and have been lovingly taking care of it. (managed to kill several SVBs & battle the powdery mildew)
It's more like a pet then a plant. It's still beautiful and the hooligans are adorable. I'll be cutting off the leaves and pruning some of the vines over the next few weeks. I'm also thinking about adding a few of the other JBL vines that are in the yard. Overall I'm really happy with how it turned out.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Omg Mayor!!!!!! That's amazing. Congratulations!!!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Holy buckets, Mayor! ...and that's in addition to the overflowing table-load you showed us before? 
Congratulations! You've had a *very* successful year! Excellent work! It looks like you'll have to sharpen up that pumpkin-carving knife.
Your gourds look great, too, and still more cushaws... Very impressive, and fun to see!
Is the bumpy elongated one another Big Max? I know you mentioned the bumpy one in your prior post was-- just curious.
Yep, I love seeing the success stories; I'm still fighting the battle! I had one more female bloom on Moranga today (the 4th of the entire season. Two set.) ...but it's not even going to hit 60 degrees, so breath not being held. They've got cold and rain in the forecast for most of the upcoming week. Mildew is rubbing its little figurative hands together in glee. It's already winning on the TN spinner and Bowl gourd vines. ? Wyatt's Wonder finally set a few fruits this week. Stubborn fool that I am, I was out there early pollinating and bagging the flowers (I mean, with net bags...) Hope springs eternal...

Rigormortor-- The seed packs look excellent! The pumpkins could share some genes with Rouge vif d'Etampes/Cinderella, by how they look. I hope they do well for you!
Kdestra-- It looks like your arch was very productive, as well as lovely. Do I understand correctly that you're going to display the pumpkins right where they are for a while (and add the JBLs to the lot)? That should be excellent, especially with the lights!

WitchyKitty, did you wind up harvesting your pumpkins and gourds? How did things turn out? I know they died sooner than you would have liked, but you said some of your stuff looked harvest-ready. I hope you got a decent crop.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Great haul Mayor!

Rains the last 2 days, more expected over the week, my patch is going to be toast with mildew at the end of that. Maybe 1-2 weeks left. 

I noticed today as we were bundling corn stalks (yes, a neighbor donated their corn stalks this weekend) the first of the big moose pumpkins has turned a reddish color. I'm a little worried it'll be rotting by the time we harvest, but it's so TINY compared to the others, when at the time it stopped growing it was the biggest pumpkin i'd ever grown.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Picking Sunday morning to go to grocery store isn't the smartest idea ☠ ☠☠
> 
> We couldn't quite get the measuring tape underneath the pumpkin but got as close as we could. The pumpkin has approximately 130inche circumference, over 42inches from top to bottom & sits on top of 5 heavy duty black plastic crates.


No need to go underneath the pumpkin. The circ. sounds spot on. The other two are just from side to side and front to back. It looks like your top to bottom is half the side to side. So 42 x 2 would be a side to side of 84 which sound reasonable. just need the back over the top to the front. 130 circ. is quite impressive, it might be bigger than I thought.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen, I am trying to leave my gourds and mini pumpkins on the vines as long as possible, as their stems are all still green...even though the leaves and vines are toast. They say as long as the stems are still green, the vine is still giving nutrients to the pumpkin...even if all leaves are dead and vines look terrible. 

Leaving them on a bit longer is fine, but I worry that the weight of the ones hanging across between the cages/towers will finally break the weakened vines and all my gourds/pumpkins could go crashing down. We will see. I don't even have a rough count, yet...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Good that they're still green-vined and able to do some more finishing out! I like to leave mine as long as I can, too, but I always feel a little torn. It would be nice to decorate with some of them now that Sept. is here, but I don't want to do anything that will keep them from lasting until Halloween.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I wouldn't say the vines are very green, lol...they are almost done for, too...but my stems aren't turning. We will see over the next several days, as our temps are jumping up drastically until Friday. I like to have them to decorate for September, too...my JBLs would normally be ready and picked, by now. This year has been very weird, though...

The whole thing now looks like an eyesore, lol. I just want to harvest my babies and cut down all the dead brown or mildew covered leaves...I'm getting impatient!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ooojen, You're correct - I'm keeping the gourds on the arch. Unfortunately last time we checked only had half the lights working. 

Col. So. If I did the math correctly, I think the pumpkin is around 316lbs. I'm not sure my measurements were good or if I did the equation probably.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I was just looking at my pumpkin and gourd vines and the main vines, themselves, are in better shape than I thought...not great shape, but better. Once I find time and am up to it, I may go out and remove all the leaves and just leave the vines and fruit.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Just by comparing it to the surroundings I would guess 165-185. Please Kdestra get me the measurements so we can have fun with this!!!!!!!! That does not look like a pumpkin that requires a forklift. Below is 425lbs.


I understand how a giant Sequoia can grow to an amazing size in thousands of years, but I am still in awe of how a pumpkin grows to such sizes in a single season. I haven't see weight gain that shocking since the last time I tried a diet that told me I could eat whatever I wanted and still lose weight.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Mayor - Wow! That's an impressive bunch of gourds and squashes! 

My 3 pumpkins are growing well. The small one just took off the last few days! I put one of those small plastic pots that you get your seedlings in for scale. The largest two are bigger than any I had last year so I'm happy. About 3 days ago, the vines started putting out a bunch of male flowers but no females ?
My 3 JBLs are doing well and starting to turn a little orange. You can see in one pic that the vines have chosen to hang onto a stick for some reason. I don't even know how that stick got there! I find it amusing the things the vines will grab.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I was just looking at my pumpkin and gourd vines and the main vines, themselves, are in better shape than I thought...not great shape, but better. Once I find time and am up to it, I may go out and remove all the leaves and just leave the vines and fruit.


That's what I'm working on too. Once the leaves turn yellow or get mildew - I cut them off. I'm also harvesting other jbl vines and placing them in empty spots. On October 1st. I plan to add fall leaves, arrange black earns in front of arch, bundle corn and maybe add a few light up pumpkins


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Chubstuff, you crack me up. I love reading all of your witty/zingy posts???

Ladyfrog - your pumpkins are very pretty. All my flowers are male too. Maybe its because of weather or getting darker earlier.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I wouldn't say the vines are very green, lol...they are almost done for, too...but my stems aren't turning. We will see over the next several days, as our temps are jumping up drastically until Friday. I like to have them to decorate for September, too...my JBLs would normally be ready and picked, by now. This year has been very weird, though...
> 
> The whole thing now looks like an eyesore, lol. I just want to harvest my babies and cut down all the dead brown or mildew covered leaves...I'm getting impatient!


I’m right there with you WitchyKitty. On Sunday I just wanted to cut everything off and start clearing out the ugly, dead vines. It was hard to leave the last few on for another week.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Corn donation from the neighbor.










It's hard to get perspective on this thing, our largest. That's a 48" pallet to the back right. The grass is 12' or more. 









I saw a few other small big moose pumpkins have recently set as well, might even make it. 

Volunteer. I always seem to manage to get one of these 'frankenstein' shaped volunteers every year. 










Early Giant hiding amongst the weeds. Looks like the 2 plants that actually survived made 4 pumpkins.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving everyone's pumpkins and gourds! This time of year is so great!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> That's what I'm working on too. Once the leaves turn yellow or get mildew - I cut them off. I'm also harvesting other jbl vines and placing them in empty spots. On October 1st. I plan to add fall leaves, arrange black earns in front of arch, bundle corn and maybe add a few light up pumpkins


Here's a couple of votes for adding the light up pumpkins. There's something charming about the arch, so it won't suffer being even a bit more so.


----------



## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kedestra and anyone interested in the three pumpkin measurements needed for weight estimation, I have attached the Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth's video on how to measure. GPC is the giant pumpkin organization that certifies weigh-offs around the world.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Kedestra and anyone interested in the three pumpkin measurements need for weight estimation, I have attached the Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth's video on how to measure. GPC is the giant pumpkin organization that certifies weigh-offs around the world.


When I grow up I want to be a pumpkin. What must it be like to have people falling all over themselves every time you put on a few more pounds?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> When I grow up I want to be a pumpkin. What must it be like to have people falling all over themselves every time you put on a few more pounds?


Lol!!! I love this so much ?????


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> When I grow up I want to be a pumpkin. What must it be like to have people falling all over themselves every time you put on a few more pounds?


You are too funny ?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Hahaha! Chubstuff-- good observation! Just be sure to stay on the vine, because things get more ...complicated if you're harvested!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Usually I'm a live and let live but the freaking voles are eating my JBLs that are on the ground. I was saving those long vines for the arch. I'm not putting out poison but I've collected a lot of rocks and also filling their holes with water.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Usually I'm a live and let live but the freaking voles are eating my JBLs that are on the ground. I was saving those long vines for the arch. I'm not putting out poison but I've collected a lot of rocks and also filling their holes with water.


We don't use poisons either, but water has never seemed to deter any of our burrowing animals. Perhaps it's because in Oregon the deluges of rain are so common that they're used to water spilling down the openings. I will watch the water flowing into their holes for minutes and never fill up. I get bored with the whole affair far faster than they do.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

UGH, Voles! They're kind of cute, and I never minded them before last year. They not only ate a large pumpkin (I suspect them, anyway. It had to be a smallish rodent) they also (and this part I know) lived in my gourd patch that grew up around the base of one of my pear trees. They did so much tunneling and nibbling around the roots of the tree that they killed it. I was not a happy girl. 
I wouldn't poison them, though. Too many desirable things might get hold of the carcass and wind up with some of the poison second-hand.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

You guys continue to remind me how fortunate I am. For all the assorted problems our location has, we miss a LOT of the pest problems. 

The biggest issue we have right now is Rats. But that's largely because everyone seems to want to raise their own chickens now. Gee, let's toss free food around and be surprised when rats come! 

Fortunately, we have a pest control professional living here. Seriously, I've known a lot of cats, but this one has a GIFT. 8-10 confirmed kills a week, and that's just what we KNOW. I was a little surprised when the folks in the neighborhood were talking about the rat problem, because I hadn't seen any, so I went to check. There are presently 5 rat heads rotting in her death pile (she never eats the heads and always deposits them behind the shed), but no signs of any rats living anywhere near our yard. (we scoop that pile up once a week)


----------



## fowldarr (Sep 25, 2017)

I really hope to get a pumpkin patch going next year. I hear the conditions aren't optimal where I'm at (cool and humid, but a long growing season), but I'm gonna give it a go anyway!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

fowldarr said:


> I really hope to get a pumpkin patch going next year. I hear the conditions aren't optimal where I'm at (cool and humid, but a long growing season), but I'm gonna give it a go anyway!


If I was you I'd start going to farmer's markets and talk to the people with pumpkins. 
Ask lots of questions like: where are you growing? Are you closer/further from the coast? Are your pumpkins open pollinated or cross pollinated? Etc. Etc. If you like their pumpkins- then buy one or two and save the seeds. You're much better off saving and growing local seeds then buying something from far away. Although if you have a seed company that specializes in your area that might be a better place to start. Be warned.... growing pumpkins is not for the faint of heart. Everything wants to eat your pumpkins ?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> You guys continue to remind me how fortunate I am. For all the assorted problems our location has, we miss a LOT of the pest problems.
> 
> The biggest issue we have right now is Rats. But that's largely because everyone seems to want to raise their own chickens now. Gee, let's toss free food around and be surprised when rats come!
> 
> Fortunately, we have a pest control professional living here. Seriously, I've known a lot of cats, but this one has a GIFT. 8-10 confirmed kills a week, and that's just what we KNOW. I was a little surprised when the folks in the neighborhood were talking about the rat problem, because I hadn't seen any, so I went to check. There are presently 5 rat heads rotting in her death pile (she never eats the heads and always deposits them behind the shed), but no signs of any rats living anywhere near our yard. (we scoop that pile up once a week)



We lost our big mouser cat several years ago (miss him every day) He hunted voles!!! He'd catch them and it was rather shocking!!! We used to say: Vole's Breath?!?!? There's nothing more suspicious then voles breath!!!


----------



## fowldarr (Sep 25, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> If I was you I'd start going to farmer's markets and talk to the people with pumpkins.
> Ask lots of questions like: where are you growing? Are you closer/further from the coast? Are your pumpkins open pollinated or cross pollinated? Etc. Etc. If you like their pumpkins- then buy one or two and save the seeds. You're much better off saving and growing local seeds then buying something from far away. Although if you have a seed company that specializes in your area that might be a better place to start. Be warned.... growing pumpkins is not for the faint of heart. Everything wants to eat your pumpkins ?


The farmers market here is pretty lame. And most of the vendors come from a few miles inns. But I think I can pull it off.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> You guys continue to remind me how fortunate I am. For all the assorted problems our location has, we miss a LOT of the pest problems.
> 
> The biggest issue we have right now is Rats. But that's largely because everyone seems to want to raise their own chickens now. Gee, let's toss free food around and be surprised when rats come!
> 
> Fortunately, we have a pest control professional living here. Seriously, I've known a lot of cats, but this one has a GIFT. 8-10 confirmed kills a week, and that's just what we KNOW. I was a little surprised when the folks in the neighborhood were talking about the rat problem, because I hadn't seen any, so I went to check. There are presently 5 rat heads rotting in her death pile (she never eats the heads and always deposits them behind the shed), but no signs of any rats living anywhere near our yard. (we scoop that pile up once a week)


Death pile - your cat is hard core! Mine go after flies and spiders that make it into the house and wish they could go after the birds in the yard but honestly, they wouldn't know what to do with one of they caught it ?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

UnOrthodOx said:


> You guys continue to remind me how fortunate I am. For all the assorted problems our location has, we miss a LOT of the pest problems.


That was us a few years ago, too, but no more. In a couple years SVB went from zero to all but two of my pumpkin plants affected. Japanese Beetles were new this year, though not common (yet). Voles and pocket gophers were around, but they didn't make any trouble in the garden until last year (DH trapped the latter, and another this spring.) Rootworm beetles have grown to ridiculous numbers, and appear earlier than they used to. This was the first year I had a significant amount of downy mildew in the patch. It's not in exactly the same place as last year, but I suppose anywhere within a mile or so is too close. Squash bugs crop up on occasion, but they're one pest I didn't have this year. (Yes, fowldarr, as Kdestra said, everything wants to eat your pumpkins. But if you're west of the Rockies, you'll probaby miss a few of the pests.)

I have hens here, too, and yeah, you have to be REAL careful about leaving feed out! When it's not bitterly cold, they get fed layer ration, then let out to range around and find tidbits of their own (grass, bugs) and their food gets put away until evening when they can eat ration agan-- before they're shut up and the food is covered for the night. What's more, the coop is quite a long way from the house.
But -- Da Girls can be fierce!





It looks like Big Moose is one to watch! I'll give Wyatt's one more chance, because it took such a hit from herbicide drift this year...but a lot of the flowers are hermaphroditic and won't set fruit. It's trying real hard, though! It does have one fruit that's ~6-7"⌀.

Fowldarr-- that's the spirit! Conventional Wisdom and Common Online Advice say your pumpkins won't do much in cool weather. They say to plant them out after night-time lows are above 55. (Hah! As if I ever wait that long!) Also, "If the temperature is too cool (below 70) the pollen tube grows too slowly in the female and never makes it to the ovules in time." If the "below 70" part were the case, I wouldn't have half the pumpkins forming/ripening that I do now. I just pollinated one a few days ago on a day that didn't hit 60 for a high (the next day was about the same...and it set. Its chances for ripening before it freezes are slim, but it definitely set.) The point is, it's good that you don't let self-proclaimed experts' advice put you off. There's always a learning curve, and different things work in different areas.
If you don't have good farmers' markets, maybe your local extension agency could recommend varieties that might work for you.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

???? all my money is Ooojen's chickens????

Last night, the man who lives next door went out of his way to tell me how much he likes the pumpkin arch and then a garden buddy of mine said she loved it! But I've gotta be honest - I think it looks like hell. The temps soared into the mid 90s again today, most of the leaves shriveled and fried. I keep telling myself this is what's supposed to happen. In about 3 weeks it will be October then the fun will begin.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I had no idea chickens would kill mice!! I learn something new every day.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> There are presently 5 rat heads rotting in her death pile (she never eats the heads and always deposits them behind the shed), but no signs of any rats living anywhere near our yard. (we scoop that pile up once a week)


Obviously you've never learned the important lesson from Vlad the Impaler. You are supposed to take the rat heads and put them on a pike where they will rot until bone. This will show the other rats what awaits them. Those who do not learn from history will more than likely miss out on all the creepy things they can do. (Or something like that. I forget the exact words.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

How does a pumpkin growing thread turn into a conversation about rotting rat heads on stakes?? LOL!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> How does a pumpkin growing thread turn into a conversation about rotting rat heads on stakes?? LOL!


This is what I love about this group ? When I say stuff like that at work, people look at me like I'm crazy.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

So, while at Home Depot today to buy paints and things for a Halloween prop we're working on, I stumbled on this outside. To add insult to injury that I can't seem to get my corn or pumpkins to grow this year, I see these millet plants. There was talk about them early in the spring, and I know everyone growing them had little success. So, here they are sitting outside Home Depot mocking my desire to grow them next year with their $15 price tag. Oh... sure... you can grow those easy. Just wait for Home Depot to put them out first.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

All the leaves have been cut off pumpkin arch and a few additional JBL vines were added. We'll work on Halloween light issue tonight and attempt to isolate problem(s)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

That looks awesome Kdestra! I just love JBL's. I didn't grow them last year or this year...I miss growing them.
I still need to remove all of my leaves. I just haven't been up to it, lately. Maybe this weekend.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I love the Arch with Extras! It's beautiful! 

15 bucks for a millet plant? Yikes!

We barely made the 60s again today (40s for tonight) and we've had 4" of rain in the last 3 days. The pumpkin vines are still in good shape, so I hate to harvest, but I'm getting concerned about pumpkins rotting on the ground. Rain predicted again for tomorrow, but slightly warmer. This kind of weather is what trashed a large % of my bottle gourds late summer last year (bacterial rot).


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra your arch looks great! Can't wait to see the finished product.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

LOVE the arch. Hopefully one day I can make similar.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I hope to make an arch, too, someday!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey, thanks everybody for you kind words about the arch. Its really not difficult. Just get a hog panel fence, bend it into an arch and make sure its extensively supported. Oh and don't make the mistake I made with seeds. Make sure the seeds you plant weren't crosspolinated. Or else you'll end up like me & ripping everything out then starting over.
I bought a few different chemicals also, "bloom set spray" and a fungi-oil from Bon Neem.
I would have lost everything if it wasn't for those chems. Btw. We fixed the light problems: a new fuse and a few replacement lights ?

Edited to add light picture 

Yay. The lights are working


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> So, while at Home Depot today to buy paints and things for a Halloween prop we're working on, I stumbled on this outside. To add insult to injury that I can't seem to get my corn or pumpkins to grow this year, I see these millet plants. There was talk about them early in the spring, and I know everyone growing them had little success. So, here they are sitting outside Home Depot mocking my desire to grow them next year with their $15 price tag. Oh... sure... you can grow those easy. Just wait for Home Depot to put them out first.
> 
> View attachment 719846


About how tall were those? It might actually be worth it for some of my ideas...gonna go check mine.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> So, while at Home Depot today to buy paints and things for a Halloween prop we're working on, I stumbled on this outside. To add insult to injury that I can't seem to get my corn or pumpkins to grow this year, I see these millet plants. There was talk about them early in the spring, and I know everyone growing them had little success. So, here they are sitting outside Home Depot mocking my desire to grow them next year with their $15 price tag. Oh... sure... you can grow those easy. Just wait for Home Depot to put them out first.


Exactly 3 millets grew for me ☠☠☠

My corn was having a hard time growing this year too. It's a small patch about 50 ears ( Idk if this is feasible for everyone) but I started watering the corn with 20-20-20 once a week. Woe! It shot out've the ground. It's over 10ft tall. The squirrels did a lot of damage but I have plenty for Halloween this year.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Hey, thanks everybody for you kind words about the arch. Its really not difficult. Just get a hog panel fence, bend it into an arch and make sure its extensively supported. Oh and don't make the mistake I made with seeds. Make sure the seeds you plant weren't crosspolinated. Or else you'll end up like me & ripping everything out then starting over.
> I bought a few different chemicals also, "bloom set spray" and a fungi-oil from Bon Neem.
> I would have lost everything if it wasn't for those chems. Btw. We fixed the light problems: a new fuse and a few replacement lights ?
> 
> ...


 Beautiful!! Such an awesome idea.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Hey, thanks everybody for you kind words about the arch. Its really not difficult. Just get a hog panel fence, bend it into an arch and make sure its extensively supported. Oh and don't make the mistake I made with seeds. Make sure the seeds you plant weren't crosspolinated. Or else you'll end up like me & ripping everything out then starting over.
> I bought a few different chemicals also, "bloom set spray" and a fungi-oil from Bon Neem.
> I would have lost everything if it wasn't for those chems. Btw. We fixed the light problems: a new fuse and a few replacement lights ?
> 
> ...


Kdestra, that is so cool!!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I still have not gotten out to the garden to remove all the dead leaves off my vines. My younger brother in law was in this week from out of state, so most of our extra time was spent with him and the family. I was going to do it, today, after work...but it's storming, so that's not going to happen. Maybe tomorrow...by then, they could be ready to harvest, though!! (Same with my remaining veggies...I haven't checked them in a couple days, either!)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty -- I'm anxious to hear your review of the little pumpkins. I always like to learn from everybody here about what varieties they planted and what the benefits and challenges were, but your information is especially helpful to me, since your growing conditions are pretty similar.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> WitchyKitty -- I'm anxious to hear your review of the little pumpkins. I always like to learn from everybody here about what varieties they planted and what the benefits and challenges were, but your information is especially helpful to me, since your growing conditions are pretty similar.


Well, two plants I had were the Daisy Gourd seeds that you sent me, so I'm sure you know how those do. I have orange/yellow ones and green bumpy ones. I have a fair amount on the two plants...but the Daisy Gourds seem to be major Squash Bug attractants! They seem to prefer them.

The Little October Pumpkins, which you showed me, online, also had two plants planted and I got a fair amount of those, too...however, I now have, at least, two that have burst open! I have no idea what is causing this...is it the squash bugs???

I think if we had had a warmer Summer, I would have gotten an even bigger yield, as this weather brought on my powdery mildew earlier than usual and the amount of insects this year has been out of control!!

On that topic...I notice, when I finally got out to the garden, today, after the storms, that one of my PoaS plants had been blown over. I staked it back up and hope it will survive. My issue, is that when I went over by it, a cloud of teeny white bugs flew everywhere!!! My tomatoes?? Same thing, but worse!! I harvested a whole basket of tomatoes and every one was garbage. The leaves are dying, too. They are hovering near my peppers, too!! I am about 100% sure they are whiteflies, which I have NEVER had or even seen before! WTH????? Why am I having so many insects this season? I have no idea what to do. I don't have the money to go out and buy enough insecticidal soaps, neem, homemade sprays, ect to spray every leaf on all my plants. 

My tomatoes are just done for, I guess. I went out with my hose and power sprayed all my veggie plants. Once they dry, I am yanking up the tomato plants. I will have to keep an eye on my peppers and PoaS plants after that.

As for my gourds and mini pumpkins...I think I just have to harvest them, even with not dried stems...and hope for the best. The squash bugs are mauling the fruits now that the leaves are done for. I don't want to lose anymore and I want to be done with all these damn squash bugs!

I have no idea what to do...I can only think of not planting a garden, next year, to clear out the insect issue...but this breaks my heart. No pumpkins? No gourds? No veggies??? I want to cry. I have never in my whole life of planting things dealt with all these squash bugs and now, whiteflies...any thoughts???


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I’ve finally finished harvesting what was left. A couple nice looking pumpkins, and my ornamental corn. I just need the corn to dry and turn brown so I can bundle it up and tie it to my porch columns.

























And here’s a shot of everything I ended up with for the year. I should be able to carve 33-35 of the pumpkins and gourds, so I’m thrilled with that! I don’t think I’ve ever grown more than 10 that I could carve in a year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

This is the second of these pumpkins this has happened to...it's hard to see, but the outer skin of the pumpkin is actually bent outwards. Like it exploded open from the inside. The first one this happened to was an even bigger explosion hole. What is doing this to my babies?!








I ripped out my tomatoes plants and disposed of them...then I organically sprayed my peppers and PoaS plants. I sprayed the soil where the tomatoes were, too. These whiteflies need to go somewhere else! 

Might be harvesting my pumpkins and gourds tomorrow...we will see.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’ve finally finished harvesting what was left. A couple nice looking pumpkins, and my ornamental corn. I just need the corn to dry and turn brown so I can bundle it up and tie it to my porch columns.
> View attachment 720176
> 
> View attachment 720177
> ...


Omg...soooo jealous! It's beautiful! Great job growing, this year!!!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wow, Mayor of Haddonfield! I'm impressed! That's a jaw-dropping harvest! Again, I'm inspired to soldier on another year!
You got some beautiful diversity in shapes, sizes, and colors...and a lot of traditional carving material, too! Really nice!

WitchyKitty-- On the other hand, _that's_ heartbreaking! It has been just an awful year for bugs! I really thought our cold winter would re-set a few of these pests that have been making their way up from farther south. But no.
An agronomist friend said that a lot of disease spores blew in on the wind in late winter. Did you guys get that khaki-to-pink snow (I think it was in March)? The color was from dust, all the way up from Texas. Along with the dust we got a lot of new crop diseases (like tar spot fungus). I don't think most insect eggs are small enough to come along, but we clearly got insects galore in the Midwest/Great Lakes region, too.

I was in the same mindset mid summer-- that maybe I should just skip a year, but that would take a lot of fun out of my summer...along with taking a lot of frustration. I'm seriously considering digging a fire break and doing a controlled burn of all the garden rubble this fall.

I don't know what would make your pumpkin explode like that.  If it were near the stem, I might suspect a SVB got into the fruit, but it's clearly not near the stem end at all. I really like the shape and look of the little pumpkin, other than the hole part. It was clearly a cutie before that happened. I hope that you have enough left to do your traditional painting.

Just thinking back, last year I did have some gourds that fermented inside, and blew up when I tried to pick them up. I don't know how yeasts got inside the gourd-- but there was definitely some anaerobic fermentation that went on. I could smell it. Did your pumpkin smell like hard pumpkin cider when it ruptured? I suppose it would be hard to say if you weren't right there when it happened.
I hope the rest of your plants hang on and do well for the remainder of the season.
My PoaS, taken from above. They're about 2.5' (shorter than last year.) -- They've had loads of flowers for weeks, but hardly any are getting pollinated and setting.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Wow, Mayor of Haddonfield! I'm impressed! That's a jaw-dropping harvest! Again, I'm inspired to soldier on another year!
> You got some beautiful diversity in shapes, sizes, and colors...and a lot of traditional carving material, too! Really nice!
> 
> WitchyKitty-- On the other hand, _that's_ heartbreaking! It has been just an awful year for bugs! I really thought our cold winter would re-set a few of these pests that have been making their way up from farther south. But no.
> ...


I don't think I've seen the colored snow...I'll have to ask my husband if he ever remembered a colored hue to it last winter.
Yeah, two of my adorable Little October pumpkins ruptured like that and I just don't know why. I checked for bugs, I never see it happen, so I don't know about the smell, the pumpkin is still firm...the first one did rot completely shortly after this happened to it. So weird.
I will have enough to decorate and paint if the rest of them don't explode...
I just have no explanation for all the bugs. It just keeps getting worse. Bugs I've never dealt with, before.
I have been dealing with japanese beetles eating all my yellow roses, too, this year and last year...never dealt with those before, either. Grrrrrr.

Lots more spiders, too. I am fine with spiders, but the amount of webs all over everything, daily, is driving me crazy. At night, I always seem to be the lucky one to walk right into them...

Maybe I'll just set fire to the whole yard....


----------



## kakugori (Aug 26, 2013)

Unintentional pumpkin. Suspiciously right about where we carved last year. Except, I just noticed it? And the yard has been mowed?? But it still has its round baby leaves, so it can't have been mowed down? Healthiest pumpkin plant I've ever had. ?









I also have an unintentional corn stalk, from the decorative stuff I hang up on the fruit stand. Strange year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> This is the second of these pumpkins this has happened to...it's hard to see, but the outer skin of the pumpkin is actually bent outwards. Like it exploded open from the inside. The first one this happened to was an even bigger explosion hole. What is doing this to my babies?!
> View attachment 720180
> 
> 
> ...



Aww WK - there's really nothing I can say except I'm sorry. Something similar happen to a pumpkin. It's like a tire that blew out... (for lack of a better explanation) 

The bugs are horrible and don't get me started on the mosquitoes!!! This is my favorite time of year but they are wretched and forced us inside tonight.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> This is the second of these pumpkins this has happened to...it's hard to see, but the outer skin of the pumpkin is actually bent outwards. Like it exploded open from the inside. The first one this happened to was an even bigger explosion hole. What is doing this to my babies?!
> View attachment 720180



Ok .. finally found my pictures. I'm going to do some research and find out why our pumpkins "blew out"


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor!!! Keep rocking those pumpkins!! ????

Ooojen - I read about the colored snow and the sand blowing from Texas and Arizona. I'm afraid it's another Dust Bowl scenario. ☠☠☠☠


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Let me know if you figure anything out, Kdestra!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Dang, pumpkin blowouts; one more bullet to dodge! 
I read an article about giant pumpkins blowing out because of growing (or taking up water) more quickly than their "skins" could accommodate, but I didn't find anything that would apply to mid-sized or minis.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> About how tall were those? It might actually be worth it for some of my ideas...gonna go check mine.


The millet were only about two feet tall, three if you counted the bucket they were in. For what I had hoped to do with them, they would have to be around six feet tall to match the corn I grew. Those are small corn stalks, but I wanted them that way so it would be easier to use them in a corn field with an eight foot tall scarecrow.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wyatt's Wonder wound up with three set fruit, but only one has been increasing in size over the last 3 days. Because it's so late in the season, I pulled out all the ruthlessness I could muster, and took off the smaller two, each ~6" to 7" in diameter. Realistically, none of them really had/has time to ripen, including the biggest one. It's pretty, though: bright yellow and round, and has already grown to 12" in diameter. If we get a late frost, it will look nice in a display for a while, even if not fully mature.
Wyatt's are supposed to be big, though not bona fide giants. Seeing how fast the fruit is growing-- going out there every day and seeing an appreciable difference from the day before-- really helps me understand the allure of growing an actual giant pumpkin. (Not to the point where I'm going to do it, though. Growing normal-sized pumpkins is punishment enough  )


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just harvested all my gourds and pumpkins, and tore down the zillions of vines we had tied, hung and attached all over. 

I cannot believe the amount of squash bugs in my garden...omg...it's like a plague.

Between sweating from the humidity in the air and working to tear and cut all that down, the mildew, the bugs and the fact the pumpkin vines and stems give me a mild skin reaction...I feel gross, like bugs are crawling all over me, dirty and itchy all over. I may need to bathe in bleach...

I have a pile of all the vines and leaves in my yard. I am trying to get the energy and willpower to go back out and dispose of all that horror. I am considering tossing gasoline and a match on the pile and blow torching the whole garden and back yard to get rid of all the bugs!!!!!!

If you see on the news that a crazy lady from Illinois set the neighborhood on fire, you will know it was me...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I hope you got a good harvest, anyway! You deserve that!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Side note, off topic...am I the only one who magically got a "+ button, now?? It wasn't there, then all of the sudden, there it was! Is that the button for the old, correct way to do multiple quotes?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> I hope you got a good harvest, anyway! You deserve that!


They all just got a bubble bath with a little bleach, and now they are air drying. Once I get the rest on the towel in the mudroom to dry the rest of the way, I'll get a final count and take pics. 

I am a little concerned for some of the green bumpy Daisy Gourds...some were a bit smaller and darker, I hope they weren't to young to harvest. They didn't seem to be getting bigger, and their skin seems firm. I have the same worry for a couple of the Little October Pumpkins. The orange striped Daisy Gourds all seemed pretty dry stemmed and their vines were all goners, so I think they will be okay. I hope they will all be okay!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Side note, off topic...am I the only one who magically got a "+ button, now?? It wasn't there, then all of the sudden, there it was! Is that the button for the old, correct way to do multiple quotes?


Yes, I also noticed the "+" sign and wondered what that was!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I just harvested all my gourds and pumpkins, and tore down the zillions of vines we had tied, hung and attached all over.
> 
> I cannot believe the amount of squash bugs in my garden...omg...it's like a plague.
> 
> ...


I mean, I kinda feel like you'd be justified in doing that...but probably not the best solution to bug problems.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I mean, I kinda feel like you'd be justified in doing that...but probably not the best solution to bug problems.


Hahahaha!! Probably not...but it feels like the right solution, lol!

If you saw how many I had, and the destruction they caused...then add in this sudden whitefly plague (that I have never even seen one of in my whole life prior to just this week) that destroyed my tomatoes and is now attacking my Pumpkin on a Sticks and hot peppers...you'd want to just watch it burn, too!

***Mind you, I'm a person who doesn't like to kill anything, even bugs, and I will save them, if possible...you know, peace loving vegetarian type...and I still want to burn it all! I just want them all gone and to leave my garden alone! So much loss and destruction after so much work...I could deal with a few here and there...but the amount of squash bugs and whiteflies I have just crosses a line...a line that makes me crazy! Where's a flamethrower when you need one?!?! Haha...HaHa...HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!  

{Deep breath} Okay, I'm better, now...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> Yes, I also noticed the "+" sign and wondered what that was!


Yeah, I checked...it's our old Multi Quote button. Now, to answer multiple quotes in one post, you just hit that new button for each post you want to quote and respond to, and on the final one you want to quote and respond to, you hit the reply button. This will put them all nicely in one post for you in a simpler way. It's soooo much easier. I'm so glad they brought it back!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Edit my above post about being happy that they brought multi quote back...it doesn't seem to work the same. For me, it puts them in backwards order and you also have to click on something to review the quotes each time. Confusing...

Back to pumpkins...I have pics and will probably post tomorrow. My youngest cat, Ziva, seems very interested?enamored? with them. She seems to have claimed them all as her own. I hope she doesn't eat them or roll them around the house while I'm sleeping...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> I still want to burn it all! I just want them all gone and to leave my garden alone! So much loss and destruction after so much work...I could deal with a few here and there...but the amount of squash bugs and whiteflies I have just crosses a line...a line that makes me crazy! Where's a flamethrower when you need one?!?! Haha...HaHa...HAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!


Actually gathering up all the foliage and burning it is the suggested method of getting rid of the pests, mildew, and other complications. They definitely shouldn't go into the compost bin. A bit of hellfire for the pests might be not only the right thing to do, it might be cathartic.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Actually gathering up all the foliage and burning it is the suggested method of getting rid of the pests, mildew, and other complications. They definitely shouldn't go into the compost bin. A bit of hellfire for the pests might be not only the right thing to do, it might be cathartic.


I just ended up disposing of it all. I don't have a compost bin...yet...but if I did, I'd never toss that in there!
It would've been easier to just burn it, and I definitely considered it, but I didn't have anywhere to do so. If the firepit hadn't been put away in the shed, I could've done it a little at a time in there, maybe.
My garden area is a narrow u shaped raised bed...if I started a fire in there to cleanse everything of pests and disease, I'd literally start everything on fire, as it's raised with cedar plank sides and wedged between our garage and the neighbors fence, lol. That probably wouldn't go so well...as much as I wanted to do it, lol.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Actually gathering up all the foliage and burning it is the suggested method of getting rid of the pests, mildew, and other complications. They definitely shouldn't go into the compost bin. A bit of hellfire for the pests might be not only the right thing to do, it might be cathartic.


Burn baby burn☠☠☠☠
We made a fire pit a few years ago. Its filled with old tree branches and yard debris. Then we light it on the winter solstice. 

WK I still haven't been able to figure out what happened to our pumpkins but I wont give up.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I too have had blowouts of some pumpkins. This year alone I’ve had maybe two that were fully blown out, and a third that had the tiniest bit. The third one looked very shallow and hardened over and so far it’s hanging on.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

WitchyKitty said:


> Hahahaha!! Probably not...but it feels like the right solution, lol!
> 
> If you saw how many I had, and the destruction they caused...then add in this sudden whitefly plague (that I have never even seen one of in my whole life prior to just this week) that destroyed my tomatoes and is now attacking my Pumpkin on a Sticks and hot peppers...you'd want to just watch it burn, too!
> 
> ...


Oh, I so sympathize. I'm a non-killer as well, but I waged holy war on the slugs when they ate 12! of my pumpkins one year. Strip of all food sources, till, bait, till, bait, spray with vinegar, till, bait, till in mid winter so they couldn't overwinter. Yeah, we kinda went a little nuts.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Added a few more Orang JBL vines to the arch and here's a photo of the pumpkin monster were making for Halloween ???


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Added a few more Orang JBL vines to the arch and here's a photo of the pumpkin monster were making for Halloween ???


Awesome...both the pumpkins and the monster!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, here all all of my Daisy Gourds and Little October Pumpkins. I got a total of 44...16 green gourds, 16 orange gourds and 12 pumpkins (would've been 47, total, if not for two pumpkin blowouts and a nibbled gourd. I have a pic of a blown out pumpkin and nibbled gourd, too, I included, that are sitting on top of my rain barrel, for now. Might as well let them be decor for a little while. the first blown out pumpkin rotted, already, so no pic.)

This came from one green bumpy Daisy Gourd plant that put out 16, one orange/yellow Daisy Gourd plant that put out 16 and two Little October Pumpkin plants that put out 10...the other two were on a third container grown plant that died, early...it was under the other ones that I had a bridge of and didn't get enough sunlight. (Not including nibble and two blowouts, so 16, 17 and 14 if you count them all.)

I had more babies, both pollinated and not, on all plants, and probably would've had a higher yield, yet, had I not had an early onslaught of PM and so many squash bugs.

Here are some pics: The pics I took outside after harvesting, pics of them after they were given their bath with a little soap and bleach...and some pics of Ziva guarding HER pumpkins and gourds while they were drying after their baths, lol.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are some pics of my Pumpkin on a Stick plants and fruit, too...the plants are soooo bug eaten. (How do I dry these PonS? Do I leave them all on the stems until they are all red so I can get them dried on the branches, or will the ripe ones rot if left on??)


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Can't help, but I have a question for the pumpkin on a sticks. I've read some descriptions mentioning thorns, but I don't notice any on yours...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Nope, no thorns on mine. I have no idea about anything with these plants...ooojen sent me seeds, I planted them, they grew and I don't know what to do with them, now, lol. I definitely don't see thorns, though...


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Okay, here all all of my Daisy Gourds and Little October Pumpkins. I got a total of 44...16 green gourds, 16 orange gourds and 12 pumpkins (would've been 47, total, if not for two pumpkin blowouts and a nibbled gourd. I have a pic of a blown out pumpkin and nibbled gourd, too, I included, that are sitting on top of my rain barrel, for now. Might as well let them be decor for a little while. the first blown out pumpkin rotted, already, so no pic.)
> 
> This came from one green bumpy Daisy Gourd plant that put out 16, one orange/yellow Daisy Gourd plant that put out 16 and two Little October Pumpkin plants that put out 10...the other two were on a third container grown plant that died, early...it was under the other ones that I had a bridge of and didn't get enough sunlight. (Not including nibble and two blowouts, so 16, 17 and 14 if you count them all.)
> 
> ...


What a beautiful bunch of pumpkins and gourds! There is something so satisfying to me seeing a bunch of pumpkins all lined up ?


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

It looks like all my pumpkins are done growing so maybe they will actually turn orange this year! Now I just wait and hope the critter that made this hole doesn't eat them.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> What a beautiful bunch of pumpkins and gourds! There is something so satisfying to me seeing a bunch of pumpkins all lined up ?


Thank you! 
I know!!! Having them all lined up and color organized makes me happy, lol. It's a little bit of an OCD thing, I think, lol.
Once i let them sit a few days to make sure none rot, I'm going to give a few gourds to my mom and mother in law, paint some of the pumpkins for my loved ones graves (as I have always done for years) and the rest I guess will decorate my house! 

I can't put them outside to decorate, like I'd love to, because of my pumpkin loving squirrels! 

Maybe I'll put a test gourd on the porch to see what happens...maybe they won't like gourds??? I know they steal mini pumpkins...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> View attachment 720610
> View attachment 720611


?????

I've got to grow those daisy gourds next year and I love your kitty


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> ?????
> 
> I've got to grow those daisy gourds next year and I love your kitty


Thank you...Ziva kitty says thank you, too! 

The Daisy Gourds are awesome...I'm so glad that out of the baby plants I chose to grow and not thin, the two I kept were different varieties.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ok, here I go... ?
Kakugori -- Cool volunteer! I have a couple volunteers that just started within the last couple weeks, too. It's odd that the seeds held off germinating until just recently.

Burn, Baby, Burn-- I was absolutely serious when I said I might dig a fire-break and burn my garden. It's not close to any structures, so I should be able to get away with it. It's just a matter of having a day that's dry enough to burn the rubble BUT not windy enough to carry any burning matter away. That doesn't happen a lot after the first frost.
And I have Killer potential! I'm not careless, but I'll dig out the big guns when it's that or lose my crop. I've got some good little environmental bellwethers -- lots of earthworms, hunting beetles, native bees, my own honey bees, butterflies/caterpillars, and even nesting birds in the garden, so I know it's a pretty healthy system. Key is to target specific pests at specific times in specific ways, rather than just dumping on the chems randomly.

Your decorating, and your pumpkins, are beautiful, Kdestra! I love the variety of shapes and colors.
I'm so glad you got a good harvest, WitchyKitty! They look so beautiful all cleaned up and grouped!
My mixed gourds patch has gotten impenetrable, but once things die down a little, I'll be sure to report back on the white gourds/gourdkins (Children of the Gourdkins?).
Ziva is adorable! I love that she claimed the pumpkins for her own.

Pumpkins on a Stick-- If you can leave them in place until they get dark red-orange, they're most likely to keep nicely. We're getting rain every day. If you're getting the same, you might be better off to pick them medium orange and bring them in. I don't exactly have vast experience drying them-- I only got a few, but the riper they were, the better/prettier. This year they're all still green!
UnOrthodOx -- I never had thorns on any of mine either. I have had other varieties of eggplant with thorns, though. It could be a variable trait if some sources describe them.
Kdestra-- If you don't mind year-old seed and you just want to try a few daisy gourds, lmk and I'll be happy to share. If you want to get your own pkt, I won't be offended, but I'd *much* rather share than waste, and I don't think I'll be planting the entire rest of the pack next year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Ok, here I go... ?
> Kakugori -- Cool volunteer! I have a couple volunteers that just started within the last couple weeks, too. It's odd that the seeds held off germinating until just recently.
> 
> Burn, Baby, Burn-- I was absolutely serious when I said I might dig a fire-break and burn my garden. It's not close to any structures, so I should be able to get away with it. It's just a matter of having a day that's dry enough to burn the rubble BUT not windy enough to carry any burning matter away. That doesn't happen a lot after the first frost.
> ...


Lol! Children of the gourdkins, lol. Well, technically, since the seeds I sent you were from the white pumpkin that I took seeds from to plant, they would be brothers and sisters!! I hope you get some to grow and mature!
Kdestra, my Daisy Gourds came from ooojen, too, so if you want to try some and you like mine, take her up on her offer!!!

PoaS...so, you think I should pick those red ones? What do I do with them to dry them??


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I planted 3 daisy gourds, and they're all different, too. They kind of had to fend for themselves along a fence-line, but I like the way they look there.
I got a cup-shaped orange and yellow, a slightly bumpy orange and white, and a really variable green and white...sometimes with a splash of orange.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Love those half orange and half green ones!!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> Okay, here all all of my Daisy Gourds and Little October Pumpkins.


Okay, I think I'm converted. Those green and orange daisy gourds are so amazing, I might have to make some room for them next year. There's something very mutant about them that would look so right inside a witches shack.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty-- That's a tough call, but I think I'd pick the red ones if you're expecting much humid or rainy weather in the upcoming week. You can cut a bit of stalk with the "pumpkin" on it, or if there are others you don't want to disturb, you can just cut the little fruit stem and leave the plant stalk. Put it somewhere (hang it, if that works for you and you haven't cut the entire stem...a little thread or wire works) with good air circulation, and with a little luck it should last nicely for you. They should keep their color through Thanksgiving.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> WitchyKitty-- That's a tough call, but I think I'd pick the red ones if you're expecting much humid or rainy weather in the upcoming week. You can cut a bit of stalk with the "pumpkin" on it, or if there are others you don't want to disturb, you can just cut the little fruit stem and leave the plant stalk. Put it somewhere (hang it, if that works for you and you haven't cut the entire stem...a little thread or wire works) with good air circulation, and with a little luck it should last nicely for you. They should keep their color through Thanksgiving.


Okay, I'll go out and get those two really red ones in the morning, then hope for the best on the rest that they all ripen together so I can get full stems. Thank you!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> Okay, I think I'm converted. Those green and orange daisy gourds are so amazing, I might have to make some room for them next year. There's something very mutant about them that would look so right inside a witches shack.


I extend the offer of a few seeds, again. Just as long as I have a few left for myself...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Okay, I think I'm converted. Those green and orange daisy gourds are so amazing, I might have to make some room for them next year. There's something very mutant about them that would look so right inside a witches shack.


Oh yeah! I agree completely. I'm growing some next year.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Kdestra-- If you don't mind year-old seed and you just want to try a few daisy gourds, lmk and I'll be happy to share. If you want to get your own pkt, I won't be offended, but I'd *much* rather share than waste, and I don't think I'll be planting the entire rest of the pack next year.


Somehow I missed this - sorry. 

I'd love to have a few seeds. Do you want to trade?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Somehow I missed this - sorry.
> 
> I'd love to have a few seeds. Do you want to trade?


That's what ooojen and I did! Trading seeds is fun!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I wonder...if I save some seeds from my Daisy Gourds, maybe I'll get some cool half orange/half green ones, next year, from the cross pollination of the two?!

I put my little pumpkin with the blowout in the back and the nibbled Daisy gourd out on the front porch. as a test..we will see if the squirrels go after either of them...and, for now, until they either rot or get eaten, they can happily be Fall decor!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I planted 3 daisy gourds, and they're all different, too. They kind of had to fend for themselves along a fence-line, but I like the way they look there.
> I got a cup-shaped orange and yellow, a slightly bumpy orange and white, and a really variable green and white...sometimes with a splash of orange.
> 
> View attachment 720793
> ...


Liking this isn't enough


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I wonder...if I save some seeds from my Daisy Gourds, maybe I'll get some cool half orange/half green ones, next year, from the cross pollination of the two?!
> 
> I put my little pumpkin with the blowout in the back and the nibbled Daisy gourd out on the front porch. as a test..we will see if the squirrels go after either of them...and, for now, until they either rot or get eaten, they can happily be Fall decor!


Best of luck with squirrels


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> I extend the offer of a few seeds, again. Just as long as I have a few left for myself...


Thank you. I will take you up on the offer. I hope they feel wonderfully procreative this year and make lots of seeds.  I will pass along my address in a private conversation. (Because we have to converse on the new site as opposed to message.)


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> That's what ooojen and I did! Trading seeds is fun!!


I mentioned it at the beginning of the season, but starting usually in February all around the Portland, Oregon area there are seed exchanges. People get together to exchange flower, vegetable, and fruit seeds they saved or had surplus of from the previous season. We love the one that's nearby us, and we've contemplated going to others just to share what we saved and see what else is out there. Some of the stuff is great fun. We grew black cherry tomatoes this year and warty pumpkins that have not one wart on them.  This year, by the time the exchange rolls around, I think we'll have artichoke seeds, various zinnias, and bunches of gladiolas.

Later in the season, the group that sponsors the seed exchange has a plant sale and we always bring our surplus plants to give them to sell to someone else. It helps them out, and keeps the plants from just being tossed into a compost heap. We love exchanging seeds and this forum has given us so many fun hours of reading, if any of our pumpkins actually make it to the finish line full of seeds, we'll let you all know. We might not have anything fancy, but dang, if they made it through this year, they're going to be tough.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> I wonder...if I save some seeds from my Daisy Gourds, maybe I'll get some cool half orange/half green ones, next year, from the cross pollination of the two?!


The one thing we've found about our squash seeds is they're never quite like what we saved from the previous year. Pumpkins are a bit truer to form, but still there are pumpkins that look like nothing we've ever planted. We plant a few store bought seeds if we really want something to be true to the package, but the planting of all the rest is for fun, so seeing strange things growing is half the enjoyment. 



WitchyKitty said:


> I put my little pumpkin with the blowout in the back and the nibbled Daisy gourd out on the front porch. as a test..we will see if the squirrels go after either of them...and, for now, until they either rot or get eaten, they can happily be Fall decor!


We always turn our pumpkins this way and that trying to get their best side forward. A shim here of fake leaves, leaning them up against the railing because they can't quite stand on their own; it's all good. They worked so hard to have their day on display, we do our best to make sure they shine. (Sometimes by carving them up and putting a candle inside.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> The one thing we've found about our squash seeds is they're never quite like what we saved from the previous year. Pumpkins are a bit truer to form, but still there are pumpkins that look like nothing we've ever planted. We plant a few store bought seeds if we really want something to be true to the package, but the planting of all the rest is for fun, so seeing strange things growing is half the enjoyment.


Yeah, that's how we got our white ghost looking "gourdkins" last year. We found a white pumpkin missing it's stem on the side of the road by my work (No houses or displays it could've come from, we checked first before taking it) the year before. I grabbed it up, took it home and set another orange smaller pumpkin on top of it to both hide it's missing stem and make a cute display of stacked pumpkins. It was saved and got to be a festive decoration instead of being smashed on the road! (I tend to "adopt" misfits, lol.) 

Anywho, at the end of the season, I took seeds from it and saved them. Next year, planted them and got my odd, white gourdkins that I ended up painting as ghosts, lol. I sent ooojen some of the seeds when she sent me the daisy gourds and PoaS seeds. We will see if she gets any and if they end up being the same! 

(Oddly, we found a blue Jarrahdale pumpkin on the side of the road at my husbands work around the same time, too. That was explainable, though, as he works near the pumpkin fields...probably fell off a truck load of them. It had some road rash on one side, but seemed fine, otherwise, so we took it home, turned the rough side to the back and used it with our porch display! Squirrels didn't even try to eat it...probably because those things have skin like deeeeeep cement, lol! I saved and planted some of those, too, and they ended up being just like the parent, which made me happy, as I love those pumpkins!!)

That was my only year gambling by planting only seeds I harvested, myself, unknowing what I would end up with if they were cross pollinated or not. It was fun waiting to see what I'd get...though when my white pumpkin seeds started producing weird, ribbed bottle shaped white things, I was quite surprised and amused!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> We always turn our pumpkins this way and that trying to get their best side forward. A shim here of fake leaves, leaning them up against the railing because they can't quite stand on their own; it's all good. They worked so hard to have their day on display, we do our best to make sure they shine. (Sometimes by carving them up and putting a candle inside.)


I do that, too...again with my adopting misfits and displaying them the best I can. That's why my mini pumpkin with the blowout hole in the back and nibbled gourd will stay on display as long as possible!! They deserve love, too!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> This year, by the time the exchange rolls around, I think we'll have artichoke seeds


Ants farmed aphids on the artichokes that I grew from seed!! I've never seen an infestation on this scale before. I had 7 plants and all of them were infested with black aphids. Hate to admit it but I bought pyrethrin & killed those little jerks. Have you ever dealt with aphids on your artichokes?


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Ants farmed aphids on the artichokes that I grew from seed!! I've never seen an infestation on this scale before. I had 7 plants and all of them were infested with black aphids. Hate to admit it but I bought pyrethrin & killed those little jerks. Have you ever dealt with aphids on your artichokes?


I've never had a problem with aphids on the artichokes, but I can understand why they might get them. One of the reasons we don't seem to get many aphids is there always seems to be a sacrificial plant that attracts the ants and them, thus saving all the rest of our veggies and flowers from their invasion. It's never the same plant from year to year, and sometimes it's even been a flowering weed. I find that hosing them down with a strong spray of water works pretty well, but for a major infestation I would probably consider more aggressive options.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Test gourd was annihilated. So, I guess that means I still can't put out any real gourds or pumpkins. Sigh...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> That was my only year gambling by planting only seeds I harvested, myself, unknowing what I would end up with if they were cross pollinated or not. It was fun waiting to see what I'd get...though when my white pumpkin seeds started producing weird, ribbed bottle shaped white things, I was quite surprised and amused!!


I think going forward, it's going to be the only way I plant our pumpkins. We have a great white pumpkin that came from the pumpkin seeds of one we found on the side of the road. We have two Rouge Vif D’Etampe from a cast away as well. Every pumpkin out in our field that's going to make it to the finish line was a cast off or something we got from the seed exchange. The rest of our pumpkins didn't fare so well, especially the ones from store bought seed. We do have two Big Max pumpkins that might survive but they're actually smaller than a regular Jack-o-lantern pumpkin. They're so sad, we know we'll have to find a place for them in the haunt. It has to hurt knowing that you were supposed to be a giant and turned out a mini. So, this year has taught me that if I plant something unknown, at least if it survives, I will be thrilled.  Next year will be the same as we harvest the seeds from this year's winners.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> Test gourd was annihilated. So, I guess that means I still can't put out any real gourds or pumpkins. Sigh...


Ahhh... that's too bad. A world of Funkins isn't so bad, but the real ones have a charm that can't be duplicated. Maybe you could box a few up in chicken wire cages and put them out. It wouldn't look good, but it would frustrate the squirrels for a time. Revenge is a squash best served cold.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Ahhh... that's too bad. A world of Funkins isn't so bad, but the real ones have a charm that can't be duplicated. Maybe you could box a few up in chicken wire cages and put them out. It wouldn't look good, but it would frustrate the squirrels for a time. Revenge is a squash best served cold.


Hahahaha!! ?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just thought I'd share what I did with some of the gourds and pumpkins...the other are all over the house in different spots, lol.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WK - your display it lovely


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey guys something strange is growing in my garden ?


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Hey guys something strange is growing in my garden ?


Please tell me there's a public walkway past that ? I love it!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> Please tell me there's a public walkway past that ? I love it!


Its growing in the back yard but you are always welcome to take a stroll.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> Hey guys something strange is growing in my garden ?


Yeah, we get those every year. We figure it's some kind of weed, but we just let them grow because the flower is so beautiful.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Its growing in the back yard but you are always welcome to take a stroll.


I would love to see people's reactions as they walk by.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Yeah, we get those every year. We figure it's some kind of weed, but we just let them grow because the flower is so beautiful.


???

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ☠☠☠


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> I would love to see people's reactions as they walk by.



Hmmmm... excellent idea Ladyfrog! We have a few extra security cameras hubby could set up. 
Thank you


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra-- Love your flower. It's a botanical worthy of the Addams Family garden!
WitchyKitty -- Your arrangements are lovely-- homey and so autumnal.
So it's Siblings of the Gourdkins! I think that like many siblings, they won't be carbon copies of each other, but will have a number of common characteristics. The gourd patch has become an inpenetrable jungle, but when I last saw some of the SotG, they were elongated ovals, and white, but didn't have the ridges. We'll know how they look soon!

I've been busy, but I did carry my phone out to the garden for a quick picture after the discussion on volunteers. DH's ragweed spraying took out a couple volunteers (one that was making really tall, elongated bicolor pumpkins  ). But this one survived-- a pretty cool pear-shaped orange and black bicolor. It's the only one of pumpkin plants that has given up for the season, but it made 9 medium-small (a little bigger than they appear in the picture, I think) fruits before it finished.














Edit in: When I say it has given up for the season, I mean it's not putting out any new growth nor new flowers. It still has some green leaves, and the vines and stems are still in decent shape.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Kdestra-- Love your flower. It's a botanical worthy of the Addams Family garden!
> WitchyKitty -- Your arrangements are lovely-- homey and so autumnal.
> So it's Siblings of the Gourdkins! I think that like many siblings, they won't be carbon copies of each other, but will have a number of common characteristics. The gourd patch has become an inpenetrable jungle, but when I last saw some of the SotG, they were elongated ovals, and white, but didn't have the ridges. We'll know how they look soon!
> 
> ...


Thank you.
Those little bicolors are soooo cute!
Can't wait to see The Siblings of the Gourds...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks! They're actually carve-able sized, most just over a foot tall. The two earliest ones to form are only about 9", but still bigger than my pie pumpkins.
We had hail in the general area last night. I went out and put rubber doormats over a few of the biggest pumpkins to try to protect them, but the hail missed us, anyway. Thank goodness for that!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Thanks Oojen - we've really been having fun creating our pumpkin & plant monsters. Hubby loves the Little Shop of Horrors and exclaims: Feed Me & feed me now every time he walks by.
Other then that there's not much to report. All the pumpkins are harvested and stacked. Not many big pumpkins survived this year so I'm going to have to buy some.

Funny short story:
I put a plastic black cat on a stack of pumpkins. This caused a fox to become very alarmed last night. He was running back and forth on our front walkway barking at it. Foxes really don't bother with cats but the poor fox could not figure out why the cat didn't move.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Thanks Oojen - we've really been having fun creating our pumpkin & plant monsters. Hubby loves the Little Shop of Horrors and exclaims: Feed Me & feed me now every time he walks by.
> Other then that there's not much to report. All the pumpkins are harvested and stacked. Not many big pumpkins survived this year so I'm going to have to buy some.
> 
> Funny short story:
> I put a plastic black cat on a stack of pumpkins. This caused a fox to become very alarmed last night. He was running back and forth on our front walkway barking at it. Foxes really don't bother with cats but the poor fox could not figure out why the cat didn't move.


LOL!!!! Poor fox! (That looks cute!)


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I agree; that* is *cute! Cute background on it, too! The fox was probably this year's pup, not very experienced yet. I have a weakness for foxes (and I've never had them bother the chicken coop, either!) Coyotes have really thinned fox's numbers around here the last few years, but every now and then we still see one.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I adore foxes!!!! I always love when I get a quick glimpse of one. We have them around here, but they are stealthy, lol.
I have lots of fox stuff. Cats (both big and domesticated), Owls and Foxes are my faves...though I love all animals!!!

....and we mustn't forget pumpkins...I love pumpkins, too! Wait, they aren't an animal, are they? Regardless, I still love them!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

....we have coyotes, too, so that could, also, be why I don't see too many foxes...


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I have a question for all you experienced growers - they are predicting an unusual cold front to come in this weekend. They're calling for possibly 3 days of frost, which is almost unheard of in this area so early. However, I live in a strange little "mini ecosystem" near the coast, so it usually doesn't get as cold here as it does elsewhere in the area. Will a night of frost harm my pumpkins? It seems they are done growing so I've just left them on the vine to hopefully turn orange. If it really does frost one night, I would absolutely harvest them. Would that be bad? I'm really undecided as to what to do!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> I agree; that* is *cute! Cute background on it, too! The fox was probably this year's pup, not very experienced yet. I have a weakness for foxes (and I've never had them bother the chicken coop, either!) Coyotes have really thinned fox's numbers around here the last few years, but every now and then we still see one.



Awww I love foxes and don't exactly care for coyotes. 
Our security cameras caught an amazing short video of a baby fox barking at it's mom. Momma fox does NOT put up with that baby's nonsense!!

There are also photos of coyotes lounging on Arlington Cemetery Gates - it's quite chilling to see them so bold.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> ....we have coyotes, too, so that could, also, be why I don't see too many foxes...


Oh no ?

Lafyfrog - do you have any row covers or old sheets you could use to cover vines? But if your vines are dead then I guess you don't have anything to worry about killing them. 
Cant believe your temps are dropping so low and here in VA were are supposed to go over 90 again.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Oh no ?
> 
> Lafyfrog - do you have any row covers or old sheets you could use to cover vines? But if your vines are dead then I guess you don't have anything to worry about killing them.
> Cant believe your temps are dropping so low and here in VA were are supposed to go over 90 again.


It was 70 and sunny today so this forcasted cold snap is very strange. My vines are still green and putting out flowers! I have some old sheets so I will definitely cover them up. Thank you for the advice!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Thanks Oojen - we've really been having fun creating our pumpkin & plant monsters. Hubby loves the Little Shop of Horrors and exclaims: Feed Me & feed me now every time he walks by.
> Other then that there's not much to report. All the pumpkins are harvested and stacked. Not many big pumpkins survived this year so I'm going to have to buy some.
> 
> Funny short story:
> I put a plastic black cat on a stack of pumpkins. This caused a fox to become very alarmed last night. He was running back and forth on our front walkway barking at it. Foxes really don't bother with cats but the poor fox could not figure out why the cat didn't move.


That is really cute. I have only seen one fox and that was in CA. I was on horseback so it wasn't afraid and I got a good look at it. That must be so cool to see them in your yard!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> That is really cute. I have only seen one fox and that was in CA. I was on horseback so it wasn't afraid and I got a good look at it. That must be so cool to see them in your yard!


We have so so many foxes but we actually call them: "Red Cats" 
It's a nickname we gave the foxes when our children were very young and were scared by the foxes barking at night. So now when ever we see or hear them - they are affectionately called: Red Cats. 

If I could share videos of them I would


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> We have so so many foxes but we actually call them: "Red Cats"
> It's a nickname we gave the foxes when our children were very young and were scared by the foxes barking at night. So now when ever we see or hear them - they are affectionately called: Red Cats.
> 
> If I could share videos of them I would


Red Cats....part of my love of foxes was that my beautiful kitty, Ty, was rusty red/orange and white, like a fox. She had a thick, fluffy foxy tail, too, and the head fur shape. I called her my foxy kitty. I miss her more than words...lost her just months ago. Now, even though I always loved foxes, they mean even more, to me, as they remind me of my Ty kitty.

You calling them Red Cats made me smile.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Red Cats....part of my love of foxes was that my beautiful kitty, Ty, was rusty red/orange and white, like a fox. She had a thick, fluffy foxy tail, too, and the head fur shape. I called her my foxy kitty. I miss her more than words...lost her just months ago. Now, even though I always loved foxes, they mean even more, to me, as they remind me of my Ty kitty.
> 
> You calling them Red Cats made me smile.


I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard to lose our fur babies.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Early spring through mid summer we can hear coyotes all around the place. I like to take walks at night, star gaze, watch the fireflies-- and I can hear packs of coyotes quite near, sometimes from 3 or 4 directions. I've only seen one in the yard, though. Our Great Pyrenees barks her big, deep, giant bark if they start yipping too close to the yard, and they back off. It must be terrifying to be a fox in this area...or a stray cat, a pheasant, a fawn... As the coyote numbers have gone up, fox numbers have plummeted. For that matter, we don't see as many pheasants or partridge as we used to. There are still lots of deer, though! 

Ladyfrog-- I agree that old sheets or blankets are good for getting your plants through a few light frosts. It's part of the routine around here.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

A friend just passed this along on FB and I though people here might enjoy it as much as I do.
Pumpkin bouquet by Floristicplanet


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> I'm so sorry for your loss. It's so hard to lose our fur babies.


Thank you...and it is beyond hard, my kitties are my children. Losing her took a piece of my heart...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Red Cats....part of my love of foxes was that my beautiful kitty, Ty, was rusty red/orange and white, like a fox. She had a thick, fluffy foxy tail, too, and the head fur shape. I called her my foxy kitty. I miss her more than words...lost her just months ago. Now, even though I always loved foxes, they mean even more, to me, as they remind me of my Ty kitty.
> 
> You calling them Red Cats made me smile.



Awww I'm sorry you lost your fur baby and im glad I could make you smile. I wrote a few children's short stories about: "The Red Cats". They are humorous little bed time stories about when little kids go to sleep and little kits go out to play.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> A friend just passed this along on FB and I though people here might enjoy it as much as I do.
> Pumpkin bouquet by Floristicplanet
> View attachment 721764


Freaking crazy beautiful!!!! ???


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Early spring through mid summer we can hear coyotes all around the place. I like to take walks at night, star gaze, watch the fireflies-- and I can hear packs of coyotes quite near, sometimes from 3 or 4 directions. I've only seen one in the yard, though. Our Great Pyrenees barks her big, deep, giant bark if they start yipping too close to the yard, and they back off. It must be terrifying to be a fox in this area...or a stray cat, a pheasant, a fawn... As the coyote numbers have gone up, fox numbers have plummeted. For that matter, we don't see as many pheasants or partridge as we used to. There are still lots of deer, though!


My aunt, uncle and cousin have a farm house out in the country. They have always had lots of outdoor barn kitties, a couple inside and some that went in and out. They adore and care for all their kitties. At one point, they were up to 27! Sadly, they had a lot of coyotes out there one year and lost sooo many of their outdoor kitty babies to them. They were devastated.
(Some of the kitties lost to them were my Ty's family members...they got Ty and her near identical siblings and mom from a friend who found them under her porch. Mamma cat wouldn't take care of the kittens, so my aunt and cousin raised them, themselves, from their very first day old. I met my Ty kitty at one week old, and we got her at about 5 1/2 weeks old. Her sisters, Bella and Casey were indoor/outdoor. Both had a litter, so my Ty had two sisters and several nieces and nephews. To my family's, and my, heartbreak, many of Ty's family were the ones attacked by the coyotes.)

I love all animals....even coyotes ( I like hearing their yipping calls at night), but I wish they wouldn't get up to the houses and attack our smaller fur babies...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

My teacher friend dropped off these Discarded Halloween books. I read them and wanted to check with all of you before I put them in the Free Little Library. Ill be glad to send them all I ask is that you repay shipping


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Awww I'm sorry you lost your fur baby and im glad I could make you smile. I wrote a few children's short stories about: "The Red Cats". They are humorous little bed time stories about when little kids go to sleep and little kits go out to play.


Thank you.
Aww, little Red Cat stories...how adorable!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I got my pumpkins to take out to the cemetery painted...I'll post pics, later.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Thank you.
> Aww, little Red Cat stories...how adorable!!


Fox barks are very scary to little children and I wanted to help alleviate my children's fears. So instead of turning the foxes into "bad animals" - I turned them into normal nighttime adventures.
One adventure is based on a true story about how our big black cat "Hocus" was sneaking out've the house at night through the unlocked basement window to partake in the fox's shenanigans

~Edited post to tell you ending~

Hocus's little sister Pocus is becoming alarmed by her brother's actions and tells on him. In reality we saw him sneaking around at night on security cameras


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are the pics of the painted pumpkins (that y'all know I grew, myself).
I went with a Vintage/Retro Halloween cat theme, because my Grandparents had these exact decorations and I loved them all, so much. My husband and mom couldn't believe I'd spend so much time (2 to 3 hours, each!) painting these very detailed pictures on these little pumpkins, just to not be able to keep them and have them, eventually, rot. I admit they were probably right...I am in love with each of them and wish I had painted them on fake pumpkins for myself, lol...but they are for my loved ones' graves, and I know they'd have loved them, so I'm okay with that. (Some of the painted pictures look a bit shorter/squashed in the pics due to being painted on round surfaces. In reality, they are normal like the decorations they were painted from, lol. I tried to take multiple pics to show different angles...)


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty - Your pumpkins are gorgeous! You are a very talented painter.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> WitchyKitty - Your pumpkins are gorgeous! You are a very talented painter.


Thank you!!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Adorable pumpkins WK.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I absolutely love your pumpkins, WitchyKitty! You did a beautiful job! What a sweet tribute to your now-gone loved ones! ??

Kdestra - How cute! I love that you got your kids "involved" in the adventure to keep them from being afraid...and the fox shenanigans sound adorable.
We had "Tweedle the Beetle" stories here for a long time after a long-horn beetle somehow accidentally wound up in the house and was spotted by little DD, making for the window.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Thank you, guys! ? ?


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Does anyone have any more harvested pumpkin pictures? I feel like we are missing some people, lately, in this thread that were growing pumpkins...


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty said:


> Does anyone have any more harvested pumpkin pictures? I feel like we are missing some people, lately, in this thread that were growing pumpkins...


We are, for sure! There are a few who are conspicuous by their absence. 

It's supposed to be nice Monday, but then get rainy and a bit cooler for a few days. I'll probably harvest a few of my most mature-looking pumpkins. I'll get them up off the wet ground, and start setting up a display for Oct.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Starting to turn orange!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> I went out and put rubber doormats over a few of the biggest pumpkins to try to protect them.


I LOVE THIS SITE! That sentence makes the entire season of lackluster performance of my pumpkins tolerable.


----------



## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Does anyone have any more harvested pumpkin pictures? I feel like we are missing some people, lately, in this thread that were growing pumpkins...


I’m pretty much all done. I may have one more to cut off and that’s it.

By the way, your pumpkins look great!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’m pretty much all done. I may have one more to cut off and that’s it.
> 
> By the way, your pumpkins look great!


Thank you! 
If you get one more harvested, can't wait to see it!


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Okay.... now for some comic relief. After a season that's been mostly depressing for us here and more than a few of you out there, here are some pictures that you can point to and say, well, at least we didn't do that poorly. 

This is our patch after over three solid weeks of rain keeping me away from it. The grass and weeds have had a field day, but it's late enough in the season that I'm not willing to go out in the rain to tend to it. I'll pick tomatoes in the rain, but I won't weed.










This is what our pumpkins are doing late in the season. They're a bit like us. They don't see any reason not to just keep doing what they're doing even if everyone else has gone on to other things. They're still flowering and setting fruit because it brightens up the place when it's raining every day.










This is the color of most of our larger pumpkins. We keep hoping for a bit of warmer weather to help them orange up, but this may be the year of green pumpkins. (Oh... and weirdly shaped. We haven't got one pumpkin that looks like a traditional Halloween pumpkin.)










This is a Big Max pumpkin. That's right. The ones we grow are usually 60 - 80 pounds. But as you can see, it's not been their best year. I told you I would give you a picture you could point to and say, "yeah, we didn't do so bad."










And lastly, here are a few pumpkins/squashes that were harvested today. They're not very big, but they're going to find a home this season being decorations. Maybe not Halloween, but come November 1st, they're out being decorative until I get an urge to eat them.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Chubstuff - I'm sure the bees love all your pumpkin blooms and your pictures are great. 

Had 2 fillings replaced last Friday and haven't been doing much gardening. 
Arlington Food Assistance wants to tour my gardens and have us demonstrate how we built our cold frames this Sunday. So I'm panicking - I really hope I feel better soon








Garden Open Houses 2019


AFAC provides groceries, directly and free of charge, to people living in Arlington, VA, who cannot afford to purchase enough food to meet their basic needs.




afac.org


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Okay.... now for some comic relief. After a season that's been mostly depressing for us here and more than a few of you out there, here are some pictures that you can point to and say, well, at least we didn't do that poorly.
> 
> This is our patch after over three solid weeks of rain keeping me away from it. The grass and weeds have had a field day, but it's late enough in the season that I'm not willing to go out in the rain to tend to it. I'll pick tomatoes in the rain, but I won't weed.
> 
> ...


Chubstuff, I feel you. I'm in Southwest Washington and I don't think we had more than 4 days over 75 all summer. My plants are still flowering, too - and we're supposed to get down in the 30s the next couple nights! What is this craziness!


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, I'm calling it over for the year. We lost 3 pumpkins to rot and/or slugs. That one Big Moose that had gone red earlier I had worried about surviving and it was a pile of mush. 2 later ones were soft, one heavily slug eaten. 

So, we took to the patch in the break in rain today. 

The Big Moose report: 

I've largely ignored these since early in the year hand pollinating the first few till I saw squash bees. (one of which was the aforementioned red dead one) 

4 plants total. 6 big moose pumpkins. One is on the other side of the fence, and I'm letting them keep it. 

We had 2 unweighed, but I'd guess between 30-40 lbs. These were both secondary sets on the largest one below's vine. 

One thing I do every year is 'tag' the first three pumpkins to set (scratch the kids names in with a toothpick)

I had genuinely thought Alec's had died since I hadn't ever really seen it. But here it was, weighing in at 45 lbs. Which, considering our largest out of this patch prior is close to 30 was no small feet. 









Next up was Talia's, which conveniently grew along the path so we could watch it all season. The vine was along sandy soil and shot down secondary roots, but the sand was limited in support, thus it 'only' grew to 85 lb. 









Finally there was Kyle's. weighing in at 120 lbs. It's big and it's awkward to move. 










Talia finding the 'perfect' pumpkin. I'm not sure what this was, volunteer. 










Small haul, but good mix. 










I'm honestly 50-50 whether I try the big moose again next year.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

chubstuff said:


> Okay.... now for some comic relief. After a season that's been mostly depressing for us here and more than a few of you out there, here are some pictures that you can point to and say, well, at least we didn't do that poorly.
> 
> This is our patch after over three solid weeks of rain keeping me away from it. The grass and weeds have had a field day, but it's late enough in the season that I'm not willing to go out in the rain to tend to it. I'll pick tomatoes in the rain, but I won't weed.
> 
> ...


Even though your big max isn't...big...it's still cute! Love the squash! I hope your others turn more orange!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well, I'm calling it over for the year. We lost 3 pumpkins to rot and/or slugs. That one Big Moose that had gone red earlier I had worried about surviving and it was a pile of mush. 2 later ones were soft, one heavily slug eaten.
> 
> So, we took to the patch in the break in rain today.
> 
> ...


It's crummy you lost so many to slugs and rot...
The ones you did get, though, look really nice!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Great photos UnOrthodOx


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Early this morning hubby and I started working on our Pumpkin light. I'm really happy with my corn this year even if the squirrels damaged half of it. I'll get better photos tonight


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Early this morning hubby and I started working on our Pumpkin light. I'm really happy with my corn this year even if the squirrels damaged half of it. I'll get better photos tonight


It looks great!!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I was away for a couple days, and came back to see evidence of (spotty) frost damage. A lot of my pumpkin plants are now done. I harvested most of the fruits, but they're a muddy mess. It's 50° F and raining; I'll get them cleaned up and photographed when it gets a little nicer.
Chubstuff-- Well Big Max... or maybe just 'Max' is quite a cutie! The squash look great; I'd certainly decorate with them!
Also, what are the red flowers behind your patch? They look too tall for Bellis, and kind of rounded for Zinnias... They're pretty!
I can commiserate about the weeds. We had our wettest year on record this year, and it just doesn't pay to go out and compact the soil by stomping around on the mud. My pumpkin plants didn't get big enough to make a solid, weed-discouraging canopy, so I "got to" keep weeding them by hand. My bottle gourds are a mess though, and I know there will be a billion fresh new weed seeds in there for next year.

Ladyfrog-- Not more than a few days over 75? Wow, I thought it was on the cool side here, but we had a lot of days in the high 70s and low 80s. Your pretty little almost-orange pumpkin is a trouper to ripen in those conditions!

Kdestra -- Dental work-ugh! I hope you're feeling better now!
Sweet that you're on a garden tour for a good cause! I agreed to put our house on a Christmas tour for a fundraiser for DDs school several years ago. Oh my gosh the stress! Several of us were Constant Remodelers-- always several DIY projects going, and we were all having nightmares rushing to finish things before the tour! Gardens are terribly unpredictable. At least when you finish and interior project, it tends to stay done. The gardens change every day. That's part of what's delightful about them, but it would be stressful to prep! I'm sure things will look gorgeous, though, and that visitors will get a good learning experience.

UnOrthodOx -- You got some very nice pumpkins, especially for just leaving the to their own devices! Those big ones could be amazing carved! If you carve them, I hope you'll share pictures.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Our overnight temps have been in the 30s and 40s for almost a week and the plants are not looking good plus there has been no change in size or color for a couple weeks so I bit the bullet and harvested all 6 of my pumpkins. They were all orange on the bottom so hopefully leaving them in the sun (if the sun returns, lol) will result in them turning orange. That's what I did last year with one and it worked. These are the biggest pumpkins I've ever grown! I'll try to weigh them later mostly to satisfy my own curiosity as they are nothing compared to what you all produce ? I placed a gardening glove in the pictures for reference.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> Our overnight temps have been in the 30s and 40s for almost a week and the plants are not looking good plus there has been no change in size or color for a couple weeks so I bit the bullet and harvested all 6 of my pumpkins. They were all orange on the bottom so hopefully leaving them in the sun (if the sun returns, lol) will result in them turning orange. That's what I did last year with one and it worked. These are the biggest pumpkins I've ever grown! I'll try to weigh them later mostly to satisfy my own curiosity as they are nothing compared to what you all produce ? I placed a gardening glove in the pictures for reference.


Nice pumpkins! I hope you can get them to turn orange! If not, I hope they last awhile, anyway, being green!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Chubstuff -- Odd the way a person's mind works...well odd the way mine works, anyway. I woke up about 4 AM with my mental voice (and I just mean "strong thought" because my mind isn't functioning _that_ oddly) saying "Asters! They're asters." Honestly, it took a couple seconds before I even understood what I meant. Apparently my subconscious was still processing what my conscious mind had long let go of-- whether it was correct or not! 

Ladyfrog-- Your pumpkins look beautiful! As long as they've started to change color even a little, you have a very good chance of their getting orange before Halloween.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Chubstuff-- Well Big Max... or maybe just 'Max' is quite a cutie! The squash look great; I'd certainly decorate with them!
> Also, what are the red flowers behind your patch? They look too tall for Bellis, and kind of rounded for Zinnias... They're pretty!
> I can commiserate about the weeds.


The large red flowers were part of a seed exchange find last year. They were labeled California Giant Zinnia. The first year, the only colors I got were pink and that reddish color you see. They bloom in all manner of shapes from a rounded button type that looks almost like a dahlia to a flatter version that looks sort of like a daisy on steroids. I'm not sure if there will be seeds to save this year. There's not been a truly dry time for over a month and the flowers are more molding than seeding, but I am going to try to harvest what I can. They really make nice looking, easily cared for flowers.

As for weeds, they cover the ground and give back to the soil when they get dug back in come spring. The only ones I don't care for are the Scotch thistle as they're prickly and get in the way of my regular gardening. That said, I have a hard time killing them all off at a certain point because I watch how many bees fly to them for food when they bloom. I'm a pretty sucky gardener. There are a handful of weeds that come up every year that I let grow because either I or my partner think they look pretty.

And when it comes down to it, that's sort of what the definition of a weed is, I think. They're the plants you don't like the look of out-competing the ones you want. For me dandelions are really very pretty and provide early spring food for the bees before any other plant. So, they get a complete pass in our lawn. A late blooming pink flowering pea of some sort that's very prolific around our area gets a pass as well. So do violets because they were my mom's favorite small flower. We have a little blue flowering weed that I like so much I transplanted it to a safe place when I was digging up new beds. There's a yellow spike flower that I really like, and we have a version of what gets called bachelor buttons that we look forward to seeing every year in our great big patch of weeds out front. (We call it a wildflower bed, but the neighbors call it something different I'm sure.) 

All in all, weeds in our garden have a much easier life than they would many other places. We still have plenty of tomatoes and veggies on a good year despite our lackadaisical attitude toward the weeds. But I will admit this year with the low temps, cloudy days, and rain coming all at once for weeks, the weeds survived because they're adapted to rough conditions. Our tie-dye tomatoes didn't fare as well. In fact none of our veggies did. Oh well, we have some lovely weeds still blooming, so the garden is not a complete loss.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Chubstuff -- Odd the way a person's mind works...well odd the way mine works, anyway. I woke up about 4 AM with my mental voice (and I just mean "strong thought" because my mind isn't functioning _that_ oddly) saying "Asters! They're asters." Honestly, it took a couple seconds before I even understood what I meant. Apparently my subconscious was still processing what my conscious mind had long let go of-- whether it was correct or not!


I have often referred to my thinking patterns as weird, bizarre, and a few more derogatory adjectives that will go unspoken. It seems indelicate of me to point out now how similar your thought patterns and mine sync up now that I've mentioned that.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

chubstuff said:


> I have often referred to my thinking patterns as weird, bizarre, and a few more derogatory adjectives that will go unspoken. It seems indelicate of me to point out now how similar your thought patterns and mine sync up now that I've mentioned that.


Hahaha! I've just learned not to think of words like "odd" and "bizarre" as being derogatory. They describe the extraordinary. 

And thanks for the plant information!
Weeds like clover and dandelion get a full pass in my lawn (the latter sometimes earns its keep when I make wine) but I'm less tolerant in the garden. We have terrible weed pressure, and if I don't stay on top it, weeds are the only thing I'll have. I do plant lots of options for bees and butterflies.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

I'm right there with you both - Chubstuff & Ooojen! Besides I'm not wasting $$$ on killing weeds. Have you ever smelled a dandelion? I love their scent. 

Ladyfrog, cant believe it's in the 30s for you already. I'd freeze to death there. 

The dentist bruised my cheek with his finger. I knew here was pressing my jaw but damn! Now I have a long green bruise. I go out of my way to tell people it was the dentist that did it because I don't want anyone to think it was my sweet hubby. He'd never ever hurt me. Hopefully it's gone before the garden tour on sunday.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> I'm right there with you both - Chubstuff & Ooojen! Besides I'm not wasting $$$ on killing weeds. Have you ever smelled a dandelion? I love their scent.
> 
> Ladyfrog, cant believe it's in the 30s for you already. I'd freeze to death there.
> 
> The dentist bruised my cheek with his finger. I knew here was pressing my jaw but damn! Now I have a long green bruise. I go out of my way to tell people it was the dentist that did it because I don't want anyone to think it was my sweet hubby. He'd never ever hurt me. Hopefully it's gone before the garden tour on sunday.


My husband and I have a long standing disagreement regarding clover - he thinks it's a weed but I like it. I think it's pretty so I leave it. He's too lazy to do yard work so I win ?

I don't think I would go back to that dentist ? Ouch!!

Of course, now that I harvested everything our nighttime temps are back in the mid to upper 40s which is a little more normal. Oh well I was getting too impatient anyway ?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> Early this morning hubby and I started working on our Pumpkin light. I'm really happy with my corn this year even if the squirrels damaged half of it. I'll get better photos tonight


Love that right there. We need a night shot now. 


I actively attempted to talk my wife into a lawn alternative, including clover, when we were doing the landscaping. I might actually be slowly winning the battle as she's at least considering a fully xeriscaped front yard now.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Love that right there. We need a night shot now.
> 
> 
> I actively attempted to talk my wife into a lawn alternative, including clover, when we were doing the landscaping. I might actually be slowly winning the battle as she's at least considering a fully xeriscaped front yard now.


Our front yard is very hilly and slopes toward street. All the water runs off & it's impossible to mow. So we turned it all into a Mediterranean garden (lavender, rosemary, etc) 
Xeriscaping is great but brown all winter so consider adding woody herbs, native Witch Hazels and red dogwoods. 

Hubby loves the front yard for his tombstones because of the hillside.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Ooo, with all due respect to the necessary work they do-- visiting the dentist is bad enough when they're at their best! Get a rough one, and it's hellish!
I hope the garden tour went well, Kdestra! I would so love to be able to leave my lavender and rosemary out all year! They have be potted up and brought into the sunroom.
Ladyfrog-- That's funny that lazy wins it for you! heehee!

We're finally having a couple nice days, but the weather is supposed to take a serious turn for the worse later in the week. It was time to start harvesting, cleaning, and getting ready to display. It's kind of a big project. All the rain left every pumpkin clogged or coated with dirt, and our sidewalk project means my usual display area is cluttered up-- But I'll start with my photos. This was the year of the herbicide drift, of course. Yields were low on the plants that were hit, but I got at least one pumpkin each from the plants that survived. (The couple varieties that _weren't_ badly affected did beautifully.) Also, the plants themselves were set back. They produced as much as the smaller vines could support, I guess.
I didn't have anything handy to use for perspective, but these are mostly mid-sized pumpkins.
Galeux d' Eysines/Peanut -- so productive other years; I got _one_ pumpkin this year, and consider myself lucky to get that, as it was from a pretty late flower. I have to say, it's a beauty, though. The background color is unusually deep.








Jamboree produced two pumpkins. I've grown Jarrahdale (previous years), Blue Doll, and this one, and this is my favorite blue. Unlike J, it matured and colored up reasonably early.








Moranga -- I just love this one, and will definitely plant it again. I only got two pumpkins fully mature, but there's a third I left on the vine. (It actually has a whole bunch of little ones coming, but there isn't time for them.) It's not fully colored up (it's gold, with just a hint of salmon coming on) but I think will last through Halloween once it's harvested. My morangas have very short stems, and the fruit grew upside-down. The bottoms have the best color, so I'll probably display them the way they grew.














Mr Fugly -- I don't find them fugly. The combinations of colors are interesting from up close, but I don't really feel like they brought anything dramatically different to the table. They're fair-sized, and should be carveable-- just ok, I guess. There were two plants, three pumpkins on one, and one on the other. SVB hit them pretty hard...like almost ALL the maxima varieties.








Last for now-- Blue Doll-- a little larger variety. The leaves are bigger and taller than most of my pumpkins'...though I will say the vines were pretty contained.








Rouge vif d'Etampes (large Cinderella type) -- one solitary pumpkin. It brought several more up to 6 or 7" diameter, but they blasted. So it goes. This is another short-stemmed one that grew upside-down (I guess I should have guided it sideways) and it's a much "vif-er" rouge on the bottom.








More to come!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> Ooo, with all due respect to the necessary work they do-- visiting the dentist is bad enough when they're at their best! Get a rough one, and it's hellish!
> I hope the garden tour went well, Kdestra! I would so love to be able to leave my lavender and rosemary out all year! They have be potted up and brought into the sunroom.
> Ladyfrog-- That's funny that lazy wins it for you! heehee!
> 
> ...


Beautiful pumpkins!! Love!

(Side note: I am, also, going through dental work misery...to the max...which just got even worse, today. I feel for ya', Kdestra.)


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Lord those moranga are beautiful display pumpkins. I would have sworn that was a fake if you hadn't grown it.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks, folks, for the nice words!
UnOrthodOx - The morangas are definitely a new favorite of mine.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I didn't get too much farther with pumpkin cleaning. I harvested a few gourds, and worked on other things. 
But here are some NOID volunteers, the black and orange teardrop-shaped ones. The plant came up right on the edge of the garden, fairly close to the Goosebumps hybrid, so it's just as well the vines didn't get very big. It still produced 9 fruits, though.
Second picture gives a little size perspective with a gallon milk jug tucked in among the pumpkins.
Ignore the big pumpkin on the left. It will get its turn later.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Yeah, dental work can be painful but I actually like the guy. 

Ooojen, the garden tour was great but I'm never going to do it again.... it's just to stressful. Everyone was pleasant but there's always gotta be 1 jerk. 

Was moranga difficult to grow or put out miles of vines? It's so pretty do you mind if I try growing it next year?

WK best of luck on your upcoming appointment


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Kdestra-- I'll be happy to tuck a couple moranga seeds in with the gourds'. I promise I'll get to it long before spring, though I won't make any grand statements about "before Halloween". 
It's hard to judge how Moranga'd do without "intervention" because everthing got set back so severely. But what I saw-- Moranga was right next to (8' or more away, but nearest of the C. maximas) Blue Doll. The latter had long petioles and large leaves, but Moranga was much smaller and more contained. That said, the M. plant really started growing in Sept, once its first couple fruits matured, and it has lots of tiny (but doomed) pumpkins set now. I would say that it *might* vine a lot, but that it should put out a lot of fruit to go with the expansion of the vines. (As opposed to the gorgeous Musquee de Provence that can have loads of vines with hardly any pumpkins.) So if you wanted less of it, I believe you could keep it pruned and still get a good quantity of pumpkins.
I would be really pleased if you do decide to try it, and I'd be anxious to see how it does for you. I'm absolutely NOT possessive about the varieties I grow, and I love the sharing/learning we pass around on this forum!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Early Giant
I only got three this year, off two vines. Last year there were six or seven on each plant. But I had to admit to myself that I really didn't need more than three.
Once these matured, the plants really tried to produce another round, but it was just too late. Second shot has a gallon jug in for size perspective.














Sugar Pie was kind of around a corner from the last spot sprayed. It had one pumpkin forming at the time, and while it didn't die back, it did stall. After the one little pumpkin (smallest of the bunch) finally matured, the entire vine jumped back into action, and it produced a total of 17 fruit. That was darned good for a pretty contained vine.
Most of the Sugar Pies are around 5 pounds.








Victor (Red Warty Thing-- What genius came up with that re-naming? haha!)
Three pumpkins from three vines. Other years they've generally been pretty productive for me (last year excepted). They're terrible pest magnets though, and they lost additional set fruit to SVBs. (Those wound up being a real scourge before the season was over.)
The smallest fruit isn't as red as it should be, but it's pretty solid, and I expect it will make it through Halloween with no trouble.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Ooojen - nice pumpkins! Nothing says fall and Halloween like orange pumpkins.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

I got the SuperFreaks cleaned up this morning. That was the biggest of the pumpkin-cleaning chores! I grew the mid-sized ones, Goosebumps, but they're a bit smaller than the 8 to 12 pound average that the description suggested. They're also fairly variable in shape and in bumps. I read that the lumpy hybrids produce more bumps when the growing conditions are good, and it does seem that the ones formed during the longer, sunnier days are the lumpiest. 
18 fruits- I'm hapy with that!








Then there were the volunteer JbLs. I get volunteers every year, without my being aware of leaving any of the little pumpkins unharvested. I can only assume a meadow mouse or a squirrel is running off with a pumpkin here or there, and stashing the seeds, because they come up where I didn't have any the previous year.









And while I'm here, I'll share a shot of the yet-unwashed long-necked dipper gourds (a few TN spinners got tossed in there, too). There are some still out in the garden, waiting to be harvested. I grew a few on a trellis, but the trellis is only 4', and the "necks" are so long they still wind up bent. (That's ok; I'd like one or two straight-necked gourds, but I actually like the snake-like handles best.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Loving all your pumpkin and gourd pics, ooojen!
Are there more yet to come?


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks, WitchyKitty!


WitchyKitty said:


> Are there more yet to come?


I still have Toad pumpkins,Tiny Turk squash, Orange Cuties, and my one single Wyatt's Wonder and I'll post pictures if I get the chance.
I should have quite a few more gourds, too. I'll probably get some of them photographed, but maybe not all of them.
For our Halloween party this year, I'm going with a Mystery Island/Cannibal Feast kind of generic jungle island theme. I'm having fun with it, but I really miss using all my typical autumn Halloween stuff. I have a lot of little decorative gourds around the house that I'm going to hide away for party time. Next year I'll be back to *normal *decor. ?


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

good lord Oojen, they just keep coming!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ooojen, were you able to get any "Siblings of the Gourdkin" , or did they fail? Just curious if you got one, how it turned out compared to mine.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty-- I got some, but I haven't been able to get them gathered. Everything on that end of the garden is very wet and very densely overgrown. It's already 32F now, so it's bound to open up a little after tonight. Then I can walk around without worrying about stepping on the gourds.
I did get the daisies cleaned up. I read reviews of them before I grew them. One person said the gourds got more diverse later in the season. I kind of thought they were just seeing mature color as opposed to unripe fruit color--- but no, they really do come in more different colors late. 
First, the gold and white-- some have a few bumps, some have a lot. Some have fairly straight sides, and some are V shaped. The late season ones, even though very solid and mature, have some green on them.
This one was the most productive, and the largest. (I found one more after I took the picture.)














The green and white gourds--- late season fruits were in solid green, and also orange/green/white. Some of the earlier season ones (back couple rows) look almost like they have little skull face patterns. Second shot-- top view, and why they're called Daisy Gourds.














The last ones could almost be called "Tulip Gourds" instead of "Daisy". They were the most consistent, but there's still a little difference in color and shape.














I was pretty lucky that I planted 3 seeds and got 3 completely different types of gourds...plus a little extra diversity off each individual plant.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen said:


> WitchyKitty-- I got some, but I haven't been able to get them gathered. Everything on that end of the garden is very wet and very densely overgrown. It's already 32F now, so it's bound to open up a little after tonight. Then I can walk around without worrying about stepping on the gourds.
> I did get the daisies cleaned up. I read reviews of them before I grew them. One person said the gourds got more diverse later in the season. I kind of thought they were just seeing mature color as opposed to unripe fruit color--- but no, they really do come in more different colors late.
> First, the gold and white-- some have a few bumps, some have a lot. Some have fairly straight sides, and some are V shaped. The late season ones, even though very solid and mature, have some green on them.
> This one was the most productive, and the largest. (I found one more after I took the picture.)
> ...


They all look awesome! Yeah, I was super lucky to grow two daisy gourd plants and each was a different kind! We were both lucky on that! Really, between your three and my two, we grew five different kinds because none of yours look just like mine. Crazy, lol.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Wow!!! I'm super jealous of those pumpkins


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Harvested all of the corn & bundled it to our old friend Jack. We found the lamp post in the trash a few years ago. We're thinking about replacing the back lightning with a "fire & Ice" LED.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Harvested all of the corn & bundled it to our old friend Jack. We found the lamp post in the trash a few years ago. We're thinking about replacing the back lightning with a "fire & Ice" LED.


That looks awesome, especially lit up!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The Jack o'Lantern light post is fantastic! ?


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I think this is the last year I'm planting corn. I love how it looks all tied together, but everyone else has one aspect to their corn that mine doesn't... mine is still green. I could cut it all today and with our weather it would still be green by the time Halloween rolls around. I won't see brown corn until probably around mid December, just in time for a nice North Pole sign made out of dried corn stalks.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> That looks awesome, especially lit up!


Thank you ???

Kids are off school today so I'm not going to office. Hopefully we can go to Spirit and find Fire & Ice lights.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> The Jack o'Lantern light post is fantastic! ?


We bought the plastic pumpkin and cut a hole in bottom to fit over the top of lamp post.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> I think this is the last year I'm planting corn. I love how it looks all tied together, but everyone else has one aspect to their corn that mine doesn't... mine is still green. I could cut it all today and with our weather it would still be green by the time Halloween rolls around. I won't see brown corn until probably around mid December, just in time for a nice North Pole sign made out of dried corn stalks.


When did you plant your corn? 
Had a tough time in the beginning with mine. I think I planted to early & the ground was to cold then I had to battle with squirrels. But after July's brutal heatwave - it was brown.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Chubstuff-- Did you plant a long-season corn? If you do decide to try again, you might look for an 85 to 90 day corn. A lot of them are shorter-stalked than later varieties, but they should be brown long before Halloween.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Idk why corn stalk roots creep me out but they do


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Ooojen - those gourds are beautiful! I never knew there was such a variety of types and colors available. 
Kdestra - I love your corn stalk pumpkin! It looks awesome all lit up.

Two of the three pumpkins actually turned orange after I harvested them. I know my 3 is nothing compared to all you experienced pumpkin growers, but these are the biggest I've ever grown. I did get 5 last year but they were all small and only one ever turned orange. My husband likes to joke that all the time and expense to grow 3 pumpkins doesn't really amount to much when I could buy 3 big ones at the store for a lot less ? but I think it's worth it.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Ladyfrog said:


> Ooojen - those gourds are beautiful! I never knew there was such a variety of types and colors available.
> Kdestra - I love your corn stalk pumpkin! It looks awesome all lit up.
> 
> Two of the three pumpkins actually turned orange after I harvested them. I know my 3 is nothing compared to all you experienced pumpkin growers, but these are the biggest I've ever grown. I did get 5 last year but they were all small and only one ever turned orange. My husband likes to joke that all the time and expense to grow 3 pumpkins doesn't really amount to much when I could buy 3 big ones at the store for a lot less ? but I think it's worth it.


Love them! It's great they turned orange, for you!
Yeah, you could go buy some...but it feels good and they mean more when you know you grew them, yourself! I always end up having to go to a pumpkin farm or such to get big carving pumpkins, as I have no room to grow any that big, but I love to have minis, pies, gourds, ect that I grew myself!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> Ooojen - those gourds are beautiful! I never knew there was such a variety of types and colors available.
> Kdestra - I love your corn stalk pumpkin! It looks awesome all lit up.
> 
> Two of the three pumpkins actually turned orange after I harvested them. I know my 3 is nothing compared to all you experienced pumpkin growers, but these are the biggest I've ever grown. I did get 5 last year but they were all small and only one ever turned orange. My husband likes to joke that all the time and expense to grow 3 pumpkins doesn't really amount to much when I could buy 3 big ones at the store for a lot less ? but I think it's worth it.


They are lovely and growing your own gives much more "Street Credit" then store bought ???


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> Chubstuff-- Did you plant a long-season corn? If you do decide to try again, you might look for an 85 to 90 day corn. A lot of them are shorter-stalked than later varieties, but they should be brown long before Halloween.


Thanks for the suggestion. I planted an early sweet corn, but if I do any corn next year, I think I'll try some maize. We had corn coming out our ears, but not the stalks. They stayed green. And it's not like I could stop watering them to help them dry out. Mother Nature saw to that.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

That's really interesting that early sweet corn would stay green. Yep, must be the climate! We've had lots of rain...but we also had a couple hard freezes. Our corn plants are all toast. 
Our Halloween party is on Sat. I'll start wrangling up seeds once that's over with.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> When did you plant your corn?
> Had a tough time in the beginning with mine. I think I planted to early & the ground was to cold then I had to battle with squirrels. But after July's brutal heatwave - it was brown.


I am pretty sure that's our problem. We have really wet springs, so planting corn doesn't come until late where I live. The ground is still too wet even in May to plant corn where we have open area. We plant it in June, which is just about the time we see corn showing up at the local farmer's markets. We have great tasting corn in August and September, which is fun, but no brown cornstalks to put out come Halloween. We want to make a talking pumpkin scarecrow, but I think we'll have to reconsider exactly what he's guarding if the corn doesn't cooperate a bit more.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

ooojen said:


> That's really interesting that early sweet corn would stay green. Yep, must be the climate! We've had lots of rain...but we also had a couple hard freezes. Our corn plants are all toast.
> Our Halloween party is on Sat. I'll start wrangling up seeds once that's over with.


A few stalks have finally toppled over, and they're sort of turning yellow. Not enough for next Thursday, but close enough that I'll probably try again next year... if we have a scarecrow made by planting time that will use the stalks as a prop. Otherwise, I might just let the grass grow in and leave the area open for painting large scale props.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Halloween party was last night-- lots of fun, but quite a few people couldn't make it. It's a heavily agricultural community, and the harvest is late this year. People want to get done before the snow flies. We still had plenty of people for a fun get-together. Now I have Halloween night to kick back and watch a couple movies with our daughter.
Anyway, I'll try to get the rest of my harvest recorded...finally!
Here are the Tiny Turks-- mini versions of Turk's Turban squash.















They vary from 3-lobed to 5-lobed (following their flowers). The earlier ones are scabby and bumpy, but the later-season ones are less so. The vines must be more herbicide resistant than most-- the pumpkins on both sides of the Tiny Turk vine died. It was knocked back, but survived and didn't do half badly. It was pretty hard to tell male from female flowers at first. It's only the "cap" part that shows behind the flower, and the middle part pushes up from inside that.

My largest ones are about 4.5" top to bottom, and the smallest just around 2". (There's one smaller, but I doubt it will last. There's another medium-sized one that didn't get in the picture, so there are still19 good solid ones.)


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Glad you had fun at your party!! Those Tiny Turks are adorable! They are like acorns!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Glad you had fun at your party!! Those Tiny Turks are adorable! They are like acorns!


That's what I was thinking. They're adorable!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The pumpkins were not as successful as the Pomegranats this year. Hopefully you won't mind if I share photos. I'm trying use, cook, freeze then compost every


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> The pumpkins were not as successful as the Pomegranats this year. Hopefully you won't mind if I share photos. I'm trying use, cook, freeze then compost every


Those look delicious!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

A big beautiful red cat was visiting the yard early this morning. I'm super happy my son was able to get a few photos.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> A big beautiful red cat was visiting the yard early this morning. I'm super happy my son was able to get a few photos.


Foooooxxxx!!!!! ?? Love!!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> The pumpkins were not as successful as the Pomegranats this year. Hopefully you won't mind if I share photos. I'm trying use, cook, freeze then compost every


They look yummy!!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> A big beautiful red cat was visiting the yard early this morning. I'm super happy my son was able to get a few photos.


Wow! What a beautiful red kitty.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Foooooxxxx!!!!! ?? Love!!!


She is beautiful.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> Wow! What a beautiful red kitty.


I've never seen a fox with such a bushy tail


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

The pomegranates look wonderful, and the fox is a beauty!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hope everyone had fun last night. We were under a Tornado watch but the rain held off. It was a beautiful night. I'll be redoing my pumpkin topiary tomorrow for fall. I plan to leave my pumpkin stacks up too. We work so hard growing pumpkins I hate to get rid of them. I'll also be scouting around for cool pumpkins left on the curb for trash ???


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm glad you had a beautiful night, Kdestra! Well, besides your tornado watch.
We, unfortunately, had a bit of a snowstorm and below freezing temps, so our Trick or Treat was moved to today. Ug. It's still too cold, our display is frozen or half covered in snow and we lost half our lighting. Oh well.
As for all my gourds and mini pumpkins, I plan to keep them as long as possible, hopefully to have for Thanksgiving. I have lost a few Daisy gourds, so far, though.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm glad you had a beautiful night, Kdestra! Well, besides your tornado watch.
> We, unfortunately, had a bit of a snowstorm and below freezing temps, so our Trick or Treat was moved to today. Ug. It's still too cold, our display is frozen or half covered in snow and we lost half our lighting. Oh well.
> As for all my gourds and mini pumpkins, I plan to keep them as long as possible, hopefully to have for Thanksgiving. I have lost a few Daisy gourds, so far, though.



A snowstorm? I can't imagine having it snow in October 

We had neighbors over on Friday night. People were having fun and didn't leave until late. So Saturday was a complete waste for me. Thankfully I'm no longer hungover☠☠☠☠ and will start taking everything down. I'm building the pumpkin topiary ???


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The 4 big moose pumpkins. 

We had a miserable fall for pumpkins, with hard freezes the entire week leading up to Halloween. I ended up bringing these inside. The three smaller ones were carved and out on the 30th, and froze solid. Funny thing about frozen solid pumpkins is they get a little translucent, so the whole thing glows as opposed to the largest one here that my son carved day of. 










Anyway, overall review of Big Moose now that we have cracked them open and carved them: 

Advertised size of 100-150lb seems accurate. Without trying or any special watering/fertilizing, 2 within this range, and one at 80 lb out of 4 plants. 

1 plant never set a single pumpkin. The other 3 all set at least 2. (trimming off the second pumpkins should lead to bigger pumpkins)

Seemed fairly powdery mildew resistant. 
Fairly sensitive to temps over 100 degrees, needed a shade built. 
Aggressive with secondary roots along the vines, and survived several vines getting crushed by people walking on them. 
Late season setting (late august-sept) pumpkins did not have good surviving rates. 

about 4" thick walls, great for carving and sculpting. SUPER EASY cleaning. Flesh smelled rather similar to cantaloupe. 

Did not roast seeds or taste. 

Definitely going to try again next year assuming I can find seeds.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Thanks for sharing a review, UnOrthodOx! They look fantastic carved! 
I finally got my gourds all harvested.
I got 9 of the Peru Sugar bowls that _might_ dry, but they're awfully thin-shelled to craft with. There were several more that had mature seeds, but rotted in the garden. This is the second year that has been the case; I don't think I got more than one or two decent ones last year. A few of them:









I wound up with 13 long-handled dippers. I think I already posted a picture of most of them. Again, there could have been a few more, but they're buckling-- not enough time to thicken up.
The cannonballs did pretty well. I got around 65. Some are on racks in the shed already. Behind them in the picture is the bule gourds that weren't what I intentionally planted. There are quite a few of them, (more than are in the photo) but not having grown them before, I have no idea how many are apt to dry decently.









I have lots of small gourds -- I didn't even begin to count most of them. Some are bottle gourds (Mini Nigerian Bottle, Harry's Dipper, Peruvian Pear,) and some are decorative (egg, round, TN spinner, and I think WitchyKitty gourds). This is fewer than half. They need to be cleaned up. Some of the Harry's Dippers have started to mold on the tips but they're Lagenarias and should dry just fine.









Not gourds--- But here are my poor pumpkins on a stick. It looks like a few of them got close before they froze.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Wrapping up the pumpkin shots for the year-- I got 26 toads














and 93 orange cuties. (They were out of the line of herbicide drift and did very well.)















Squash-- Tiny Turks, a mini version of Turk's Turban. Considering the vines on either side of this died from the spray drift, I think these did ok.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx, your carved pumpkins all look awesome!! I love how you have them stacked...we almost did that, this year. Thanks for the growing info on Big Moose that you collected and shared with us.

ooojen, I love all your pumpkins and gourds! 93 Orange Cuties!! That's crazy! I wish I had room to grow that many!
Looking through your small gourd picture, I'm not sure I see anything that looks like mine, but you never know. I guess that white pumpkin I found could've somehow had seeds in it that sprouted different types of gourds. Mine were quite big and had wings/ribs. I'd have to get a close up look in person, lol. You are somewhat close to me, I could probably swing by tomorrow and take a look, lol! Regardless, they are all adorable! I just love gourds.


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

WitchyKitty-- I'll get a couple better shots soon. 

What I got from your gourdkin seed looks kind of like an elongated version of one of the types of egg gourd...no wings, but still cool. I'm almost sure that's what came from the WK seed.  They look great in a mixed bowl, and if they dry, they should be excellent for crafting things, too. I still have seeds left, so it will be fun to plant another next year and see what happens! I guess Siblings of the Gourdkin are like human siblings --they have some things in common but also have their own unique qualities.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Definitely going to try again next year assuming I can find seeds.


I realize oftentimes pumpkins don't grow true to form from second generation seeds out of the garden, but did you save a few of your Big Moose seeds to see what creatures may come from planting them?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

As always I'm super impressed and left speechless with everyone's pumpkins. 

Grabbed a striped pumpkin off curb (no clue what it is) and added it to the pumpkin stacks.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

chubstuff said:


> I realize oftentimes pumpkins don't grow true to form from second generation seeds out of the garden, but did you save a few of your Big Moose seeds to see what creatures may come from planting them?


No, they would have been crossed with the early giants. I want to test another true version next year.


----------



## msim (Sep 29, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> As always I'm super impressed and left speechless with everyone's pumpkins.
> 
> Grabbed a striped pumpkin off curb (no clue what it is) and added it to the pumpkin stacks.


Your stacked topiary is a work of art! I would geek out and stand admiring it for a very long time!


----------



## ooojen (Sep 4, 2014)

Gorgeous arrangements, Kdestra! You do some beautiful presentations! I like the bumpy "patty pan" shaped fruits! The striped one looks like "One Too Many". I (try to) grow them every year, but the sole plant I put in was killed off when DH went after the ragweeds. 
Since I'm aiming for diversity, I'm always torn about how many of each variety to plant. I don't necessarily want huge numbers of the same type of pumpkin, but if I only plant one vine of a variety, that leaves it pretty vulnerable.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

msim said:


> Your stacked topiary is a work of art! I would geek out and stand admiring it for a very long time!


Thank you so much. I don't know what it is about pumpkins but I just love them.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

ooojen said:


> Gorgeous arrangements, Kdestra! You do some beautiful presentations! I like the bumpy "patty pan" shaped fruits! The striped one looks like "One Too Many". I (try to) grow them every year, but the sole plant I put in was killed off when DH went after the ragweeds.
> Since I'm aiming for diversity, I'm always torn about how many of each variety to plant. I don't necessarily want huge numbers of the same type of pumpkin, but if I only plant one vine of a variety, that leaves it pretty vulnerable.


Thank you ???

Btw those patty pans are delicious. They have a slight coconut taste to them. I ate them raw OMG!!! They're so good. 

"One Too Many" - I've never heard about those before so I Googled it & I think you're right. I'll save some seeds from it. 

I know I didn't give Jung's corn seed a good review in the beginning. And I think I planted to early when the ground was cold because the stalks grew over 12ft. Very healthy, very strong & displayed brilliantly. 
Next year I'm going for BIG ears of corn!!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

ooojen, I'm glad you got some nice sibling gourds that you could craft with if they dry, well.

Kdestra, all your pumpkin displays are wonderful!


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> As always I'm super impressed and left speechless with everyone's pumpkins.
> 
> Grabbed a striped pumpkin off curb (no clue what it is) and added it to the pumpkin stacks.


So pretty!


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

So far, most of my mini Little October pumpkins and Daisy gourds are lasting into my Thanksgiving decor...I did lose some, though. We will see how many make it all the way to Thanksgiving! I hope, at least, some do, lol. 

The only pumpkins I've seen on the curb, this year, have been carved ones. Sadly, no whole ones...(probably because of all the pumpkin loving squirrels in the area, hahaha...sigh...)


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Kdestra said:


> As always I'm super impressed and left speechless with everyone's pumpkins.
> 
> Grabbed a striped pumpkin off curb (no clue what it is) and added it to the pumpkin stacks.


And I am so impressed by yours. If the day comes when the striped pumpkin gives up it's seeds, I would gladly send you a self addressed envelope to get a few... it's one way to ensure someone is thankful about things come this Thanksgiving.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

UnOrthodOx said:


> No, they would have been crossed with the early giants. I want to test another true version next year.


Ahhh... the inhabitants of the mutant world of pumpkins are crying tonight.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

WitchyKitty said:


> The only pumpkins I've seen on the curb, this year, have been carved ones. Sadly, no whole ones...(probably because of all the pumpkin loving squirrels in the area, hahaha...sigh...)


This year there were no pumpkins on the curb for us either. It seems it's feast or famine when it comes to pumpkins kicked to the curb. However, a member of NextDoor, the neighborhood app, sent out a request for pumpkins for her pig and got a bunch of folks responding. So, for those who enjoy collecting seeds, that might be an option. We're hoping to find mutant pumpkins for next year, so the kindness of strangers to give up their pumpkins for pig food didn't set back what we were looking for.


----------



## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Thank you ???
> 
> Btw those patty pans are delicious. They have a slight coconut taste to them. I ate them raw OMG!!! They're so good.
> 
> ...


Really gorgeous! I love the topiary. Where did you get the wire frames to contain them?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> Really gorgeous! I love the topiary. Where did you get the wire frames to contain them?


Thank you so much. We found the frame several years ago at an estate sale.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Well, I think our days of pumpkin growing are over. This year the harvest was iffy at best, and yesterday the squirrels put the last nail in the coffin.










We know our squirrels. Once they have the taste of pumpkin blood on their lips, they'll never go back. We either kill them like a man-eating lion, or we just stop feeding them pumpkins. We're going to opt for the later and not grow pumpkins next year. They don't seem to enjoy eating the regular pumpkins, but they chew on them enough to start them rotting. We acquired a whole bunch of fake pumpkins this year from a garage sale, so next year we're going to create a pumpkin patch of fake pumpkins. We'll miss the real pumpkins, but we know what will happen to our pumpkins now that the squirrels have told all their friends how good they taste.

For all of you who brave viruses, bugs, squirrels, voles, and all manner of other things that go after your pumpkins, we admire you. We just think reseeding the area with clover is so much easier. We know the bees will be happier come next spring.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Well, I think our days of pumpkin growing are over. This year the harvest was iffy at best, and yesterday the squirrels put the last nail in the coffin.
> 
> View attachment 726984
> 
> ...


Aww that sucks! I didn't know squirrels were so bloodthirsty. Something weird is I've not seen a single squirrel in the 3 years we've lived in this house, even though we're surrounded by trees. We did have a family of opossums living behind our garage but they moved away when I stopped feeding the stray cat on the porch. Don't worry about the cat - he now "rents" a room in our basement.


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

chubstuff said:


> Well, I think our days of pumpkin growing are over. This year the harvest was iffy at best, and yesterday the squirrels put the last nail in the coffin.
> 
> View attachment 726984
> 
> ...


But but.. but... you'll still post updates on the fake pumpkin patch? Critters still inhabit faux patches (mice renting for the season, raccoons playing soccer & voles are voles) Inquiring minds need to know.


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Ladyfrog said:


> Aww that sucks! I didn't know squirrels were so bloodthirsty.


Our squirrels are of a singular mind when the find something they like to eat. We are in a constant battle with them over who gets the most food out of our bird feeders, and now that they're eating the pumpkins, we pretty much know they'll never give up as long as they're available. They run around the back yard where the garden is, but rarely eat much of anything. Their foray into pumpkins this year is a game changer, though.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

We have to use fake pumpkins, too, for the same reason...the squirrels in this neighborhood LOVE pumpkins, gourds, ect. I always used to decorate outside with real pumpkins at the old house, but we can't, here. It's become a running joke with some people how crazy my squirrels are about pumpkins.
So, for Fall, I put out fake, uncarved pumpkins then, in October, I add in fake pumpkins that I carved.
Any pumpkins or gourds that I grow have to be used as indoor decor. We do each carve a real pumpkin for Halloween, and a couple days before...but we have to keep them inside until evening when the squirrels go to sleep. We put them out, light them and then, before we go to sleep, I have to bring them back in. Rinse and repeat each night. It's a pain, but Halloween night with no real lit jack o lantern just isn't acceptable, for me, lol. After Halloween, I just leave them out and let them go to town, lol.
We tried every trick we could find of things to coat the pumpkins with so the squirrels wouldn't eat them...nothing stopped them. They seemed to particularly like the hot sauce...like they figured we seasoned the pumpkins for them...sigh...


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I lost a few to starting to rot, but I still have quite a few Daisy Gourds and mini pumpkins. I'm not sure what to do with them all, now that the Fall holidays are coming to an end...


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Today is the last day for the pumpkin topiary. That is the official end of pumpkin season for me. I'll save some seeds & compost the rest.


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

I'm always amazed at how quickly the pumpkin vines decompose. I just piled them all up right before Halloween with the intention to add them to the compost later... which ended up being yesterday... and they are almost completely gone! I wish everything in the garden was this easy to deal with (I say as I head outside to gather up all the dead plants in planters and it's 37 degrees outside). This has nothing to do with me being a procrastinator ?


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Ladyfrog said:


> I'm always amazed at how quickly the pumpkin vines decompose. I just piled them all up right before Halloween with the intention to add them to the compost later... which ended up being yesterday... and they are almost completely gone! I wish everything in the garden was this easy to deal with (I say as I head outside to gather up all the dead plants in planters and it's 37 degrees outside). This has nothing to do with me being a procrastinator ?


???
I don't call it procrastinating.... I think of it as being environmentally aware (yeah, that's it) I let the birds peck all the dead stuff ?

The pumpkin topiary may be down but the Winter Solstice Urn is up


----------



## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> ???
> I don't call it procrastinating.... I think of it as being environmentally aware (yeah, that's it) I let the birds peck all the dead stuff ?
> 
> The pumpkin topiary may be down but the Winter Solstice Urn is up


So pretty! You have a wonderful talent for decorative displays.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Time to start going back through this in order to plan what seeds to buy for 2020!


----------



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

May not seem like much but I found JBLs seeds from 2018 & decided to try growing them. 2 out've the 4 germinated. I'll keep the other 2 just in case they grow


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

The last of our pumpkins are going to be recycled into the compost bin in the next few days along with other squash that were for display. A couple of them are still going to be eaten, but that means we will have seeds from all of them for sharing if you would like to have a few to try.

Please, remember these critters were grown alongside other pumpkins and their next incarnation might be totally different from what you see in these pictures. I can't promise that their seedlings will produce anything remotely like what their parent plants look like. The white pumpkin with it's wonderful smooth surface perfect for carving had a parent plant that had deep lobes. What's next? Who knows? That's the fun of growing seeds from squashes and pumpkins. You never quite know what you're going to get second generation.

The strange little green mottled critter right behind the white pumpkin was from seed, as was the larger, flatter light blue squash. Both are edibles that just happen to look cool. The lighter blue one actually tastes pretty good if you like squash.

If you would like to have seeds from any of these pumpkins/squash, send me a private message via the "conversations" tab with your name and address and I'll pop a few seeds into an envelope and mail them on out to you. The offer is limited to the number of seeds I actually have, so first come first served. If you're adventurous and have a bit of space for a mystery pumpkin, feel free to drop me a line.


----------



## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I am still undecided on what I want to grow, this season. I have a lot of different seeds to choose from, from years past. I keep my seeds in a cool, dark, dry place, so I can usually get seeds to germinate that are several years old, still. 
While I have months before can even think about pumpkins, gourds and squash, I'll be getting my indoor greenhouse ready, very soon, for things that need more time to germinate and grow, such as my hot peppers and white sage. I have managed to keep my potted lavender alive in the garage, too, so I'll put that in the greenhouse, as well, and see if I can continue to keep it alive for this season. I've never been able to overwinter it, before.

Has anyone started the 2020 thread, yet? I haven't checked...


----------



## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

I just started the new 2020 pumpkin growers thread. You can find it here: 2020 pumpkin growers thread 

I'm actually vacillating about whether I'll even grow pumpkins this year because the damage the squirrels did to mine last year, but I know come spring I'll be putting those fat little seeds into potting soil and crossing my fingers. Pumpkins are a part of Halloween for us. Growing them is one of those things that keeps the Halloween spirit alive throughout spring and summer. So all you faithful contributes help get the ball rolling with your plans and dreams. There are some of us on the fence that need a good shove into the pumpkin patch.


----------

