# 2022 Pumpkin Growers Thread



## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

You inspired me to start a few pumpkin seeds: Fairytale & White Boer. These seeds are a few years old but should still grow. FT & WB seem to take forever to flower & have baby pumpkins. If these sprout ~ I'll start a few more & then gourds. 

PS thanks for starting the 2022 Pumpkin Growers thread


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I was waiting to see if someone would start the thread...I was getting ready to. Thanks for starting it!

I can't do anything, outside, as the garden is buried under a whole lot of snow and ice, atm...but I did buy my seeds for this year...though I keep my eyes open for more I might like better, lol.
I'll do my minis, like JBLs and such, as usual, but, this year, I want to give some assorted Small Decorative Gourds a try and I'm trying Small Sugar Pie pumpkins, too, since those are what I prefer to paint to take out to the graves.
With my limited space, most of you know I usually do smaller varieties. We will see how it goes.

I'm trying to decide how I want to set up the pie pumpkins...they will be a little too heavy to grow on my towers like the minis and gourds. I didn't care for the low trellises I made for my Triple Treats to grow across the one year, so I may end up just growing them on the ground around the outside of the raised beds like I did the Jarrahdales. We will see. I've got plenty of time, lol. (Though, I wish I didn't have plenty of time, lol!)🎃


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kedestra you made my day. It is not often that I am accused of being an inspiration. WK, I am glad to see you back and in good spirits. I know that keeping your outdoor garden going is a challenge. I thought there would be crickets when I posted, guess I was wrong.

Every year I seem to focus on a new area to up my game. This year it will be getting my soil ready to to do battle. I have never had my soil tested for disease, but I will this spring. I do not have the luxury of rotating patches and have used the same dirt off and on for a decade. I just have a sneaky suspicion that my July troubles the last couple of years are based on soil diseases that take off in warm weather like fusarium, pythium... etc.

Anyway the game plan now, is to get the soil ready in terms of nutrients, insecticide and fungicide by mid March. Let things settle in a little and test for soil disease and nutrients in mid April. At least I have a plan, not that the garden spirits respect that plan.....lol


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I'm planning to join in this year now that I've had a chance to get my garden set up again after moving last year. I have managed to grow one single pumpkin my entire life, but I'm giving it a shot! Planning on Fall Splendor because it claims to have compact vines and PM resistance. PM is what always ends my summer gardening season here. Not in the business of growing enormous pumpkins, I'm just looking for a couple of jack-sized pumpkins the kiddo can help grow.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Kedestra you made my day. It is not often that I am accused of being an inspiration. WK, I am glad to see you back and in good spirits. I know that keeping your outdoor garden going is a challenge. I thought there would be crickets when I posted, guess I was wrong.
> 
> Every year I seem to focus on a new area to up my game. This year it will be getting my soil ready to to do battle. I have never had my soil tested for disease, but I will this spring. I do not have the luxury of rotating patches and have used the same dirt off and on for a decade. I just have a sneaky suspicion that my July troubles the last couple of years are based on soil diseases that take off in warm weather like fusarium, pythium... etc.
> 
> Anyway the game plan now, is to get the soil ready in terms of nutrients, insecticide and fungicide by mid March. Let things settle in a little and test for soil disease and nutrients in mid April. At least I have a plan, not that the garden spirits respect that plan.....lol


Your plan is well grounded & I have a similar plan but sort've different. I promised my neighbors they can have all the pumpkins that grow on their side of fence as long as their dog "Gus" (most beautiful golden retriever EVER) keeps squirrels off fence & stop them from eating pumpkins. It's an amicable solution.... but
My $$$ is on the squirrels


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Your plan is well grounded & I have a similar plan but sort've different. I promised my neighbors they can have all the pumpkins that grow on their side of fence as long as their dog "Gus" (most beautiful golden retriever EVER) keeps squirrels off fence & stop them from eating pumpkins. It's an amicable solution.... but
> My $$$ is on the squirrels


My money is always on the squirrels, around here, lol...sigh. 😕


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Your plan is well grounded & I have a similar plan but sort've different. I promised my neighbors they can have all the pumpkins that grow on their side of fence as long as their dog "Gus" (most beautiful golden retriever EVER) keeps squirrels off fence & stop them from eating pumpkins. It's an amicable solution.... but
> My $$$ is on the squirrels


the squirrels here they do not touch my pumpkins but trash everything else ugh i wish the little critters would go live in someone else yard lol but thats not going to happen


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> I'm planning to join in this year now that I've had a chance to get my garden set up again after moving last year. I have managed to grow one single pumpkin my entire life, but I'm giving it a shot! Planning on Fall Splendor because it claims to have compact vines and PM resistance. PM is what always ends my summer gardening season here. Not in the business of growing enormous pumpkins, I'm just looking for a couple of jack-sized pumpkins the kiddo can help grow.


What growing zone are you? I've got lots of different pumpkin and gourd seeds to share if you're interested. Have you considered growing Jack B'Little pumpkins? Little kids love them


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> My money is always on the squirrels, around here, lol...sigh. 😕


Truth! We built a pvc cage to keep them from digging up my veggies


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> What growing zone are you? I've got lots of different pumpkin and gourd seeds to share if you're interested. Have you considered growing Jack B'Little pumpkins? Little kids love them


I'm in NW Georgia, zone 7!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I'm afraid I'm going to be out of the game this year as far as pumpkins go. 

With the continued drought here, it's become apparent we really need to change how we're gardening. So, last year we started the move to raised bed gardening where I can install permanent buried drip lines, fill with a healthy dose of coconut coir for water retention, and easy sun shades installation as needed when we get continued 100+ waves. Come planting time I'm only going to have one of those ready, so it will be dedicated to the 'salsa garden' (not really salsa, per se, but mostly tomatoes) The second one is built, but not enough compost to fill it yet, I have 4-6 more to go. 

I might plant a mini or two in a pot for giggles. 

We're also in kind of a limbo space with my job this year as I'm currently working a 6 month extension, and past June is an unknown, so the original plan to go full xeriscaping and finish the garden was tossed right out the window until the follow on contract is awarded.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> I'm in NW Georgia, zone 7!


We're in Virginia a little colder then you but still Zone 7. Let me know if you want any seeds.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'm afraid I'm going to be out of the game this year as far as pumpkins go.
> 
> With the continued drought here, it's become apparent we really need to change how we're gardening. So, last year we started the move to raised bed gardening where I can install permanent buried drip lines, fill with a healthy dose of coconut coir for water retention, and easy sun shades installation as needed when we get continued 100+ waves. Come planting time I'm only going to have one of those ready, so it will be dedicated to the 'salsa garden' (not really salsa, per se, but mostly tomatoes) The second one is built, but not enough compost to fill it yet, I have 4-6 more to go.
> 
> ...


Do you have rain barrels? Idk what I'd do w/out them. The temperature was so brutal last summer I had to use old sheets to shade the peppers. Sheets aren't attractive but they worked out great. 

Check with your local Buy Nothing groups. People are always giving away garden items on there - I've even seen rain barrels & composters. Best of luck


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

We have a rain barrel, too. It really helps to have it filled up when we go into a sudden hot, dry spell for a period. 
I have even used plastic shopping bags cut open to use as shades if needed, lol. Whatever works!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Saki.Girl said:


> the squirrels here they do not touch my pumpkins but trash everything else ugh i wish the little critters would go live in someone else yard lol but thats not going to happen


Our squirrels love to get into pretty much everything...chipmunks, raccoons, and bunnies, too. They are all adorable, but they drive me crazy, too!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I'm afraid I'm going to be out of the game this year as far as pumpkins go.
> 
> With the continued drought here, it's become apparent we really need to change how we're gardening. So, last year we started the move to raised bed gardening where I can install permanent buried drip lines, fill with a healthy dose of coconut coir for water retention, and easy sun shades installation as needed when we get continued 100+ waves. Come planting time I'm only going to have one of those ready, so it will be dedicated to the 'salsa garden' (not really salsa, per se, but mostly tomatoes) The second one is built, but not enough compost to fill it yet, I have 4-6 more to go.
> 
> ...


I hope your drought lets up at some point, soon.
Even though you may not be in the big pumpkin game, this year, I hope you still post what you are doing with your garden and hope you do decided to grow some minis, just for fun, too, and show us what you get of those!
I hope your job situation ends up better, too, and yo get that contract and continuation past June!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> My money is always on the squirrels, around here, lol...sigh. 😕





WitchyKitty said:


> Our squirrels love to get into pretty much everything...chipmunks, raccoons, and bunnies, too. They are all adorable, but they drive me crazy, too!


Didn't you have a picture of a squirrel chomping on a your front porch pumpkin one year? It was a cute photo.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> Do you have rain barrels? Idk what I'd do w/out them. The temperature was so brutal last summer I had to use old sheets to shade the peppers. Sheets aren't attractive but they worked out great.
> 
> Check with your local Buy Nothing groups. People are always giving away garden items on there - I've even seen rain barrels & composters. Best of luck


We have the limit we can for now (200 gallons) but beyond that is a wait list with some funky laws attached.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Didn't you have a picture of a squirrel chomping on a your front porch pumpkin one year? It was a cute photo.


I'm sure I did...I know I have a pic of a squirrel laying next to one of our pumpkins on the porch.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> We have the limit we can for now (200 gallons) but beyond that is a wait list with some funky laws attached.


Rain barrels are a victimless crime or as I like to think its a worse crime to waste rain water. Besides, it's better to hold back the water & let it percolate slowly into the soil.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

My first & humble 2022 Fairytale sprout.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I plan to plant a few seeds this year, I took last year off thinking I needed to get the property ready to sell. Given the economy, ill be keeping my house for a bit longer so...why not plant again?


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## Shouldadone (Oct 14, 2021)

I don't want to upset anyone, but here in Ca, I just smash last years pumpkins on my plot and they grow. I still have my homegrown pumpkins on a shelf I front of my window with other pumpkin props. Staying in the shade cool and dry. The problem with seeds in your fresh manure can be stopped by covering with black plastic in sunny area to let heat break down manure and kill seeds. Works for me.


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## Shouldadone (Oct 14, 2021)

Oh also you can find predator pee for sale on net. Coyote keeps most of beasties and cats out of yard. Just have to reapply to keep it stinky.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I plan to plant a few seeds this year, I took last year off thinking I needed to get the property ready to sell. Given the economy, ill be keeping my house for a bit longer so...why not plant again?


Just maybe ease up on that Iowa Guy master plan to rule the world. Three or four regular plants is plenty if you don't want a part time job. I remember that year you planted like 20 plants and tried to start a haunted hayride or something similar. Enjoy the ride. For me it will probably end early again, but off season dreams are just so alluring. lol


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Yeah, I did plant like 20 haha...I remember that. But, in my defense, they all died due to the farmer neglecting my crops. We had an agreement of my using their land in exchange for free labor (me helping out). The haunted hayride idea and the entire thread I created in here "Did I just go pro?" obviously fell through because, again, the farmer backed out of our verbal agreement. Like I originally said, ill prolly just plant maybe 3-4 seeds this year and roll the dice.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Clearing out 2yr old Fairytale seed stash. The seeds are 100% viable but I've got to make room for this year's upcoming harvest. So I decided to pack up seeds & put in my Free Seed Library, donated a bunch to elementary schools, etc. If anyone wants seeds ~ let me know before they are all gone


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Just two plants for me this year. I plan on doing a soil test in a week or two for disease. If my season gets cut short because of disease, then I will just lay plastic down to solarize the patch for next year. Then if next year does not work out.....love to say that I will throw in the towel, but ........lol.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

So glad to see this thread started.  I'm pretty psyched for growing pumpkins this year! Giving up on trying to grow giant pumpkins in a 80 sqft raised bed. So I'm converting ~400-500 sqft of lawn into a patch. Tilled up the grass, got a soil test from Western Labs, put in a cubic yard of compost, 10 bags of peat moss, and 10 bags of chicken manure. Installing drip lines this weekend and going to try and solarize it for a few months before putting plants in the ground. 

Bought some big and orange seeds from Howard Dill but also got some for free from my favorite youtube grower (Chad New). We'll see what looks healthy and put ~4 in the ground before down-selecting. Also have seeds from Kdestra to grow on the cattle panel trellises! Gonna be a great year if I can keep the critters and PM in check. Really looking forward to seeing how it goes for everybody this year.


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## wackychimp (Jul 16, 2009)

When is the right time to plant pumpkins if you want a patch in your yard on Halloween?

We have a planting bed about the size of an in-ground pool and have talked about planting pumpkins for a patch in October. Is now the right time to get seedlings going? (EDIT: We are in NC)


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

wackychimp said:


> When is the right time to plant pumpkins if you want a patch in your yard on Halloween?
> 
> We have a planting bed about the size of an in-ground pool and have talked about planting pumpkins for a patch in October. Is now the right time to get seedlings going? (EDIT: We are in NC)


Too early. Count on about 90 days from the date you sow your seeds for typical field pumpkins.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

wackychimp said:


> When is the right time to plant pumpkins if you want a patch in your yard on Halloween?
> 
> We have a planting bed about the size of an in-ground pool and have talked about planting pumpkins for a patch in October. Is now the right time to get seedlings going? (EDIT: We are in NC)


What type of pumpkins do you want to grow? All pumpkins have the same basic needs but some are better suited to different areas. 

We're in North Virginia. I started Fairytale (_Cucurbita moschata) _and White Boer (_Cucurbita maxima) se_eds. The plants will take months to produce pumpkins but by October the pumpkin patch is dead or covered in powdery mildew. 

Good luck!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I mentioned in my first post that February goes by quick. Hard to believe that it will over so soon. My patch is starting to look like patch. I cleaned up some clutter around the patch. Also, I mowed it down and put my mower on a low setting to help vacuum stuff up. It is kind of embarrassing to have to mow your patch. lol 

But it is what it is. My soil has really come a long way over the years. It has a fluffy bounce to it instead of the clay based hard pan that I started with years ago. I had intended to put out some early fertilizers just to kind of get the party started. But today took longer than I expected. I want to get that soil disease test done before April. I need to figure out what my chances are for a good season.

Looking better:


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Rain barrels are a victimless crime or as I like to think its a worse crime to waste rain water. Besides, it's better to hold back the water & let it percolate slowly into the soil.


Who in the world is driving by houses checking on their rain barrel usage? OMG.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Who in the world is driving by houses checking on their rain barrel usage? OMG.


Probably an overzealous HOA. We once got a notice from our HOA for leaving an uncarved pumpkin out front in November that was "bringing down house values". It wasn't even Thanksgiving... Should have just made it part of an enormous cornucopia.

I wish we got enough rain to justify a rain barrel. Some of these look pretty stealthy: 12 Rain Barrels That Make Water Conservation Stylish


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Yikes! A Virginia garden buddy found a clutch of Stink bug eggs. February seems really early to find them but I guess knowing is "Half The Battle". So I'll start looking around for them 🤢🤮

Col. & MCR, Some States out west made it illegal to harvest rainwater. Colorado just legalized it


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Learned something new today. Thanks Kdestra!









Is it illegal to collect rainwater?


Is it illegal to collect rainwater in your state? Pioneer Water Tanks lists the laws and statutes surrounding rainwater harvesting.




pioneerwatertanksamerica.com


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> Learned something new today. Thanks Kdestra!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Virginia highly encourages everyone to setup rain barrels, etc. I keep one barrel going all winter (located on South facing side). I use it for bird bath, seedlings, etc. I even use that water to clean cat box. I hope your state let's you harvest rain water. It saves so much $$$$


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

MCR said:


> Learned something new today. Thanks Kdestra!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Okay, going to that website made the light bulb go off. I thought we were talking about the 40-50 gallon barrel that people put at the end of a downspout. Geez, the smallest tank that pioneer sells is 10,000 gallons and the largest is 100,000 gallons. 

I can see where those kind of set-ups could put a dent in the local water supply if a lot of people put in 50,000 gallon collection tanks. I had no idea that water collection had become so ......can't think of the word......expansive?

Live and learn.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Okay, going to that website made the light bulb go off. I thought we were talking about the 40-50 gallon barrel that people put at the end of a downspout. Geez, the smallest tank that pioneer sells is 10,000 gallons and the largest is 100,000 gallons.
> 
> I can see where those kind of set-ups could put a dent in the local water supply if a lot of people put in 50,000 gallon collection tanks. I had no idea that water collection had become so ......can't think of the word......expansive?
> 
> Live and learn.


There's a few problems with the 60gal rain barrels:
They fill up & gush over very quickly in a Thunder storm. 
Linking barrels together is unattractive, takes a lot of space & crack
Use water very quickly during drought

50,000 gallons of water per second was flowing during the peak streamflow period.





How Much Water Flows During a Storm? | U.S. Geological Survey


If a low-lying area near a river near you usually gets about 50 inches of rain a year, you might think "Well, that is about 1 inch per week, so that won't cause any flooding". But, nature doesn't think the same way, and often a large percentage of a year's precipitation can fall in a major...




www.usgs.gov




We're planning to buy a Food Grade water tank. The plan is to hook it up to North Downspout (most Storms come from that direction) & stop as much run off as possible. Stopping run off helps streams & rivers plus we save $$$






Log into Facebook


Log into Facebook to start sharing and connecting with your friends, family, and people you know.




www.facebook.com


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Just got back in on Sunday from a trip to Peppa Pig/Legoland theme park in Orlando. A most excellent trip and the weather was a balmy 88 everyday. Year round hot weather still seems odd to me. The big pumpkin plan this week is to take soil samples for the disease test. When I told the laboratory tech about my July problems, he seemed to think that I will find that my soil will test high for pythium. It will be interesting to see what I am up against.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, not a bad day in the patch. I did my soil sample. I am so proud of my dirt. It is not easy to get dirt to look like the dirt in my pic given my heavy clay yard. The first pic is of my soil gathering probe. I get that there are literally hundreds of way to collect soil samples for free, but I do love a good tool. I will send out the soil tomorrow and see what they say about the disease level .

Also, I took down two sides of my wood garden frame. Part of it had kind of fallen over, I feel like it provided cover for field mice and maybe other pests. I am going to take down the rest next weekend. After I till, I might put up another barrier or just let the plastic sheeting around my garden be the only retention material.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Nice dirt @Col. Fryght 

The White Boer & Fairytalepumpkins were getting root bound & needed bigger pots. Hopefully theses will be big enough until they are planted. On Sunday I'm going to start a few gourds: hooligans, jbls & a few others.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Nice dirt @Col. Fryght


Nice and disease ridden dirt. Attached is my copy of the disease soil report. On the bright side, it feels good to know that my setbacks over the last couple of years have more to do with the soil than grower error. Some of those soil diseases have a strong resistance to most fungicides. Tempted to divide my patch in half.

Let one half take the year off. Plus, plant some mustard this spring, followed up with solariztion in July/August, and then mustard in the fall. Mustard is a natural soil fumigant which is actually really effective. Then on the other side, just battle it out with soil fungicides. I cannot afford the good stuff, not that anyone can other than farms. The good stuff like Miravis is sold in two gallon jugs at around $1200. But I can use Heritage and similar "strobulins" which the lab company recommended to give me a fighting chance which will run me closer to $100 per bottle.

So much to ponder.....


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Good thing you know what's going on with it, now. Wish you didn't have to try to fix it, now, though.
Interesting info about mustard.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Hello everyone! I lurked through last year's thread and decided to join this year. 

This year I'm growing Big Moose pumpkins and this is my first time growing anything larger than a Jack o lantern, so I was wondering if you guys recommend putting anything underneath the pumpkin once it begins to grow. Trying to plan ahead.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Goosebumps said:


> Hello everyone! I lurked through last year's thread and decided to join this year.
> 
> This year I'm growing Big Moose pumpkins and this is my first time growing anything larger than a Jack o lantern, so I was wondering if you guys recommend putting anything underneath the pumpkin once it begins to grow. Trying to plan ahead.


Awesome! Wishing you best of luck this year. At a minimum, you'll want to put a layer of sand under the pumpkin. Keeps it off the dirt, water, critters. Also helps the pumpkin slide as it grows larger. I've been putting a thick plastic sheet with a ton of holes in it to let the water flow through it since we have gophers. I also put a bunch of diatomaceous earth down there too in an attempt to keep the crawly critters away.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

MCR said:


> Awesome! Wishing you best of luck this year. At a minimum, you'll want to put a layer of sand under the pumpkin. Keeps it off the dirt, water, critters. Also helps the pumpkin slide as it grows larger. I've been putting a thick plastic sheet with a ton of holes in it to let the water flow through it since we have gophers. I also put a bunch of diatomaceous earth down there too in an attempt to keep the crawly critters away.
> 
> View attachment 759642


Great, thank you!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Hello everyone! I lurked through last year's thread and decided to join this year.
> 
> This year I'm growing Big Moose pumpkins and this is my first time growing anything larger than a Jack o lantern, so I was wondering if you guys recommend putting anything underneath the pumpkin once it begins to grow. Trying to plan ahead.


I usually put flat rocks or bricks under the pumpkins. I think I like the bricks better because I can add more as the pumpkin grows, water easily drains away & they lift pumpkins higher off ground


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Nice and disease ridden dirt. Attached is my copy of the disease soil report. On the bright side, it feels good to know that my setbacks over the last couple of years have more to do with the soil than grower error. Some of those soil diseases have a strong resistance to most fungicides. Tempted to divide my patch in half.
> 
> Let one half take the year off. Plus, plant some mustard this spring, followed up with solariztion in July/August, and then mustard in the fall. Mustard is a natural soil fumigant which is actually really effective. Then on the other side, just battle it out with soil fungicides. I cannot afford the good stuff, not that anyone can other than farms. The good stuff like Miravis is sold in two gallon jugs at around $1200. But I can use Heritage and similar "strobulins" which the lab company recommended to give me a fighting chance which will run me closer to $100 per bottle.
> 
> ...


Had to Google most of those words & I'm glad I did. It was incredibly interesting ~ I really learned a lot! Thank you


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

We just put a new brand and type of organic soil in our raised beds/veggie garden...so, hopefully, we will get some nice results for my veggies, gourds and pumpkins...ooooorrrrr everything will die.
Guess we will see, lol.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Hey Kdestra! Just started the first batch from the seeds that you sent. We're already in the 80s here in northern SoCal . So I'm hoping to get them sprouted and going up the trellis before it gets crazy hot. Still have some more seeds for a second round if these get cooked but I'm optimistic. Hopefully I can figure out a way to store them for a couple months. Remind me to ask you for advice on that in a few months.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> Hey Kdestra! Just started the first batch from the seeds that you sent. We're already in the 80s here in northern SoCal . So I'm hoping to get them sprouted and going up the trellis before it gets crazy hot. Still have some more seeds for a second round if these get cooked but I'm optimistic. Hopefully I can figure out a way to store them for a couple months. Remind me to ask you for advice on that in a few months.


Good luck.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Got the results for my soil tests today. I'm in Idaho. Still learning how to interpret these, so if anyone's familiar with these, any advice is appreciated.  The first one (2608) is my in-ground bed of native soil, second test (2609) is my garden boxes that was filled with a soil mix.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Got the results for my soil tests today. I'm in Idaho. Still learning how to interpret these, so if anyone's familiar with these, any advice is appreciated.  The first one (2608) is my in-ground bed of native soil, second test (2609) is my garden boxes that was filled with a soil mix.


Not sure what you are in growing in your garden plot, but the ph is high for pumpkins. I would be concerned about the salt. I am surprised that your salt is so high. Salt generally leaches out. Makes me wonder if you garden is in a low spot or whether you are using well water in your patch. Nitrogen is always low after winter. Easy to add back in. The high calcium is good for pumpkins.

Harry is the agronomist (fancy word for soil scientist) for Western. Just email him with specific questions: [email protected]. He is a good guy. I always limit my emails to just one a season unless he asks a question in return.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Col. Fryght said:


> Not sure what you are in growing in your garden plot, but the ph is high for pumpkins. I would be concerned about the salt. I am surprised that your salt is so high. Salt generally leaches out. Makes me wonder if you garden is in a low spot or whether you are using well water in your patch. Nitrogen is always low after winter. Easy to add back in. The high calcium is good for pumpkins.
> 
> Harry is the agronomist (fancy word for soil scientist) for Western. Just email him with specific questions: [email protected]. He is a good guy. I always limit my emails to just one a season unless he asks a question in return.


Thank you! I appreciate the help.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Looking back, I wonder if it's because I used a fish/seaweed liquid fertilizer last year. We're on city water and the soil drains well so maybe I'll try irrigating it a bunch to help it leach out. We didn't get a whole lot of snow in my area this year.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Looking back, I wonder if it's because I used a fish/seaweed liquid fertilizer last year. We're on city water and the soil drains well so maybe I'll try irrigating it a bunch to help it leach out. We didn't get a whole lot of snow in my area this year.


It would not be the fish/seaweed. Every competitive grower uses one or both because of all the micronutrients they contain. I will not use fish again because I believe that it had a hand in my field mice problem last year. Most growers shoot for a ph of 6.8 for those that monitor such things.

It would be interesting to see what Harry has to say about the salt. Salt is one of those things that you almost never have to worry about or if there is a problem it is on the low side. To put it in perspective my salt was 14 ppm, where yours was 178 ppm. On the bright side, high is only anything over 150 so it should be easy to adjust.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Harry's response was "Your salts are not high, only 0.11."


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Harry's response was "Your salts are not high, only 0.11."


Good news. Somethings that are high are no big deal and others are. I get confused with the ppm- parts per million. So I am not sure what your 0.11 correlates to, but trust in Harry. Harry helped me through a pumpkin spotting disease a few years ago, and he gave me insight on how to handle my pitiful soil disease report his year.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

My early start is paying dividends.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> My early start is paying dividends.
> 
> 
> View attachment 759846


Wow!!! It's beautiful

Here's my little Gizmos. They just sprouted. Not to much to see but I'm happy.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Wow!!! It's beautiful


April Fools! I plan on starting my seeds on the 10th. Though that is what my pumpkin should look like in mid June.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Col. Fryght said:


> April Fools! I plan on starting my seeds on the 10th. Though that is what my pumpkin should look like in mid June.


And here I was all jealous!  You got me!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> April Fools! I plan on starting my seeds on the 10th. Though that is what my pumpkin should look like in mid June.


Regardless of the date or time, it's still a beauty


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

You got me, too!!! I was just like...not fair!!!!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

After some nerding on Google, I guess I get to start my pukkin seeds indoor next week. Woohoo! And like an idiot ill probably plant 1 or 2 too many.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

A question for all you more seasoned growers! I know how to use the days to maturity to figure out when to plant. But I've never really cared WHEN something is ready. I get to eat tomatoes whenever they're ripe (or fry them up if they're not!), you know? What date do you usually start counting back from when you plant? Oct 1? End of September? I'm caught between being afraid I won't have any ready in time, or that I'll end up with all my pumpkins ready to go in August and then they just sit and go bad before Halloween. Assuming I actually get any... Georgia weather is fickle.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I google it myself and ask around my local Earl May stores.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I like my pumpkins and gourds for September decorating as well as October and, if they survive, November...so I just wait until a couple weeks before our Illinois weather evens out, which is usually May, start indoors and plant outdoors mid to late May, depending on weather.
I grow smaller varieties, though, so they do mature, earlier...but our growing season ends a bit earlier, too, as the vines start to die back, powdery mildew begins to take hold, ect., again, due to weather. If I was growing larger pumpkins, I would start them, indoors, a bit earlier than the minis and smaller varieties.
Truly, it just depends on the weather and growing season in your specific state, plus the days to maturity to figure when you should start.
If they mature too early, for you, keep them on the vine as long as you can, then harvest and store somewhere until you need them.
I wish I could help, more, but my state's weather and growing season is very different than yours.
One other thing you can check is online pumpkin growers in your area...forums, colleges (some colleges in states have local growing information for many things, online), ect.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I always targeted early October for my pumpkins, but the vines typically died mid-end Sept. 

Well...let's see, I need to get some pics. 

The original plan for the raised beds was to build hoop houses over them to allow early planting, was hoping to get going by next week. However, I got some severe sticker shock when we went to purchase framing materials last weekend. That's not going to happen any time soon. 

Being me, I've moved onto plan B and got the same row covers we used to use on the farm on order. Once they arrive I'll get going with the spaghetti/pizza garden. 

In good news, some unexpected boon. We're xeriscaping the parking strip (easement, curb and gutter, insert your local parlance here), and in digging it up, a lot more of the dirt is useable in the garden than I expected, so I'm going to be able to get a second, and maybe even third bed up and running this year. Given that dirt, I'll likely just be planting cover crops to add nutrients, but that puts me well ahead in the 5 year plan.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

It is a Beautiful day here in Central Iowa (Ames)! About 56° and sunny will maybe 5mph wind here and there. Almost couldn't ask for a better day, so....I've started an experimental run of pumpkin planting. "They" say to start them indoors 3 weeks before the predicted last frost, according to the farmers almanac thats May 2nd. Im starting 2 seedlings now and then waiting maybe another week. And....im impatient! I mean, I Did just plant maybe 5 minutes ago and still nothing 😂😂. Anyways, I even read the directions on the bags you see. The food says 2-3 cups per 100sq ft, so in a planter I measured that down to a pinch (is that right?). Happy Halloween!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

I'm kindve what you would call a "chaotic gardener"
I say: I won't start seeds too early or plant them in a certain spot. Then start seeds early plant in that spot. 
Eventually the pumpkin vines take over. I say I'll never do that again & ........


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I've seen Amazon selling grow lights that include an artificial moon light, its a dark blue'ish purple. I decided to Google what affects moonlight has on plants and pukkins specifically. 1 source says "no scientific evidence to show anything from moon light", other sources said stuff along the lines of "moon cycles". What is Your opinion(s)?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I have not heard of artificial moon light...so I haven't a clue. I'd have to look into that...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just found this hybrid pumpkin that is a bush style...it's a bit expensive, especially with shipping, but, after going back and forth about it, I decided to give it a try, at least once. It's a mini style 3x3 round pumpkin called Kandy Korn.
I had never heard of it. It gets good reviews, from the few that have tried them, so far. We will see. For the price, I hope they do well and give me, at least, enough pumpkins to make up for the price. (I hope they do better than the comparable Wee be Littles. I was growing Little October Pumpkins, which were similar size/shape but vining, and I loved those, but I can't find them, this year or last.)








Pumpkin, Kandy Korn Plus Hybrid


These small bush plants produce up to 12 glowing yellow-ochre pumpkins per plant.




www.burpee.com


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> "They" say to start them indoors 3 weeks before the predicted last frost, according to the farmers almanac thats May 2nd.The food says 2-3 cups per 100sq ft, so in a planter I measured that down to a pinch (is that right?).


I would agree with "they." I would mention that if you are going to shoot for a full three weeks after they have emerged then I would suggest moving them to a two gallon pot. My last frost date is about April 23rd. I started mine on the 9th and will post about it later. It takes about 6 days to break dirt for me when I direct sow instead of using the baggie method.

So I am figuring, they will pop up around the 15th and a couple days later I will put them in two gallon pots. So expect them to be outside around the 6th of May. I have tried to plant earlier and even if I set-up temperature controlled enclosures you still need full sun to kick them into high gear.

And a pinch is all that it takes if you are using small starter peat pots and maybe a tablespoon or two in a one gallon pot.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> other sources said stuff along the lines of "moon cycles". What is Your opinion(s)?


Sounds like the stuff that horoscopes are based on. If it makes you feel better, go for it but I am not sure that science will ever back you up.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

IowaGuy said:


> I've seen Amazon selling grow lights that include an artificial moon light, its a dark blue'ish purple. I decided to Google what affects moonlight has on plants and pukkins specifically. 1 source says "no scientific evidence to show anything from moon light", other sources said stuff along the lines of "moon cycles". What is Your opinion(s)?


I will say when I switched from a 'regular' glow light on a timer to a 24/7 grow light with simulated sunrise, sunset, and moonlight on a 'natural' cycle, my Aquarium plants absolutely responded. 

Haven't tried it on seed starting yet, and I can't guarantee the fact I was going from old school fluorescent grow light to the fancy LED to begin with wasn't the cause. I've taken the aquarium down for some planned remodeling, and will use the fancy grow light if I start anything indoors this year.

(older version of this thing is what I have: https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Plant...la-787977370520&ref=&adgrpid=74513640845&th=1)


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Its been below 50° for the past 3 days here in IA, winter is sure bracing the death grip on Spring. My two seedlings haven't gotten the suns UV and won't for maybe another week due to temp so I'm hoping the food and daily water inside keep them going. Then we shoot back to the 60s and almost 70s in almost a week from now. Since then I've been youtubing the crap out of pumpkin plants 101, 102, 103 etc... sorta excited to try some new things this go-around. Ill be doing mounds and also a mixture of fertilizers. There is a guy on youtube "hapayu gardening" I've been watching. Maybe check him out if you have questions! Happy Halloween!!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Okay, now that my seeds are all up. I will post about my simple process. I soak the seeds for an hour in warm water. If I have different types of seeds I mark them with a sharpie to tell them apart. Before I put the seeds in, I lightly file the sides of the seed and the top until the seed loses its orange edge and looks white. Never file the tip. I pour a capful of hydrogen peroxide over the seed to kill any fungus that may reside on the shell. I pour the capful over the bowl of warm water. So in this case I had about 7 capfuls in the water.

I use seed starting soil. I soak the seed starting soil with warm water in a bucket. I squeeze the water out and fill the peat pots with soil. Then I place the seeds in tip down but I do not put the seed way down. Maybe just 3/8 of an inch or less of soil on top. The grow mat is set for 88 degrees. The grow lights are relatively inexpensive LED lights. My first seed popped after four days and all of them had popped by day 5. I was 7 for 7.

I realize that there are less expensive ways, but this system works for me. I used to just put seeds in a ziplock with a wet paper towel on top of my cable box. That system worked well for several years, but then somewhere along the line, I lost my touch.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Col. Fryght said:


> Okay, now that my seeds are all up. I will post about my simple process. I soak the seeds for an hour in warm water. If I have different types of seeds I mark them with a sharpie to tell them apart. Before I put the seeds in, I lightly file the sides of the seed and the top until the seed loses its orange edge and looks white. Never file the tip. I pour a capful of hydrogen peroxide over the seed to kill any fungus that may reside on the shell. I pour the capful over the bowl of warm water. So in this case I had about 7 capfuls in the water.
> 
> I use seed starting soil. I soak the seed starting soil with warm water in a bucket. I squeeze the water out and fill the peat pots with soil. Then I place the seeds in tip down but I do not put the seed way down. Maybe just 3/8 of an inch or less of soil on top. The grow mat is set for 88 degrees. The grow lights are relatively inexpensive LED lights. My first seed popped after four days and all of them had popped by day 5. I was 7 for 7.
> 
> ...


I've heard of filing the seeds but haven't tried it yet. What do you use as a file? Just a normal nail file?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> _put seeds in a ziplock with a wet paper towel on top of my cable box_


^^^^^
That is a great idea.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> ^^^^^
> That is a great idea.


That's what I have always done! It worked for years...until we got a new X1 cable box that, apparently, gets too hot. Due to this, I will have to figure something else out, as last year I practically cooked some of the seeds! Stupid new cable box...old one was perfect for seeds, lol. 

I have heard of filing the seeds, but have never tried it, yet.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I haven't filed pumpkin seeds, but I do that for nasturtiums and other large, hard seeds before soaking in warm water for a bit and then using the baggie method. Works like a charm. As soon as they start to split open, I transfer to their starter pots. I'll have to try that with the pumpkins next time. I just soaked and bagged mine yesterday, and have them sitting in a warm spot. Fingers crossed.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> I've heard of filing the seeds but haven't tried it yet. What do you use as a file? Just a normal nail file?


Just a normal finger nail file. Do not be aggressive. You do not want to break the seed. Just lightly make two or three passes along the edge to reveal the whiteness of the seed. I started doing this three or four years ago. I used to always have a couple that would not get rid of their shells. Now, I have no problem. Even if the shell is not totally off, the sides are always spread wide open which makes it easy to pull of the shell.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> ^^^^^
> That is a great idea.


I learned the idea from this forum about 8 years ago or so. It might have been WitchyKitty that inspired me. It worked like a charm. But now that I start so few seeds, it is just easy enough to put them in the soil.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> That's what I have always done! It worked for years...until we got a new X1 cable box that, apparently, gets too hot. Due to this, I will have to figure something else out, as last year I practically cooked some of the seeds! Stupid new cable box...old one was perfect for seeds, lol.
> 
> I have heard of filing the seeds, but have never tried it, yet.


You may be on to something. I also had to upgrade to a new cable box. I started using just a heat mat instead of the cable box which worked for about two years, but last year was a totally nightmare as I could not get it to work. It put me two weeks behind. I just ended going back to soil and had a 100% germination rate.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> You may be on to something. I also had to upgrade to a new cable box. I started using just a heat mat instead of the cable box which worked for about two years, but last year was a totally nightmare as I could not get it to work. It put me two weeks behind. I just ended going back to soil and had a 100% germination rate.


Yep. Last year was a nightmare for my poor, overcooked seeds, too. Need a new method...soon. 
With the extra grow light I put in my mini greenhouse, maybe if I do something similar with filing, soaking, already moist, warm soil, my greenhouse will be enough. I always just preferred the baggie method because then I wouldn't waste pots, dirt and space planting seeds that I couldn't see would definitely germinate.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

My setup now...total rookie haha


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> My setup now...total rookie haha


It looks great. You should be up and running by Thursday/Friday.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Now if the outside weather and ground would just warm up in the next month...still haven't decided if I'm gonna trim down or let it be a free-4-all, guess I'll just wait and watch to decide


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

And 2 days later, we have sprouted! About to put these babies in some pots until it's warm enough for me to put them in their permanent homes.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Always amazed at how fast things go once they start going. I am having to transplant my pumpkins tonight. The plants already have a true leaf growing. I will be putting them into two gallon pots since I will keep them in pots for at least two more weeks. One gallon is fine, but I have found root bound plants once you get to three-four weeks out.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Made this sign after I found _four_ squash bugs in my garage ALREADY. Thought you guys might get a kick out of it.  Stuck it on the door to the garden, trying to train my family to recognize them.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Made this sign after I found _four_ squash bugs in my garage ALREADY. Thought you guys might get a kick out of it.  Stuck it on the door to the garden, trying to train my family to recognize them.


You are now officially a member of the growing group.  We do not hide our disdain of season ending bug attacks. Below is a post of mine from 2016.


Col. Fryght vs. Darth Borer









........................................................


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

i was not going to grow pumpkins this year but seems my planter boxes have other plans haha i have a hole bunch of plants coming up from where they grew last year so i guess i am going to grow some after all lol no clue if the plants gowning are mini or big pumpkins so it will be a sure prize lol


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, I probably should have re-potted sooner. I was worried about keeping my plants from being root bound by using two gallon pots. I should have been more concerned about my starter pots. lol Below is a typical root party found in my starter pots. Not worried about future growth, I need to move to larger peat pots next year. They really get going the first week!

I almost forgot that soil is often discounted heavily the week of Easter. I was able to get bags of Vigoro all purpose garden soil for 5 for $10 on Sunday at Home Depot. My wife wanted to look at flowers and I am so glad that she did. It saved me a fair amount of money.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

dang i need to go hit home depot on that soil deal and i was even there sunday


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

For PUMPKINS, I've never had trouble with the ziploc bag method just left on the counter, no additional heat needed. 

I suspect this is the reason I've had trouble with gourds, however.

Hoops and fabric for my row covers arrived at the mailbox today, need to pick them up on my way home, but the tomatoes I was hoping to buy from the store may have all froze in the snowstorms last week. LOL. 

My son works the garden dept at the local Lowes and they had a lot of neat varieties I was hoping to try.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I'm jealous, all of you with plants already...im hoping my ghetto setup is enough! Medical heating pad underneath and grow light w/o heat over the top, good soil mixture though! I should have Something by end of this week. If not, maybe a do-over for me


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

I might cut a section of pole to get another hoop on the near side, but I don't think it'll be NEEDED. Will have some tomatoes planted and covered by end of the week.

yes, that's an antelope ribcage for those playing at home...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, I wasn't getting alerts that everyone was chatting, over here, so I missed a lot.
For those of you who have already started, your set ups look great! For those who have babies, already, I'm super jealous!! For those dealing with snow, still, I feel ya', as we just woke up to white, yesterday, and freezing lows, still, too. No pumpkin and gourd planting for me, just yet. We have nice, warm weather coming by the end of the week for a short while, but the future forecast for end of April and beginning of May is saying back to 50s for highs. I hope that changes.
Heck, I'm still waiting for them to ship out my new type of seeds...those Kandy Korn Hybrid ones.
Saki.Girl, I can't wait to see what your surprise pumpkins will be!
The squash bug sign is hilarious!
IowaGuy, your germinating set up looks like it should work, great!
I don't even know where I will grow my pumpkins...I planted more greens than usual, this year...which the seeds are probably all dead, now, due to too much moisture and then snow and freezing...sigh...so now I have less room. Hmmm...this should be interesting...it will be like a game of Tetris in the garden, this year!!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I'm jealous, all of you with plants already...im hoping my ghetto setup is enough! Medical heating pad underneath and grow light w/o heat over the top, good soil mixture though! I should have Something by end of this week. If not, maybe a do-over for me


IG, your set-up is fine and nothing ghetto about it. Starting seeds can be a simple process. I knew a grower who was visiting Oregon. Upon leaving Oregon he stopped at a rest stop and did the ziploc bag method. He tossed the bag on top of his dashboard. By the time he got back to Wisconsin a couple days later, the seeds had germinated. He posted a video about it.

It just reminded me how simple things can be. Unfortunately, I lost my touch with the ziploc bags and starter pots work better for me now. Your heating pad and light should work well.

***EDIT: I found the video:


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Just FYI, Home Depot has the MIracle Gro .75cu garden soil 5 for $10 until May 1st. Maybe it is just my memory, but garden soil seems like the old top soil and top soil seems like mulch. I wish seed starting soil was not so expensive because it always seems like the real deal.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

All 6 of my seeds sprouted and all seem to be doing fine. I'm probably going to have to upgrade their pots soon. I won't plant all 6, I don't have that kind of room!

It's amazing how much faster the pumpkins grow vs the watermelons I started at the exact same time!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

How long do you let a seedling show no signs of life before checking it by digging it back up/out?


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> How long do you let a seedling show no signs of life before checking it by digging it back up/out?


7 days for me.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Tomato tent up. I give it 50-50 the cat doesn’t destroy it as a scratching post.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Is it suppose to do it backwards??


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Is it suppose to do it backwards??
> View attachment 760392


I can't quite see what you mean...
Did you plant your seeds the correct direction?


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Yes, I planted them all pointy end facing down. If you look in the center of the pic you will see the seed is actually pushing itself out....its sideways


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Pretty normal.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Yes, I planted them all pointy end facing down. If you look in the center of the pic you will see the seed is actually pushing itself out....its sideways


Oooh, that's what you meant. Yeah, the seed coats almost always come up with the cotyledon (baby sprout leaves). It will just push right up out if the ground as the sprout goes up and the roots go down. It comes up whatever direction those cotyledon happen to be facing/breaking out of the sead coat. Like UnOrthodOx said, pretty normal. It'll straighten itself out.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I finally dug out one of my original seedlings today, its been just over 2 weeks with nothing to show...sure enough it was a dud....so I planted another Howden Biggie just now. My gf has been on me about my patients with planting haha.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

7 days later and things are still looking good. Hopefully, everything will be in the ground next Sunday or Monday. What always amazes me is how fast things start to go once they start. I know they will slow down for a couple of weeks once they are in the ground. But then they will start to vine like a foot a day and the next quarter of the game will start. Let's just hope I can get to the fourth quarter this year. lol

7 DAYS AGO











TODAY


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

I've never started pumpkins indoors so this is exciting!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> View attachment 760441
> 
> I've never started pumpkins indoors so this is exciting!


Pumpkins are so much fun to grow. Here's to "wishing you a fantastic pumpkin patch & harvest"!

Temps dropped to 37 last night but everything survived. 
Found a bunch of squash seedlings popping up in the garden. Planning to keep them growing & find out what they are 🎃
(The Squirrel Gods givth & the Squirrel Gods taketh away)


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## Medellia (Jun 21, 2021)

Are there any NC growers here in the piedmont? I have never had any luck!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Medellia said:


> Are there any NC growers here in the piedmont? I have never had any luck!


I grow in Georgia. Pumpkin growing in the south is the definition of insanity. Too many bugs that survive the winter, too many soil diseases that love early warm weather, and too much humidity. And yet, I keep coming back.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Big Weekend. I have got to get my plants in the ground this week. I rented a rear tine tiller from HD. I have worked in most of my fertilizers, granular fungicides, and granular insecticide this morning. My next project is to get my peat moss tilled in.


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## WeWhoWe (9 mo ago)

I let several uncarved pumpkins from last year rot in various places in my backyard. To my surprise, pumpkin plants are coming up from several of them. I have no hope of them yielding any pumpkins, but it is a pleasure to see those green leaves coming up and spreading.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

AmericanMary said:


> I let several uncarved pumpkins from last year rot in various places in my backyard. To my surprise, pumpkin plants are coming up from several of them. I have no hope of them yielding any pumpkins, but it is a pleasure to see those green leaves coming up and spreading.


At the very least, you will be enjoying some nice flowers towards the end of May and the bees will be happy.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Soil is tilled. It looks so nice and fluffy. If I hadn't had the disease test done, I would be thinking that it looks perfect.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Col. Fryght said:


> Soil is tilled. It looks so nice and fluffy. If I hadn't had the disease test done, I would be thinking that it looks perfect.
> 
> 
> View attachment 760529





Col. Fryght said:


> Soil is tilled. It looks so nice and fluffy. If I hadn't had the disease test done, I would be thinking that it looks perfect.
> 
> 
> View attachment 760529


That is some nice soil, especially for GA!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Either our cat or husky puppy got to two of my pukkin plants last night, I guess I'll see if they have the will to live


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Either our cat or husky puppy got to two of my pukkin plants last night, I guess I'll see if they have the will to live


I would re-pot the ones you like by Wednesday. They get root bound quick. They look good. When does your weather allow you to put them outdoors?


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Probably another month Col. Fryght.


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## WeWhoWe (9 mo ago)

View attachment 760553

View attachment 760554
View attachment 760553
View attachment 760554
View attachment 760553
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Two places where pumpkin plants are emerging


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## WeWhoWe (9 mo ago)




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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Probably another month Col. Fryght.


I would go two gallon then and skip one gallon. Two gallon is about as large as I can go and still be able to turn the plant upside down to get it out.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Plants are in. I will choose the best one in about two weeks. To help fight my soil diseases, I decided to dig out a 6x5 planting area to about 16 inches. You can see the rock hard Georgia clay at the bottom. At one time, red clay was my top level. lol

I filled it back in with clean soil. Hopefully, I can keep the my stump problems this year to minimum while I solarize the other half of my patch. The white stuff is Sevin Dust, plus I sprayed the plants with insecticide. The black skirting is an erosion fence that I posted around the plants to protect them from the wind.


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## Can't Wait (Aug 23, 2021)

Hi All,
I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading all of the posts, and you're all an inspiration in my pumpkin growing efforts. I have been growing pumpkins for three years now, and keep getting better each year thanks to all the great info posted here!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Can't Wait said:


> Hi All,
> I just wanted to say that I enjoy reading all of the posts, and you're all an inspiration in my pumpkin growing efforts. I have been growing pumpkins for three years now, and keep getting better each year thanks to all the great info posted here!


Welcome to group 🎃🎃🎃
Beware.... Pumpkin Maddness Takes It's Toll


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

So, my gf black cat Amadeus has been eating my pukkin plants through the night. Lil brat has killed 2 of them and snapped one of the stems of another...so....ive replanted the 2 and moved all of them to my enclosed front porch. The temp isn't suppose to drop below 46° at night. Ill continue to use the heating pad on the new seedlings and hope for the best.

(You suck Thackary Binks!!)


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Any ideas why some of the leaves here are "curly"? They did have some issues shedding the seed case, so wondering if that was part of the problem. Waiting to see if the first new leaves look normal.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Any ideas why some of the leaves here are "curly"? They did have some issues shedding the seed case, so wondering if that was part of the problem. Waiting to see if the first new leaves look normal.


The top picture looks normal to me, just a shell left on a little too long. Cot leaves are disposable once your first and second true leaf get going. So no worries there. The second picture looks like something is missing nutrient wise. I am not sure what type of soil that you used to start your seeds.

I have come around to being a big believer in seed starting soil that has nutrients and a medium that that is conducive to root growth. Keep in mind I just used top soil years ago to start seeds and everything turned out fine.

Maybe just put a couple pinches of fertilizer around the yellow looking plant. I am sure that everything will end up being okay.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Hey all. Really enjoyed seeing everyone's progress. Been meaning to post an update for this year's patch. Trying to learn some lessons of last year and get an earlier start to (hopefully) avoid trying to pollinate in the worst heat of the summer and make sure the big pumpkins are at ground level and not 5-6' up on top of a shade structure. I really want to grow a few big orange pumpkins this year (rather than the pale white Atlantic giants I grew last year) and so I only bought/requested seeds from pumpkins that were 500-2000 lbs and nice and orange. I tore up the lawn in the side yard, tried (and failed) to kill the Bermuda grass, tilled in a bunch of organic matter and amendments recommended from a Western Labs soil test and built a rickety shade structure out of PVC to keep the sun down a bit (and hopefully reduce the critters). Got three plants on each end of the patch and will winnow that down to 2-3 pretty soon. 










I've also got a few cattle panel trellises where I've planted a bunch of the seeds the Kdestra sent (THANKS!!!) along with some white Baby Boos a few vining flowers to keep my neighbors happy outside of pumpkin season. Last year I put plants in the ground too late and the heat killed everything in this area before it got off the ground. So I'm hoping that an early start and lots of plants will help at least a few of those plants get established before it gets crazy hot. Fingers crossed!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I, finally, have warmer temps and was able to start my pumpkin and gourd seeds with the baggie method (along with my mammoth and large sunflowers, zucchini, and cucumbers.) 
I'm going to try my new cable box, again, for warmth but, this time, I placed something between the box and the seed bags so they don't cook like last year, lol...sigh. Hopefully, this will work. I tried a folded up old heating pad cover I had, but it was too thick, so now I'm trying a kitchen trivet or two. I miss the perfect temp of my old cable box, lol. 
We already have the soil and trellises ready in the garden...just gotta get those seeds to germinate!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

MCR said:


> tilled in a bunch of organic matter and amendments recommended from a Western Labs soil test and built a rickety shade structure out of PVC to keep the sun down a bit (and hopefully reduce the critters). Got three plants on each end of the patch and will winnow that down to 2-3 pretty soon.


You are talking my language. It looks like your plants are about at the same point as mine. I am jealous that you already have your drip line down. That is my goal by the end of this weekend. I purchased a drip line mixing tank last year but never installed it.

I love Western Labs. I basically know what I am short on every year, so I did not do a pre-amendment test. But, I want to do a post amendment test sometime around May 20th to see where I am at. I figure by then my plant will be running, plus my amendments will have been in the ground for three weeks which should give them a chance to mix in with the soil. Then, I will do a tissue test around June 20th in front of a set pumpkin (hopefully) to see what is actually getting to the plant.

Glad you came back. Now we just need Mayor and Ooojen to check in.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Central Iowa seemed to have gotten sucker-punched with summer temps since Sunday, hooray! I'll prolly transport my plants outside in 2 weeks, give the ground some time to warm up


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Central Iowa seemed to have gotten sucker-punched with summer temps since Sunday, hooray! I'll prolly transport my plants outside in 2 weeks, give the ground some time to warm up


Yeah, Illinois, here, and we went from 50s and 60s to 80s, today and 90s the next 3 days or so...crazy weather. The ground should be good and warm by the time my seeds I just started germinating are ready, as well.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

I woke up to snow here in Idaho! Thankfully it quickly turned to rain.
@Col. Fryght How tall is your erosion fence? I have high winds here and was going to buy some sort of wind barrier but not sure how tall it should be.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> I woke up to snow here in Idaho! Thankfully it quickly turned to rain.
> @Col. Fryght How tall is your erosion fence? I have high winds here and was going to buy some sort of wind barrier but not sure how tall it should be.


Only so much you can do against the wind. It becomes a bottomless pit of your time and money. I have an outer erosion fence to distract deer. Then a four foot fence around the garden using pvc pipe and 6 mil poly. And then I put another erosion fence around the planting area until the plants start to run.

Keep in mind, that I have a tendency to over complicate things. 

Here is the cheap erosion type fence that I buy. It is three feet tall by 100ft for about $40. I think it helps but others tell me that the wind will just tumble over it. It still makes me feel better and I have not lost a plant to wind.









HDX 3 ft. x 100 ft. Silt Fence 14987 - The Home Depot


The 3 ft. x 100 ft. Silt Fence is a temporary or construction fence made from plastic. It is designed to help with erosion control. The black fence comes with wood posts for easier installation. The 3



www.homedepot.com


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> I figure by then my plant will be running, plus my amendments will have been in the ground for three weeks which should give them a chance to mix in with the soil. Then, I will do a tissue test around June 20th in front of a set pumpkin (hopefully) to see what is actually getting to the plant.


This is a great idea! Can't wait to see what it tells you.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm starting to see baggie seed germination of all varieties!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm starting to see baggie seed germination of all varieties!


Glad to see that you got your baggie touch back. I am doing so well with dirt germination that I will probably cut back to 5 next year. Since I germinate so few seeds, I will probably not do the bag method again. But the baggie method sure is simple and saves time by planting only seeds that actually are viable.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The tomato tent is dual purposing as a test for me being able to break into the giant pumpkins/early planting in future years. Mixed results so far. 

The commercial material proved ineffective at the first frost and damaged the tomatoes I had. Bought more... 

We've had snow on Sunday and frost through this morning, I'll be peeling back my home grown material tomorrow to see how it's faired. (rule of thumb for the area is plant on mother's day)

Planning beans as a cover crop for beds 2 & 3. We'll finish bed 4 this year for sure, maybe 5 and 6, but getting the xeriscaping in the easement takes priority from here.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Got my setup all done except for irrigation on Mother's Day (that's 2 years in a row that my gift was alone time to work in the garden! Kiddo did help water a little bit). 4 pumpkin plants set out and 2 leftover to give to a friend. I'll post photos one they've had a chance to perk up a bit.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Glad to see that you got your baggie touch back. I am doing so well with dirt germination that I will probably cut back to 5 next year. Since I germinate so few seeds, I will probably not do the bag method again. But the baggie method sure is simple and saves time by planting only seeds that actually are viable.


Thanks. I'm still tweaking it...even with the kitchen trivets, it still gets a bit too warm. The sunflower seeds cooked, again, so I'm just direct sowing those, since it's toasty outside, now, anyway.
As for the rest of the pumpkin, gourd, squash, cucumber seeds...I think I may have to try something diff, next year. We will see. Maybe build a little shelf to put my seed baggies on that floats over the cable box. 
Besides the ones I'm taking to my mother in law, which I potted, today, and put in my greenhouse to get going for her, I am just planting the germinated seeds for my garden right outside rather than starting in pots, indoors...again, since it's already warm out...that, and I may have ran out of soil, lol!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Had another dead seed today, what is that like 3 total for me this year? So, planted another big max....sorta late but at least its still May right?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Had another dead seed today, what is that like 3 total for me this year? So, planted another big max....sorta late but at least its still May right?


Hopefully, this one will germinate and sprout for you!! It's still early May, I would think you would still be okay.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, my home brew material worked wonders and the new tomatoes survived the frost/snow brilliantly, and even the old damaged ones are popping back up.

80s this weekend followed by another frost watch next week....


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Amazon delivered my water flow meter this week. The one I bought last year died over the winter. Not to upset that it only lasted one year since I left it outside and it only costs twenty bucks. I love having a water meter. I am no longer guessing as to how much water I am using for my garden or topping off my koi pond. 

Also, a friend visited the garden this morning. I have always had soft spot for tree frogs.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Well, my home brew material worked wonders and the new tomatoes survived the frost/snow brilliantly, and even the old damaged ones are popping back up.
> 
> 80s this weekend followed by another frost watch next week....


Glad your tomatoes survived! This weather is simply ridiculous...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Amazon delivered my water flow meter this week. The one I bought last year died over the winter. Not to upset that it only lasted one year since I left it outside and it only costs twenty bucks. I love having a water meter. I am no longer guessing as to how much water I am using for my garden or topping off my koi pond.
> 
> Also, a friend visited the garden this morning. I have always had soft spot for tree frogs.
> 
> ...


I LOVE tree frogs!!!! Your friend is adorable!! 
I don't get any at this house, but we had tons at our old house. I miss them.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I've seen a couple of friends, too! One was in the reservoir feasting on slugs when I dumped a box. Scared me to death when he jumped out, but thanks for the help with pest control!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> View attachment 760707
> 
> View attachment 760708
> 
> ...


Sooo cute!!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Well its 88° and sunny today here in Central IA and my gf was nice enough to help me "rehome" 4 of my 7 pukkin plants. I feel we did a decent job with the mixing of soils, adding plant food and elevating the mounds for water run off. I ran out of pete moss and whatever else I was using so the remaining 3 will have another week to grow strong on the front porch. Question....does a snapped stem mean the plant is dead even if its green? Anyways, i planted a variety of Howden Biggie and Big Max, I didn't keep track of which was in what pot so here in a few months each flower with Hopefully be a healthy surprise . Happy Halloween!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Fairytale pumpkins are enjoying the cooler temps & rain. They are producing both male & female flowers early this spring. Most of the spring buds will drop but who knows. 

Love seeing everyone's pictures & those 🐸 🐸 🐸 make my heart hop with joy.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Question....does a snapped stem mean the plant is dead even if its green?


If you mean the vine split then you should be okay. The vine will callous over. If you meant the main stem snapped then that sounds like a problem that will be too much to overcome.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

My plants are down and running. It has been about a month since germination. Man, how time flies. One of the plants is in much better shape than the other. Thank goodness for planting backups. I could not imagine starting from seed at this point. I need to get my drip line down sooner than later. I expect to be pollinating in three weeks. 

I guess I will start my Sunday progress reports with pics starting this weekend. I plan on doing soil tests next week for nutrient level and disease. Keeping my fingers crossed that my soil fungicide work will pay dividends.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, I'm starting over on some of my Gourds, special Kandy Korn pumpkins (that I paid a lot for), Zucchini, and Cucumbers...half or all of what I started with these either just stopped growing after germination, or, the worst of the damage, the animals are ripping everything up or digging them up. It's been nothing but damage control every day...with plants and such, too. This is the worst year, yet, for all the digging. No matter what blockades/fencing I put up, animal deterrent sprays I use...they must be used to it all and it no longer stops them. 
I'm getting ready to wave the white flag in defeat...😡😭😖


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Noob question, Google says pukkins require about 1 inch of water per week. How, exactly, does someone measure that? I've been watering mine every day it doesn't rain...


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> No matter what blockades/fencing I put up, animal deterrent sprays I use...they must be used to it all and it no longer stops them.
> I'm getting ready to wave the white flag in defeat...😡😭😖


Not sure what you do once squirrels get a taste for your garden. I don't recall you having as many problems at your last home. Maybe get a cat?


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Noob question, Google says pukkins require about 1 inch of water per week. How, exactly, does someone measure that? I've been watering mine every day it doesn't rain...


Well, it is 623 gallons per 1,000 sq ft. I am not sure you need that much for regular pumpkins. Most giant pumpkin growers shoot for 75-100 gallons per day. You will be fine with less. I think a better rule of thumb is to keep the soil moist to at least two inches below the surface.

Keep in mind that is the amount once you have a plant that covers a 1,000 sq ft. Right now, I am just watering 2 gallons every other day around the base of the plant.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

That is Very helpful! Thank you. Can you drown pumpkins?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Not sure what you do once squirrels get a taste for your garden. I don't recall you having as many problems at your last home. Maybe get a cat?


Our old house had just as many animals...much more, actually, but more woodland area for all of those animals to have other food choices. Also, we built a much taller, smaller, better fenced in garden at the old house. We had issues with animals eating/digging plants, flowers and veggies there, too, but not this bad, and it seems to get worse and worse, here, each year, too...insect issues included. 
Squirrels and chipmunks are just out of control in their quantities and destruction, now. 
(Don't get me wrong...I love all my critters...but that doesn't mean I don't still want to grab them and shake them, begging them to have mercy on my yard, lol...sigh.)
It's the squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, skunks, ect...depending on what part of the yard and what is being eaten or tore up. Sometimes, even certain birds.

As for cats, we have 3, but they are indoor kitties.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> That is Very helpful! Thank you. Can you drown pumpkins?


For sure you can drown them.. When I have them in one to two gallon pots, I water them with a 32 oz. cup twice a week. Everybody develops their own system. Just make sure that the bottom of the containers have holes so the water can drain if it is not absorbed by the soil.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I only have 4 left in pots, the rest r newly in the ground. I was moreso asking if you can drown a pumpkin plant when its in the ground


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Our old house had just as many animals...much more, actually, but more woodland area for all of those animals to have other food choices. Also, we built a much taller, smaller, better fenced in garden at the old house. We had issues with animals eating/digging plants, flowers and veggies there, too, but not this bad, and it seems to get worse and worse, here, each year, too...insect issues included.
> Squirrels and chipmunks are just out of control in their quantities and destruction, now.
> (Don't get me wrong...I love all my critters...but that doesn't mean I don't still want to grab them and shake them, begging them to have mercy on my yard, lol...sigh.)
> It's the squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, skunks, ect...depending on what part of the yard and what is being eaten or tore up. Sometimes, even certain birds.
> ...


Not sure if building/buying some kind of mesh structure around the plants while they get going is a possibility. At our place, if I put anything out that would still be considered a seedling it inevitably gets eaten. But if I put up a barrier around the plants until they're well established, then the critters seem to leave them alone (though the bugs still go after them). I'm still totally building a greenhouse when we get a big enough yard.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> I only have 4 left in pots, the rest r newly in the ground. I was moreso asking if you can drown a pumpkin plant when its in the ground


Definitely yes. I recall a Josiah Brandt video from last year where he talked about how pumpkins can't pull nutrients out of the soil if there is too much water in the ground (from rain in his case). Here it is:


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> I expect to be pollinating in three weeks.


Wow! That'll be a good, long grow. Fingers crossed.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MCR said:


> Not sure if building/buying some kind of mesh structure around the plants while they get going is a possibility. At our place, if I put anything out that would still be considered a seedling it inevitably gets eaten. But if I put up a barrier around the plants until they're well established, then the critters seem to leave them alone (though the bugs still go after them). I'm still totally building a greenhouse when we get a big enough yard.


I have a mini greenhouse in my basement...I have my mother in laws seeds in pots to get started, for her, in there right now, but I had run out of soil to pot my own. So, when my seeds all started germinating in my baggies, I just direct sowed them outdoors, since it was warm enough. Bad idea, I guess, as the seeds just get dug up...this is why I need to keep starting them and getting them to good sized seedling form before planting outside...

I do put fencing directly around the trellises that the seeds are planted in, (plus around the whole garden) and use animal away sprays...but my fencing isn't small enough to block the smaller animals and I think they are used to the sprays. 

Maybe mesh screening is the way to go, afterall...I just don't want to spend anymore money. The whole point of growing my own is for it to pay for itself...well, besides just liking to grow my own things, lol.

I'd love to have room for a real, outdoor, good sized greenhouse!! I girl can dream...
I hope you get one, someday!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I only have 4 left in pots, the rest r newly in the ground. I was moreso asking if you can drown a pumpkin plant when its in the ground


You never want standing water nor soggy soil for a prolonged period. I am now up to 2 gallons every 48 hours on my outdoor plant. I probably will not go over that amount since I will soon have a half dozen solid secondary roots from the vine that will need to be watered. I bet more stumps are lost to over watering versus under watering. Last night I could stick two fingers in the ground and it was still moist to about an inch of the surface. That tells me that I am okay to water tonight.

As I mentioned before, you will develop your own system. The part I love most about this hobby is that everyone develops their own unique style. You will never hear me say that someone else's system is wrong just that I do it differently. I think Brandt was getting like 3-4 inches of rain a week like a lot of people were that year. It is easy to add water if it does not rain, impossible to remove it if you get too much rain.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I'm gonna pull an experiment and attempt to grow a 30-60lb pukkin/s in a planter. Basically gonna find the biggest planter I can and just ad a grip of food in with the soil mixture I create. Has anyone tried this before? 🤓🧐


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I'm gonna pull an experiment and attempt to grow a 30-60lb pukkin/s in a planter. Basically gonna find the biggest planter I can and just ad a grip of food in with the soil mixture I create. Has anyone tried this before? 🤓🧐


I've seen people use large Rubbermaid bins, full size trash cans, baby pools...
I have grown mini pumpkins in assorted large, actual planters, but haven't tried large pumpkins in one.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I'm gonna pull an experiment and attempt to grow a 30-60lb pukkin/s in a planter. Basically gonna find the biggest planter I can and just ad a grip of food in with the soil mixture I create. Has anyone tried this before? 🤓🧐


Go for it. You would still need to let the plant grow to 200-300 sq ft. with access to dirt. Not sure you can put enough water in a container for 30-60lb pumpkin which is why your vines will need to root themselves to dirt.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Good intel! Challenge accepted mwauhahaha. I have like (4) 55gl plastic drums already, I think im just gonna cut one of those in half and roll the dice.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

My 4 plants are doing well, if a little pale. There's probably still some transplant shock going on, but I also guess they need some nitrogen. There's 10-10-10 in there with them, but I may need to supplement a bit until they can get to what's mixed into the soil. Don't want to give them too much or I'm afraid I'll end up with all leaves and no pumpkins!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I used bloom booster last time I grew pukkins when I had like 4-7 male flowers but no females so that may help. I just put the booster in a squirt bottle and used it like _thinking_ everyday maybe?


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> I used bloom booster last time I grew pukkins when I had like 4-7 male flowers but no females so that may help. I just put the booster in a squirt bottle and used it like _thinking_ everyday maybe?


I am thinking that you had must have bigger issues with so few flowers. I would fertilize with whatever granular fertilizer that you have at a local source (HD/Lowes) that has at least as much phosphorous as it does nitrogen like 13-13-13. It should only set you back about $18. I would spread it throughout the entire patch and the stump site. Bloom Booster is like a can of red bull, it is a short term boost but cannot be your main diet. While I am a believer in foliar sprays, I think it works better for micronutrients.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Great advise like usual! I may start calling you Pumpkin Yoda or something that gets the point across


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

OK, I'll backread all 10 pages later, just popping in to say I've got 4 turban gourd seedlings ready to go & be planted in the garden, but I think after last years decorative gourd debacle (waaaaay too many vines that took over too quickly & kinds ruined other things), I will probably only plant ONE in the garden, the rest will go somewhere else.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Well, I got all my pukkins in the outside ground. That includes my experimental planter pukkin. My local Earl May did not have any 13 13 13 so I used my bag of 10 10 10. We shall see what happens in a few months. Happy Halloween!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Great advise like usual! I may start calling you Pumpkin Yoda or something that gets the point across


Hardly, lol. Every regular here has had better success the last three years than me. But, I play an all or nothing game. And of course with my soil disease, I am basically just banging my head against the wall.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My plants...if I end up with any...will be sooo behind, this year. Between the weather (going from too hot to too cold, rinse and repeat), the animals digging up seeds, digging holes and disturbing roots, pulling them out, entirely, and eating the leaves, plus, my seed germination being entirely worse than usual with seeds, that actually germinated, just dying without sprouting (indoors or outdoors)...this is craziness! I have no idea what is going on, this year, for me. I don't know...maybe I just have too much to deal with, right now, but I feel like I'm still giving enough attention to all my seeds/plants/gardens...

I lost a bunch of my Giant and Mammoth Sunflower seedlings, too...ripped right out of the ground and broken. I've just put more fencing around the remainder of them in the hopes that whatever is wanting them, so badly, will finally leave the rest alone. (Not to mention, more digging in and tearing up my herb planters, flower planters and daily, complete destruction of my large fairy garden planter...I finally called it quits, on that, today. I took out all the flowers in there and planted them in smaller pots, took down and put away most of my fairy garden pieces, besides a few smaller ones that I tucked into the smaller pots, and moved and emptied out the big planter. Very depressing...I've had that fairy garden set up for years. The animals dig it up worse and worse, each year, just like all my other plants, pumpkins and veggies. This year was the last straw. I'm just not up to fighting so much with redoing things, replanting things...I have to pick my battles, now. My luck, they will just dig up the small pots, now, lol...sigh.)

I will say, I am thoroughly let down by those expensive new hybrid Kandy Korn Bush Style mini pumpkin seeds I ordered. I mean, you only get ten seeds in a packet and, so far, I haven't been having very good germination with them. It's seeming like mostly dud seeds. I have tried starting them in baggies, direct sow and in my greenhouse...no good all around. I FINALLY got one to germinate and seems to have a good root on it, so I planted it in a pot and put it in my greenhouse to keep it safe from animals and cool weather until it can sprout and get stronger...I'm not risking it, outside, yet!!!! I need to get a second one, at least, that way I can have one and my mother in law can, too. Ug. What a waste of money. If we do get any to grow and bear fruit, I hope they give us a fair amount to make up for the rest of the lost seeds...and I'll definitely have to save some seeds from one!

I suppose the one good thing about a late start...maybe the evil bugs that take over my pumpkin/gourd/squash plants will think I didn't plant, this year, and move on elsewhere! A witch can dream...

I do have a gourd seedling and two JBL seedlings up, outside, in their spots...so that's something. No true leaves, yet, though. I'm hoping they will do well, and the ones coming up in my little indoor greenhouse will fully sprout, survive the transplant, outdoors, with them, too, and they will all do well. I've got a couple good JBL seedlings and a good Pie pumpkin seedling going, with their first true leaves coming in, for my mother in law...just need to get her a couple Gourd seedlings and a Kandy Korn going.

Lol, at this stage, you almost laugh, then cry, because you know that, even if you can get some seedlings going strong and starting to vine...you will just move to the next stage of the fight: insects, weather and powdery mildew. (Insert hysterical crazy person laughter, here.)🎃
 <---I just saw these new HF pumpkin smileys...umm...kinda weird, lol. Can someone find the original ones?


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Stay in the fight, the lot of you! I've got 7 seeds growing right now in less than ideal situations (maybe 3/4 sun through the sunny days). My property is 1700sq ft with like 5 fully mature trees...I mean this literally...if you Google map a birds-eye view of my yard and house, its sorta like looking down through a forest BUT I have been making mental notes of what areas get most sun. The show must go on!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Lol, oh, I'll keep fighting to grow pumpkins/gourds for as long as I can!

I shake my head when I think back to earlier years' Pumpkin Growers' threads, how many members participated, and how well many of us did...then it suddenly just went downhill (Though, some still do very well!).
Some of us are still here, fighting the good fight, though!
All I can keep saying, each year, is I hope we all have a better year, this year! It still applies! I have good years, and I have bad years. We will see what this year, eventually brings. I'm hoping to see some awesome pumpkin and gourd pics at the end of this growing season!!!!!!!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

This year's goal is to plant all of the old seeds:
2020 JBL & Various Gourds 
2021 Fairytale, Cinderella, White Boer, etc
Some of the JBLs are from 2018 - so I planted the whole packet. It would be great if they grow but it's OK if they don't. Honestly, it's great to have space in the Seed Stash again. The goal isn't just pumpkins, it's for all my older seeds: Zinnias, Sunflowers, Veggies.... I'm not buying new seeds until everything else is gone. 

It sounds like everyone is off to a good start. I'm sorry about those Kandy Korn seeds @WitchyKitty. Hopefully you get them to grow


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Found this little guy growing in my front lawn of all places.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Found this little guy growing in my front lawn of all places.
> View attachment 760900


Carefully move it, or leave it there and see what happens?? Lol. It will be a surprise!
Maybe an animal dropped it, there?


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Found this little guy growing in my front lawn of all places.


It kills me how much pampering and the hundreds of hours that I spend on one plant, then a random seed dropped in a random place pops up looking beautiful. What a frustrating hobby. lol


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

I just got through re-reading this entire thread. It amazes me that my first post on Feb. 5th mentioned that it was time to get started because February would be over in "a blink of the eye." I intrinsically know that time flies fast, but it is still hard to imagine that June is almost here. June......just amazing.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Iowa just had two solid days/nights of decent rain (not light and not heavy but steady), which all my 7 plants got to drink. Sorry Col. Fryght, I didn't follow your advise and just plant 1 or 2 seeds...have you noticed the trend im very ambitious and seem to bite off more than I can chew? Now for the waiting game which I will always suck at...


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

We've had several days of scattered showers and cooler temps (well, 80 IS cooler than the 90s we had last week!). I think it's just what everything in my garden needed to jumpstart past the transplant shock. Pumpkins are starting to green up a bit from being worryingly pale. I usually give the tomatoes and peppers a little calcium nitrate to head off blossom end rot, so I gave the pumpkins a dose too. Seems to have helped. 

Now I'm just sitting here waiting for them to explode and vine everywhere. It's coming, I know it!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

A little good news...I finally have a few Kandy Korn pumpkin seedlings!!! Yays!!! I'm trying not to get too excited, because I still need to keep them protected and alive long enough to see what they produce. One popped up, outside, in it's spot, unexpectedly...I direct sowed a couple awhile ago and nothing happened with them, until now. Just one, tiny one.
I have two in pots, indoors...I'll be terrified to put them outside with all the animal carnage going on, out there...
(Speaking of animal carnage...I lost more of my giant/mammoth sunflower seedlings...ripped out of the ground or bitten off at the stem. Sigh. I have three left that I tried to salvage and I direct sowed a few more seeds and put up more barricades...we shall see what happens!)


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

This just in from Pumpkin Plant Decision Desk 2022: The pumpkin plant on the left is the winner and the one on the right will be culled this weekend.










Well, the winning plant is certainly getting enough nitrogen. I have not watered the stump with any nutrients so it is pulling the nitrogen out of the soil. A new student for for Cobra Kai. I enjoyed that Netflix series more than I care to admit.










Why do I always feel obligated to take a hand photo? lol Not sure what it proves other than I think I must have most of the nutrients rights.










And finally, I have a new friend to go along with my tree frog. She has been hanging out with another female turkey and one male turkey. It is my understanding that they can remember a 1,000 acre range. It will interesting to see how long they stay. She is about 20 feet away from my fence.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> This just in from Pumpkin Plant Decision Desk 2022: The pumpkin on the left is the winner and the one on the right will be culled this weekend.
> 
> View attachment 760928
> 
> ...


Your plants look great...and I love turkeys!!!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

And for the uninitiated, the Cobra Kai reference in regards to the plant refers to the upward striking position of the vine tip. My vine tip is about 8 inches off the ground. That tells me that my plant is getting plenty of nitrogen to support fast paced growth. If the tip was on the ground, then your plant is not performing optimally.

There are downsides if your plant is elite Cobra Kai. Strong wind might snap the main vine if it is not supported on either side. Not pictured, I use chop sticks on either side. Plus, all of your supporting nutrients have to fully charged otherwise everything just goes to the vine and not flowers or baby pumpkins.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Had never heard that about nitrogen levels. awesome. 

My attempts to find a mini or two to plant from a local nursery has been in vain. So I went rummaging in my closet and found a bag of mystery pumpkin seeds I saved. Pretty sure it is either the pumpkemon minis or the heat/drought tolerant sugar variety I was trying my hand at crossbreeding back before our major house remodel and I thought were lost in said remodel.

Raised bed #4 coming along swiftly, just need to mix some concrete to lock it all into place. 

Raised bed 1: 16 tomatoes, 2 peppers. tomato tent test. Just the plastic cover instead of the commercial row covers has let them survive 2 frosts trouble free. I think this method will let me get pumpkins started a month early in the future. 
Raised bed 2: Nitrogen fixing cover crop for pumpkins next year. 
Raised bed 3: Corn stalk production for decor.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I think another seedling planted outdoors just popped up...a random gourd, I believe. The weather must've really did some slowing down of germination and growth! I'm not complaining, though...I'll just have a later start than some years. I only had two pots in the greenhouse that did nothing...the rest are all, finally, up and I'm starting to harden them off. 
Can't I just grow them in my basement so the bugs and animals don't get them???


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Can't I just grow them in my basement so the bugs and animals don't get them???


Maybe if you win the lottery, then you can build your own two thousand square ft. heated/air conditioned greenhouse. That is on my lottery to do list.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I’m finally back! I just read through all 10 pages, and just want to wish everyone luck this year! Last year I planted in the beginning of June, and my plants ended a littler than I would have liked. I’m going on vacation June 10-17, and instead of worrying about them while I’m gone, I think I’m going to wait until I get back. This will be the latest I’ve ever planted. But my plants never make it 110 days like the package says. If I wait until around June 20 to plant, I should have enough time for everything. I can’t wait to see everyone‘s results this year!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> This will be the latest I’ve ever planted. But my plants never make it 110 days like the package says. If I wait until around June 20 to plant, I should have enough time for everything. I can’t wait to see everyone‘s results this year!


I am with you on the growth. I have never had more than 75 days worth of pumpkin growth. The hard part for me is the July heat. Once it starts hovering around 92 I find that pumpkin pollination can be difficult. Good see you back. Are you growing in the same area?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Maybe if you win the lottery, then you can build you own two thousand square ft. heated/air conditioned greenhouse. That is on my lottery to do list.


A girl can dream...


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

All finally planted, my youngling in the planter died so I just put another seed in today. The pics r of the successfully rooted plants Just behind my backyard fence...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

1st Fairytale Pumpkin. She probably won't survive because there's no male flowers to pollinate her


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 1st Fairytale Pumpkin. She probably won't survive because there's no male flowers to pollinate her


You can really tell that the fairytale has a distinct shape by looking at the baby pumpkin. It is a flatter than a normal pumpkin. I cannot wait to see how looks during the different stages of growth when you get one pollinated.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Sending off a soil sample today to be tested for nutrients and disease. The disease test is no joke in terms of cost. It runs $150 and the nutrient test is $45. But I want to know what where I am at before my seasons gets too far ahead of me. I have never done a better job of adding nutrients to the soil prior to planting. I added a little bit (or a lot, lol) of everything.

And as to the soil diseases, I have applied about a half dozen applications of various fungicides. It will be disappointing if I have not made improvements over the test in March.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> You can really tell that the fairytale has a distinct shape by looking at the baby pumpkin. It is a flatter than a normal pumpkin. I cannot wait to see how looks during the different stages of growth when you get one pollinated.


The other difference in FT are the leaves. They have white blotches on the leaves. It's a very attractive plant. This is a photo from last year


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> The other difference in FT are the leaves. They have white blotches on the leaves. It's a very attractive plant. This is a photo from last year


I've had zucchini with variegated leaves like that, but I didn't know pumpkins had them too! I think they're pretty. 

A few male flowers here, but still a bachelor party while I wait for the ladies. 3 out of 4 plants looking MUCH better, but I might go ahead and pull the 4th one because it just looks puny. Might as well let those resources go to plants better equipped to make it.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> I've had zucchini with variegated leaves like that, but I didn't know pumpkins had them too! I think they're pretty.
> 
> A few male flowers here, but still a bachelor party while I wait for the ladies. 3 out of 4 plants looking MUCH better, but I might go ahead and pull the 4th one because it just looks puny. Might as well let those resources go to plants better equipped to make it.


Zucchini is one of my favorites but I just can't seem to grow them. 

We should get our pumpkin patches together. I've only got females.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

I transplanted the mystery pumpkin from the lawn into the garden, it seems to be doing well and even put out another leaf! Can't wait to see what it turns out to be! There were two other rotting seeds in there with it beneath all the grass.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> View attachment 761141
> 
> View attachment 761140
> 
> I transplanted the mystery pumpkin from the lawn into the garden, it seems to be doing well and even put out another leaf! Can't wait to see what it turns out to be! There were two other rotting seeds in there with it beneath all the grass.


Surprises are always fun!!! I hope it's something cool!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I've, finally, got everything going in the garden that needs to be going. My MiL has hers, that I started for her, planted, too. 
I'll post some pics, soon, when I have time and there's a bit more to look at, lol.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Not sure how or if this little Fairytale was pollinated. No rot showing & she's firmly attached to stem. I know it's way to early to tell but she's fun to take care of.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, I have my first soil test back- the nutrient test. I am not low on any element which is a first for me. Except for the micronutrients (copper, boron, iron, etc.), my soil (actually no soil) will never have the recommend percentages naturally for optimally growing giant pumpkins. I just need to store away what I added this year, so I can repeat it next year. At least, I now have a near perfect blue print for my soil.

And the Cobra Kai vine tips told the story on nitrogen. 35 parts per million is the top end of adequate for nitrogen and I am at 249 parts per million. lol

Long live Cobra Kai


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, so, my plants got a late start, as some of you probably read, as I kept getting held up by bad seeds, animals, weather...but things are finally getting started!! Here are some pics...again, still small, but it's better than nothing!

Here, we have two teeny baby Kandy Korn pumpkins...that new bush type that I had a hard time getting to germinate. Hopefully, one of them will take off and do well. No idea how these will do, being a newer variety.









These next is just a full garden pics...everything is still so small, lol, but starting to take root and grow, now...soon, it will be a jungle in there, as usual, if all goes as it should.










The next two pics are my decorative mini gourds and JBLs...those are the ones that I grow upwards and across ropes to the other ones like an archway of random minis.

















These are extra gourds and extra Kandy Korn pumpkins. If the ones in my garden and the ones I already took over to my mother in law's all survive, I'll give these guys to someone to plant. I always like to have backups for us both, though, for a bit, just in case.









I grew some sugar pie pumpkins, too, but those are at my MiL's house...I meant to grow some for myself, but then I bought those Kandy Korn pumpkins and had to choose for space. I may rearrange and try some Pie pumpkins, myself, next year.

I'll post more pics when things get bigger. I'll try to get pics of my babies that are over my MiL's, too, later.

(She just told me she has a surprise volunteer pumpkin plant that came up where she had them for Fall decor. She has no idea what kind or size it could be, as she had multiple diff pumpkins there. It could even be a hybrid if it was cross pollinated. She has to try to carefully move it, as my FiL doesn't want pumpkin vines all over the front yard, lol. We will see if she is successful.)


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Drum roll, please. ................................. Disease test came back. Made some headway but I was still disappointed given the amount of time and energy spent on addressing the problem. I reduced my pythium by nearly 50% so that was good but it is still high. My verticullium wilt which was high at 54 cfu was knocked down to just 1 cfu. My pythium ultimum was low at 4 cfu before and got knocked down to 0. 

But that darn fusarium. I did not make a dent in it at all. I asked Harry at Western about that and basically the response was the fusarium is year long struggle in which you hope to contain it. Fusarium is a saprophyte which means that it does not need a living host to thrive. The other diseases can survive in soil but fusarium once established can thrive with or without plant material, Oh well, at least I did make some progress.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

We've had a few days of rain and cooler temps and everything in the garden is going nuts. I have raised beds and use Earthboxes for most things, pumpkins included. Still a bachelor party in there, all male flowers. Hoping it will ramp up soon. This variety (Fall Splendor) appears to have a little variegation on the leaves, but not as much as the Fairy tales. I'm just happy to have 4 heathy plants. I know that sounds like a lot for a planter this size, but they are amazing for squeezing a ton into a small space.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I've got 5 thriving plants so far! My experimental seed i started in a planter decided to show its face yesterday also. I had, I think, a squirrel almost dig up a few of my strong plants but he seems to have moved on. I was home from work today due to a strained muscle in my back, I got Really bored...so I tilled/sowed 1 more spot in my backyard and planted a Big Max seed there. I've noticed like 3 bumble bees buzzing around a lot lately back where the plants are, maybe they are getting ready. Anyways, if I can get even 1 successful pukkin out of these plants ill be happy. If I can get 2 successful pukkins per plants im gonna consider that a very Happy Halloween for me. We shall see! I'll get pics this weekend...Happy Halloween 🎃


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

While I am pretty sure that my season is going to end in about 4 weeks due to disease, I will trudge ahead and hope for the best. I had one female and one male open on Tuesday which is all that it takes when things go right. I am pretty confident that I have a pollinated pumpkin. I wish I had more plant behind it, but it is what it is.

The shape is not as classy nor as symmetrical as Kdestra's fairy tale pumpkin but it will work. The funny thing about giants is that how it starts and where it ends up can be extremely different.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

My season....


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

In the 4th picture, I only planted 1 seed...but 2 plants came out...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> While I am pretty sure that my season is going to end in about 4 weeks due to disease, I will trudge ahead and hope for the best. I had one female and one male open on Tuesday which is all that it takes when things go right. I am pretty confident that I have a pollinated pumpkin. I wish I had more plant behind it, but it is what it is.
> 
> The shape is not as classy nor as symmetrical as Kdestra's fairy tale pumpkin but it will work. The funny thing about giants is that how it starts and where it ends up can be extremely different.
> 
> ...


Dude, you are in a totally different & much higher class then my pumpkins. I toss the seeds in ground & say: Good Luck, cause you're gonna need it.

Buncha Hooligans are taking over the back trellis. I'm really worried about these because the squirrels LOVE them.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Dude, you are in a totally different & much higher class then my pumpkins. I toss the seeds in ground & say: Good Luck, cause you're gonna need it.


Not much of a higher class when I can't get something to the finish line. lol But I do enjoy the mental/academic challenge of the whole process. And your pumpkin arch was probably one of the top ideas in this group. I like the diversity of growers that we have on this forum. Your arch and WK's ghost gourds are two things that I will probably never forget.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra, are your vertical supports for your arch store bought or something homemade? They look nice and sturdy.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Not much of a higher class when I can't get something to the finish line. lol But I do enjoy the mental/academic challenge of the whole process. And your pumpkin arch was probably one of the top ideas in this group. I like the diversity of growers that we have on this forum. Your arch and WK's ghost gourds are two things that I will probably never forget.


Well, hopefully the Porch construction is over soon & the arch can come back out front. Thanks so much for your kind words.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Kdestra, are your vertical supports for your arch store bought or something homemade? They look nice and sturdy.


It's a Cattle Panel that we bought from Tractor Supply. It's supported with fence posts. It's incredibly strong & can withstand strong winds (50mph Tstorms). If you have the arch out front, you have to make sure it looks good: Spray Fungicide, remove dead leaves, etc. I put the Halloween lights on the arch before the vines grow over it. This way it has an organic feel to it & vines hide wires. 

It was a busy morning: hand pollinating pumpkins & burying vines. Of course one pumpkin grew where it wasn't supposed to but I did my best. I got food poisoning on Thursday night & still feel terrible


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Finally spotted my first female flower. She's a couple of days away from blooming, but now I know she's there. Just wish the timing didn't coincide with triple digit heat indices this week...🥵


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Finally spotted my first female flower. She's a couple of days away from blooming, but now I know she's there. Just wish the timing didn't coincide with triple digit heat indices this week...🥵


Try to give your plants some shade. You can. Use an umbrella, old sheets, etc.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

morganmac said:


> Finally spotted my first female flower. She's a couple of days away from blooming, but now I know she's there. Just wish the timing didn't coincide with triple digit heat indices this week...🥵


You must be in the same neck of the woods as me, we are suppose to get lots of heat this week. I won't be using any sources for shade, just gonna prolly water mine maybe twice a day


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I'm in NW Georgia. Fortunately, my plants are shaded from about 2:00 on, and there may be some scattered rain in the mix. Crossing my fingers everything does okay. June is a little early for this for us!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Try to give your plants some shade. You can. Use an umbrella, old sheets, etc.


Something I had reasonable success with was getting some styrofoam coolers from the store, cutting in and out access holes on two sides, and putting it over the pollinated flower with a few frozen 1-2L bottles of water during the hottest parts of the day. Seemed to help.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

We are in the record highs heatwave, too...I don't have flowers, yet, because of my later start...but I need to keep them alive through this. Ug.
Good luck, everyone!!


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Try to give your plants some shade. You can. Use an umbrella, old sheets, etc.


I use burlap cloth from Home Depot, gives them enough shade that they stop wilting but enough sun through all the little holes.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

@MCR & @Goosebumps those are fantastic ideas. I didn't have a lot of time so I put a small patio table over the pumkin w/a cushion. 

The 2 Fairytale pumpkins I hand pollinated are growing (yay)


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Lost my set pumpkin from last Tuesday. It should be the shape of a cantaloupe but it is more like a lemon. lol My pollination yesterday does not look like to took hold. So from here on out, it will be all hands on deck. I will pollinate anything on the main or on the last two secondaries. Hopefully, I will have something pollinated before the end of June.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Heat index yesterday hit 108. Yuck.

Very, very glad I relocated my garden this year. Think I might take that cooler suggestion, if this doesn't break before it's time to pollinate. I have a bunch of styrofoam coolers from mail order bacon (Neuske's... the best!) that I could use.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Still another super hot day, today. These heat indexes are killer.

On a good note, I can see male flower buds starting to form on my Gourds and JBLs. My new Kandy Korn pumpkin plants are still sooo small, though. I hope they start to catch up, soon, as those are the ones I really want! 

My lettuce/greens are done for the season (with this heat, the only way they even made it this far was the shade I built to put over them...on that topic, since people were talking about it, I grabbed some of those mesh laundry bags from Dollar Tree and put them over a wooden frame to set over my greens. It would work for pumpkins, too!)...so, I will pull up the remaining greens that are now close to bolting/bitterness, and I may plant another Kandy Korn pumpkin plant in that spot, once I prep it, since I still have those extra seedlings.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I've got 5 strong-growing plants thus far, maybe 3 males flowers right now, 2 flowers on one plant and 1 on another. No females yet. Gotta love waiting games


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

🛑 /Bug warning/ 🛑


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> 🛑 /Bug warning/ 🛑
> 
> View attachment 761573
> 
> ...


Time to charge the electric bug racquets


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Fingers crossed the (slightly) lower temps, shaded spot thanks to these ginormous leaves, and some hand pollination will result in my first pumpkin. Spotted 2 more females on the way, too!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I just got back from vacation, and after catching up on this thread, I can’t wait to get my seeds in the ground tomorrow! I wanted to wait until I got back so I didn’t need to rely on my one to water for me. 

A question for the group: This is the first year I’ll be using a soaker hose instead of overhead watering. For those that go this route, how long do you leave the water running each time, and how many times per week do you water? When I did overhead watering, I’d just turn the sprinkler on for two hours at a time, a few times a week depending on how dry the soil looked.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I have a combination of raised beds and sub-irrigated planters (Earthboxes). I use a drip irrigation setup for both. I usually do 30 min twice a day, but with our current heatwave I bumped it up to 45 min. I can't say how well it's done for the pumpkins quite yet (though they look good so far!), but this setup has worked for other veggies in my garden for several years. I imagine it would be similar with a soaker hose.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, I got my lettuces and greens pulled for the season and one of the extra Kandy Korn Bush Vine Pumpkins planted in that empty spot...so, here is what I have, now:

Here is that tiny baby Kandy Korn I just planted:









Next is the first Kandy Korn pumpkin plant...not much bigger than the potted one I just planted...I hope their growth picks up, soon!









Then, we have two JBL plants that will grow upwards...they are doing very well, now:









Finally, my two assorted decorative gourd plants, which will grow up the other cage...once they all get to the tops of their cages, I have ropes across between the two that they can climb across too the other cage and it always makes me a cute little arch of vines.









Now, I just have to keep all of these alive...plus everything else in the veggie garden...through this next heat wave that starts tomorrow and goes for who knows how long...it's a good thing I don't have female flowers to worry about, yet!

(Oh, and I lost a few of my giant and mammoth Sunflowers...not sure if an animal broke off the tops, the wind, or the heat wilted the tops to the point of just snapping off. Sigh. This heat has GOT to stop...for me, for my plants and for the outdoor wildlife!)


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

🤬 Squirrels


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 🤬 Squirrels
> View attachment 761652


Awwww...I would just cry.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I remember the year I grew the Jarrahdales and mystery Ghost Gourdkins...the animals were so bad, that year, I had to build little cages around every single pumpkin/gourdkin!!
It's been so hot, that the animals have been eating and digging all my plants all over, trying to find moisture, I'd suppose. I even have a bird bath out there that I keep putting cool water in, for them. This may be another year where I have to try to protect my pumpkins and gourds...


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

93° and sunny in central IA today. Im not providing any shade for my 8 plants, just keeping them well-watered. So far so good! Maybe a total of 5 male flowers right now. I did some weeding on each mound today also, I wanna keep them clear since I'm using food and store-bought soil this year. My longest vine is prolly 6-7' long so far. Hoping to see some females in the next week 🙏🙏🤞


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Awwww...I would just cry.


I did 😭


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I remember the year I grew the Jarrahdales and mystery Ghost Gourdkins...the animals were so bad, that year, I had to build little cages around every single pumpkin/gourdkin!!
> It's been so hot, that the animals have been eating and digging all my plants all over, trying to find moisture, I'd suppose. I even have a bird bath out there that I keep putting cool water in, for them. This may be another year where I have to try to protect my pumpkins and gourds...


 You should do it asap ~ don't make the same mistake I did.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Wow, a lot of traffic tonight. Well, I pollinated a pumpkin this morning. I decided to follow the MCR route and use frozen water bottles and a cooler. But I just made my own cooler using half inch styro-foam and duct tape. It looks big in the picture but it is only 12 in. by 10 in.

I was trying to use something a little smaller than a cooler. I placed frozen Gatorade bottles inside the cooler. For fun, I added a pic of some bottles from last year which were still in the garden. Amazing how a year later, one was half full and the other two-thirds full. I would have imagined the water would have been gone a year later. Pretty cool.

Thankfully, my plant is big enough where I have flowers every day. I had six today. So they all got used. In addition to the cooler, I added some 40% shade cloth that I bought last year. I am doing what I can to offset the 96-97 degree weather coming this week. I have one more pumpkin on the main that will be ready this week. Starting next week, I should have four or five options a week once I start pollinating ones on secondary vines. If the one today takes then I might hold off on the secondary pollinations.

Finally, if anyone is still reading. I added a wifi thermometer/hygrometer by Govee, It is working great and was pretty inexpensive- less than $15. Pretty cool that it collects historical data and I can check the garden temp on my phone at anytime. I have it set to give my cell phone an alarm when the temp gets over 85. During this heatwave it might go off before I wake up. lol Here is the link if anyone is interested.









Amazon.com: Govee Hygrometer Thermometer H5075, Bluetooth Indoor Room Temperature Monitor Greenhouse Thermometer with Remote App Control, Large LCD Display, Notification Alerts, 2 Years Data Storage Export, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden


Amazon.com: Govee Hygrometer Thermometer H5075, Bluetooth Indoor Room Temperature Monitor Greenhouse Thermometer with Remote App Control, Large LCD Display, Notification Alerts, 2 Years Data Storage Export, Black : Patio, Lawn & Garden



www.amazon.com


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> You should do it asap ~ don't make the same mistake I did.


I'm far from getting any females, yet...


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Okay on my fancy temp thing, I get email notifications when alarms are set, but I cannot dial in directly from work. Apparently there is a $45 dollar model that allows instant WIFI updates.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> A question for the group: This is the first year I’ll be using a soaker hose instead of overhead watering. For those that go this route, how long do you leave the water running each time, and how many times per week do you water? When I did overhead watering, I’d just turn the sprinkler on for two hours at a time, a few times a week depending on how dry the soil looked.


Here is my blurb about water for what it is worth. One inch of rain a week is considered ideal for pumpkin plants. One inch of rain is about 650 gallons per thousand sq ft. Since you are growing regular pumpkins, I think your goal could be to keep the soil moist more days than it is not.

I used to use a tuna can when I was into watering my lawn with a sprinkler. Just put a tuna can out in a good consistent spot. When it is full, you have reached an inch. Funny, how a lawn takes two inches of water. I guess it must be the shallow root system.

Anyway, I use a flow meter with my drip tape which is what I would suggest with a soaker hose. They run about $20 on Amazon. You have seen my previous posts about how much I love mine. I put out 150 gallons tonight before I started writing this diatribe.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Question for all you more experienced pumpkin growers. I know a lot of people prune their vines so they don't take over the garden, or to help the plant focus on a few select fruit rather than making a ton of so-so ones. Is this just for growing giant pumpkins, or general good practice? I'm growing a semi-bush variety that's staying pretty compact, so I don't need to worry about space (yet), but I'm not sure about pruning and how it affects yield.

I've read all kinds of contradictory articles and posts about this. Just thought I'd get your 2 cents. And this is probably premature...but I need time to prepare myself if I'm going to have to fight through prickly vines to prune anything. These things are lethal. 😬


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Question for all you more experienced pumpkin growers. I know a lot of people prune their vines so they don't take over the garden, or to help the plant focus on a few select fruit rather than making a ton of so-so ones. Is this just for growing giant pumpkins, or general good practice? I'm growing a semi-bush variety that's staying pretty compact, so I don't need to worry about space (yet), but I'm not sure about pruning and how it affects yield.
> 
> I've read all kinds of contradictory articles and posts about this. Just thought I'd get your 2 cents. And this is probably premature...but I need time to prepare myself if I'm going to have to fight through prickly vines to prune anything. These things are lethal. 😬


I try to prune off & bury the Tertiary vines (This way the plant directs its energy into the main vines)
^^^^^
I honestly try..... but I always end up with miles of vines anyway. Because of SVBs I think it's more important to bury the vines next to your pumpkins. This way if the main vine dies the pumpkins still can get nutrients from soil.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

If my vines get too long and I run out of space in my small garden, I tend to pinch off the very ends of the vines to stop them from growing, further. Pinching them off at the very teeny tip will allow them to kind of self heal because the "wound" is so tiny, and the last of the leaves at the end grow just fine. (I don't grow giant pumpkins, nor do I have to worry about limiting my vines to strengthen certain pumpkins, so I'm not the best person to ask, lol. I grow smalls and minis, so I want as many as I can get!)
I agree, though, whether you remove/prune off full vines or not, burying areas of secondary vines so they can root can be a lifesaver if your main vine gets an issue. 

Side note, my first male flower of the season bloomed, today! Bring on more males, so more bees will show up and be ready for the females!!!!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

morganmac said:


> Question for all you more experienced pumpkin growers. I know a lot of people prune their vines so they don't take over the garden, or to help the plant focus on a few select fruit rather than making a ton of so-so ones. Is this just for growing giant pumpkins, or general good practice? I'm growing a semi-bush variety that's staying pretty compact, so I don't need to worry about space (yet), but I'm not sure about pruning and how it affects yield.
> 
> I've read all kinds of contradictory articles and posts about this. Just thought I'd get your 2 cents. And this is probably premature...but I need time to prepare myself if I'm going to have to fight through prickly vines to prune anything. These things are lethal. 😬


I’ve always just let my vines grow and have never pinched them off. If I need to, I’ll just redirect the vines in a different direction.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Over the last two days, I’ve FINALLY gotten my seeds in the ground. I had to till and make my mounds on Monday, then planted about a dozen seeds. Yesterday I planted the remaining 44 seeds. I ended up planting 21 Captain Jack Seeds, 29 Gladiator seeds, 3 Full Moon seeds and 3 Striped Cushaw seeds, the Captain Jack, Gladiator and Full Moon seeds were from Harris Seed company. To each of the mounds, I added cow manure, then covered with landscaping cloth, and finally laid down my soaker hose

I also have 7 rows of ornamental corn planted which totals 161 seeds.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I’ve always just let my vines grow and have never pinched them off. If I need to, I’ll just redirect the vines in a different direction.


Oh, I do a lot of redirecting, too.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I saw a teeny little female! Let's hope the heat doesn't kill it off before it even opens...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Over the last two days, I’ve FINALLY gotten my seeds in the ground. I had to till and make my mounds on Monday, then planted about a dozen seeds. Yesterday I planted the remaining 44 seeds. I ended up planting 21 Captain Jack Seeds, 29 Gladiator seeds, 3 Full Moon seeds and 3 Striped Cushaw seeds, the Captain Jack, Gladiator and Full Moon seeds were from Harris Seed company. To each of the mounds, I added cow manure, then covered with landscaping cloth, and finally laid down my soaker hose
> 
> I also have 7 rows of ornamental corn planted which totals 161 seeds.
> 
> ...


You're always so professional! Everything looks fantastic


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor, it is amazing how far you have come over the last couple of years with your set-up. Very nice!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

The nice thing about giving half of the patch the year off is that no matter what happens this year, I have hope for next year. The mustard is growing well in the heat and I will till it under in a couple of weeks. For mustard to work as a soil fumigate it has to be cut up to release the active ingredient. From the sales blurb of one company:

"Mustard has high levels of potent glucosinolates (GSLs), the biotoxic compounds that make mustard spicy and act as natural fumigants. Chopping mustard breaks the plant cell walls, releasing GSLs into the soil."

Well, if the pumpkin thing does not work out, I am a pretty good mustard grower and the flowers are not too shabby. lol


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> If my vines get too long and I run out of space in my small garden, I tend to pinch off the very ends of the vines to stop them from growing, further. Pinching them off at the very teeny tip will allow them to kind of self heal because the "wound" is so tiny, and the last of the leaves at the end grow just fine. (I don't grow giant pumpkins, nor do I have to worry about limiting my vines to strengthen certain pumpkins, so I'm not the best person to ask, lol. I grow smalls and minis, so I want as many as I can get!)
> I agree, though, whether you remove/prune off full vines or not, burying areas of secondary vines so they can root can be a lifesaver if your main vine gets an issue.
> 
> Side note, my first male flower of the season bloomed, today! Bring on more males, so more bees will show up and be ready for the females!!!!


This sounds like a reasonable plan for me, since that's how I'm planning to grow. These Fall Splendor are supposed to be around 5 lbs each, so I'll take as many as I can get, too! These seem to be bushy, along the lines of zucchini, so I'm hopful they don't take over the garden. 

I think the first pumpkin didn't take, after all. It hasn't gotten any bigger since I tried pollinating it. Unless the growth is slower on these than expected... but most other cucurbits show an immediate increase in size once they're pollinated. Oh, well. There are several other females lined up to take its place over the next few weeks. 

I did notice I have an abundance of fuzzy bees helping me out this year. I'm thrilled.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I saw a teeny little female! Let's hope the heat doesn't kill it off before it even opens...


There’s not much better than when we finally start seeing the females form and grow. Good luck!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> You're always so professional! Everything looks fantastic


Thank you so much! The two previous years I was way, way behind due to the extension of tax season. Now that I’ve had a normal year, I was able to get out in the garden and do a lot better preparation. Hopefully it pays off this year! I had really good results last year, but had many plants that didn’t produce anything, and had to battle Powdery Mildew again. My hopes are that planting a little later, and running the soaker hose instead of overhead watering, will help with both the SVB and the powdery mildew problems.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Mayor, it is amazing how far you have come over the last couple of years with your set-up. Very nice!


Thank you Colonel! I planted some of the beautiful corn seeds you had sent me a few years back, and so far the germination rate looks promising!

Seeing the extra steps you take each year has kind of nudged me in the direction of doing a little more each year in hopes of getting better results.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> There’s not much better than when we finally start seeing the females form and grow. Good luck!


Thanks!
Yes, I always love seeing those tiny females popping up...it will be a little bit, yet, before they bloom, but I can see a teeny pumpkin and a teeny gourd, so far! There may be more hiding in there, but I'm not up to hunting for them, lately. I just need them to survive the heat until we get another break from it!!

I worry that this will be a year that I can't work in the garden, as much...it's already beginning, that way. I'm struggling to just water...


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Thanks!
> I worry that this will be a year that I can't work in the garden, as much...it's already beginning, that way. I'm struggling to just water...


WK, sorry to hear that. Hopefully, things will level out.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, it looks like my Sunday pollination has taken hold. However, it has been a 100 degrees everyday except for today's 97. So, I am not holding out much hope even with the using the cooler. Heat wave is officially over this weekend. Looking at high 80s next week. Next week, needs to be the magic week.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I'm in the same boat, Colonel. First two hand-pollinated in addition to loads of bees around, but both ended up being duds. Can't wait for this heat to be over. Don't know why it bothers the pumpkins so much when the cukes and melons don't object. I'm covered up in gherkins and have half a dozen little melons going, now I just need that magic with the pumpkins.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

My situation is mostly unchanged, I have multiple vines @ 7+ feet with multiple male flowers on each one. We had a streak of 90's+ weather here and all I did was keep them watered twice a day....it worked! Hoping I see some females soon 🙏 🤞


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Okay, THIS one pollinated. Woohoo!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Well, I have lost my second pollination around the day four mark. I had a feeling on Thursday. These baby pumpkins darn near double every day until 20 days after pollination (20 DAP). On the bright side the one I pollinated yesterday is bigger than the other pollinations this year after one day and the temps should be scaling back into the upper 80s. No picture jinx until it reaches day 10. lol


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Here are some of mine, we found 4 females on 2 plants.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Well, I have lost my second pollination around the day four mark. I had a feeling on Thursday. These baby pumpkins darn near double every day until 20 days after pollination (20 DAP). On the bright side the one I pollinated yesterday is bigger than the other pollinations this year after one day and the temps should be scaling back into the upper 80s. No picture jinx until it reaches day 10. lol


Sorry to hear about the second pollination. Hopefully the third times the charm! Orange U Glad you got into growing pumpkins?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

If all goes well, I'll be pollinating the first of my JBLs tomorrow morning and, possibly, the first of my gourds the following morning. We are in a tiny window of not melting type weather, so I am hoping both will make it and other teeny females that I see popping up will have a chance to get strong and bloom, too. It looks like I will have males for tomorrows pollination, we will se about for the gourd.
(I can't wait to see what kinds of gourds I'll be getting...planting from those assortment packs is always a surprise! The current female is bicolored, green and orange, I think...it's adorable. I hope it makes it.)

I'm a little worried, though, about how low to the ground these first females are (since I grow them upwards)...they will be close enough for an animal to get to...I'll have to see if I can put something up to "disguise" them a bit, lol.

I checked out my MiLs little pumpkin patch of seedlings I started, for her...she has them and some volunteers that popped up in her flower garden (she transplanted them out of the flower garden) all planted in one small spot...oh boy...that's going to be a mess. She has JBL's, Sugar Pie, Gourds, Kandy Korn and one or two mystery volunteers all clumped together...though, I think she said my FiL planted them like that, so, lol, may the odds be ever in their favor. I can't even tell which ones are which...I see she has had some males, already, but I don't see any females, yet, on any of hers. 
She will, somehow, probably get more pumpkins and gourds than me, hahaha...sigh.

Side note, not pumpkin related, but maybe one or more of you knows...either the wind or an animal nearly flattened all my garlic stalks to the ground. It's almost harvest time...do any of you have garlic experience and know if they will survive? They don't seem to have broken off the bulb, but bent badly...


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> We are in a tiny window of not melting type weather


I am right there with you. It just feels like that the heat wave was two weeks too early.




WitchyKitty said:


> Side note, not pumpkin related, but maybe one or more of you knows...either the wind or an animal nearly flattened all my garlic stalks to the ground. It's almost harvest time...do any of you have garlic experience and know if they will survive? They don't seem to have broken off the bulb, but bent badly...


No experience, but water powers plant life. It would seem to me that if they are bowed but unbroken, then the plant should be fine just shorter. lol


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> I am right there with you. It just feels like that the heat wave was two weeks too early.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 These heat waves, after heat waves, after heat waves...all feel a month too early...
As for the garlic, we JUST finally got a little rain overnight...no idea how much, but we've been dry as a bone through most of this heat. I've been watering like crazy. I'm hoping they will perk back up after the wind has calmed and I just watered, again...but they look pretty bent. If the greens don't make it, they won't be shorter, they will be gone, because they bent at the ground. It was like what you would see in a corn crop circle, lol, but in my garlic...wait...aliens????!!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

So, as I was taking my dog out this morning and doing my usual checking of my pukkins I noticed that that female flower I have pictured above had her flower Wide open. My gf and I had thought maybe she was already preggers because of the size of its "bump". After a closer look, I decided to manually pollinate her with 2 male flowers. The first male was quite "Ready" (lots of pollun) for some action and I took the 2nd male flower as a "just making sure" final touch haha. For those of you with a good sense of humor....I couldn't help but think to myself, upon seeing this flower...."That is a Huge vagina". Anyways, Happy Halloween!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Yesterday was one week since I planted my seeds, and so far, the results have been very encouraging. Out of the 56 seeds, I’d estimate 44 of them have germinated. Fingers crossed the remaining seeds come up in the next few days. We’ve had a decent amount of rain the past week, and the temperature has been in the 80, and a couple days reached the 90s.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Lots of female flowers & no males. I picked a few squash flowers & tried pollinating this magnificent Fairytale. I won't save seeds from this pumpkin ~ I just want it to grow. I'm also keeping it covered so nothing can eat it.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I have had a few females shrivel up and die off before the flower even opened. Is it the heat? Should I supplement with something?

My one pollinated pumpkin is going strong, at least! Now I'm getting greedy and want more!


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Well I got my first female flower a few days ago but I don't think it's doing well even though I hand pollinated. We got to 103° yesterday and 100° today. I had a second one open on another plant today, so we'll see how that one does.
I usually have an overabundance of squash bees around the plants as soon as the male flowers open, but I have yet to see a single one.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Sorry to hear about the second pollination. Hopefully the third times the charm! Orange U Glad you got into growing pumpkins?


Lol. God, I absolutely love a joke within a joke. That made my day. You are the first one to ever make that connection.


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## Chela625 (7 mo ago)

I am so inspired by all of you. I just bought a house and the backyard is big! I’d love to grow pumpkins, but I think it’s a little late here in NM. I just don’t know where to start. I’ve grown flowers in pots (lived in apts), but never a garden. Any pointers for next year?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Well I got my first female flower a few days ago but I don't think it's doing well even though I hand pollinated. We got to 103° yesterday and 100° today. I had a second one open on another plant today, so we'll see how that one does.
> I usually have an overabundance of squash bees around the plants as soon as the male flowers open, but I have yet to see a single





morganmac said:


> I have had a few females shrivel up and die off before the flower even opened. Is it the heat? Should I supplement with something?
> 
> My one pollinated pumpkin is going strong, at least! Now I'm getting greedy and want more!


It's probably the heat. My pumpkins always drop when the temps go into the 90s. I think someone here suggested putting frozen water bottles next to pumpkins during hot days. I'm definitely trying that this summer.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Lol. God, I absolutely love a joke within a joke. That made my day. You are the first one to ever make that connection.


Lol. I love going to that site and seeing everyone’s progress. I came across one diary and immediately knew who it belonged to once I saw the mustard picture.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Chela625 said:


> I am so inspired by all of you. I just bought a house and the backyard is big! I’d love to grow pumpkins, but I think it’s a little late here in NM. I just don’t know where to start. I’ve grown flowers in pots (lived in apts), but never a garden. Any pointers for next year?


It might not be too late. Try growing mini pumpkins on a trellis. They are easier to take care or & doesn't involve a lot of maintenance. 

For next year pick a spot in your yard that gets plenty of sunshine & afternoon shade. (Shade protects pumpkins during heatwaves) Dig out grass & weeds then start amending soil. Good luck


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> It's probably the heat. My pumpkins always drop when the temps go into the 90s. I think someone here suggested putting frozen water bottles next to pumpkins during hot days. I'm definitely trying that this summer.


 Yes, I was going to do that for ones that might have pollinated, but didn't even think about doing it for ones that were still too little to open. Oh well, live and learn. Our temps cooled down so hopefully we'll get some more opportunities to try.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Wow, a lot of traffic tonight. Well, I pollinated a pumpkin this morning. I decided to follow the MCR route and use frozen water bottles and a cooler. But I just made my own cooler using half inch styro-foam and duct tape. It looks big in the picture but it is only 12 in. by 10 in.
> 
> 
> View attachment 761660
> ...


Definitely trying the frozen water bottle idea this week. Thanks for the tip


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

The drought watering schedule proved too much for the pumpkins, so I'm completely out of the game this year.

I'll have the water system to support such a thing installed by next year.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Here's the progress of the one pumpkin that's pollinated correctly. That sturdy stem makes me happy.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

After the past two years, I swore I’d do a better job of keeping up with weeding, watering, fertilizing and spraying for bugs. So far I’ve been able to keep up and this is the best my garden has ever looked. Out of the 56 seeds I planted, 48 germinated. While tilling this morning, I came across 5 volunteers that must have been from my rotting pumpkins from last year. I tried transplanting them into spots where the original seeds didn’t germinate. I don’t have much hope of them surviving, but it was worth a shot.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

morganmac said:


> Here's the progress of the one pumpkin that's pollinated correctly. That sturdy stem makes me happy.
> 
> View attachment 761996


I can’t wait until mine get to that stage. That one looks really good so far!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Lots of female flowers & no males. I picked a few squash flowers & tried pollinating this magnificent Fairytale. I won't save seeds from this pumpkin ~ I just want it to grow. I'm also keeping it covered so nothing can eat it.


I had to do the same thing...my first female mini pumpkin opened and there wasn't a male open in sight...not even on my gourds. I saw one zucchini male open, so decided trying is better than not! So, I used a ton of the zucchini pollen, then just for pretty much useless extra trying to give this baby any chance, I grabbed a spent male from the day before (I know that the pollen deteriorates in percentage of viability to pollinate after it's first morning being open, but, it wouldn't hurt anything...maybe there would still be .0000000001% of one single dot of pollen that would work, lol.) and I even grabbed a male that would be opening the next day, opened it up and use it, too...even though I know the pollen probably wouldn't be mature enough, yet...but, again, as with the spent bloom, it was a hail mary, lol. So far, it hasn't aborted and looks a little bigger, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 
I had a gourd open the next day and I had a male to use, so it's growing, nicely, already. 
With the 90s back in swing for our temps, I'm hoping they both make it and the baby females that I see getting ready to open will be okay.

Seriously...the things we do to try to make healthy babies!!! My neighbors have gotten used to me, out in the garden at sunrise, digging through the leaves, searching for flowers, in my PJs, bed head and all, lol.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> The drought watering schedule proved too much for the pumpkins, so I'm completely out of the game this year.
> 
> I'll have the water system to support such a thing installed by next year.


Awwww...I'm so sorry. That sucks, big time. I hope next year works out better for your pumpkins, watering system, weather...all of it. How crummy...hugs, darlin'.

I know many of us are fighting this weather...those of you in warmer states are feeling it even worse. I am sorry, too, to those of you who are keeping your plants alive but still losing your females to this heat...I hope you get some more females that manage to make it.

I know I'm struggling to keep my garden going...pumpkins, gourds and, flowers and all. I've already lost plants to this weather nightmare. Thankfully, though the heat keeps coming back, we may be, finally, getting some rain this coming week. We will see...

To those of you with big gardens already doing well, and those with sizeable pumpkins growing, already...congrats! It all looks great!

I agree that some mini varieties may be able to be started, now, and still get tiny pumpkins and gourds by Halloween. Once they get started, they grow pretty fast!

On the bee note...I haven't seen any bees in my veggie garden, either. As was mentioned, we usually see them once the males start to open and attract them...but, so far, my garden has been fairly quiet, besides the start of some evil insects that I DON'T want in there. Where are my bees??


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Here's the progress of the one pumpkin that's pollinated correctly. That sturdy stem makes me happy.
> 
> View attachment 761996


That stem is gorgeous & so is your pumpkin.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Here's my current one and only








(Hand for skale)

The gf and I just did a walk-through of all the vines, we found another 6 baby female flowers growing! We also have 3 more plants that were started maybe 2 weeks later which are also growing strong, prolly another week or so before any flowers though as the vines themselves are less than 3'. My backyard is gonna be a mini pukkin patch! Totally stoked. Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, my hail Mary-pollinate-with-anything-available-because _Where Are My Males???_ mini pumpkin took and is, now, growing!! So, I have a pumpkin and a gourd already growing and I just pollinated another one of each, this morning.
We, finally, just got rain, so I hope that will do some good for the whole garden.
I remember, back when I first started growing, I had dozens of minis already going, or even near full grown, in July. Sigh, those were the days...


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I just pollinated this first one, and here are the rest of my new females!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Here's a pic of the vines themselves without any close ups. I've been using bloom booster maybe once a week. I just bought an organic liquid fertilizer from Earl May called Fox Farm "grow big liquid plant food" that I started using today. Its a 6 - 4 - 4. Havent been using any shade on the hotter days, just watering twice a day...Basically when I see the leaves wilted


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Yesterday was a fairly long day. I mowed and tilled under my mustard. I look forward to tilling early in the season because it is like the harbinger of Spring. But tilling in July just plain feels like work.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

#1, #2 and #3! Just manually pollinated #3 today!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Looking good, everyone!🎃

I pollinated another mini pumpkin, yesterday and one, today, too. Our temps go back up into the 90's, starting today (not including the heat indexes, which will probably be worse...), so we will see if they actually take or if the heat proves too much. I saw a fallen baby gourd on the ground, already, this morning...one that hadn't bloomed, yet, not a pollinated one. Still sad. I worry I will see many more, this week. 

The squash bugs have arrived. I was really hoping that, since I got a late start, this year, that my insect issues wouldn't be bad, but it has begun, so, we will see. I've been trying to capture the little buggers when I see them...
Still no bees, though, even though I now have pumpkin, gourd, zucchini and cucumber flowers open to lure them over...not to mention, other flowers and lots of clover opening in the yard.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Pumpkin #2 seems to be a go! There's one other female on a different vine that I'm watching, hoping it doesn't shrivel up before opening. We're slated to be in the low 90s this week, with a decent chance for rain every day this week. Hopefully that helps. 

Found where a TINY bunny has been getting into the garden and chomped on my most recent bean planting, so I closed up that fence hole. Otherwise I've been pretty pest free thus far, but I noticed today that spider mites have found one of my watermelon plants. Hoping to keep them contained and the plant around long enough to harvest the watermelons growing on it, then I'm pulling that sucker. Spider mites are the worst. ☹


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Col. Fryght said:


> Yesterday was a fairly long day. I mowed and tilled under my mustard. I look forward to tilling early in the season because it is like the harbinger of Spring. But tilling in July just plain feels like work.
> 
> 
> View attachment 762107


Wait! What! Tilling today!?! The heat & humidity up in Virginia is brutal... down there it's got to be deadly. Looks really good tho. Great job


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

@WitchyKitty - yay on mini pumpkin polination
@morganmac - boo on spider mites! They are massive jerks 

Lots of female pumpkins & no males. Been trying to pollinate with other squash but only time will tell. On the other side of garden: corn is tall, tomatoes are blushing & peppers are popping.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, here are some pics, finally. First, I'll show you the babies, and in the next post, I'll show you the plants.
Here are the JBLs, assorted Gourds and Kandy Korn pumpkin babies, so far:


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

...and here are the plants/vines, themselves. The JBLs and Gourds are getting close to the tops of their trellises and I'll need to go tie the ropes between the two so they can climb across, soon!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Ok so, I need some opinions please. All of my vibes are growing strong, I actually pollinated my fourth female today! One of my vines has some yellowing on the leaf-ends. I googled this and the majority of the answer was "too little or too much water but not disease". Should I concern myself or just keep doing what I have been?


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

🤩 Wow everyone's looking great! 
I lost that first female flower, but the second one seems to have taken off. I'm finding about 3-4 squash bugs a day now at least. I also found cardboard shrapnel on the leaves tonight, presumably from neighborhood fireworks, so that's a first.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Found and removed my first leaves with squash bug eggs on them. Sigh. That's when you know things may get out of control, soon. I've only captured 4 of them, so far, which is waaaay lower of a number, but one of them must've had time to lay eggs, or there are more that I'm not seeing. Oh well, what can ya' do?

I just pollinated another JBL...I'd be happier about that if today wasn't going to be a heat advisory day. It already feels like you could cut the air with a knife, out there at 6am...
I may lose this one and some that are just about to bloom. Fingers crossed!!!!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Goosebumps said:


> 🤩 Wow everyone's looking great!
> I lost that first female flower, but the second one seems to have taken off. I'm finding about 3-4 squash bugs a day now at least. I also found cardboard shrapnel on the leaves tonight, presumably from neighborhood fireworks, so that's a first.
> View attachment 762175


Looking good! I also "harvested" a bunch of firework shrapnel from my neighbors this morning.

Had my next female dry up before opening yet again. 😐 So now I am back to 2 pollinated and no more females on the immediate horizon. The second a new female shows up, I'm slapping this styrofoam cooler on it!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Ok so, I need some opinions please. All of my vibes are growing strong, I actually pollinated my fourth female today! One of my vines has some yellowing on the leaf-ends. I googled this and the majority of the answer was "too little or too much water but not disease". Should I concern myself or just keep doing what I have been?


That's a hard one, right now, because the weather has been so off the wall, and I'm sure your weather is similar as you aren't too far away from me.
I have some minor yellow edged leaves near the bases and interiors of my plants, too...I haven't been able to figure out if it's the unbalanced watering/weather moisture situation, the early, extreme heat, ect. The vines are growing just fine, though, and most are healthy and green, and they are producing fruit, so I'm just going to keep doing the best I can with the crazy weather and temps.

If you have lots of yellowing leaves, though, I would think something is off...

I'm sure one of the other members in this thread may have better info on watering, as I don't get all into timers and soaker hoses and all that...I don't have the energy to try getting fancy. I just water when it doesn't rain, lol. I wish I had the answer you were looking for.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> Ok so, I need some opinions please. All of my vibes are growing strong, I actually pollinated my fourth female today! One of my vines has some yellowing on the leaf-ends. I googled this and the majority of the answer was "too little or too much water but not disease". Should I concern myself or just keep doing what I have been?


In the past I've had a bit of yellowing on my leaves but like WitchyKitty mentioned I don't usually get too alarmed as long the plant is still growing/producing and it's not spreading to the majority of the other leaves. I'm still a newbie though.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Yeah, I also have not really concerned myself with the yellowing. All the vines are strong, I mean I think im actually gonna have a really good year this time around! I water twice a day and use liquid "grow big" vegetable fertilizer maybe twice a week. I've seen no troublesome issues so far....except for weeding about my vines which gets annoying.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

My first pumpkin is already starting to turn orange and it is the first week of July. 😬 How in the world do I keep this thing from rotting before October?!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

morganmac said:


> My first pumpkin is already starting to turn orange and it is the first week of July. 😬 How in the world do I keep this thing from rotting before October?!


You should be fine. It will probably quit growing by early September and you can pick it. You figure all of those pumpkins put out on October 1st were harvested in September. As long as the vines stay disease free, I bet your pumpkin will last through November.


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

So, I have officially lost my fourth pollinated pumpkin. This one made it to about day 5 and had a 12inch diameter. I have pollinated four more this week. Two on the main vine, and on two secondary vines. If they do not take, then I will stop for the season. I have maxed out my 1k sq ft growing area.

Making lemonade out of lemons, if I cull my plant then I can solarize it in August. And since this will be my resting patch next year it will get another cycle of solarization next year before plants are grown again. I have high hopes for solarization.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> My first pumpkin is already starting to turn orange and it is the first week of July. 😬 How in the world do I keep this thing from rotting before October?!


If it ripens ~ pick it & store in a cool, dry place (basement). It should harden & be totally fine.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I am proud to announce that I've forgotten how many pukkins I have. Last I checked I was at 7...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The squirrels won't get this Fairytale Pumpkin or a few others I found in the patch


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I thought I had another to pollinate, this morning...but, when I went out there, I found one that had already opened, yesterday. I don't remember pollinating it, though. So, we will see if it grows or not. Since I haven't seen any bees around the pumpkins, if I didn't pollinate it, I doubt it got pollinated. Fingers crossed.
I think I have a gourd to pollinate, tomorrow, though, it may be storming, making that a bit hard to do. I have a couple gourds that are looking like close to being mature and ripening, soon...no idea what I'll do with those, for now. They are growing faster than I expected.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Well I got home from work today and found one of my Big Moose plants limp and wilted. Waited for the sun to go down to see if it was heat stress but all the other plants are happy now and it's still looking like it's dead. ☹ No sign of any damage and it hasn't been treated any differently than the others. I noticed that it was at a standstill the last few days growth wise, and the one female flower I had on it was neither growing or dying... 🤷‍♀️


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Upon some inspection today, my gf noticed that one of my Big Max vines had been severed completely off from the ground . The vine was maybe 2ft long and with no flowers yet but was fully green. Im surprised it stayed green for so long, we r assuming it had been severed for at least a day because we check them all daily. We also assume one of our dogs ran it over while playing (i have a grown german shepherd and she had a puppy husky). Its late, almost too late in the season but I decided to toss in 2 more big max seeds into the same mount and just prune it to the strongest vine. We are having such good luck this go-around, I figured just go for broke. Lots of weeding in our weekend plans also. Happy Halloween 🎃!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Well I got home from work today and found one of my Big Moose plants limp and wilted. Waited for the sun to go down to see if it was heat stress but all the other plants are happy now and it's still looking like it's dead. ☹ No sign of any damage and it hasn't been treated any differently than the others. I noticed that it was at a standstill the last few days growth wise, and the one female flower I had on it was neither growing or dying... 🤷‍♀️


Have you checked the base of the vine for any signs of squash vine borers?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Well I got home from work today and found one of my Big Moose plants limp and wilted. Waited for the sun to go down to see if it was heat stress but all the other plants are happy now and it's still looking like it's dead. ☹ No sign of any damage and it hasn't been treated any differently than the others. I noticed that it was at a standstill the last few days growth wise, and the one female flower I had on it was neither growing or dying... 🤷‍♀️


Oh no!! That's heart breaking. Your pumpkin was probably attacked by a Squash Vine Borer. 
One of the ways I try to deal with them is by burying the vines. That way if the main vine is attacked - the vine will have additional roots & still live. 

WK is right, go check your plants for eggs


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Still have my 2 pumpkins. Still watching any females dry up in the heat, despite my best attempts to save them. As quickly as this first pumpkin grew, though, I'm hopeful I can keep these plants alive until the heat settles down a bit and maybe they'll produce some more.

Super glad I got a variety with powdery mildew resistance. The humidity is killer here this summer. Ugh.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> Have you checked the base of the vine for any signs of squash vine borers?


That's a good idea! Our state Fish and Game department has it listed as not naturally found in Idaho though. 🤔 I'll still go check the vine after work, thank you guys for the suggestions! Hopefully they haven't found their way up here!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> That's a good idea! Our state Fish and Game department has it listed as not naturally found in Idaho though. 🤔 I'll still go check the vine after work, thank you guys for the suggestions! Hopefully they haven't found their way up here!


I had never seen one in my area, either, until...eh, the year before, I think? I have heard others say they just started seeing them, too, around the same time as me, in other states. They must be moving outward, a bit...maybe they got to your state, too. I hope not, but always best to check! When I had seen my first one, and couldn't catch it, it got to one of my vines. I dug into the base of the stem and...eeew. Those larvae are so gross!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I had never seen one in my area, either, until...eh, the year before, I think? I have heard others say they just started seeing them, too, around the same time as me, in other states. They must be moving outward, a bit...maybe they got to your state, too. I hope not, but always best to check! When I had seen my first one, and couldn't catch it, it got to one of my vines. I dug into the base of the stem and...eeew. Those larvae are so gross!


This is how I spot & kill SVB
I have a hedge of Catnip but anything in the mint family works. Svbs love it & buzz around it. Meanwhile, I'm laying in wait to whack them with an electric racquet or a flip flop. They aren't good flyers & they don't sting so I hit them as hard as I can & kill them. 
I probably look insane but I've gotten quite good at it.


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

Does anyone have any tips on the BEST WAY to PREVENT squash bugs???!!!! They destroyed my garden last year & I want to get ahead of the game! I planted pumpkins a month ago & they are beautiful. I also planted some more this week of some other varieties.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Batsycat1986 said:


> Does anyone have any tips on the BEST WAY to PREVENT squash bugs???!!!! They destroyed my garden last year & I want to get ahead of the game! I planted pumpkins a month ago & they are beautiful. I also planted some more this week of some other varieties.


Burying the vines next to where pumpkin is located has saved several of my pumpkins. 
The whole vine could collapse but since I bury the vines ~ the plant can keep taking up nutrients & water. Also, check for eggs. Check 2 or 3 times a day if possible. Lastly kill every of the svb you can & get rid of dead/deceased vines quickly


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> Burying the vines next to where pumpkin is located has saved several of my pumpkins.
> The whole vine could collapse but since I bury the vines ~ the plant can keep taking up nutrients & water. Also, check for eggs. Check 2 or 3 times a day if possible. Lastly kill every of the svb you can & get rid of dead/deceased vines quickly


Thank you! I will do that!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Batsycat1986 said:


> Does anyone have any tips on the BEST WAY to PREVENT squash bugs???!!!! They destroyed my garden last year & I want to get ahead of the game! I planted pumpkins a month ago & they are beautiful. I also planted some more this week of some other varieties.


Do you mean actual Squash Bugs, or Squash Vine Borers? They are two different insects.


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> Do you mean actual Squash Bugs, or Squash Vine Borers? They are two different insects.


Honestly, prevention for both...they both took over last yr.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Batsycat1986 said:


> Honestly, prevention for both...they both took over last yr.


I get major infestations of Squash Bugs, sadly. I fight as much as I can, but it's a tough battle. My pumpkins and gourds are in my veggie garden, so it needs to stay as organic/pesticide free as possible in there. So, the best I've been able to do, like Kdestra said, is search, search, search! If I find eggs under leaves, I remove the leaf and discard it (NOT compost, garbage!). If I see live bugs, I knock them into a bucket of soapy water. (I do NOT like killing things...even insects...I'm a catch and release type of witch...but, when you get infestations of certain insects, inside or out, sometimes I have no choice. It hurts my heart to kill them, and the guilt eats at me, as they are only doing what they would normally do...so I'm always torn on the subject of how to deal with them.)


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Beautiful sunny day holding at 84° here in Central Iowa. Here is some of our progress! Hope you enjoy!








































I'm pretty sure the one my hand is on is a Big Max, im curious why the leaves are different...? I've been using a Fox Farm 6 4 4 liquid fertilizer for about a week now. Some of these vines have gotta be 12'+ . There have been signs of mildew in two vines so I'm gonna chillax on the watering and hope thats the issue. We also have a split vines which, Google says and some groups on Fb, may be bugs I guess. The split is at the base but doesn't seem to be effecting the rest of the vine....so I'm not gonna worry about it, for now. Last count was 9! Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

How much trust do you all put in the bees? I began by hand pollinating each new female flower but recently I noticed more and more bees. Like today, I prolly should have been stung like 3 times because of looking down in male flowers and rudely disturbing a bee or 4.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> How much trust do you all put in the bees? I began by hand pollinating each new female flower but recently I noticed more and more bees. Like today, I prolly should have been stung like 3 times because of looking down in male flowers and rudely disturbing a bee or 4.


Well, right now, I still have no bees, which is crazy. I don't know where they are. So, it's a definite that I hand pollinate everything in my garden.

Normally, when I do have bees, they are in there working like crazy, but, just because I want every single one, lol, I still hand pollinate, just to make sure. I leave some males, if I don't need them all, for the bees to do some pollinating, too, so I can be double sure my females will get good pollen coverage. I, also, leave the stamen inside the female stigma so if the bees get in the female flower, they can work the pollen around, directly...plus, just leaving it in there leave even more pollen.

When I have lots of bees, I feel secure that they will do their job and help me out on days I'm not up to getting out to the garden to pollinate, though, if that answers your question a bit more.

...and on the topic of getting stung, I have always worked peacefully with my garden bees. They do their thing, I do mine, we don't bother each other. I talk to them, take pics, sometimes...it's peaceful.

Side note, though...it's easier for me to get to my flowers to pollinate due to the types I grow and that I grow the smaller ones upwards...but if I had a huge patch on the ground, that I'd have to go wading through to get to all the females, I'd probably rely on the bees a little more, lol...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Oh, and for cracked vines...I am not saying any of this is correct, it's just what I've done in the past to protect my vines from insects or such getting in the open wounds...

...as long as there are no SVB larvae in there and the crack is natural, if it's near the ground, I will sometimes bury it with dirt. If up away from the ground, I have even lightly tied soft, clean strips of lightweight cotton cloth around the opening...kind of like a band-aid. 

Again, I never read anything about doing these things for cracks...I just tried them and my vines did fine.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Yeah, this was the seed that somehow gave me two vines. Im pretty sure that we accidentally split the vines during transplant and it survived. The splits are right at the ground so I may try that soil idea. The gf and I just got back in from weeding, weed-wacking and clearing the area. Making way for the vines ends! I also noticed we lost 1 female flower...not sure how we missed her but such is nature I guess.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I get major infestations of Squash Bugs, sadly. I fight as much as I can, but it's a tough battle. My pumpkins and gourds are in my veggie garden, so it needs to stay as organic/pesticide free as possible in there. So, the best I've been able to do, like Kdestra said, is search, search, search! If I find eggs under leaves, I remove the leaf and discard it (NOT compost, garbage!). If I see live bugs, I knock them into a bucket of soapy water. (I do NOT like killing things...even insects...I'm a catch and release type of witch...but, when you get infestations of certain insects, inside or out, sometimes I have no choice. It hurts my heart to kill them, and the guilt eats at me, as they are only doing what they would normally do...so I'm always torn on the subject of how to deal with them.)


I totally understand not wanting to kill bugs. However, I have absolutely no problem killing SVBs. If I don't, I won't have anything: cucumbers, zucchini, squash, pumpkins, etc. They are a major pest in Virginia. I'm just like you & I try my best with the electric racquet....
(that being said)
I will spray the larva. Omg! If I don't get them then I'm doomed


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Well, no sign of vine borer eggs/ larvae in or on my dead plant, so I guess it'll remain a mystery. On the plus side, the squash bees have returned!









@Batsycat1986
For Squash bugs I have a pair of tweezers that I keep on me while I'm in the garden. I use them to grab them by the legs/body. It's easier than using my hands and in my experience once you pick them up they stink.🤢 I also take a little cup of water and dawn soap mixed, and then dunk them in there. I agree with WitchyKitty that I don't like killing things unless I absolutely have to, so the soap kills them really quickly in my experience if you go heavy with the soap in the water mixture. I stick a piece of cardboard out in the patch and usually a few will gather under it when I check later in the day.
For the eggs, if I don't want to remove the leaf, I actually use a cheap stainless steel blackhead remover to scrape off the eggs. 🙊🙈


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

What does everyone use to put under their pumpkins so they don't rot?


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> What does everyone use to put under their pumpkins so they don't rot?


Col. Fryght recommended sand and that's what I've been using this year. I normally use a square of cardboard.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Yeah, the dawn dish soap in the water keeps them under and from climbing back out, so the die quickly in the water...
Like Kdestra said, I hate killing them, but if I don't, I lose most of the garden.
I used to try to scrape off the eggs, but I'd get so many that I gave up and just started removing the leaves.
I use gloves when I'm grabbing the squash bugs off my plants...either that, I knock them onto the ground and get them to climb on a stick or piece of mulch or such to pick them up.
As for the SVB larvae...eew...so, so gross to try to pull them out of the stem with tweezers or such. Ew. I hope I never see one, again.
I honestly cannot remember what I put under my pumpkins when I grew the larger ones on the ground...they grew out of my garden raised bed and into the mulched walkway, so I may have just been okay with leaving them sit on that. With the minis, if I have any growing on the ground instead of up the trellis, I just grab a brick and prop up the vine near the pumpkin so it hangs from the vine off the ground.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Col. Fryght recommended sand and that's what I've been using this year. I normally use a square of cardboard.


The cardboard doesn't rott since it will stay wet?


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> The cardboard doesn't rott since it will stay wet?


In my experience it wouldn't, I would gather all the pieces at the end of the growing season and they'd all be intact, though a little curved with a bit of water damage, but we're pretty dry up here and I know you're in a different climate...


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

Goosebumps said:


> Well, no sign of vine borer eggs/ larvae in or on my dead plant, so I guess it'll remain a mystery. On the plus side, the squash bees have returned!
> View attachment 762472
> 
> 
> ...


This is helpful! Thank you!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> In my experience it wouldn't, I would gather all the pieces at the end of the growing season and they'd all be intact, though a little curved with a bit of water damage, but we're pretty dry up here and I know you're in a different climate...


Haha, I should clarify, I meant to ask....wouldn't the wet cardboard rott the pumpkin?


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

IowaGuy said:


> Beautiful sunny day holding at 84° here in Central Iowa. Here is some of our progress! Hope you enjoy!
> View attachment 762458
> 
> View attachment 762462
> ...


I would check to make sure that vine borers didn't get in & scrape them out! They quickly take over the garden! They look beautiful btw!


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> Haha, I should clarify, I meant to ask....wouldn't the wet cardboard rott the pumpkin?


Oh sorry! No the pumpkins wouldn't rot. The cardboard dries out pretty fast, faster than the soil anyway. 🙂 But so far the sand has definitely been the best.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> What does everyone use to put under their pumpkins so they don't rot?


Unless you’re going for a giant pumpkin, you don’t need anything under it. Farmers don’t worry about every pumpkin in their field, so I don’t worry about it. I plant around 50 plants every year and have never had one rot from just sitting there. Now, if they are in an area that is prone to have a lot of standing water, then I would try and get something under it, but if it’s just on grass, then I wouldn’t worry.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> How much trust do you all put in the bees? I began by hand pollinating each new female flower but recently I noticed more and more bees. Like today, I prolly should have been stung like 3 times because of looking down in male flowers and rudely disturbing a bee or 4.


I hand pollinate even when I have bees around, too. The squash bees and bumblebees are pretty chill and I try to wait until they've vacated a flower before I mess with it, but they don't seem to care even if I'm poking around right alongside them. I also use a little paintbrush rather than pulling male flowers apart, but that's mostly because I'm also out there hand pollinating things with much smaller flowers. 

Humming Al Green or Barry White is a necessary part of hand pollination in my garden. 😂


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Unless you’re going for a giant pumpkin, you don’t need anything under it. Farmers don’t worry about every pumpkin in their field, so I don’t worry about it. I plant around 50 plants every year and have never had one rot from just sitting there. Now, if they are in an area that is prone to have a lot of standing water, then I would try and get something under it, but if it’s just on grass, then I wouldn’t worry.


Voles! Voles are why I must put flat rocks, bricks & stepping stones under every pumpkin. If I don't they will get underneath & eat them.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I've lost all my mammoth sunflowers, now...I think something is trying to climb them to check for seeds (they don't even have blooms, yet) and snapping them. All I have left is a few tiny ones.😭
Something ate my first zucchini, too, just before I was going to harvest it and cook with it. I worry any future ones that grow will get chewed on, too...just like 90% of my tomatoes do every year. 😭
Worst of all, I lost two mini pumpkins that didn't get pollinated, one gourd that the flower was ready to bloom for days, but didn't, then just wilted, and something ripped a long bite or tear down one of my mini pumpkins that was more developed and closer to maturity...which makes me worry that, whatever ate my other stuff will, now, destroy my pumpkins and gourds.😭
I think I figured out why I'm missing flowers opening and them not getting pollinated...I went out, usual time in the morning, males are all open, but the female I was waiting on wasn't. However, upon further inspection, it looked like it WAS getting ready to open. I took a risk and left it, going back outside a bit ago and, lo and behold, it was open. My females are opening later in the morning than usual...odd. I've never had that happen. This is going to complicate hand pollinating. This is why I need my bees as back up!
I am having a very bad week. Ug.

On the up side, I finally saw a happy little bee in my pumpkin flowers! Please, oh please, let this mean more are coming!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I've lost all my mammoth sunflowers, now...I think something is trying to climb them to check for seeds (they don't even have blooms, yet) and snapping them. All I have left is a few tiny ones.😭
> Something ate my first zucchini, too, just before I was going to harvest it and cook with it. I worry any future ones that grow will get chewed on, too...just like 90% of my tomatoes do every year. 😭
> Worst of all, I lost two mini pumpkins that didn't get pollinated, one gourd that the flower was ready to bloom for days, but didn't, then just wilted, and something ripped a long bite or tear down one of my mini pumpkins that was more developed and closer to maturity...which makes me worry that, whatever ate my other stuff will, now, destroy my pumpkins and gourds.😭
> I think I figured out why I'm missing flowers opening and them not getting pollinated...I went out, usual time in the morning, males are all open, but the female I was waiting on wasn't. However, upon further inspection, it looked like it WAS getting ready to open. I took a risk and left it, going back outside a bit ago and, lo and behold, it was open. My females are opening later than usual...odd. I've never had that happen. This is going to complicate hand pollinating. This is why I need my bees as back up!
> ...


Got an idea this morning while jogging. I decided to drill little holes in these containers & put mothballs inside. Then I placed the containers near my pumpkins. Hopefully the smell will drive the critters away & the containers will keep the mothballs from leaching soil. Now, I wouldn't do this near any vegetables you're going to eat because of toxicity. I'll let you know how it works out. 

Sorry about your sunflowers. Squirrels climb mine & rip the flowers completely off. I haven't figured a way to stop them.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Got an idea this morning while jogging. I decided to drill little holes in these containers & put mothballs inside. Then I placed the containers near my pumpkins. Hopefully the smell will drive the critters away & the containers will keep the mothballs from leaching soil. Now, I wouldn't do this near any vegetables you're going to eat because of toxicity. I'll let you know how it works out.
> 
> Sorry about your sunflowers. Squirrels climb mine & rip the flowers completely off. I haven't figured a way to stop them.


Yeah, I can't use the mothball idea, even if it works...all together with my veggies. I hope it works, for you, though! That would help many pumpkin growers on here!

It's usually the squirrels that climb up my sunflowers and either rip the heads off, like you said, or, if the flowers actually got to bloom, eat the seeds before they are even ready! I would, at least, like to see them bloom before they are destroyed. My sunflowers are like a sign, for me, that Fall is coming. The end if Summer. I used to harvest the seeds, when mature, and save them for growing, next year, and for feeding the animals over the winter. I can't do that if they tear off the flowers or seeds, early. No idea what is actually trying to climb them, very early, and snapping the whole stem in half, though, this year. (I know I have baby raccoons in our neighborhood, this year, so maybe the little fluffy babies are getting into trouble in my garden and that's why so much is getting eaten, broken or chewed on in there. Who knows?) 
It's been getting worse, every year, so I think, depressingly, this was my last year trying to grow the mammoth/giant sunflowers. It's a waste of time.
If something eats my two, beautiful gourds that are near mature and down near the ground, I will cry. I still can't believe that they are a bit bigger than expected...I hope they will do okay hanging across the ropes between the trellis towers...


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

A little under 1 month of growth over here in Nashville! I just started some more pumpkin plants this week too!


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Day 10 of growth on this pumpkin! Hopefully I don't jinx myself. 😆 I've got 100° weather coming up this week.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are some more pics...I was snapping pics of the ones that I had successfully pollinated...but my count is down from what I thought I had. I know I lost one growing pumpkin to an animal and two to not getting pollinated, but I thought I had more that had been successful. More animals? Weather issues making them drop? I have no idea...
Here is what I do have, though, besides a couple I just pollinated, today, and some that will be opening, tomorrow.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

...I'm getting to the point where I don't want to step out in the garden, each morning, now. Sunflower, veggie, plant and/or pumpkin destruction every single day. 
I worry for my Kandy Korn pumpkins, since, when they get pollinated, soon, here, they will all be close to the ground and I have no way to protect them...

This can't all be squirrel/chipmunk damage...especially since it happens overnight. There's just too much breakage. I'm thinking it's got to be a larger animal...maybe the raccoon family. I don't know.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> ...I'm getting to the point where I don't want to step out in the garden, each morning, now. Sunflower, veggie, plant and/or pumpkin destruction every single day.
> I worry for my Kandy Korn pumpkins, since, when they get pollinated, soon, here, they will all be close to the ground and I have no way to protect them...
> 
> This can't all be squirrel/chipmunk damage...especially since it happens overnight. There's just too much breakage. I'm thinking it's got to be a larger animal...maybe the raccoon family. I don't know.


Groundhog?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> Groundhog?


It's possible, but whatever is getting my stuff would have to be comfortable climbing up and over a short fence and reaching while climbing, too, which leans me more towards the raccoon family that was, recently, hanging out in our trees. The ground hog tends to hang out across the street at my neighbors house, more...but, it's still possible. Regardless, I can't stop the destruction.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

One of my pumpkins got a small nibbling on also. Im aware we have possums, raccoons, squirrels, fox and a hedgehog. Stay in the fight, think up solutions...don't throw in the towel. Google has tons of deterent ideas


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> One of my pumpkins got a small nibbling on also. Im aware we have possums, raccoons, squirrels, fox and a hedgehog. Stay in the fight, think up solutions...don't throw in the towel. Google has tons of deterent ideas


Aww, I'm sorry your pumpkin got nibbled. If it's a minor nibble, not too deep, maybe it can heal over, if it's still growing. I once had a jarrahdale pumpkin get a tiny bite while it was on the vine, still...I figured, what the heck, dried it off, and filled it in with outdoor caulk, lol. Oddly, it seemed to work!

Well, I won't do anything to harm any animals, (vegetarian animal lover, here) and many natural deterrents I've used used to work, but don't anymore, they've gotten used to them, I guess, so I don't know.
It was bad, enough, when it was my sunflower seeds getting eaten by squirrels, then all the tomatoes in the neighborhood were getting bites taken out of them or ripped off the plants...now, my whole garden seems to be under attack, this year, not just eating the fruits and veggies, but damaging/killing the plants, themselves, too. This is crazy. I wondered if it was because of the crazy heat and no rain, at first, but it's cooled back to normal, recently, and we've finally had rain...but the worsening garden damage just keeps happening...so that can't be the issue.
It makes me wonder if we have a new animal that didn't used to hang out in our neighborhood, before, who really happens to want to get into my garden and have a buffet more than the local regulars who have always lived here.
I'll still continue to try to garden, but my health makes it harder for me to do, as it is, so I just don't have the fight in me, anymore. I'll have to cut back, next year, on what I bother trying to grow.
(Little pumpkins and gourds are something I won't give up trying to grow, unless my health gets to the point where I simply can't do it, at all, anymore.)


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Maybe leave out a separate food source for the critters? I know many of my neighbors set out food for the fox and such...sure it makes for a steady food source and we mostly do it just to watch but maybe they will be lead away from your garden? Just a thought...


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> ...I'm getting to the point where I don't want to step out in the garden, each morning, now. Sunflower, veggie, plant and/or pumpkin destruction every single day.
> I worry for my Kandy Korn pumpkins, since, when they get pollinated, soon, here, they will all be close to the ground and I have no way to protect them...
> 
> This can't all be squirrel/chipmunk damage...especially since it happens overnight. There's just too much breakage. I'm thinking it's got to be a larger animal...maybe the raccoon family. I don't know.


I had stray cats using one of my garden boxes as a litterbox, and what I bought was a motion sensing sprinkler. To add on to what IowaGuy suggested, maybe try putting an easy access food source somewhere else and then put up the sprinkler in your garden. Hopefully whatever it is will learn to go for the easy food and learn to avoid your garden.
Just don't be like me and forget about it and set it off on yourself. 😆


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Maybe leave out a separate food source for the critters? I know many of my neighbors set out food for the fox and such...sure it makes for a steady food source and we mostly do it just to watch but maybe they will be lead away from your garden? Just a thought...


I actually would love to feed the animals and birds, steadily (I put stuff out on occasion), but my husband and some of the neighbors don't want to draw more animals. 

Back home, growing up, we fed and had TONS of different animals and birds...and we fed the raccoons, at night, too, to keep them out of everyone's trash...plus, we just liked the raccoons, lol.

It doesn't help that the neighborhood wildlife have realized I'm an animal lover and won't hurt them...so, they chill in my yard, grazing on everything in site while they do...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> I had stray cats using one of my garden boxes as a litterbox, and what I bought was a motion sensing sprinkler. To add on to what IowaGuy suggested, maybe try putting an easy access food source somewhere else and then put up the sprinkler in your garden. Hopefully whatever it is will learn to go for the easy food and learn to avoid your garden.
> Just don't be like me and forget about it and set it off on yourself. 😆


I would, most definitely, set it off on myself every single morning...😂


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Having a hell of a garden year. 

Do have soaker hoses installed now that will help salvage what is left after the water restrictions in place. 

Pumpkins gone. Corn is going to be stunted IF it survives. On top of the drought, we're getting regular 20-30 mph winds this year with the 100 degree temps that may as well be trying to grow things under a hair dryer. 

Then, I bought several packets of bush beans as a cover crop for bed 2, since it was unexpected boon from the park strip, figured do some nitrogen locking. The kids planted them...about a month after they sprouted I was those must have been pole beans that got mixed in...Turns out they are snap peas. No idea how that got mixed up. Got 2 meals out of those, not bad for a cover crop. 

Box 3 has the corn, I highly doubt it's going to be productive, even for stalks. 

Box 1 tomatoes are a mixed bag. Of the 4 varieties, 1 is thriving and the rest are just doing OK with the water situation. Hoping the soaker hoses help.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Just ordered this, lots of good reviews


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Just ordered this, lots of good reviews
> View attachment 762705


Cool, I haven't heard of that. You will have to let us know how it works.
Just remember...between the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizers, each one enhances a certain part of the plant. Higher numbers of each are needed at different times in the growing cycle. This fertilizer that you purchased would be best used early on in the growth cycle due to the higher Nitrogen. Once your pumpkins really get going and you get lots of fruit, you may wish to switch to something with more Phosphorus and Potassium.

Quotes from Gardening Know How:

"Although Nitrogen is helpful in the early stages of plant growth, too much Nitrogen later on can put baby pumpkins at risk. Cutting back on Nitrogen will prompt the plant to direct its energy into producing fruit instead of foliage. A balanced fertilizer is fine at planting time, but after the plant is established and blooms appear, apply a low-Nitrogen fertilizer with an NPK ratio such as 0-20-20, 8-24-24, or 5-15-15. (The first number, N, stands for Nitrogen.)"

"Nitrogen (N) – Nitrogen is largely responsible for the growth of leaves on the plant.
Phosphorus (P) – Phosphorus is largely responsible for root growth and flower and fruit development.
Potassium (K) – Potassium is a nutrient that helps the overall functions of the plant perform correctly."

Here is more detailed info from Pumpkin Nook (This is a great site for all pumpkin growing info and I try to share it, each year, here in this thread Fertilizing Pumpkins, A Necessity For Hungry Plants. By Pumpkin Nook .):

"On fertilizer packages, these numbers are displayed (I.e.. 5-10-5) to show you the percentage of N-P-K in the fertilizer. Depending upon the growth stage of your pumpkin, you should seek higher or lower levels of these chemicals.

*Nitrogen *Apply higher concentrations of Nitrogen in the early growth stage. It provides the “fuel” your pumpkin plant needs for leaf, root, and vine growth. High levels of nitrogen result in a lush, green plant. Of the three major chemicals, nitrogen can also provide the most damage, as it can burn your plants. Avoid direct contact to leaves and vines. If you have ever put too much fertilizer on a section of lawn, and see it burn out, you already understand the effects.

Too much nitrogen also can reduce or delay the emergence and the number of flowers and fruit. If your plant is growing well, and is a healthy green, but yet has no flowers, stop adding nitrogen for a week or two. As the plant takes in less nitrogen, it redirects it’s energy from plant growth to fruit set and development. Also, extremes of nitrogen can cause wilting(due to burning) of your plants.

*Phosphorous *As the season moves towards the flowering and fruit set stage, switch to a formula higher in Phosphorous. 5-10-5 or 5-15-5 are common ratios. If you do not want to worry too much about what fertilizer to use, this is a good overall ratio for the entire year.

Phosphorous promotes root growth, flowering, and fruit set. Phosphorous is more forgiving, as it does not burn your plants . It is also less water soluble, so an over-application will not do major harm to your plant.

*Potassium* This chemical promotes fruit growth and health. After fruit set, you should either switch to a high potassium fertilizer, or supplement your feedings with extra potassium. Like Phosphorous, Potassium will not burn your plants. Over application however, along with all the other ingredients(sun, water, rich composted soil) can cause your pumpkin fruit to grow so quickly that it outgrows it’s skin and splits or explodes. Take it easy early in the fruit development stage, especially if you are a new grower."


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Gizmos are popping up everywhere in the garden. They are getting out of control & for some reason they enjoy 90°. I don't regret planting 4 seeds this year .... (maybe?) Let's hope this harvest is as good as last year


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Gizmos are popping up everywhere in the garden. They are getting out of control & for some reason they enjoy 90°. I don't regret planting 4 seeds this year .... (maybe?) Let's hope this harvest is as good as last year


They look so funny as babies!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Had a non-pumpkin-related disaster in the garden this evening. Heavy rain brought down my melon trellis and a watermelon fell and split. It was maybe 2 weeks away from being ripe. Bummer. 

My pumpkins are still trucking along. Big one (lol... it's like 5 lbs) is fully orange now. Smaller one stopped getting bigger and it starting to turn. Have a few females that appear to have liked the weather for the past week and haven't shrivelled up into nothing, so I'm hopeful I get a couple more out of these plants.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> Had a non-pumpkin-related disaster in the garden this evening. Heavy rain brought down my melon trellis and a watermelon fell and split. It was maybe 2 weeks away from being ripe. Bummer.
> 
> My pumpkins are still trucking along. Big one (lol... it's like 5 lbs) is fully orange now. Smaller one stopped getting bigger and it starting to turn. Have a few females that appear to have liked the weather for the past week and haven't shrivelled up into nothing, so I'm hopeful I get a couple more out of these plants.


Aww, sorry about your watermelon 🙁


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> Cool, I haven't heard of that. You will have to let us know how it works.
> Just remember...between the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizers, each one enhances a certain part of the plant. Higher numbers of each are needed at different times in the growing cycle. This fertilizer that you purchased would be best used early on in the growth cycle due to the higher Nitrogen. Once your pumpkins really get going and you get lots of fruit, you may wish to switch to something with more Phosphorus and Potassium.
> 
> Quotes from Gardening Know How:
> ...


Right when I have an "Ah ha!" moment and think I have a good setup...you further educate me 😂😭. I guess I'll see what happens


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Right when I have an "Ah ha!" moment and think I have a good setup...you further educate me 😂😭. I guess I'll see what happens


Sorry, lol. I didn't mean to ruin your ah ha moment, lol. You might still be able to give your vines a small dose of it when you get it in, I would think a little for each vine would be okay, since it does still have phosphorus and potassium in it and isn't straight nitrogen or a crazy high amount of nitrogen.
I would, maybe, just save the rest for the start of next year's patch when you want to get the vines going and super healthy.

Just remember, whenever you choose to try it, to not use too much, and try to not saturate the leaves with it, so you don't have to worry about the whole nitrogen burning issue.
It looks like it gets good reviews, overall, and will be great for young plants when used how and when it should be...I checked it out, myself...but the few reviews that weren't good seemed to be for those who lost females or had burning due to too much nitrogen, probably using too much or too long into the growing season.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Had a non-pumpkin-related disaster in the garden this evening. Heavy rain brought down my melon trellis and a watermelon fell and split. It was maybe 2 weeks away from being ripe. Bummer.
> 
> My pumpkins are still trucking along. Big one (lol... it's like 5 lbs) is fully orange now. Smaller one stopped getting bigger and it starting to turn. Have a few females that appear to have liked the weather for the past week and haven't shrivelled up into nothing, so I'm hopeful I get a couple more out of these plants.


Ohhh no, not the water melon!!! Those take forever to grow but are so worth the effort. Did you try tasting it? I think I would have ate it & washed it down with salty tears.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Ohhh no, not the water melon!!! Those take forever to grow but are so worth the effort. Did you try tasting it? I think I would have ate it & washed it down with salty tears.


Yeah, we tried to power through and pretend it was good...it wasn't. 😢 It's my own fault for switching varieties at the last minute this year without realizing how big they were going to get. Does confirm for me the need for a VERY sturdy trellis if I ever decide to do pumpkins or gourds vertically!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

I'll be re-reading over the growing tips here when it's cool enough for me to try growing Madhu Ras melons, Ancient watermelons and Red Kuri squash again. It's so hot in Arizona that even the heirloom seeds meant to produce heat tolerant crops have dried up. Maybe in a month.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Yeah, we tried to power through and pretend it was good...it wasn't. 😢 It's my own fault for switching varieties at the last minute this year without realizing how big they were going to get. Does confirm for me the need for a VERY sturdy trellis if I ever decide to do pumpkins or gourds vertically!


I know I talk about this all the time but the only way to grow tomatoes, peppers, small pumpkins, gourds, squash & just about everything else is an Arched Cattle Panel Fence. You can buy them for $24 @ Tractor Supply. You'll also need metal fence posts (they're inexpensive). These things support an amazing amount of weight. Make sure your posts are in deep & the arch will withstand Severe Tstorms with 50 mph gusts.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> I'll be re-reading over the growing tips here when it's cool enough for me to try growing Madhu Ras melons, Ancient watermelons and Red Kuri squash again. It's so hot in Arizona that even the heirloom seeds meant to produce heat tolerant crops have dried up. Maybe in a month.


Those seeds sound amazing!! Good luck


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

I lost two of my baby pumpkins so far, not sure how or why. They got pollinated, made it to the size of maybe a tennis ball and then started to, what looks like, rot. I know I said 7 last time but I've been counting manually pollinated females (which I'm past 9 now). Im gonna just start counting the pumpkins that appear to be growing healthy...so 4(?). My two new seedlings (big max) breached the surface just 2 days ago, I only put like 4" space between them as I was thinking 1 may dud out...but no, so I gotta figure out which 1 is gonna be my stronger plant. I stopped watering everyday, Im trying an experiment because of yellowing leaf edges. We used to water every time we saw wilting leaves but now we are gonna just look at the soil where the vine is...and I'm gonna get a moisture gauge. My planter pumpkin is also growing very strong, maybe 4 male flowers so far. Thats my progress! Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just ran out, a half hour ago, and pollinated a zucchini, a JBL and a Kandy Korn pumpkin...and it started to rain on me while I was out there. I really hope the pollination will take...so far, the rain is light. My Kandy Korn pumpkin is fairly protected by leaves, but the other two are quite out in the open, flowers facing straight up...
Couldn't the rain have waited just a teeny bit longer???


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## Rexracer1129 (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> Cool, I haven't heard of that. You will have to let us know how it works.
> Just remember...between the Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium in the fertilizers, each one enhances a certain part of the plant. Higher numbers of each are needed at different times in the growing cycle. This fertilizer that you purchased would be best used early on in the growth cycle due to the higher Nitrogen. Once your pumpkins really get going and you get lots of fruit, you may wish to switch to something with more Phosphorus and Potassium.
> 
> Quotes from Gardening Know How:
> ...




Great explanation!! I have one plant growing and I have been battling vine borers!!! I planted about 10 seeds- the citters ate all but one.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Rexracer1129 said:


> Great explanation!! I have one plant growing and I have been battling vine borers!!! I planted about 10 seeds- the citters ate all but one.


I'm so sorry you lost most of your plants...I hope you can keep the last one, safe!! Good luck!!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

For the record, I started the pumpkin juice fertilizer today. Ill give updates...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> For the record, I started the pumpkin juice fertilizer today. Ill give updates...


I hope it works awesome!!
(For the record, as a Harry Potter fan, I feel like it's something I really want to drink, rather than something I want to give to my pumpkins, hahaha!)


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

WitchyKitty said:


> I hope it works awesome!!
> (For the record, as a Harry Potter fan, I feel like it's something I really want to drink, rather than something I want to give to my pumpkins, hahaha!)


I mean, I can take a shot and report in...? Haha


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Would someone explain the fertilizer math to me. Example, I now have two fertilizers i can use for pumpkins...the fox farm is a 6 4 4 and my new pumpkin juice is an 11 8 6. Can you mix them, or use both separately? Or should I try to find a separate like 0 20 20? Thanks in advance!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> Those seeds sound amazing!! Good luck


Thanks! I'll be sowing seeds again in a few weeks when we're down to 100F or less. I buy my seeds from Baker Creek, which specializes in heirloom seeds.


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm so sorry you lost most of your plants...I hope you can keep the last one, safe!! Good luck!!!


Thank you,. It's sad to see them struggling and then die, but I knew I would lose most of them in the extreme heat. I'll wait a few weeks for the lower temps in the middle of August and sow seeds again. Ha, Arizona summers aren't like regular summers


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> Thanks! I'll be sowing seeds again in a few weeks when we're down to 100F or less. I buy my seeds from Baker Creek, which specializes in heirloom seeds


BC is Ok but I usually trade seeds with people. 
If I buy seeds ~ I order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
They are located in Virginia & the seeds always grow for me.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

We attempted to put down some weed barrier fabric today, we didn't know that the vine itself roots multiple times with, what seems, like every male flower. Sorta threw a wrench in things, so we got creative and decided to cut a slit down the center (middle) of the 4' fabric and just cozy it up to the vine. Totally putting down fabric first next year


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> We attempted to put down some weed barrier fabric today, we didn't know that the vine itself roots multiple times with, what seems, like every male flower. Sorta threw a wrench in things, so we got creative and decided to cut a slit down the center (middle) of the 4' fabric and just cozy it up to the vine. Totally putting down fabric first next year


Yeah, you want to let those nodules down the vine root...you definitely don't want to stop that from happening. Those extra roots help get more water and nutrients down the long vines and, more importantly, if your main vine gets damaged, somehow, all those extra roots could save your plant/pumpkins!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

It's that time of year to start spraying Fungicide. Hopefully these Fairytale pumpkins & gizmo gourds don't rot.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> It's that time of year to start spraying Fungicide. Hopefully these Fairytale pumpkins & gizmo gourds don't rot.
> View attachment 762962
> View attachment 762963
> View attachment 762965
> ...


Yup, I found a leaf with powdery mildew a few days ago. I've started to spray too.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Yup, I found a leaf with powdery mildew a few days ago. I've started to spray too.


It's so frustrating when a healthy pumpkin stops growing then rots & dies


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Well, I figured the rain, the other day, would hurt my pollinating chances...I'm pretty sure one of my first two Kandy Korn pumpkins didn't set. Sigh. I just pollinated another, today, and the first one is doing okay, but you only get so many on a plant, being a bush style, and it hurts to lose one. If I'd had known how much it would rain, I would've tried to cover the flower or tie it closed. Oh well, too late now.

My second Kandy Korn pumpkin plant is still sooo small. It's not really doing much. I don't know if I'll get anything from it or not.

We are getting back into the hotter weather, again. We have a few days, coming up, that I hope won't be too hot for the females.

Happily, I do have a fair amount of JBLs and Gourds going, as long as nothing eats them. I even got a zucchini, before the animals got to it, and I am going to get into the Fall spirit, today, and make my Zucchini Chocolate Chip Spice muffins...just going to pretend it's not still mid July, hot and humid, lol.🎃


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Right there with you, WitchyKitty. Had a female open this morning in a hellatious rainstorm. I managed to scrape some pollen out of the 2 males that are open and try pollinating during a break in the weather, but we're due for more rain and I have no idea if it took. I made a little lean-to roof over it out of a seed tray and a pot, so hopefully that will keep the pollen in there long enough to work? 🤷‍♀️


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

FTs are plumping. I'm guarding this thing big time.
Muhaha... just smashed a squash bug!!! Those thing are ugly


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> Right there with you, WitchyKitty. Had a female open this morning in a hellatious rainstorm. I managed to scrape some pollen out of the 2 males that are open and try pollinating during a break in the weather, but we're due for more rain and I have no idea if it took. I made a little lean-to roof over it out of a seed tray and a pot, so hopefully that will keep the pollen in there long enough to work? 🤷‍♀️


I hope yours end up setting!! Good luck!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here is a pic of my bridge of pumpkin and gourd vines.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Beginning to think this one is secretly a watermelon. 😆


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Beginning to think this one is secretly a watermelon. 😆
> View attachment 763226


It's gorgeous!! What type of pumpkin is it?


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

I got the seed from the St. Croix Growers Association, they grow giant contest pumpkins. This one was labeled as a jack o lantern type that came from pumpkins weighing 100+ lbs. I'm not able to grow a true monster yet, so i figured it would be fun to try these.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> I got the seed from the St. Croix Growers Association, they grow giant contest pumpkins. This one was labeled as a jack o lantern type that came from pumpkins weighing 100+ lbs. I'm not able to grow a true monster yet, so i figured it would be fun to try these.


So cool! It doesn't look anywhere near finished growing. How big do you think it will get? Is it humid where you live? Humidity here feels like 200%. It's s so bad in Virginia it actually can rot my pumpkins


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Goosebumps said:


> Beginning to think this one is secretly a watermelon. 😆
> View attachment 763226


I think it's a Dilly of a Jack. Grew one (without knowing exactly what it was) a couple years ago. It will orange up but the shape probably stay elongated.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> So cool! It doesn't look anywhere near finished growing. How big do you think it will get? Is it humid where you live? Humidity here feels like 200%. It's s so bad in Virginia it actually can rot my pumpkins


No clue, but I'm hoping it'll grow rounder. 😆 
No, not very humid here in Idaho, but we're in the middle of a heat wave.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

MCR said:


> I think it's a Dilly of a Jack. Grew one (without knowing exactly what it was) a couple years ago. It will orange up but the shape probably stay elongated.


Interesting. 🤔 Looks like I'm going to have to carve it sideways then. 😆


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Something nibbled the female I was waiting to see if it pollinated. 😡 Pretty sure it's either mice or bunnies, as we really don't have squirrels thanks to the dog (she didn't eat them, just encouraged them to relocate!).


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch. However it looks like there are 5 solid Fairytale Pumpkins in the patch. All of them are healthy & growing plumper day after day. The jbl vine was attacked by SVB but I sprayed the vine & it looks great. There's 1 huge gizmo out there. ( It's HUGE!) I really hope it stays alive because I'd love to harvest it's seeds. This is my 3rd year growing gizmos ~ I think they are finally acclimated to my growing zone.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Well this 100°+ weather is getting to the leaves. I took the burlap down last week in an effort to ward off the powdery mildew.








I think I've also lost two pumpkins. (Not the big one thankfully) Question: should I snip the dying ones from the vine or just leave them? Trying not to add too much more stress to the vines but they're about coconut sized.
I also have a little Toad pumpkin that appears to be already turning completely orange, another jack o lantern type, and the last one is the from the Big Moose vine. (Who chose to grow in the rocks 🙈)


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm losing females due to the heat...especially the gourds. Mostly the gourds, actually.
I hope things pick back up after this weekend and it cools back down.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> Well this 100°+ weather is getting to the leaves. I took the burlap down last week in an effort to ward off the powdery mildew.
> View attachment 763361
> 
> I think I've also lost two pumpkins. (Not the big one thankfully) Question: should I snip the dying ones from the vine or just leave them? Trying not to add too much more stress to the vines but they're about coconut sized.
> ...


The stems on your pumpkins are really nice. "I like big stems & I can not lie!"

When my pumpkins start to rot ~ I let them fall of the vine then toss it. (I am by no means an expert on this)

Tried to get a few pictures of the Giant Gizmo gourd before it gets to hot. Idk about you guys but the mosquitoes here are insane.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm losing females due to the heat...especially the gourds. Mostly the gourds, actually.
> I hope things pick back up after this weekend and it cools back down.


Oh no that's so sad. Are you able to give them a little shade?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Oh no that's so sad. Are you able to give them a little shade?


Not really, because they are growing taller than my head.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

We have 4 pukkins as of today....but...they all seem to have stalled when the size of volleyball. No idea why. Some of the vines are starting to whither and die off but the main vines appear strong with some signs of struggle near the base. I think I may have over fertilized them tbh. Do the larger pukkins turn orange but keep growing for months? My very first pukkin has been orange for at least 2 weeks now but I dont see it getting bigger, all I planted was 30lbs+. Ideas anyone?


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

morganmac said:


> View attachment 763280
> 
> Something nibbled the female I was waiting to see if it pollinated. 😡 Pretty sure it's either mice or bunnies, as we really don't have squirrels thanks to the dog (she didn't eat them, just encouraged them to relocate!).


Looks an awful lot like when I had slug problems.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Im having a tough time with rodents and deer.  my neighbor (from the city) thinks its cute to feed racoons and deer. Also dealing with a SVB issue now trying the BT injection system and we'll see what survives. But the hot weather has really made everything grow so fast!!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Im having a tough time with rodents and deer.  my neighbor (from the city) thinks its cute to feed racoons and deer. Also dealing with a SVB issue now trying the BT injection system and we'll see what survives. But the hot weather has really made everything grow so fast!!!!


How does the BT injection work? I had to rip out a jbl vine because of Svbs 😔

My Fairytale pumpkins are free range. Seriously, it's the only way I get a decent harvest of pumpkins. So of course one of the very best FTs grew between the fence. It was very difficult to support but I finally wedged a garden edger & wooden plank underneath.

Found it while weeding but I'm afraid to pull weeds & disturb growth.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> How does the BT injection work? I had to rip out a jbl vine because of Svbs 😔
> 
> My Fairytale pumpkins are free range. Seriously, it's the only way I get a decent harvest of pumpkins. So of course one of the very best FTs grew between the fence. It was very difficult to support but I finally wedged a garden edger & wooden plank underneath.
> 
> Found it while weeding but I'm afraid to pull weeds & disturb growth.


You inject BT down at the base where they like to attack. Its supposed to be done as a preventive measure but my guys were.to little to inject right away so im going to try as a combative measure. Ive done something similar but this time i have smaller needles that do less damage. I used to use baster injectors. Lol...that was always a hot mess with a fresh shot in the face!!! I will let you guys know if they are saved. This BT is the truth...i did snap off one stem and found a vine borer in there and squirted him with it and he died quick (and i hope it was painful) hehehe


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> We have 4 pukkins as of today....but...they all seem to have stalled when the size of volleyball. No idea why. Some of the vines are starting to whither and die off but the main vines appear strong with some signs of struggle near the base. I think I may have over fertilized them tbh. Do the larger pukkins turn orange but keep growing for months? My very first pukkin has been orange for at least 2 weeks now but I dont see it getting bigger, all I planted was 30lbs+. Ideas anyone?


Lemme start off by saying this is the first year I've done big orange pumpkins; been doing pale atlantic giants that never turn orange until now but decided I didn't like the color. Those that stalled at volleyball size eventually got some sort of funk at some point and I just had to cull them. The folks I follow on youtube that do big orange pumpkins have a roughly 100 day growth period. But they track their growth pretty closely and seem to think that slowing growth rarely turns around again.  They are also very careful to keep their pumpkins covered in the sun to keep the skin from hardening and restricting growth. Fingers cross you're able to get some more pounds on there if the plants are healthy. I'm far from an NPK ratio pro, but I'd definitely cut back on N (if you haven't already done so) since you don't want to grow salad over fruit at this point.


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## restingWITCHface (Sep 27, 2013)

Hi!
I was very excited to join the thread this year after not attempting to grow pumpkins for quite a while now. The squash vine borer really does something to (squash 😆) your spirit when it silently takes down huge beautiful plants and vines doesnt it? 
I thought i would try again this year with my youngster. It was going beautifully..i thought..could this be?? Weve avoided the borers!! But then they became apparent. I still haven’t had the chance to get to the local garden center for some BT and my attempts at removing those little jerksters from the vines has been difficult and I’ve only managed to snag a few. With very young, very spirited young children running around i feel as though I barely have enough spare time to feed myself or take a shower let alone perform tedious vine surgeries out in the blazing hot garden so it feels as though most of my vines may be done for ☹ Im still happy to read here and cheer you all on!! Once i get a chance I will upload some photos of my little pumpkins that i will keep rooting for! I do have some casperita pumpkins that actually look to be almost ready despite the SVB! So perhaps it hasnt been a total failure 😊 They are just a little too early and was hoping id have them more as fall decorations. But thats ok.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

restingWITCHface said:


> Hi!
> I was very excited to join the thread this year after not attempting to grow pumpkins for quite a while now. The squash vine borer really does something to (squash 😆) your spirit when it silently takes down huge beautiful plants and vines doesnt it?
> I thought i would try again this year with my youngster. It was going beautifully..i thought..could this be?? Weve avoided the borers!! But then they became apparent. I still haven’t had the chance to get to the local garden center for some BT and my attempts at removing those little jerksters from the vines has been difficult and I’ve only managed to snag a few. With very young, very spirited young children running around i feel as though I barely have enough spare time to feed myself or take a shower let alone perform tedious vine surgeries out in the blazing hot garden so it feels as though most of my vines may be done for ☹ Im still happy to read here and cheer you all on!! Once i get a chance I will upload some photos of my little pumpkins that i will keep rooting for! I do have some casperita pumpkins that actually look to be almost ready despite the SVB! So perhaps it hasnt been a total failure 😊 They are just a little too early and was hoping id have them more as fall decorations. But thats ok.


Glad to have you here!!
I'm sorry the dreaded SVB has shown up, again. Best I can tell you, for now, is make sure you have lots of other node/root able areas of all your vines covered with dirt. If you can establish more roots in other spots, you may be able to save some of your pumpkins you have growing...even if the SVBs damage the main stem.
Best of luck, to ya'!! I hope you get some pumpkins! Keep us updated.🎃


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

My vines Are finally starting to take off, and I’ll have my first male flowers open tomorrow. I’ve done my third and final round of 10-10-10 fertilizer, and will move on to a higher P fertilizer next week. We still haven’t had much rain, but the drip system I have in place seems to be working great. Like every year, I’m still battling the weeds. Today I tilled for the final time, as I expect all my vines to take over the entire area in the next week or so. I’ve also used Seven on all the leaves and stumps last week, and have seen a minimal amount of bugs so far.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Well, I think I'm out for the season. We've just had so much heat and humidity and the plants are just giving up on one female after another. Vines are stressed (EVERYTHING in my garden is stressed except the peppers, which are impervious to heat, disease, bugs, and Acts of God) and I think I'm just going to call it. I did get 2 little pumpkins out of them, though, which is better than the last time I tried and only got one! I'll definitely try again next year, maybe a different variety.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

My two pumpkins, picked and washed down with a bleach solution so they'll hopefully last! Smaller one is almost exactly a pound, larger one just shy of 5, which is the size this variety is supposed to be.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> You inject BT down at the base where they like to attack. Its supposed to be done as a preventive measure but my guys were.to little to inject right away so im going to try as a combative measure. Ive done something similar but this time i have smaller needles that do less damage. I used to use baster injectors. Lol...that was always a hot mess with a fresh shot in the face!!! I will let you guys know if they are saved. This BT is the truth...i did snap off one stem and found a vine borer in there and squirted him with it and he died quick (and i hope it was painful) hehehe


Thanks for all of your help. I'm definitely going to do this. Hopefully it will help lower the SVB population next year. None of my neighbors are veg/pumpkin gardeners. So it's up to me.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Some of mine right now 


























We'll how the bt treatment works.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

restingWITCHface said:


> Hi!
> I was very excited to join the thread this year after not attempting to grow pumpkins for quite a while now. The squash vine borer really does something to (squash 😆) your spirit when it silently takes down huge beautiful plants and vines doesnt it?
> I thought i would try again this year with my youngster. It was going beautifully..i thought..could this be?? Weve avoided the borers!! But then they became apparent. I still haven’t had the chance to get to the local garden center for some BT and my attempts at removing those little jerksters from the vines has been difficult and I’ve only managed to snag a few. With very young, very spirited young children running around i feel as though I barely have enough spare time to feed myself or take a shower let alone perform tedious vine surgeries out in the blazing hot garden so it feels as though most of my vines may be done for ☹ Im still happy to read here and cheer you all on!! Once i get a chance I will upload some photos of my little pumpkins that i will keep rooting for! I do have some casperita pumpkins that actually look to be almost ready despite the SVB! So perhaps it hasnt been a total failure 😊 They are just a little too early and was hoping id have them more as fall decorations. But thats ok.


Welcome to the pumpkin patch of insanity 🎃 🎃 🎃 
It's best to throw the dead pumpkin vines in trash. Don't compost them because the SVB can still survive. 
Good luck with your casperitas


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> Welcome to the pumpkin patch of insanity 🎃 🎃 🎃
> It's best to throw the dead pumpkin vines in trash. Don't compost them because the SVB can still survive.
> Good luck with your casperitas


Good advice...i wish halloween wasnt right then too because i never get to rototill in the fall after the pumpkin season is over because i guess thats a good way to get the cocoons at the top of the soil so they freeze to death...those little bastards!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Unfortunately we've got a hoarding situation next door. We know she has rats & have to carefully put out poison in places the fox can't get it. This morning when I watering the pumpkins a rat ran into my feet. It bounced off my right foot then hit my left. I sprayed it & thankfully didn't get bitten. I'm terrified to back to the garden & I've completed had it with the sh!tshow next door.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> Unfortunately we've got a hoarding situation next door. We know she has rats & have to carefully put out poison in places the fox can't get it. This morning when I watering the pumpkins a rat ran into my feet. It bounced off my right foot then hit my left. I sprayed it & thankfully didn't get bitten. I'm terrified to back to the garden & I've completed had it with the sh!tshow next door.


Wow...that is terrible!!! That would freak me out!!!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

He was just saying hello, like many rodents...if you don't deal with it, they will move in and take over


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Wow...that is terrible!!! That would freak me out!!!


Forgot to mention that I was "Barefoot" when it ran into me. I'm still totally freaked out 😱


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

IowaGuy said:


> He was just saying hello, like many rodents...if you don't deal with it, they will move in and take over


True! Very very true! I hate putting out poison but it must be done


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Oh man, I would burn the whole yard to the ground! Nope nope nope. 

Our previous neighborhood was going through a period in which lots of homes were being gutted and flipped. So all the critters living in those poorly maintained older homes started looking for a new place to go. They chewed up my wiring harness in my car (open carport) and did a bunch of other damage before we managed to move.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> True! Very very true! I hate putting out poison but it must be done


If you poison the rat, just know that if something else eats if, after, it will be poisoned, too. Also, if it gets into your walls or somewhere you can't get to and dies, you will have one heck of a horrible smell for awhile...
Have you considered live traps?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> If you poison the rat, just know that if something else eats if, after, it will be poisoned, too. Also, if it gets into your walls or somewhere you can't get to and dies, you will have one heck of a horrible smell for awhile...
> Have you considered live traps?


WK - rats carry the plague. Covid can jump between humans to rats then back to humans again. My neighbor does not care about diseases & her house will have to condemned. No amount of live traps is possible & I'm not touching them 
As I have said, I don't want to put poison out & fully understand the situation.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

This reminds me of The Boy..i hope they dont have a kid living inside their walls!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> WK - rats carry the plague. Covid can jump between humans to rats then back to humans again. My neighbor does not care about diseases & her house will have to condemned. No amount of live traps is possible & I'm not touching them
> As I have said, I don't want to put poison out & fully understand the situation.


I know, I apologize, I wasn't trying to yell at you or start anything...I just brought it up because you said you were trying to put the poison where, say, the fox couldn't get it, but was just saying the fox and other animals could still get poisoned. I just brought it up because of your concern for the fox.
As for your situation, and the lady who has all the rats to begin with, it can't be fun, all around. Can the city get involved if you make a complaint? Have them do a welfare check or something, explaining that there are so many rats coming out of her house and now invading your yard?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are some pics of my pumpkin/gourds:


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

...continued:
(These are the three growing pumpkins on my bigger Kandy Korn bush plant, so far, and the smaller plant that got a later start, which is, now, putting out males and has some baby females popping up.)


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Wow, WK that is impressive. They look picture perfect.

I have officially tapped out this year. Never could get one to set. On the bright side, I did not lose my stump for the first time in four years. My main vine survived though places were getting soft. Just too much disease. The last 4-5 secondaries on each side had stunted roots and the females would die before opening up.

More bright side, no vine borers this year. That has never happened. Probably next weekend, I will solarize the patch until mid-Sept and then plant mustard. Well, half my patch has rested so maybe next year will be the year. 

I will check in periodically and see how everyone's harvest is going. Then I will pop back up in March with hopeful spirits.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Wow, WK that is impressive. They look picture perfect.
> 
> I have officially tapped out this year. Never could get one to set. On the bright side, I did not lose my stump for the first time in four years. My main vine survived though places were getting soft. Just too much disease. The last 4-5 secondaries on each side had stunted roots and the females would die before opening up.
> 
> ...


Thanks!
I haven't had but one female to pollinate this week...my females haven't been surviving until bloom, either. I would bet it's due to the temps, now, being too cool at night, and the cucumber beetles which are coming back with a vengeance. 
The weekend will be in the low 80s and sunny, which might be better for the females and pollination, but the nights will still be rather cool (don't get me wrong, I LOVE the cooler days and nights...but pumpkins don't). Then, starting Monday, the temps will start moving back up and then we will be in 90s with a heat advisory for a couple of the days where we may be closer to 100, with even higher heat indexes, again, which pumpkins, also, don't like...so I can foresee losing more females. We just keep bouncing up and down with our temps and the whole garden suffers for it.
It may look picture perfect, but I tried taking pics that didn't show the powdery mildew starting, lol...ug. I can't complain, too much, though, because the pumpkins and gourds I have, so far, do look nice and I have a fair amount of JBLs...I just hope it all makes it until Fall and Halloween.

Aww, Col., I hate to hear you ended up with a loss, this year. I hate hearing that from any of you...especially those of you who go the extra mile for your pumpkin growing! 
I really hope that this whole routine you have going to condition your soil ends up working like a charm and you get pumpkins, next season!! Keep us posted, still, as to how it's going, this season, with your soil work. 
(...and, maybe, since you didn't have to deal with SVBs, they won't bother to come back, next year! One can hope!)


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

WitchyKitty said:


> Here are some pics of my pumpkin/gourds:
> 
> View attachment 763769
> View attachment 763768
> ...


Wow you grow them beautifully i love vertical gardening!!!!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Col. Fryght said:


> Probably next weekend, I will solarize the patch until mid-Sept and then plant mustard. Well, half my patch has rested so maybe next year will be the year.


Looking forward to hearing how the solarizing goes. Nice excuse to make some lemonade when given lemons. Fingers crossed.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Wow you grow them beautifully i love vertical gardening!!!!


Thanks! 
Yeah, I grow most of mine upwards...unless I grow some in a large container or the couple times I've grown larger varieties and they had to be on the ground (Though, I did grow a small/medium size pumpkin type up on our fence around our small garden, at our old house, and I made little hammocks for them out of thin, soft material, to help support them). 
It helps give me more room in my small garden spaces when I grow things upwards (I grow other things upwards, too, like my Cucumbers), it keeps the pumpkins from any issues sitting on the ground could cause, helps airflow, and I think it just looks cool, lol. It does take a little extra work, though, as you have to help the vines climb up, either by wrapping their tendrils around the bars up the cages or using garden wire or strips of landscape fabric to tie them up when needed. 

...would you believe these black, metal cages that I have them growing up are, actually, old towers for displays that my husband's old job used during their trade shows, lol. They were going to get rid of them and he grabbed them for me to use as trellises.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I had a Gourd, a JBL and two Kandy Korn pumpkins...one of them on the young plant...to pollinate, today. The weather seems pumpkin pollination friendly, today, so I'm hoping all four of these new ones take. Of course, I didn't have any males to pollinate with...and the ones I had were small...but I think I managed to do a good enough job.

I love it when the bees cuddle up and sleep inside the flowers until it warms up outside. I just do my pollinating around them, carefully, while they stay cozy. I always just want to reach in and pet them, lol.


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## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

I'm in a new part of the country now, zone 7 I believe. I'm a very casual gardener, but tried my best at starting a "Jack-o-lantern" and "Sugar Pie" variety in mid-June. The land has a lot of clay, but I dug holes for each plant about 2'x1' and put bagged garden soil with a little seaweed flakes. All the seeds sprouted within just a few days, and the vines started growing pretty rapidly. July/Aug have temperatures in the hundreds almost everyday. The seeds say to plant in full sun...but I think they are struggling. The vines get watered regularly, but seemed to have just stopped growing and the leaves have never really opened fully. Does anyone have any success Oklahoma/Texas with their pumpkins? Also, there have been many blossoms, but no pumpkins yet.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Meet Smiley...he/she stands guard over our firepit and pukkin patch


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> Meet Smiley...he/she stands guard over our firepit and pukkin patch
> View attachment 764055


Cutie!!! We have one, too, but he guards my potted flowers by the side door. (The year before, I did have one temporarily guarding my pumpkins, too!) 
I should name mine...


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Did a major foliar feeding today.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Brooklynhaunt said:


> I'm in a new part of the country now, zone 7 I believe. I'm a very casual gardener, but tried my best at starting a "Jack-o-lantern" and "Sugar Pie" variety in mid-June. The land has a lot of clay, but I dug holes for each plant about 2'x1' and put bagged garden soil with a little seaweed flakes. All the seeds sprouted within just a few days, and the vines started growing pretty rapidly. July/Aug have temperatures in the hundreds almost everyday. The seeds say to plant in full sun...but I think they are struggling. The vines get watered regularly, but seemed to have just stopped growing and the leaves have never really opened fully. Does anyone have any success Oklahoma/Texas with their pumpkins? Also, there have been many blossoms, but no pumpkins yet.
> 
> View attachment 764030
> View attachment 764034


I'm in northern Virginia - Zone 7 with Lots & lots of Red Clay. So I totally understand your frustration. The temps here have been very hot (over 95 degrees). Even though the seed packets say "Full Sun" it's best to plant your pumpkins where they get afternoon shade.
Based on your photos - I think your plants could use a little fertilizer. I recommend something like "TomatoTone" because it doesn't have a lot of nitrogen. 

I'm not sure but one of your photos looks like your vines was attacked by squash vine borers. Do you see anything like saw dust around this hole?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The Fairytales are getting huge!


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## Brooklynhaunt (Feb 4, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> I'm in northern Virginia - Zone 7 with Lots & lots of Red Clay. So I totally understand your frustration. The temps here have been very hot (over 95 degrees). Even though the seed packets say "Full Sun" it's best to plant your pumpkins where they get afternoon shade.
> Based on your photos - I think your plants could use a little fertilizer. I recommend something like "TomatoTone" because it doesn't have a lot of nitrogen.
> 
> I'm not sure but one of your photos looks like your vines was attacked by squash vine borers. Do you see anything like saw dust around this hole?


Thanks @Kdestra! I think it's probably a wrap on these! I first googled "squash vine borers." Then went out to my plants to look... Seems like you called it! I don't know if you can tell by this photo, but I see a lot of "sawdust" and what looks like to be a chewed out cavity... Now, I've got to decide if I should try to save these, or just wait another season. I made a few bad planting choices here. There is always next time!
Good eye! thanks for the fertilizer tips too!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Maybe different geographically but that doesnt look like borer to me...its usually orange frass. I would inject it with BT and cover that area.with moist soil or compost and see what happens. Possibly it grew too quick??? Goonies never say die!!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Maybe different geographically but that doesnt look like borer to me...its usually orange frass. I would inject it with BT and cover that area.with moist soil or compost and see what happens. Possibly it grew too quick??? Goonies never say die!!!!


Hmmm... I've never seen orange frass. Mine's usually a whitish yellowish saw dust color. Either way I agree completely about the BT & covering


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Hmmm... I've never seen orange frass. Mine's usually a whitish yellowish saw dust color. Either way I agree completely about the BT & covering


I think mine was more of a sawdust color, too, when I had a SVB that one time.
It's good to try anything to save the vine!


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## Batsycat1986 (6 mo ago)

My pumpkins are all turning yellow and dying off. I don't have any type of bugs on the plants since I check daily & I have been feeding the plants nutrients. I am just unsure to what is happening. They aren't over watered or under watered either.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Batsycat1986 said:


> My pumpkins are all turning yellow and dying off. I don't have any type of bugs on the plants since I check daily & I have been feeding the plants nutrients. I am just unsure to what is happening. They aren't over watered or under watered either.


Could be weather, or too many nutrients? There are so many things it could be...
I'm sorry they are dying off.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Batsycat1986 said:


> My pumpkins are all turning yellow and dying off. I don't have any type of bugs on the plants since I check daily & I have been feeding the plants nutrients. I am just unsure to what is happening. They aren't over watered or under watered either.


Hi, would it be possible to post pictures of your pumpkins?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The heat & humidity are back. I'll probably loose several baby pumpkins now 💀☠💀☠


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

It's so abnormally hot here, I've got leaf burn and lost a vine. 🫤 This one happened to go into the rock bed so I attempted to put cardboard underneath to keep it from burning on the rocks. It's one of the Big Moose vines; this variety seems to be struggling with the heat moreso than the others.
The "watermelon" pumpkin is still doing good though!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Goosebumps said:


> View attachment 764283
> 
> View attachment 764282
> 
> ...


I love the shape of that one. Hope the heat doesn't do too much more damage!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Im having a tough time with rodents and deer.  my neighbor (from the city) thinks its cute to feed racoons and deer. Also dealing with a SVB issue now trying the BT injection system and we'll see what survives. But the hot weather has really made everything grow so fast!!!!


So a week later and nothing has dropped to the ground and looking for healthy (for now). Im pretty excited to still be in the game. Just fertilized my corn so some of my pumpkins should be very vine-y with the 45-0-0 fertilizer which would be awesome in the haunt!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> View attachment 764283
> 
> View attachment 764282
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about your vines. Is there anyway you can provide shade? When I need instant shade, I place two metal trellises across from one another. Then I get a sheet & drape it across that section. I hold the sheet in place with binder clips. It's not attractive but it works great


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> So a week later and nothing has dropped to the ground and looking for healthy (for now). Im pretty excited to still be in the game. Just fertilized my corn so some of my pumpkins should be very vine-y with the 45-0-0 fertilizer which would be awesome in the haunt!!!


Sounds like you're having a great year. Speaking of squirrels ~ they ripped down my corn & tore off the heads of every single sunflower ((AGAIN)) I'm not wasting time or water growing them next year. Oh & last year they ate my only Big Moose pumpkin but get this, they must have buried some seeds. I just found a Big Moose pumpkin growing in the patch.

The squirrel gods Giveth & taketh away


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Well, I tore everything out of the garden today except the peppers because they're Invincible and I'm drowning in jalapenos. Hung my cornstalks out to dry so I'll have some for fall deco. I had turned off the drip lines to the pumpkins and other stuff last week so they'd wilt down and be easier to squish into a yard bag to dispose of. Despite that, I found a pumpkin the size of a baseball when I went to rip the vines out. Thought about leaving it, but went ahead and removed it all because the vines were in sad shape and wouldn't allow it to get to any significant size. Oh, well.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> The squirrel gods Giveth & taketh away


I want a cross stitch sampler that says this! 😂


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> Sounds like you're having a great year. Speaking of squirrels ~ they ripped down my corn & tore off the heads of every single sunflower ((AGAIN)) I'm not wasting time or water growing them next year. Oh & last year they ate my only Big Moose pumpkin but get this, they must have buried some seeds. I just found a Big Moose pumpkin growing in the patch.
> 
> The squirrel gods Giveth & taketh away


Funny you said that...one of my biggest tomato plants looked like something just bend them over and the stalks on these things were like pumpkin vine size so i had to re-tie them all. I fear deer with my corn they always knock it down and almost create a bed out of it. I just hope it gets to maturity i grow it mainly for my haunt anyways.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Funny you said that...one of my biggest tomato plants looked like something just bend them over and the stalks on these things were like pumpkin vine size so i had to re-tie them all. I fear deer with my corn they always knock it down and almost create a bed out of it. I just hope it gets to maturity i grow it mainly for my haunt anyways.


Our best pumpkins have been volunteers this year...well they may be squash not sure yet...what is a big moose pumpkin?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Our best pumpkins have been volunteers this year...well they may be squash not sure yet...what is a big moose pumpkin?


A garden buddy gave me a few seeds last year. I've never tried to grow them before. 




__





Sites-JSS-Site


Johnny's Selected Seeds




www.johnnyseeds.com





One of the Fairytales cracked 😭 Idk if it was too much rain or to freaking hot or the humidity. Probably everything combined. Hopefully it lives but it's OK if it doesn't. There's several FTs in the patch.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> A garden buddy gave me a few seeds last year. I've never tried to grow them before.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've never seen a baby pumpkin crack like that. Hopefully, it will, somehow, still make it. Sometimes young pumpkins can heal...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> I want a cross stitch sampler that says this! 😂


Omgoodness, me, too!!! It needs to be on a pillow or something, HAHAHA!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I don't have a clue what's going on out in the garden. I've been really sick. I ended up in the ER, this morning...found out I have Covid. 
I'm so sad, as I haven't been able to do any pollinating. I can only hope my bees do the work, for me, but I'm sure I'm losing babies out there, now, between that and the heat. I don't know when I'll be able to get out there. Maybe a week? 
I've been having to ask my husband to, at least, give everything a quick water...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Oh man, I would burn the whole yard to the ground! Nope nope nope.
> 
> Our previous neighborhood was going through a period in which lots of homes were being gutted and flipped. So all the critters living in those poorly maintained older homes started looking for a new place to go. They chewed up my wiring harness in my car (open carport) and did a bunch of other damage before we managed to move.


Wtf!!! Omg!! So glad you got out of there.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I don't have a clue what's going on out in the garden. I've been really sick. I ended up in the ER, this morning...found out I have Covid.
> I'm so sad, as I haven't been able to do any pollinating. I can only hope my bees do the work, for me, but I'm sure I'm losing babies out there, now, between that and the heat. I don't know when I'll be able to get out there. Maybe a week?
> I've been having to ask my husband to, at least, give everything a quick water...


Absolutely nothing matters except your health. 
Everything else can wait (including pumpkins)
Try to rest as much as possible & don't stress yourself out. 
Take care.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Absolutely nothing matters except your health.
> Everything else can wait (including pumpkins)
> Try to rest as much as possible & don't stress yourself out.
> Take care.


Thank you. 💗🎃


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Wtf!!! Omg!! So glad you got out of there.


Me too! I can deal with birds and field mice and bunnies. Rats are a big nope!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> I don't have a clue what's going on out in the garden. I've been really sick. I ended up in the ER, this morning...found out I have Covid.
> I'm so sad, as I haven't been able to do any pollinating. I can only hope my bees do the work, for me, but I'm sure I'm losing babies out there, now, between that and the heat. I don't know when I'll be able to get out there. Maybe a week?
> I've been having to ask my husband to, at least, give everything a quick water...


I hope you feel better soon!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Kdestra said:


> A garden buddy gave me a few seeds last year. I've never tried to grow them before.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I grew big moose in 2020. You can go back and find that thread for my experiences. They struggled with our 100+ temps and needed a TON of water and some shade canopies built. several rotted before harvest, but we got 4 REALLY Nice pumpkins out of it ranging from 60-120 lbs. 

Had similar issues with most the french pumpkins, fairytale included. I believe it 's the heat, they did better when planted IN the corn to get some shade.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

WitchyKitty said:


> I don't have a clue what's going on out in the garden. I've been really sick. I ended up in the ER, this morning...found out I have Covid.


Now that sucks. Garden can wait, get better and keep us posted.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

UnOrthodOx said:


> I grew big moose in 2020. You can go back and find that thread for my experiences. They struggled with our 100+ temps and needed a TON of water and some shade canopies built. several rotted before harvest, but we got 4 REALLY Nice pumpkins out of it ranging from 60-120 lbs.
> 
> Had similar issues with most the french pumpkins, fairytale included. I believe it 's the heat, they did better when planted IN the corn to get some shade.


Thanks for the reminder. I'll totally check out your old posts. Thank you.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

UnOrthodOx said:


> Now that sucks. Garden can wait, get better and keep us posted.





morganmac said:


> I hope you feel better soon!


Thank you, both. 💗🎃


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Had an old, half used seed envelope of Cinderella aka Rouge Vif d’Etampes pumpkins. Planted them a month ago. This week they finally started producing little pumpkins. The shape of Cinderella reminds me of Vidalia Onions


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Hey hey! Its me! The guy who, at first, said he had 9 pollinated pukkins...then started counting only the visibly growing pukkins which knocked him down to 4. So, the anxious, little guy in me may have accidentally killed nearly all my plants by over fertilizating:-(. The 4 I had growing...havent grown any bigger, vines are losing color and leaves are dying/falling off. It was my own fault and I feel I've learned a good lesson this season. Im still holding hopes for a late-started plant. Worse case scenario we go to some pukkin patches again right? Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> Im still holding hopes for a late-started plant. Worse case scenario we go to some pukkin patches again right? Happy Halloween 🎃!


Right there with you. All of my July pollinations have now died. But I've got a solid half dozen pollinated in the past couple days. If just one of them survives the 100F heat coming this weekend, I'll be thrilled.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

MCR said:


> Right there with you. All of my July pollinations have now died. But I've got a solid half dozen pollinated in the past couple days. If just one of them survives the 100F heat coming this weekend, I'll be thrilled.


Yeah, Im basically just watering mine now and seeing what happens. Im not holding my breathe...the entire process has been a good learning experience though! I hope you get a survivor!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Sorry to hear about your pumpkins @IowaGuy
@MCR Did the gizmo seeds grow?

Found a huge Fairytale hiding underneath leaves. Will definitely save seeds from this pumpkin. It probably weighs over 25lbs


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Wintersquash flower must have been 6 inches wide!!! Seeing so many bees makes me happy too!!!!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Sorry to hear about your pumpkins @IowaGuy
> @MCR Did the gizmo seeds grow?
> 
> Found a huge Fairytale hiding underneath leaves. Will definitely save seeds from this pumpkin. It probably weighs over 25lbs


@Kdestra The seeds you sent are one of the few bright spots in the garden this year.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> @Kdestra The seeds you sent are one of the few bright spots in the garden this year.
> 
> View attachment 764423
> 
> ...


They look super duper cute 😍 I was worried they wouldn't grow in such a different climate.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra, was it you who sent me the Daisy Gourd seeds 2 or 3 years ago? Or was it someone else? Those produced like crazy!! That was one of my best harvests!

MCR, yours look great!!!

I'm still stuck with my dear friend, Covid, so I still can't care for my garden. I got a quick peek at it and everything is just covered in Powdery Mildew...my pumpkins, gourds, zucchini...all of it. It's waaay too far infected for me to fight it off once I'm better, too. Sigh. It's too early to harvest everything, so I'm worried for all the mature and baby pumpkins and gourds...
I know my health is more important, and I'm doing my best to rest and get better, but, dang it, I was having such a good season for my minis!! It would be heartbreaking to loose many of them.

The bees must've been doing some work, out there, because there are new babies pollinated, but there are some that I lost, too, that didn't get pollinated. I don't know how many, because I couldn't stick around to count and inspect. I needed to go lay back down. Time will tell, I guess.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

In the vine borers face!!! Two italian zucchini came off tonight and the plant looks amazing after my vine borer murder spree!!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Kdestra said:


> Sorry to hear about your pumpkins @IowaGuy
> @MCR Did the gizmo seeds grow?
> 
> Found a huge Fairytale hiding underneath leaves. Will definitely save seeds from this pumpkin. It probably weighs over 25lbs


Well, this big beautiful pumpkin is now a flat tire. Idw or how but it just collapsed & died.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Well, this big beautiful pumpkin is now a flat tire. Idw or how but it just collapsed & died.


Awww, noooo. I'm sorry. I wonder what the heck happened??


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Awww, noooo. I'm sorry. I wonder what the heck happened??


Probably the crazy hot temps


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## Shouldadone (Oct 14, 2021)

I planted big pumpkins this year. I had a lot of blooms and vines. Now I have white pumpkins growing all over.
I think the hot weather is driving it. I have one large pot where I planted 5 seeds thinking that only one or two might grow, but all of them grew. The only problem is bigger leaves get brown around edges then dry up and crumble. The stalks are still green. The rest of the plant looks fine. Is this normal?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Shouldadone said:


> I planted big pumpkins this year. I had a lot of blooms and vines. Now I have white pumpkins growing all over.
> I think the hot weather is driving it. I have one large pot where I planted 5 seeds thinking that only one or two might grow, but all of them grew. The only problem is bigger leaves get brown around edges then dry up and crumble. The stalks are still green. The rest of the plant looks fine. Is this normal?


It could be different things...can you post pics?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

🎶🎵 "One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong..."🎵🎶
















































Seriously...where did that green striped bumpy one come from???


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> 🎶🎵 "One of these things is not like the others,
> One of these things just doesn't belong..."🎵🎶
> 
> View attachment 764707
> ...


I dunno but it's awesome!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MCR said:


> I dunno but it's awesome!


I know! It's so awesome!! I just don't understand how that one is so different than the others. There are two separate gourd plants in there...is it possible all of the orange and green gourds are on one vine, and the other vine just produced that one, single green stripy one??? It's the only thing I can figure. When I feel better, I need to try to follow the vines and see if that's the case. 
I wish my plants didn't all get powdery mildew and missed pollination while I've been stuck inside, sick...I really would've liked more of those green striped ones! I think my plants are too weak to produce anymore, though, now. I hate PM...and I hate being sick.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

I've never met a gourd I didn't like & the gourds you grew @WitchyKitty are simply splendid. Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkins but the sheer variety of gourds is amazing. Attached photo is from last year.


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

We only have 2 that grew. For it being hot and dry, I'm surprised we got 2. My youngest baby with the pumpkins he grew. 🎃🎃


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

moonwitchkitty said:


> View attachment 764746
> 
> We only have 2 that grew. For it being hot and dry, I'm surprised we got 2. My youngest baby with the pumpkins he grew. 🎃🎃


He looks like such a sweet kid.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> I've never met a gourd I didn't like & the gourds you grew @WitchyKitty are simply splendid. Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkins but the sheer variety of gourds is amazing. Attached photo is from last year.


You are so right! Yours from last year are lovely!


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## moonwitchkitty (Jul 22, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> He looks like such a sweet kid.


He's very sweet. I lucked out with both my boys. For teenagers they get along pretty well


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Goosebumps said:


> Beginning to think this one is secretly a watermelon. 😆
> View attachment 763226


That's amazing!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> 🎶🎵 "One of these things is not like the others,
> One of these things just doesn't belong..."🎵🎶
> 
> View attachment 764702
> ...


Are these the "batwing" gourds?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> Are these the "batwing" gourds?


I don't think so...I think those are more round and pumpkin shaped.

I don't know exactly what these are...they came in an ornamental mini gourd mix packet.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I think I bought the small fancy mix....


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Welp, I fertilized my late-started plant today. Its maybe a foot long/tall and hasn't done anything for a few weeks now but is full green and looks healthy. Im letting the rest of my plants die off #LessonLearned. We got 2 teenage pukkins out of them, maybe 15lbs each. My potted pukkin got about 12-13' long, sprouted about 4 male flowers but I don't think the amount of soil in the planter was near enough to do much more #LessonLearned. I guess we get to visit the pukkin patches when the time comes. Next year I'm just gonna plant with fertilized soil and go hibernate until help looks to be needed. Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> I guess we get to visit the pukkin patches when the time comes. Next year I'm just gonna plant with fertilized soil and go hibernate until help looks to be needed. Happy Halloween 🎃!


We'll be going to the patch as well; always need some small ones to carve for Halloween night. But I'm also thinking of doing this around the neighborhood this year in the week before: Mission

There's probably a middle ground between totally hands off and letting pumpkins consume too much of one's life. I spent entire weekends on soil prep this year, but nothing really took off until I started burying vines and pumping some 20-20-20 into the water. Some strategic TLC could make a big difference. At least that's what I keep telling myself despite having Jack squat to show for this year so far.  Fingers crossed for late start pumpkins!


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

This was 1 of my 2 survivors, hand for scale.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

So, get ready to roll ur eyes at me but we ripped out All the vines, piled them up and over to the side, mowed the entire thing to the ground and....planted 6 more (3 mounds, 2 seeds per mound) of Big Max blend. We figured whats the worse that could happen? They aren't to their full size by Halloween? They die off again? Its not October yet so try try again I say. Instead of doing the same 6 mounts with maybe 4' between, im wanting to give each plant plenty of room so now its the previously stated 3 mounds with 10+' to each plant. Yes, im ambitious.








































With my puppy Turbo supervising


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

IowaGuy said:


> So, get ready to roll ur eyes at me but we ripped out All the vines, piled them up and over to the side, mowed the entire thing to the ground and....planted 6 more (3 mounds, 2 seeds per mound) of Big Max blend. We figured whats the worse that could happen? They aren't to their full size by Halloween? They die off again? Its not October yet so try try again I say. Instead of doing the same 6 mounts with maybe 4' between, im wanting to give each plant plenty of room so now its the previously stated 3 mounds with 10+' to each plant. Yes, im ambitious.
> View attachment 764926
> 
> View attachment 764927
> ...


Turbo is adorable!!!!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

IowaGuy said:


> So, get ready to roll ur eyes at me but we ripped out All the vines, piled them up and over to the side, mowed the entire thing to the ground and....planted 6 more (3 mounds, 2 seeds per mound) of Big Max blend. We figured whats the worse that could happen? They aren't to their full size by Halloween? They die off again? Its not October yet so try try again I say. Instead of doing the same 6 mounts with maybe 4' between, im wanting to give each plant plenty of room so now its the previously stated 3 mounds with 10+' to each plant. Yes, im ambitious.
> View attachment 764926
> 
> View attachment 764927
> ...


I have one of those augurs and I LOVE it. Can't beat it when planting bulbs in our clay down here. 

Love Turbo! Here's our garden supervisor, Beesly. Her favorite thing is getting sprayed with the hose, ad you can see.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Ever since Turbo's first bath...he Hates water, he keeps his distance when the hose is in use. Yeah, my gf got me the auger for XMas last year and YES its pretty freaken awesome, I'd definitely recommend it.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

morganmac said:


> I have one of those augurs and I LOVE it. Can't beat it when planting bulbs in our clay down here.
> 
> Love Turbo! Here's our garden supervisor, Beesly. Her favorite thing is getting sprayed with the hose, ad you can see.
> View attachment 764945


Another cute doggie!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

I had a late svb nail one of my plants and it was my gourd plant. Leaves are starting to drop amd i tried a late injection to try and save it but this one looks too late. But hopefully this was it because this would have been my sacrificial plant if I had to pick one and we got at least one gourd off of it.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> I had a late svb nail one of my plants and it was my gourd plant. Leaves are starting to drop amd i tried a late injection to try and save it but this one looks too late. But hopefully this was it because this would have been my sacrificial plant if I had to pick one and we got at least one gourd off of it.


Aww so sorry to hear that. 

Last night after Thunder storm ~ I was checking around for damage & found a ((HUGE)) squash bug. The only thing I had was a can of Off so I sprayed that jerk in the face! It fell down & I stomped it!!! 

As Mr. T would say: "I pity the fool"


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hubbard squash, Cinderella pumpkin (Rouge Vif D'Etampes) & a baby bunny hiding in the patch.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

This is one of the plants that was struggling with the heat (being at the corner of the garden box with the rocks radiating the heat probably didn't help and you can see the poor burnt leaves). But while it looked as good as dead a week ago I resisted the urge to rip it out, and now it's started to grow normal green leaves again. 💜 Not sure if I'll get a pumpkin out of it but it's neat to see it bounce back.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I haven’t posted much this year, mainly due to spending so much time in my garden, and being so busy with work. Hopefully now that I’m getting caught up, I’ll be able to post more.

I swore this year I’d do a better job weeding, fertilizing, and spraying for powdery mildew, and so far I’ve been able to do it. I still have some weeds, but nothing compared to past years. I’ve also fertilized four times so far, and have sprayed for powdery mildew the past two weeks. Unfortunately, it’s been so humid around here that I do have some PM. Hopefully the spraying will keep it at bay.

So far, I’ve been extremely lucky with the insects. I’m not sure if waiting until the later half of June helped, or if it’s the Seven dust I covered the plants in awhile back, but I’ve seen no adult SVBs, and only a couple eggs. The cucumber beetles have also been very minimal. In years past, I’d see hundreds of them on my plants. This year, only a handful. Luckily, I still have a ton of bees flying around each morning.

As of right now I have 4 that are very nice size, and at least a dozen more females that have opened in the last two days. My hope is to have everything make it one more month before it’s time to harvest. Right now, the PM seems to be the only thing that could keep that from happening.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> View attachment 765160
> 
> This is one of the plants that was struggling with the heat (being at the corner of the garden box with the rocks radiating the heat probably didn't help and you can see the poor burnt leaves). But while it looked as good as dead a week ago I resisted the urge to rip it out, and now it's started to grow normal green leaves again. 💜 Not sure if I'll get a pumpkin out of it but it's neat to see it bounce back.


If you have grass clippings you can sprinkle them around on the gravel. It won't stop drainage & reduce some of the heat.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Anyone know what these gourds are called? This was my plant that got hit. I just love these whizzers they cover so much ground!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> View attachment 765261
> View attachment 765262
> 
> Anyone know what these gourds are called? This was my plant that got hit. I just love these whizzers they cover so much ground!!!


Winged Gourds. 








Autumn Wings Gourd


A great mixture of winged brightly colored gourds. One of the most diverse ornamentals that we offer. Easy to grow and durable. 90-100 days.




www.seedsavers.org


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I'm loving seeing pumpkin and gourd pics!!! I love when harvest time is getting closer!
I'm pretty sure all my plants are done producing...the PM has run rampant and the weather...after being crazy hot...has been unseasonably cool. I can see some of my JBLs could be harvested off the vines, but I'm desperately waiting, too, to do so in September. August is just too soon. I keep holding out hope that my vines can hang on just a little while longer!! 

I'm definitely losing my youngest Kandy Korn pumpkin that grew...it's smaller than the rest and is starting to get soft. Bummer. They weren't cheap seeds and I really like the adorable, round little pumpkin. My two vines didn't produce anywhere near what each one should, so losing one of them hurts.
I seem to never have good luck with the bush types. I tried other bush types in the past, on the rare occasion I could find them, and I never go a good yield...or the vines died. So odd. 

I'm so jealous of those of you who get to grow bigger pumpkins. I hope my next house will have a good size back yard for me to plant like crazy!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm loving seeing pumpkin and gourd pics!!! I love when harvest time is getting closer!
> I'm pretty sure all my plants are done producing...the PM has run rampant and the weather...after being crazy hot...has been unseasonably cool. I can see some of my JBLs could be harvested off the vines, but I'm desperately waiting, too, to do so in September. August is just too soon. I keep holding out hope that my vines can hang on just a little while longer!!
> 
> I'm definitely losing my youngest Kandy Korn pumpkin that grew...it's smaller than the rest and is starting to get soft. Bummer. They weren't cheap seeds and I really like the adorable, round little pumpkin. My two vines didn't produce anywhere near what each one should, so losing one of them hurts.
> ...


I’ve never had any luck with the bush style plants. I unknowingly bought seeds this year that were the bush type, and so far, those plants seem to be so far behind my vining plants.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> If you have grass clippings you can sprinkle them around on the gravel. It won't stop drainage & reduce some of the heat.


That's a really good idea, thank you!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Hey you guys, my carrots won at the County Fair. I'm still sort've shocked.


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> I think I bought the small fancy mix....
> View attachment 764828


Good to know that mix will produce such pretty gourds!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> Hey you guys, my carrots won at the County Fair. I'm still sort've shocked.
> View attachment 765517
> View attachment 765518


Fantastic! Congrats!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

My weather has turned from blazing hot to sticky hot. We've had five storms in just over two weeks, which has lowered the temps and given us days of overcast skies. Great for keeping the sprouting veg moist, but I'd like to get a little sun so they can grow. That's something we've never been lacking in Arizona so it's weird to say.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Hey you guys, my carrots won at the County Fair. I'm still sort've shocked.
> View attachment 765517
> View attachment 765518


Congrats!!!!


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Loving my plot so far this i just love seeing pumpkin vines taking over everything. Lol. I think that is why im a sucker for all the pumpkin props and animatronics. Hehehe


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> Fantastic! Congrats!


Thank you 
.sorry you're having such hot weather


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Congrats!!!!


Thank you. There are a few really nice looking pumpkins too.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Hey you guys, my carrots won at the County Fair. I'm still sort've shocked.
> View attachment 765517
> View attachment 765518


That’s awesome!! Congratulations!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> That’s awesome!! Congratulations!


Thanks. It buffers some of the sadness I'm feeling over losing a few pumpkins


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Just went to water my patch for a few hours, and decided to take a head count of how many I have growing. I counted anything that would have opened in the last 48 hours, up to full grown that are starting to turn orange. I counted 32. I expect there to probably be at least a dozen more under the canopy. The patch still looks pretty good, but the PM is definitely advancing. I noticed it worse on the plants that I really like that produce long vines, and large pumpkins with enormous stems. The bush style that seems to be farther behind in terms of development seems to be more PM resistant. Depending on how those plants end up producing, I may actually switch to an entire patch of them next year. I even put in drip lines this year and haven’t done any overhead watering at all in hopes of reducing the PM. Plus, we’ve had MAYBE 4 instances of rain since I planted back on June 20.

It has been a ridiculously humid summer here, so I’m thinking the PM has more to do with that, and less to do with overhead watering.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

🤬🤬🤬
Squash bugs & leaf footed bugs are horrible. I lost another perfect Fairytale because of them. So early this morning I bought Sevin Dust & carefully sprinkled around pumpkins


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 🤬🤬🤬
> Squash bugs & leaf footed bugs are horrible. I lost another perfect Fairytale because of them. So early this morning I bought Sevin Dust & carefully sprinkled around pumpkins
> View attachment 765625


Noooo!! I'm so sorry...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Noooo!! I'm so sorry...


They are basically Pumpkin Vampires


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> They are basically Pumpkin Vampires


Yeah, I deal with the squash bugs, which is why I always worry about having to leave them on the vine once the leaves and vines are dying...they will go after the fruit. If I see them on a pumpkin or gourd, I hurry and remove it. 
I don't know much about the leaf footed bugs, though.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Yeah, I deal with the squash bugs, which is why I always worry about having to leave them on the vine once the leaves and vines are dying...they will go after the fruit. If I see them on a pumpkin or gourd, I hurry and remove it.
> I don't know much about the leaf footed bugs, though.


Squash bugs = Leaf-footed bugs

Most species eat plants, feeding on them in true-bug fashion: the mouthparts are modified into piercing-sucking tubes, which they insert into foliage, fruits, seeds, or other plant parts and then use to suck out sap and other nutrients. Some species are serious agricultural pests (the squash bug is a prime example).









Leaf-Footed Bugs


Leaf-footed bugs are a family of plant-eating true bugs that are named for the flattened, leaflike extensions that many have on their hind legs. Good flyers, they usually make a noisy buzzing as they fly. When disturbed, many species give off a bad odor in defense. They are usually dark colored...




mdc.mo.gov


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Here come the Gizmo Gourds 
The bugs have been so wretched, I decided it was better now then never.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Here come the Gizmo Gourds
> The bugs have been so wretched, I decided it was better now then never.
> View attachment 765792
> View attachment 765793
> View attachment 765794


I love these! They're just so delightfully strange.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> I love these! They're just so delightfully strange.


Should have plenty of seeds to share after Thanksgiving.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Should have plenty of seeds to share after Thanksgiving.


I harvested most (but not all) of the gourds from the seeds you sent today as well. Was wondering about the timing of seed harvesting. Do you let these dry out completely and then just carve the seeds out in a few months?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Squash bugs = Leaf-footed bugs
> 
> Most species eat plants, feeding on them in true-bug fashion: the mouthparts are modified into piercing-sucking tubes, which they insert into foliage, fruits, seeds, or other plant parts and then use to suck out sap and other nutrients. Some species are serious agricultural pests (the squash bug is a prime example).
> 
> ...


Oh, I am well acquainted with squash bugs sulking the life out of my plants...just didn't know leaf footed bugs were the same type of bug.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> I harvested most (but not all) of the gourds from the seeds you sent today as well. Was wondering about the timing of seed harvesting. Do you let these dry out completely and then just carve the seeds out in a few months?


Usually I leave the gourds on vines until they died (Sept. Early October). Then they are used in Halloween/Autumn decorations. In December I remove seeds & compost. Unfortunately the bug have different ideas, so I'm harvesting now & will store in cool dark basement. 

Seed drying is easy: cut them out, wash, let dry & save in paper bags. Don't forget to write names on bags. Idk if your gourds were cross pollinated but no matter what they are ~ they'll be beautiful next year.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I've just had to harvest all my gourds and mini pumpkins. They started getting eaten by animals or destroyed by squash bugs. The vines were destroyed, too, for the most part. I lost some. I may lose some more, that I had to harvest, as they were the youngest ones on the vine and may not be 100% fully mature.
Plus, I have a lot of upsetting, stressful things going on, right now, so I got them off the vine in case I don't get a chance to, later. 
If I get some time and energy, I'll post pics of what I ended up with, at some point in time, soon.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I've just had to harvest all my gourds and mini pumpkins. They started getting eaten by animals or destroyed by squash bugs. The vines were destroyed, too, for the most part. I lost some. I may lose some more, that I had to harvest, as they were the youngest ones on the vine and may not be 100% fully mature.
> Plus, I have a lot of upsetting, stressful things going on, right now, so I got them off the vine in case I don't get a chance to, later.
> If I get some time and energy, I'll post pics of what I ended up with, at some point in time, soon.


Misspelling 

Right there with you! Lost 2 more 30lb Fairytales. So I chucked them in the bin. Not keeping them around incase of disease or bug infestation. I harvested 3 big greenish/orange FTs & a few gourds. 2 more big FTs out in patch (keeping a close eye on). Also cleaned out a bunch of vines.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Grow....Grow....GROW!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Right there with you! Lost 2 more 30lb Fairytales. So I chucked them in the bin. Not keeping them around incase of dease or bug infestation. I harvested 3 big greenish/orange FTs & a few gourds. 2 more big FTs out in patch (keeping a close eye on). Also cleaned out a bunch of vines.


I hope you get those last ones to maturity! I'm sorry you lost the fairytales...

I still got a fair amount of minis and gourds, so I shouldn't complain, but I wish I hadn't lost some of each variety. I made the mistake of leaving three of the chewed on ones in the garden...I have seeds and pumpkin/gourd pieces EVERYWHERE!!!! I'm too exhausted to go clean it up, yet. I'll probably have volunteers growing all over, next year. Lol. Sigh...

I'm really hoping all the ones I harvested survive. I usually like them to make it, not just to Halloween, but Thanksgiving, too...but having them have to be harvested in August...I don't know.

The animals are wreaking havok on my tomatoes, again, too. I can't get any to maturity on the vine. It's a race to grab any that are turning even a teeny bit pink before the animals get them, and try to ripen them on the counter. It's not going so well. I already lost my cucumbers to PM and bugs before getting enough to can pickles...they just wouldn't give me any fruit until too late in the season. I usually have them coming out my ears! I don't foresee me being able to can any tomatoes, either. 
What a crummy season. Me being sick didn't help the situation. Grrrr.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

IowaGuy said:


> Grow....Grow....GROW!


You have a chance of having some ready by Halloween. I planted my plants 66 days ago, and I have one that is full grown and starting to turn orange. Of course you’ll need the weather to stay warmer, deeper into fall. Good luck!


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## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

WeWhoWe said:


> View attachment 760556
> 
> View attachment 760555


From death and decay comes life...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

A lovely butterfly fluttered through the garden this morning









This is supposed to be a Patty-Pan squash but who knows what it is..







last but not least the weird & lovable gourd seeds that always grow


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

I don't know if this is a trick that everyone knows, but a few weeks ago I had a couple of my squash leaves chewed pretty badly. Because I don't use chemicals on anything and I grow all my veg in containers on a back patio that's just a big concrete slab, I looked around for something that would keep the pests away even for just one night. I had a big bag of epsom salt for my tomatoes, so I covered the patio with it on the theory of jagged edges that bugs don't like crawling on. It worked! I haven't had chewed leaves on any of my plants since. I've even thrown down handfuls of table salt and haven't had leaf eaters back.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> I don't know if this is a trick that everyone knows, but a few weeks ago I had a couple of my squash leaves chewed pretty badly. Because I don't use chemicals on anything and I grow all my veg in containers on a back patio that's just a big concrete slab, I looked around for something that would keep the pests away even for just one night. I had a big bag of epsom salt for my tomatoes, so I covered the patio with it on the theory of jagged edges that bugs don't like crawling on. It worked! I haven't had chewed leaves on any of my plants since. I've even thrown down handfuls of table salt and haven't had leaf eaters back.


Seems like the same principle as dusting with diatomaceous earth. I might have to try this next summer when I set my houseplants out on the deck for the season. I've had every single pot invaded by teeny black ants this year! Maybe epsom salts will stick around longer than DE, which blows away so easily. Thanks for the tip!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Has anyone used a 15-8-23 fertilizer on their pumpkins once the pumpkins started growing? I used this last week, and while the pumpkins that were already pollinated are doing fine, I noticed the flowers that opened today didn’t seem to really open all the way. They only opened about 3/4 of the way. I’m thinking it has something to do with the fertilizer I used. If I get no more pumpkins this year due to this I’ll be fine do to having around 40 started. What I will do in the future is possibly wait a while longer before switching to this fertilizer. I’m worried the nitrogen may be too high and that may cause the flowers to not open all the way.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> Has anyone used a 15-8-23 fertilizer on their pumpkins once the pumpkins started growing? I used this last week, and while the pumpkins that were already pollinated are doing fine, I noticed the flowers that opened today didn’t seem to really open all the way. They only opened about 3/4 of the way. I’m thinking it has something to do with the fertilizer I used. If I get no more pumpkins this year due to this I’ll be fine do to having around 40 started. What I will do in the future is possibly wait a while longer before switching to this fertilizer. I’m worried the nitrogen may be too high and that may cause the flowers to not open all the way.


The first number, Nitrogen, is what you use at first for vine and leaf growth and health...too much Nitrogen can slow the development of flowers and fruit set because it puts it's energy into the leaves and vines. The second number, Phosphorus, is for flowering and fruit set...so, with it being that low in your fertilizer, won't help as much with flowering and fruit set...and the last number, Potassium, being so high, it may be putting your plants into overall already set and growing pumpkins and plant health, and less into producing more.

I hope that helps. Here is a link I post in the threads many times, as this site has lots of good info:
Fertilizing Pumpkins, A Necessity For Hungry Plants. By Pumpkin Nook


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> The first number, Nitrogen, is what you use at first for vine and leaf growth and health...too much Nitrogen can slow the development of flowers and fruit set because it puts it's energy into the leaves and vines. The second number, Phosphorus, is for flowering and fruit set...so, with it being that low in your fertilizer, won't help as much with flowering and fruit set...and the last number, Potassium, being so high, it may be putting your plants into overall already set and growing pumpkins and plant health, and less into producing more.
> 
> I hope that helps. Here is a link I post in the threads many times, as this site has lots of good info:
> Fertilizing Pumpkins, A Necessity For Hungry Plants. By Pumpkin Nook


This was the first year I tried expanding my fertilizer to something more than 10-10-10. I started my first 3 fertilizing sessions with 10-10-10, then when the vines started growing, I switched over to 5-20-10 for one session before going to the 15-8-23 last week when I had a bunch of pumpkins started. I’m happy what I have, but was hoping to have a few more females open. I’m guessing the Nitrogen at 15 may be too high for that to happen.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m being greedy.😂😂😂 I want my current set fruit to grow big, and still want new ones to form. Next year I will maybe switch to something with a lower Nitrogen number for my last fertilizer.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> This was the first year I tried expanding my fertilizer to something more than 10-10-10. I started my first 3 fertilizing sessions with 10-10-10, then when the vines started growing, I switched over to 5-20-10 for one session before going to the 15-8-23 last week when I had a bunch of pumpkins started. I’m happy what I have, but was hoping to have a few more females open. I’m guessing the Nitrogen at 15 may be too high for that to happen.
> 
> I guess what I’m saying is that I’m being greedy.😂😂😂 I want my current set fruit to grow big, and still want new ones to form. Next year I will maybe switch to something with a lower Nitrogen number for my last fertilizer.


When I first plant my seedlings I mix 20/20/20 into the hole then water deeply. After about 3 weeks I use TomatoTone 3/4/6 for the rest of year.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> This was the first year I tried expanding my fertilizer to something more than 10-10-10. I started my first 3 fertilizing sessions with 10-10-10, then when the vines started growing, I switched over to 5-20-10 for one session before going to the 15-8-23 last week when I had a bunch of pumpkins started. I’m happy what I have, but was hoping to have a few more females open. I’m guessing the Nitrogen at 15 may be too high for that to happen.
> 
> I guess what I’m saying is that I’m being greedy.😂😂😂 I want my current set fruit to grow big, and still want new ones to form. Next year I will maybe switch to something with a lower Nitrogen number for my last fertilizer.


Aren't we ALL pumpkin and gourd greedy?? LOL! 😂 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

This is the first years i have actual had squirrels chewing on my big pumpkins ugh


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Saki.Girl said:


> This is the first years i have actual had squirrels chewing on my big pumpkins ugh


Story of my life. Try to keep any remaining ones protected with a cage or more chicken wire.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Aren't we ALL pumpkin and gourd greedy?? LOL! 😂 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


ME!!!! 
I want ALL the pumpkins & gourds!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Saki.Girl said:


> This is the first years i have actual had squirrels chewing on my big pumpkins ugh


You make make chicken wire cages for your pumpkins


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> You make make chicken wire cages for your pumpkins


i did not cause they never have touched them but i see i am going to have to now
how i wish squirrels would go live some where else oh how they frustrate me lol


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> You make make chicken wire cages for your pumpkins


That's what I just said a few posts back, lol. Great minds think alike!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Saki.Girl said:


> i did not cause they never have touched them but i see i am going to have to now
> how i wish squirrels would go live some where else oh how they frustrate me lol


People always say: The squirrels eat them because they're thirsty. My reply: I have 5 birdbaths.


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> People always say: The squirrels eat them because they're thirsty. My reply: I have 5 birdbaths.


They leave my mini pumpkins alone but my flowers and now big pumpkins not so much 
I did just fill my fountain lol


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> Aren't we ALL pumpkin and gourd greedy?? LOL! 😂 🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃🎃


Yep!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Stung behind ear while pulling up pumpkin vines. 
That's a first for me!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Stung behind ear while pulling up pumpkin vines.
> That's a first for me!


I was just stung, too, just a couple days ago! Mine was on the shoulder blade. 
I was dumbfounded, as I couldn't figured out what triggered the bees to get mad at me and CHASE me, and they've never stung me, before. We usually work in peace, together. One chased me and got stuck in my hair...that didn't help, either. I don't know what is suddenly up with the bees, lately. 
Thankfully, I'm not allergic..but it still hurt!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I have several that are just about ready to be taken off the vine. I love this time of year! These are all between 12-18 inches tall. In all, I counted 42 that are still growing. I think I have about two more weeks of growing until my patch will be done for the year. It’s amazing how fast the growing season goes. I swear it seems like I just planted everything!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I have several that are just about ready to be taken off the vine. I love this time of year! These are all between 12-18 inches tall. In all, I counted 42 that are still growing. I think I have about two more weeks of growing until my patch will be done for the year. It’s amazing how fast the growing season goes. I swear it seems like I just planted everything!
> View attachment 766719
> 
> View attachment 766723
> ...


I remember you plated a few varieties, Mayor. Which did the best for you?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Omg @Mayor of Haddonfield those are incredible!! You are my inspiration!!

@WitchyKitty I blame myself for the sting (still itches). The bee was probably minding it's own business when I pulled the vine. 

We were at Hell Depot when I spotted these magnificent pumpkins. They weren't cheap but I had to buy one. I'll be saving the seeds for next year. I love the stems.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

morganmac said:


> I remember you plated a few varieties, Mayor. Which did the best for you?


I’d say I like the Captain Jack pumpkins from Harris Seeds the best. These things are huge! I just got done harvesting 4 of my pumpkins this morning. Two of them were volunteers and two were the Captain Jack seeds. I’ll post once I get them washed up.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I decided I couldn’t wait any longer, so I decided to harvest the four that had turned completely orange. Two were volunteers and two were from Harris Seed company called Captain Jack. While the two volunteers are very nice, the Captain Jack are incredible. They are the two in the middle and weighed 25 and 31 pounds! I really tried hard to stay on top of watering, weeding and fertilizing, and the results so far are promising. I have another 40 or so that are still going.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I just love seeing harvested pumpkins!!!! Beautiful!!
I'll be posting mine, soon...I have been tearing the house apart trying to find the large baskets I display the minis and gourds in...they just disappeared!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I just love seeing harvested pumpkins!!!! Beautiful!!
> I'll be posting mine, soon...I have been tearing the house apart trying to find the large baskets I display the minis and gourds in...they just disappeared!


I write down notes of exactly where I stored Holiday Decorations in the January Month of my calendar. Then I transfer the notes into a new calendar the following year. Now I know where I put things several months ago.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Wtf...i saw another vine borer moth this morning...its.september!!! The minnesota extension states their flight ends in early july!!! Just need to keep my pumpkins and gourds for on as long as possible.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I still cannot find my baskets, so I'll just share pics of my gourds, JBLs and Kandy Korn Pumpkins. I wish I had gotten more of those green, bumpy striped gourds. 
(I have one half dead vine trying to put a valiant effort to give me one more gourd...it's tiny and not even to bloom stage, yet, and, if it does bloom, there may be no males to pollinate it...but I'm letting it go a little while to see what happens...)


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## Saki.Girl (Aug 22, 2012)

My pumpkin harvest. Not bad for not planting and pumpkin seeds this year lol. Harvested these cause Squirrels are chewing on them lost 1 big pumpkin and have 2 big green ones that will see if make it past Squirrels they have all ready been at them once ugh


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I still cannot find my baskets, so I'll just share pics of my gourds, JBLs and Kandy Korn Pumpkins. I wish I had gotten more of those green, bumpy striped gourds.
> (I have one half dead vine trying to put a valiant effort to give me one more gourd...it's tiny and not even to bloom stage, yet, and, if it does bloom, there may be no males to pollinate it...but I'm letting it go a little while to see what happens...)
> 
> View attachment 767043
> ...


I LOVE the candy corn pumpkins!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I have several that are just about ready to be taken off the vine. I love this time of year! These are all between 12-18 inches tall. In all, I counted 42 that are still growing. I think I have about two more weeks of growing until my patch will be done for the year. It’s amazing how fast the growing season goes. I swear it seems like I just planted everything!
> View attachment 766719
> 
> View attachment 766723
> ...


They all look great! I have pumpkin envy.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Crazy gourds


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> Crazy gourds
> View attachment 767172


It’s twins! Very cool.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> It’s twins! Very cool.


Really hope they survive. They'd be cool to display on Halloween.

Killed a few Squash Bug Nymphs & sprinkled Sevin on pumpkins. I'm trying to be more proactive this September in hopes of knocking down bug population next year.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I LOVE the candy corn pumpkins!


I do, too! Perfectly round mini pumpkins with stems so dark green they look black!

Loving all the pics, everyone! I can't wait to see more!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

First pumpkin stacks of 2022
& ummm uhh the now phallic gourd twins.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> First pumpkin stacks of 2022
> & ummm uhh the now phallic gourd twins.


Beautiful!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

My pumpkin/gourd vines that I grew up the towers and across the ropes are very dead...like, very, very dead...except one. One is, eh, mostly dead, but still has some green in the stem. It's actually attempting to give me one last gourd...and I think it's one of the green, bumpy striped ones that we all loved that I only got one of. It has just been pollinated a couple days ago and seems to be trying to grow, ever so slightly. It's all tangled up with the dead vines, so I have all this horrible looking dead foliage in the garden...I really want to give it a chance to mature before the vine fully dies. I don't know if it will make it, but I will give it a little time to see what happens.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I do, too! Perfectly round mini pumpkins with stems so dark green they look black!
> 
> Loving all the pics, everyone! I can't wait to see more!





WitchyKitty said:


> My pumpkin/gourd vines that I grew up the towers and across the ropes are very dead...like, very, very dead...except one. One is, eh, mostly dead, but still has some green in the stem. It's actually attempting to give me one last gourd...and I think it's one of the green, bumpy striped ones that we all loved that I only got one of. It has just been pollinated a couple days ago and seems to be trying to grow, ever so slightly. It's all tangled up with the dead vines, so I have all this horrible looking dead foliage in the garden...I really want to give it a chance to mature before the vine fully dies. I don't know if it will make it, but I will give it a little time to see what happens.


It will work out. I hope you are feeling better.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> It will work out. I hope you are feeling better.


Thank you. I don't have covid, anymore, finally, but I still have lasting effects and my MS has been acting up both from the covid and the stress and upset of trying to care for my sick mom...but I am, at least, able to move around a little better and get out of the house, again. I'd just like to get some energy back...covid really kicked my butt!

My tiny striped gourd looks a tiny bit bigger...I think pollination took! Just have to keep that vine alive!

I went out and bought some inexpensive baskets to put my pumpkins and gourds in, since my nice ones are mia...I'll find them now that I did, lol.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Ended up pulling up the patch today with zero pumpkins to show for it. Not my year.  All of the fruit that set ended up turning pale white and withering on the vine. The roots at the stump were shockingly tiny on both plants, which was weird given the amount of soil prep I did this year. I may take a post-season soil test just to try and figure out what happened.

Decided that I'm going to make some largish raised beds this fall/winter so I can fill them with high-quality soil (rather than trying to bend the crappy clay soil in that area to my will. If I can grow a 285 lbs pumpkin in an 80 square foot raised bed last year, I can probably beat that with a couple hundred square feet of raised bed. 🤞

Hoping everybody fares better this year and looking forward to seeing harvest pics. 🎃


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MCR said:


> Ended up pulling up the patch today with zero pumpkins to show for it. Not my year.  All of the fruit that set ended up turning pale white and withering on the vine. The roots at the stump were shockingly tiny on both plants, which was weird given the amount of soil prep I did this year. I may take a post-season soil test just to try and figure out what happened.
> 
> Decided that I'm going to make some largish raised beds this fall/winter so I can fill them with high-quality soil (rather than trying to bend the crappy clay soil in that area to my will. If I can grow a 285 lbs pumpkin in an 80 square foot raised bed last year, I can probably beat that with a couple hundred square feet of raised bed. 🤞
> 
> Hoping everybody fares better this year and looking forward to seeing harvest pics. 🎃


I'm sorry you didn't get any pumpkins...
That's why we have raised beds that we add more soil to every year...the soil below it has lots of clay content due to being dug up to fix the waterline before we bought the house. Raised beds were the only option.
I hope you have a better year, next year!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> Ended up pulling up the patch today with zero pumpkins to show for it. Not my year.  All of the fruit that set ended up turning pale white and withering on the vine. The roots at the stump were shockingly tiny on both plants, which was weird given the amount of soil prep I did this year. I may take a post-season soil test just to try and figure out what happened.
> 
> Decided that I'm going to make some largish raised beds this fall/winter so I can fill them with high-quality soil (rather than trying to bend the crappy clay soil in that area to my will. If I can grow a 285 lbs pumpkin in an 80 square foot raised bed last year, I can probably beat that with a couple hundred square feet of raised bed. 🤞
> 
> Hoping everybody fares better this year and looking forward to seeing harvest pics. 🎃


That's so sad. This year has been tough for growing pumpkins & clay soil is horrible. When you make your new beds next year ~ toss every single eggshell in & lots of compost. I trench compost in my raised beds all winter. When spring rolls around, there's tons of worms working the soil for me. The worms always amaze me. They must spend winter in the boxes.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

My current on the vines...


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Okay, here are my pumpkins and gourds in their temporary baskets. (Still hoping I will find my really nice ones I usually use.) There is a pic of the basket on the bench in the tower, a picture of the basket by the fireplace, then I added pics of other places around the house that I added little pumpkins. (The ones sitting on the pile of speakers with the squirrel may be ones I paint for the cemetery...I'm not sure, yet. I almost always get a super mini pumpkin, and I put it in the top tier of my tiered tray in the kitchen.) I have 24, total, combined...and waiting to see what happens with that little baby, outside. (Also, this is just some of the Fall decor set up...soon, all the Halloween decor will be added in, if I am up to it and have time, anyway.)


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> My current on the vines...
> View attachment 767758
> 
> View attachment 767764
> ...


So many nice pumpkins and gourds!! Corn, too! it's looking great!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> My current on the vines...
> View attachment 767758
> 
> View attachment 767764
> ...


Incredibly jealous of your corn & love all the pumpkins/gourds.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> Okay, here are my pumpkins and gourds in their temporary baskets. (Still hoping I will find my really nice ones I usually use.) There is a pic of the basket on the bench in the tower, a picture of the basket by the fireplace, then I added pics of other places around the house that I added little pumpkins. (The ones sitting on the pile of speakers with the squirrel may be ones I paint for the cemetery...I'm not sure, yet. I almost always get a super mini pumpkin, and I put it in the top tier of my tiered tray in the kitchen.) I have 24, total, combined...and waiting to see what happens with that little baby, outside. (Also, this is just some of the Fall decor set up...soon, all the Halloween decor will be added in, if I am up to it and have time, anyway.)
> 
> View attachment 767755
> 
> ...


Everything is just beautiful 😍 The trays, the owls even the squirrels but most of all... the Red Cat aka Fox 🥰


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Everything is just beautiful 😍 The trays, the owls even the squirrels but most of all... the Red Cat aka Fox 🥰


Thank you! There are many "Red Cats" in my house. 🦊❤
I had a hard time trying to fill the baskets with these big, very heavy gourds, as cool as they are...mini pumpkins and smaller gourds are lighter and easier to fit in the baskets without tipping over or leaving gaps, ect. I did the best I could, lol.


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)

Everyone's plants, pukkins and goooords look great! This thread has been rather busy. Of the three Waaaaaay late seeds I planted, 1 was killed off by our dogs I think, the other 2 are about 9" tall so far. I'm just holding my breathe each day. Happy Halloween 🎃!


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I finally had another pumpkin turn completely orange, so I harvested it yesterday before something got it. This one weighed in at 32 pounds, so it’s my largest so far this year. I have a lot more that have started to turn orange, but it’s taking them forever to finish up compared to the first four that turned.


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Well, in three days my red kuri went from being a healthy vine of just about a foot long, to being overwhelmed with what turned out to be just hatched squash bugs. Little yellow dots in the hundreds, just overnight. I bought neem oil and sprayed everywhere. That takes care of them for an hour or two before they bounce right back. I've wiped the container down repeatedly with non-toxic grapefruit cleanser and that works, but they come back. 
My vines still look strong but the leaves are dying.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I finally had another pumpkin turn completely orange, so I harvested it yesterday before something got it. This one weighed in at 32 pounds, so it’s my largest so far this year. I have a lot more that have started to turn orange, but it’s taking them forever to finish up compared to the first four that turned.
> View attachment 767810


Oh no!! Was it a bite or scratches? Do you know what did it?


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> Well, in three days my red kuri went from being a healthy vine of just about a foot long, to being overwhelmed with what turned out to be just hatched squash bugs. Little yellow dots in the hundreds, just overnight. I bought neem oil and sprayed everywhere. That takes care of them for an hour or two before they bounce right back. I've wiped the container down repeatedly with non-toxic grapefruit cleanser and that works, but they come back.
> My vines still look strong but the leaves are dying.


Was having the same problem. As much as I hate to admit it ~ I bought Sevin Dust. 
I carefully sprinkle a little bit on the pumpkin after its pollinated. A little goes a long way & it stays on until rain. Hopefully this will make the squash bugs population dwindle & they won't be as bad next year.


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> Was having the same problem. As much as I hate to admit it ~ I bought Sevin Dust.
> I carefully sprinkle a little bit on the pumpkin after its pollinated. A little goes a long way & it stays on until rain. Hopefully this will make the squash bugs population dwindle & they won't be as bad next year.


Thanks for the rec. It looks like it's too far gone at this point. It came on so quickly and they decimated it . If I'd recognized the eggs for what they were I might have been able to scoop the soil out. Btw, the eggs look like thin white slivers, shaped like rice but much thinner. Just so you know if you see it in your soil.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

AutumnLivesHere said:


> Thanks for the rec. It looks like it's too far gone at this point. It came on so quickly and they decimated it . If I'd recognized the eggs for what they were I might have been able to scoop the soil out. Btw, the eggs look like thin white slivers, shaped like rice but much thinner. Just so you know if you see it in your soil.


That doesn't sound like squash bugs...
Squash bugs lay their orange/yellow/gold colored tiny, roundish eggs in clusters on the stems and undersides of the squash/pumpkin plants.
Squash bug nymphs are usually gray, too...and I think you said yours were orange (Edit, some helmeted squash bug nymphs can be orangish for a short bit...but the rice like eggs in the soil confuse me...)?

I'm not sure what you have...


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I harvested another round of pumpkins today. All of my Captain Jack pumpkins are done, and they are beautiful. I harvested 15 of the Captain Jack and 6 of the Gladiators. I still have 17 Gladiators that will be done next week. Some of these stems are wider than a Coke can! I haven’t weighed any yet, but I know several are over 30 pounds. I’ll definitely plant these again. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, you can fit 21 pumpkins in a Nissan 370Z!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I harvested another round of pumpkins today. All of my Captain Jack pumpkins are done, and they are beautiful. I harvested 15 of the Captain Jack and 6 of the Gladiators. I still have 17 Gladiators that will be done next week. Some of these stems are wider than a Coke can! I haven’t weighed any yet, but I know several are over 30 pounds. I’ll definitely plant these again. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, you can fit 21 pumpkins in a Nissan 370Z!
> 
> View attachment 768085
> 
> ...


Love! Those stems are great!!


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> And in case anyone is wondering, yes, you can fit 21 pumpkins in a Nissan 370Z!
> 
> View attachment 768087


Awesome haul!!! Hope you didn't have to make any hard right-hand turns.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> Incredibly jealous of your corn & love all the pumpkins/gourds.


Its been very rewarding as has this thread. I got some weird kidney disease from covid that affects African americans and im like 100% german. Lol. So my gardens have beem my sanctuary this summer and so much more fun than hospitals and getting blood taken out weekly. .


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

MCR said:


> Awesome haul!!! Hope you didn't have to make any hard right-hand turns.


Trust me, when I did make right turns, I put my arm up to keep everything in place. The car definitely drove different with all that weight in it.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Its been very rewarding as has this thread. I got some weird kidney disease from covid that affects African americans and im like 100% german. Lol. So my gardens have beem my sanctuary this summer and so much more fun than hospitals and getting blood taken out weekly. .


I'm so sorry about your very strange covid related issues. I hope it's something you can recover from. Sending healing energy!
I'm glad you had your gardens to help take you mind off things!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I harvested another round of pumpkins today. All of my Captain Jack pumpkins are done, and they are beautiful. I harvested 15 of the Captain Jack and 6 of the Gladiators. I still have 17 Gladiators that will be done next week. Some of these stems are wider than a Coke can! I haven’t weighed any yet, but I know several are over 30 pounds. I’ll definitely plant these again. And in case anyone is wondering, yes, you can fit 21 pumpkins in a Nissan 370Z!
> 
> View attachment 768085
> 
> ...


Congratulations on such an amazing harvest.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MichaelMyersSickHead said:


> Its been very rewarding as has this thread. I got some weird kidney disease from covid that affects African americans and im like 100% german. Lol. So my gardens have beem my sanctuary this summer and so much more fun than hospitals and getting blood taken out weekly. .


Oh no, that's heartbreaking. Gardens are wonderful for the soul. I have lots of flowers & interesting pepper seeds if you want some. The Lesya Pepper is from the Ukraine. They won a Blue Ribbon at the fair


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Check out these little ?gourds? I found growing. They are about the size of a quarter & I've got no clue how they got there except maybe squirrels. They aren't growing like normal pumpkins or gourds. I fact they remind me of berries. Hopefully a few survive. I'm really interested to see what happens.









The squirrels Giveth & the squirrels taketh away.


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

WitchyKitty said:


> I'm so sorry about your very strange covid related issues. I hope it's something you can recover from. Sending healing energy!
> I'm glad you had your gardens to help take you mind off things!


Thank you...it is something they say can be managed so I'm thankful for that!!!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Harvested 2 more Fairytales today. Didn't want to pick yet but noticed something chewed on them. There's 2 more Fts, 2 Cinderellas a lot of gizmos, gourds & minis out there


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## MichaelMyersSickHead (Mar 13, 2017)

Kdestra said:


> Harvested 2 more Fairytales today. Didn't want to pick yet but noticed something chewed on them. There's 2 more Fts, 2 Cinderellas a lot of gizmos, gourds & minis out there


I just love fairytales...they are Amazing...congrats they look great!!!!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> Harvested 2 more Fairytales today. Didn't want to pick yet but noticed something chewed on them. There's 2 more Fts, 2 Cinderellas a lot of gizmos, gourds & minis out there


Love them! You make me want to find somewhere to grow fairytales! I hope the bite marks heal up...or you can fill them in with something to keep them from rotting at the bite marks. (Like when I cleaned the bite mark on my jarrahdale and filled it with outdoor caulk, that one year, lol.)


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

That last little green striped gourd, that tried to survive on the dying vine, didn't make it. I didn't think it would, but I tried, at least. 
Oh well. I got enough to fill the two baskets, have some scattered around and some to paint, so it was a decent year.

You should see all the gourds my mother in law has growing from the seedlings I started, for her. They are awesome. If I can get pics when she harvests them, I'll post them.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Thank you both @WitchyKitty & @MichaelMyersSickHead 
Fairytales are my #1 pumpkin & you both probably know I have lots of seeds to share. 
Glad to hear that gourds everywhere are having a great year.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Does anyone recognize this yellow ribbed pumpkin? I'm probably going to drive out to Lovettville Va this weekend.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> Does anyone recognize this yellow ribbed pumpkin? I'm probably going to drive out to Lovettville Va this weekend.


No, but I love how deep those wrinkles are on them!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> That doesn't sound like squash bugs...
> Squash bugs lay their orange/yellow/gold colored tiny, roundish eggs in clusters on the stems and undersides of the squash/pumpkin plants.
> Squash bug nymphs are usually gray, too...and I think you said yours were orange (Edit, some helmeted squash bug nymphs can be orangish for a short bit...but the rice like eggs in the soil confuse me...)?
> 
> I'm not sure what you have...


I came up with "squash bugs" when I looked for what would attack a red kuri plant, but after reading your answer I looked again, this time according to their appearance. I found pics of exactly what they looked like, and they're called the very vague "aphids" or even more vague "little yellow bugs". So. The neem oil didn't work, the non-toxic cleanser at least let me swipe lots of them away. The sites dedicated to aphids said watered down isopropyl alcohol works even better, but it was too late for my little squash plant.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

I picked the remaining 22 pumpkins I had left. They are going to sit out for 7-10 days to cure and turn orange, before I bring the into the garage. Overall I had 48 pumpkins. I originally started with 56 seeds, but there were several that didn’t germinate. It was without a doubt, my most successful year yet. Extremely dry, but the drip hose did wonders. I’m thinking the late planting helped with seeing very little bugs.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I picked the remaining 22 pumpkins I had left. They are going to sit out for 7-10 days to cure and turn orange, before I bring the into the garage. Overall I had 48 pumpkins. I originally started with 56 seeds, but there were several that didn’t germinate. It was without a doubt, my most successful year yet. Extremely dry, but the drip hose did wonders. I’m thinking the late planting helped with seeing very little bugs.
> 
> View attachment 769423


Congratulations @Mayor of Haddonfield on such a magnificent harvest.

1 Fairytale pumpkin left in the patch but the Angel Wing Gourds are still going strong. There's plenty for me to decorate & dozens for the Cardinals to snack on. I'm going to try to keep the vine alive just so the birds can feast on it. Might regret this decision next year but I love my birds & they're worth it. 
P.S. the gourd twins are still alive


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## IowaGuy (Jul 30, 2012)




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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> I picked the remaining 22 pumpkins I had left. They are going to sit out for 7-10 days to cure and turn orange, before I bring the into the garage. Overall I had 48 pumpkins. I originally started with 56 seeds, but there were several that didn’t germinate. It was without a doubt, my most successful year yet. Extremely dry, but the drip hose did wonders. I’m thinking the late planting helped with seeing very little bugs.
> 
> View attachment 769423


Wow, great harvest! Congrats!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

I ended up losing my cavilli squash plant too. Not to aphids, I think the heat was too much for it. 
I swear I'm not a serial plant killer! I have plenty of tomato plants, choy sum, carrots, and I have three ground cherries that are covered in blooms and berries.


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

Hi everyone! Realized I hadn't updated on here in a while and I've been enjoying going over everyone's posts as I get caught up.
Ended up pulling all my plants out early, as the powdery mildew ended up spreading way too fast while I was out for a week with the Flu. Here's what I got picked:








Two of the big ones didn't make it to maturity due to the stress from the heat. I had a really big 50lb one that already went soft for some reason, so I had some fun and carved him early. Tough year for me this year! I'm going to have to buy some carving sized pumpkins for once.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Goosebumps said:


> Hi everyone! Realized I hadn't updated on here in a while and I've been enjoying going over everyone's posts as I get caught up.
> Ended up pulling all my plants out early, as the powdery mildew ended up spreading way too fast while I was out for a week with the Flu. Here's what I got picked:
> View attachment 769832
> 
> Two of the big ones didn't make it to maturity due to the stress from the heat. I had a really big 50lb one that already went soft for some reason, so I had some fun and carved him early. Tough year for me this year! I'm going to have to buy some carving sized pumpkins for once.


Nice harvest, especially considering the flu! I'm laid up with it right now and it is no fun. I just got a notice that the garlic I pre-ordered to plant this fall just shipped, and the I'm exhausted at just the thought of getting out in the garden right now!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> Hi everyone! Realized I hadn't updated on here in a while and I've been enjoying going over everyone's posts as I get caught up.
> Ended up pulling all my plants out early, as the powdery mildew ended up spreading way too fast while I was out for a week with the Flu. Here's what I got picked:
> View attachment 769832
> 
> Two of the big ones didn't make it to maturity due to the stress from the heat. I had a really big 50lb one that already went soft for some reason, so I had some fun and carved him early. Tough year for me this year! I'm going to have to buy some carving sized pumpkins for once.


Great harvest, even if you lost a few. We sometimes like to carve pumpkins, early, if it looks like they are getting soft, too!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I hope you guys start feeling better, soon!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

I set aside four of the ones I grew and did my annual painting for the cemeteries. Here are pics of the ones I did, this year. My Grandparents will get the Skeleton Kitty, my Aunt will get the Ghost Kitty, my Godfather and his dad will get the Pumpkin Kitty and Grandma Joan and family will get the Witchy Kitty.
They aren't perfect...I was having trouble seeing and I was shaky and kept dropping things, so I messed up here and there. They turned out decent, though, I hope.


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## Mayor of Haddonfield (Jul 15, 2015)

WitchyKitty said:


> I set aside four of the ones I grew and did my annual painting for the cemeteries. Here are pics of the ones I did, this year. My Grandparents will get the Skeleton Kitty, my Aunt will get the Ghost Kitty, my Godfather and his dad will get the Pumpkin Kitty and Grandma Joan and family will get the Witchy Kitty.
> They aren't perfect...I was having trouble seeing and I was shaky and kept dropping things, so I messed up here and there. They turned out decent, though, I hope.
> 
> View attachment 769878
> ...


WitchyKitty, these are so cool!!! I love them!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Mayor of Haddonfield said:


> WitchyKitty, these are so cool!!! I love them!


Thank you! 🥰 
I do it every year. I have an album on my profile page with some pics from previous years.


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

WitchyKitty said:


> I set aside four of the ones I grew and did my annual painting for the cemeteries. Here are pics of the ones I did, this year. My Grandparents will get the Skeleton Kitty, my Aunt will get the Ghost Kitty, my Godfather and his dad will get the Pumpkin Kitty and Grandma Joan and family will get the Witchy Kitty.
> They aren't perfect...I was having trouble seeing and I was shaky and kept dropping things, so I messed up here and there. They turned out decent, though, I hope.
> 
> View attachment 769878
> ...


I love these! What a good idea. I think the skelly cat is my favorite.


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> I set aside four of the ones I grew and did my annual painting for the cemeteries. Here are pics of the ones I did, this year. My Grandparents will get the Skeleton Kitty, my Aunt will get the Ghost Kitty, my Godfather and his dad will get the Pumpkin Kitty and Grandma Joan and family will get the Witchy Kitty.
> They aren't perfect...I was having trouble seeing and I was shaky and kept dropping things, so I messed up here and there. They turned out decent, though, I hope.
> 
> View attachment 769878
> ...


Wow, they look great!


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## Ladyfrog (Sep 21, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> I set aside four of the ones I grew and did my annual painting for the cemeteries. Here are pics of the ones I did, this year. My Grandparents will get the Skeleton Kitty, my Aunt will get the Ghost Kitty, my Godfather and his dad will get the Pumpkin Kitty and Grandma Joan and family will get the Witchy Kitty.
> They aren't perfect...I was having trouble seeing and I was shaky and kept dropping things, so I messed up here and there. They turned out decent, though, I hope.
> 
> View attachment 769878
> ...


WitchyKitty these are adorable!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> Oh no, that's heartbreaking. Gardens are wonderful for the soul. I have lots of flowers & interesting pepper seeds if you want some. The Lesya Pepper is from the Ukraine. They won a Blue Ribbon at the fair


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

This photo is from Detroit Garden Works. 
How are they able to grow pumpkins with such HUGE stems?


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Kdestra said:


> This photo is from Detroit Garden Works.
> How are they able to grow pumpkins with such HUGE stems?
> View attachment 770141


Wonder what variety that is. I've never seen anything in a seed catalog that is that consistently tall and skinny.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Wonder what variety that is. I've never seen anything in a seed catalog that is that consistently tall and skinny.


I've asked them numerous times on their FB page & they never respond. If I ever find myself in Detroit ~ I'm going there. 


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0mqKNVt5FW8BiDdC11z9TJCd15rTrQ7r5KAmxbPqVFfZmCr9LfuRumZh9eKLMDErMl&id=100064789475820


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The gourd twins survived & just picked this morning


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

Kdestra said:


> The gourd twins survived & just picked this morning
> View attachment 770267


Beautiful!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Here are the mini pumpkins and gourds my mother in law grew. All of the fancy gourds and JBLs came from seedlings that I started, for her, from my seeds. (The striped mini pumpkins were a volunteer plant she had pop up in her front yard from pumpkins she had displayed, last year.)


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

I'm so impressed by (and jealous of!) everyone's harvests! I'm thinking I might try some minis next year.

I talked with a neighbor who had a volunteer pumpkin plant grow out of his ditch by the road from where kids had smashed some of his Jack-o'-lanterns last year. He just let it do its thing in his front lawn and got 3 decent sized pumpkins for zero effort. Makes me want to dump our jacks in a corner of our yard this year and just see what happens.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Yesterday I chopped up & roasted my 30lb Hubbard squash. It took nearly 2hrs to hack it into pieces. This morning I'm planning to make a pumpkin cheese cake for our wedding anniversary. Btw - the Hubbard's seeds were the best pepitas I've ever ate


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

WitchyKitty said:


> Here are the mini pumpkins and gourds my mother in law grew. All of the fancy gourds and JBLs came from seedlings that I started, for her, from my seeds. (The striped mini pumpkins were a volunteer plant she had pop up in her front yard from pumpkins she had displayed, last year.)
> View attachment 770506


Great gourd haul! They're all so pretty!


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## AutumnLivesHere (6 mo ago)

So I'm back in the squash business. While I have two cavilli sprouts that have taken off, I threw a handful of grocery store delicata seeds into my compost bin. They sprouted like crazy in there. I planted a bunch of them in containers and the straw bale I've been sprouting tomatoes in, and most have continued to grow. I now have 22 squash plants of varying sizes. I know they are likely hybrids and the results will be iffy, but we'll see if they get that far along. We're near 100 still, but the weather should dip soon.


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## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Col. Fryght said:


> Figured I would get the party started. Not super warm about 45 and sunny, but I got out in the patch and did some weeding. And I mean weeding giant weeds. Once my season was over in July, I let the patch go. Last year's horse manure compost that I brought in came chock full of weed seeds.
> 
> I know I can till it under, but I did not want the large stems and branches to rob nitrogen from my soil as it decomposed. I finished about half of the patch today and will do the rest tomorrow. The goal is clear the patch of the big stuff this weekend. Next weekend, I will mow and bag the smaller stuff.
> 
> ...


Col. Fryght have you ever seen a pumpkin like this with stems on both ends?


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## Goosebumps (Apr 18, 2021)

So, this could be fake, but I also saw this on Twitter and immediately had to share it with you guys.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Goosebumps said:


> So, this could be fake, but I also saw this on Twitter and immediately had to share it with you guys.
> View attachment 771695


😂 LOL! That's awesome! I'd feel bad to remove it...I'd try to save it and plant it, somewhere, at least.


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

So, all of my fun gourds and my JBLs are still doing great...but ever single one of those "Kandy Korn" bush vine style mini pumpkins I tried, this year, has already gone soft and rotted. I'm so mad!

(I will say, though, that since mine have to be for indoor decor, due to my dear squirrels, they may have held up better outside where it's cooler...but we don't keep our house too warm, and the others are all fine, so...)

Between how few I got in yield, compared to other minis and gourds I grow, the fact that they all went bad on me, already, and I have had bad luck with other semi bush and bush vine style pumpkins in the past, I don't think I will be wasting my time trying anymore of these varieties. It's a shame, because they are always adorable shaped little pumpkins...


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> So, all of my fun gourds and my JBLs are still doing great...but ever single one of those "Kandy Korn" bush vine style mini pumpkins I tried, this year, has already gone soft and rotted. I'm so mad!
> 
> (I will say, though, that since mine have to be for indoor decor, due to my dear squirrels, they may have held up better outside where it's cooler...but we don't keep our house too warm, and the others are all fine, so...)
> 
> Between how few I got in yield, compared to other minis and gourds I grow, the fact that they all went bad on me, already, and I have had bad luck with other semi bush and bush vine style pumpkins in the past, I don't think I will be wasting my time trying anymore of these varieties. It's a shame, because they are always adorable shaped little pumpkins...


That's a bummer. Kandy Korn is adorable but if it doesn't grow its not worth the water $$ 
Btw - it's great to read your post, I've been think about you & hoped you were over covid.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Goosebumps said:


> So, this could be fake, but I also saw this on Twitter and immediately had to share it with you guys.
> View attachment 771695


It's probably real. Cucurbitas are relentless


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> That's a bummer. Kandy Korn is adorable but if it doesn't grow its not worth the water $$
> Btw - it's great to read your post, I've been think about you & hoped you were over covid.


It's not worth the cost of having to order the kinda pricey seeds, either.
Yeah, it was a month long nightmare with covid, for me, then once I was over it, I still had/have a lasting cough. My mom is over it, too, but since having had it can cause covid tests to read positive for up to three months after getting over it, it messed up important medical tests she needed. Ug.
Thank you for thinking of me!


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Hey all, Hoss Seeds has a 50% sale on 150 varieties going on through this Sunday 10/23. There are some pumpkin varieties included! I've only ever had great luck with Hoss products and service.

Hoss Tools Premium Garden Seeds Sale


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## Jerseyscare (Oct 2, 2012)

I've stayed away from this thread, as my Tomatoes already use too much time and space, but just want to say, "HAPPY NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY"!
Jerseyscare


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Jerseyscare said:


> I've stayed away from this thread, as my Tomatoes already use too much time and space, but just want to say, "HAPPY NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY"!
> Jerseyscare


You can always grow minis or gourds upwards, like I do!
Happy Pumpkin Day!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Jerseyscare said:


> I've stayed away from this thread, as my Tomatoes already use too much time and space, but just want to say, "HAPPY NATIONAL PUMPKIN DAY"!
> Jerseyscare


It's probably best to stay at least 12ft away from this thread (armed with pitch fork)..... or else the twisted tentacles & vines reach you...... Pumpkin madness takes it's toll


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

WitchyKitty said:


> You can always grow minis or gourds upwards, like I do!
> Happy Pumpkin Day!


And to all..... a
_Happy Pumpkin Night_
_Don't let the squash vine borers bite!_


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## sneakykid (Sep 19, 2010)

How does one save/preserve seeds from this year to use for next year? Or is that not a thing?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

sneakykid said:


> How does one save/preserve seeds from this year to use for next year? Or is that not a thing?


I just clean off the pumpkin goo, dry them really good and store them in labeled, plain paper envelopes in a cool, dark place.

Just remember, though...if you grew more than one variety, including gourds, squash, ect. (or if nearby neighbors did), cross pollination could have occurred and the seeds you save from the things you grew could give you hybrids with their seeds for next year. 
I've had it go both ways...both having my seeds I saved give me the exact same thing they came from and getting some cool hybrids!


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## sneakykid (Sep 19, 2010)

WitchyKitty said:


> I just clean off the pumpkin goo, dry them really good and store them in labeled, plain paper envelopes in a cool, dark place.
> 
> Just remember, though...if you grew more than one variety, including gourds, squash, ect. (or if nearby neighbors did), cross pollination could have occurred and the seeds you save from the things you grew could give you hybrids with their seeds for next year.
> I've had it go both ways...both having my seeds I saved give me the exact same thing they came from and getting some cool hybrids!


Thank you! How many seeds do you recommend saving?


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

sneakykid said:


> Thank you! How many seeds do you recommend saving?


That's really up to you. It depends on how many you plan on planting, next year. You definitely want to save more than you think you will need, because there can always be dud seeds that don't germinate.

You may want to save even more, yet, that way, if you end up with a hybrid that you really like, you will have extra seeds to grow the next year. (I can usually get seeds to stay viable for a few years if kept cool, dry and dark.)

When I saved seeds, I just grabbed a handful of each kind, rinsed them off, gave them a pat dry with paper towels, then spread them out on a plate or tray (away from sunlight, of course) to air dry a bit, then stored them as I said, above.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

2022's Pumpkin Topiary. It sure was a rough growing season but I still managed to get a good harvest. I'll definitely be using Sevin next year.










Just like @WitchyKitty said:
Saving seeds is pretty easy. Crack your pumpkin or gourd open, scoop seeds, wash, dry then store in a paper bag out of the light. That's what I'm going to do with these beauties after Thanksgiving


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Kdestra said:


> 2022's Pumpkin Topiary. It sure was a rough growing season but I still managed to get a good harvest. I'll definitely be using Sevin next year.
> 
> View attachment 772818
> 
> ...


It's lovely!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Pumpkins 🎃 








What makes gourd DNA so malleable


Gourds, the dogs of the plant world, can be one pound or 1,000. Geneticists think they know why




www.salon.com


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

The pumpkin stack is down & I took one last photo of the gourds/ pumpkins before I chop them up tomorrow & save seeds.









As usual, if anyone wants seeds... let me know.


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## MCR (Jul 29, 2015)

Kdestra said:


> The pumpkin stack is down & I took one last photo of the gourds/ pumpkins before I chop them up tomorrow & save seeds.
> 
> As usual, if anyone wants seeds... let me know.


Really appreciate your awesomeness and generosity Kdestra! We still have the gourds grown from your seeds out on display because they look so great. I'd love a few seeds from these cool orange/yellow "winged" gourds and I'd be happy to send a stamped bubble mailer if you DM me a mailing address to send it.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

MCR said:


> Really appreciate your awesomeness and generosity Kdestra! We still have the gourds grown from your seeds out on display because they look so great. I'd love a few seeds from these cool orange/yellow "winged" gourds and I'd be happy to send a stamped bubble mailer if you DM me a mailing address to send it.
> View attachment 773646


Should have everything chopped up & drying this afternoon. I'll make sure the seeds are labeled.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Kinda freaking out. The Gizmo gourd has little tiny, hollow, unviable seed'esq things but not true seeds. I harvested the seeds from last year & hand pollinated


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## morganmac (Jul 15, 2021)

Oh no! Are they somehow a hybrid?!


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

morganmac said:


> Oh no! Are they somehow a hybrid?!


Not that I know of. The original seeds were supposed to be Organic. The lack of seeds could be because of the terrible drought we experienced last summer. Thankfully I saved dozens of Gizmo seeds from 2021 & the 2022 small gizmos have more then enough to share. 

I was planning to harvest more gourds/pumpkins today but it raining. Here's the seeds I harvested yesterday. 

Absolute Legend 
I named this gourd because it grows all over my yard. The squirrels usually plant them for me but I always save seeds. Nothing stops this gourd: drought, heat deluge, shade. If it's happy it produces hundreds of  softball sized green ribbed gourds that turn orange








Small Orange Gizmo








My very favorite pumpkin Fairytale. Never fails (needs protection from direct afternoon sunlight) best tasting pumpkin ever!


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## Col. Fryght (Oct 23, 2012)

Congrats everyone who got something to the finish line. I tried to go back and give everyone an emoticon shout out. I am fully recovered from my burn out. I bought a Honda tiller this past weekend as an Xmas gift to myself. So I guess I will be giving it the old college try next year. I am the ultimate Don Quixote pumpkin grower!!!!!!!! lol

Happy holidays and see you in the spring!


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## WitchyKitty (Sep 20, 2012)

Col. Fryght said:


> Congrats everyone who got something to the finish line. I tried to go back and give everyone an emoticon shout out. I am fully recovered from my burn out. I bought a Honda tiller this past weekend as an Xmas gift to myself. So I guess I will be giving it the old college try next year. I am the ultimate Don Quixote pumpkin grower!!!!!!!! lol
> 
> Happy holidays and see you in the spring!


Glad you will be here with us, trying, again!!

Happy Holidays, Yule Blessings and see you all in the next year's Pumpkin Growers thread!!!


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

We're at 116-160% of snowpack so far this year, so hopefully it keeps up and I won't be out of the game with a drought year next year. Just got my seed catalogs and I'm really trying not to do shopping yet. 

Even if the drought is over, moving forward with xeriscaping everything but the garden. The curb/easement experiment of mine was a resounding success with almost everyone asking how I'd done it when theirs had all failed. Going to move that through the whole front yard, which means PERMANENT HALLOWEEN PATH coming soon.


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