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San Diego

Hello all, and Happy New Year. I am hoping some of you have some ideas that might help me grow better pumpkins. Particularly if you live in Southern California like me.

My pumpkins seem to be getting smaller each year. Last year was my worst when I lost my main vines and developed the worst case of PM I have seen despite treating for it from the start of the season. To be sure, this does not necessarily mean I am becoming a worse grower because growing includes things you can't control like and heat and weather. But what is short list of the most important things to pay attention to?

Given what I have gleaned from this site, I think my biggest problem is soil. I think I'm not spending enough time getting my soil in proper condition. Are there some good tips people are willing to share, particularly for conditioning soil like that we find in Southern California which is full of clay and rocks?

Thanks for any input! I hope everyone had a great holiday.

1/3/2016 8:17:46 PM

Pinetops,n.c.

tko phosphite will help with the pm, also, never let leaves stay wet after dark if you can avoid it, warm temps and wet leaves on a still night is recipe for disaster. try and come up with a good fungicide program for the pm(as well as other diseases) and stick to it, you will need to be proactive and start sprays early to stay ahead of the pm. hope this helps

1/3/2016 10:43:07 PM

Pinetops,n.c.

i'm on other coast from you, but those things help here in our heat. pm is very prolific here and almost impossible to avoid completely.

1/3/2016 10:44:57 PM

Pinetops,n.c.

and another tip, talk to other local growers and see if they can help with ideas as you said in your post.

1/3/2016 10:46:11 PM

San Diego

Kevin, I'm in high heat east county with clay soil as well. Good aged composted manure in sparing amounts and lots of shredded leaves each fall/winter in our area. Put in a cover crop each fall and till in the spring. I really believe in building up your soil organically. We typically are very low in our micros here in san diego, especially manganese. I will foliar a micro and manganese throughout the season since our soils run low in them and it really helps the health of the plant which in turns help fight off diseases better as well. Our ph tends to be high, so lowering it with soil sulfer is great as well. As for mildew, start early and often, and your results should be better. Control it before it starts. Our high heat only lets me spray right before dark and my results seem good. You are always welcome to do a patch visit during the year, myself and gourdilla are in santee within miles of each other. I'm hoping to grow again this year in some way, shape or form with my little two small boys.

1/3/2016 11:29:52 PM

San Diego

typo, myself and Gourdzilla are in santee.

1/3/2016 11:32:22 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Hey Kevin! Like Team Faith said above,,, the best thing you can do is drive to another patch. Someone from your area will have ideas you've probably never thought of. 2 years ago I made the 150 mile drive to your area to see Team Faiths patch, was the best thing I ever did. Just being able to see how others water, shade, how moist they keep their soil, vine training, pruning and while your there get to ask questions.

If your ever up this way don't hesitate to send an email and stop by. I have a routine I use for powdery mildew weekly and haven't seen that nasty stuff in a couple years. Its way to much information for me to type;)

I would try and meet up with Jim or Vince down your way but shoot me an email anytime!

Chris
medunn16@yahoo.com

1/4/2016 3:27:18 PM

me id grow a few in cooler months maybe now in your climate skip summer

1/4/2016 4:31:47 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Its cool this time of year though Don,,,, some days are only 70.

:)

1/4/2016 5:59:53 PM

Upa Creek, MO

What do you treat with for PM? Like others, we get it bad here being so hot and humid. I start early and stay consistent.

I don't have any of the big farm equipment, but I have an old tiller and a decent back. I saw Capt97 did a complete overhaul to his soil manually a few years back and his weights went up drastically after. Since my tiller only goes down 5-7 inches I have begun hand turning the entire patch manually 12-15 inches down each spring. If you have seen where I grow, you'll notice the 100 foot trees directly on the edge of the patch. Each year they root off tons of underground shoots through out the patch. When I dig down a >foot, it helps break the clay mix, aerates the soil, and I dig out hundreds of pounds of tree shoots. I need an axe for many of them. If you do this for a couple seasons and work on getting the bigger rocks out, get some O.M tilled in there like Team Faith suggested, I think you'll start to see the soil get much better. It just takes a lot of work getting down deep, but worth it in the long run.

1/4/2016 7:24:23 PM

San Diego, Ca.

Kevin, one thing I haven't seen anyone mention is to alternate at least two different types of sprays for PM. If you keep using the same thing every time it may help the PM to become resistant to that particular spray. For me, if I use Daconil only, it will work OK for a while but I guarantee I will eventually lose the PM battle if I don't alternate sprays. I like to use a contact spray one time and a systemic spray another time. Another product that has worked for Team Faith and I and is organic is called Organocide but be careful, if mixed to strong you can burn your leaves because it is an oil.

1/4/2016 9:30:53 PM

Eugene,OR

I think I'd probably just move to Napa.

1/5/2016 12:54:19 AM

Bethlehem CT

I agree with Don, I would look into growing in the cooler months. You guys get lots of sun, I bet you could get a small hoophouse nice and warm on a 50 degree day. Use heating cables to keep the soil warm at night. I would rather grow my plants cool, early on in the season. Growing fruit with desert like intense heat and sun has to be extremely challenging. C. maxima's are from high mountain areas in S america, they can handle cooler temps better than most other cucurbits.

1/5/2016 8:53:51 AM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

Lots of mulch and go no-till. It may take some time to start working. The mulch will keep your soil moist, which will jumpstart biological activity and, over time, make your soil awesome.

At least, this is what I'm doing. I've been in a rut for 10 years. Last fall I started covering my soil with aged wood chips and I'm going no-till.

1/5/2016 1:11:02 PM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

And... in SoCal you want to use shade cloth, without a doubt. These plants grow incredibly under shade cloth. Just ask the Utah growers. I went on tour with them last summer and my eyes were opened.

1/5/2016 1:16:02 PM

San Diego

Our area is challenging for weather. Most people don't realize socal area has 4 very different weather zones. The coastal area is the beach to about 10 miles inland. Best growing weather is summer time, it does not get very hot or cold due to the pacific ocean. You have inland area where I live, gets real hot in summer and much colder in winter. Then a few miles east you have out mountain area where it is a cold winter and mild summer, then east of that desert.

So where you live would make a big impact on how you grow even in san diego county. Our only weigh off in socal is october 26th, so if you grow in a real hot climate like mine, you start late or you start early and do not go to the weigh off. For me, if I was not going to a weigh off, sometime in march is when I would start seeds. But for guys like Chris, his area is much better suited for a normal start date.

1/5/2016 1:53:39 PM

Torrance, Ca.

I'm really happy with this spot team faith!;) If things go well this winter,,, my plants will have 84 most days and somewhere around 65 to 68 at night.

Muuuuhhaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

1/5/2016 2:18:44 PM

San Diego

thankx to all for the thoughtful replies! The advice is greatly appreciated.

2/7/2016 5:19:05 PM