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Grittyville, WA

I don't know what anyone wants to talk about but I'll get it started. Join this thread!

10/19/2018 12:22:10 AM

Wisconsin

Modular Greenhouse with 800Sq ft Hydrponic Bed with pumpkin growing on 6x6 scale.......I can dream right, but for sure gonna focus on rooting, the best rooted plants do the best, timely vine burying along with hand watering of nodes until roots are established. Also planning on running my main vine on a good thick layer of sand, bigger hoop house of a different design, bigger transplants and I'm not going to let a snowstorm delay me 5 days from starting my seeds. Looking into a structure for some shade protection that will also support overhead sprinklers/misters for more even watering. My 2145 got its butt whooped by some early heat here and I never feel I water very evenly with tripods. Other then that some good Wisconsin seeds and hope for some good weather.

10/19/2018 3:32:53 AM

Westmoreland, KS

Fine tuning my greenhouse. Moving in about 6-8 inches of topsoil, mixing it with my hard clay. I like the sand idea mike...i might steal that idea from you! Setting up a good Horizontal air flow to keep my heat/cool more evenly dispersed in my greenhouse.

10/19/2018 9:50:38 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I am going to beef up my electric fence to keep the rabbits and groundhogs out. I am going to add a second fence outside the main fence with more wires to shock those critters. Rabbits were running right through one fence. I also used the gift certificate to the farm store that I won for 3rd place field pumpkin to buy 2 rolls of plastic baler twine. I will string that between the hot wires so hopefully it will force the critters to touch the hot wires. And I will really trap out the mice early in the season. I think they wrecked at least one AG and 1 90#+ field pumpkin

I am also going to add another fungicide to the rotation. and I will be putting 3 more AG spots in mustard. I might even try solarizing after tilling in mustard to try to cut disease pressure.

10/19/2018 10:34:35 AM

Georgia

I want to be more purposeful. I just threw out two Holland seeds with the rest of my pumpkin seeds and had one set in about at 300 sq ft area. I am going to define a larger space for just three giant plants and forego all other pumpkin plants.

I hate the all or nothing aspect of this hobby when you don't have a back 40. Which is why I think GPC bomber jackets should also be awarded for State pumpkin record breakers.

10/19/2018 10:56:09 AM

central Nc

Everything. My first year was scrambling to salvage my poor preparation. Tilled a patch and planted mustard earlier this month, spread some peat and gypsum. Got a soil test. Going to use systemics off the bat in the spring. The one thing I can't change is my small space, but I've started negotiations to annex more yard.

Can't really bury vines outdoors down here, but I like the sand idea...

10/19/2018 11:36:58 AM

Dillonvale, Ohio

I'm putting plastic on my whole patch and cutting it as the plant grows, really helped with weeds. Might push ferts sooner, depends on soil test. Spreading old horse manure on whole patch.

10/19/2018 11:46:05 AM

Western Massachusetts

I also like the sand idea mike, I belive using some form of the paton pot method for rooting nodes would be benificial on secondaries before the fruit, as some people have seen double the number of tap roots this way. The soil would also wash off easier once rooted than a trenched vine would

10/19/2018 2:46:03 PM

Grittyville, WA

BY my calculations one of my giant round bales can absorb 10 lb of blue fertilizer and come out at 2x the recommended concentration. I want to go heavy because I am guessing the organics can lock up approximately half the nutrients. I think I can get over 5 lbs of each of N P and K freely available at the stump of the plant without any overdosing the concentration. No idea what I'm doing really but gonna try to round it out with 6-12-0 bone meal, wood ash 0-1-3 and maybe dolomite or calcium lime. I dont know how accurate the analysis is but some bone meal comes with nitrogen, and I figure thats the better one because its like you get some blood meal for free and I'm counting on that for quality nitrogen source. About $150 going into one plant, gonna be on a budget. Maybe if things look good in June I'll do foliar tests and push the rest of the way based on a test or two, or based on Hollands info sheet...

We are all gonna try to get new personal bests in 2019...

10/19/2018 5:43:37 PM

On a cliff in the desert

Build anti critter cages big enough to hold a mature pumpkin. I lost too many pollinations and pumpkins to critters chomping on my pumpkins.

10/19/2018 6:06:58 PM

Blaine MN

Gonna do better at patch prep. Trying to get more fluffy soil for better rooting(sandy here) brought in 4 yards today. Do better with walking boards. Do a tissue test a time or 2. This among other things. List goes on and on..

10/19/2018 6:19:04 PM

Georgia

Wolfpack, the idea of putting plastic down is something that I want to remember to do. No sense in weeding before the plant gets to the plastic.

And those dreaded vine borers. I caught over 75 in my trap this year in 30 days. I never refilled the pheromone. A plastic barrier until it needs to be cut back might keep some of the grubs from becoming airborne.

10/19/2018 6:50:09 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Run my co2 just a but higher! 1200ppms wasn't enough.

10/19/2018 7:25:18 PM

Bloomfield, Iowa

Going to actually get rain! Lol. That will help me.

10/19/2018 8:22:09 PM

Deer Park WA

LoL Sheriff, our water bill was crazy....

10/20/2018 12:44:02 AM

Johnston, R.I.

Hope to cut back from 9 plants to 4 or 5.. With a little luck I can maintain them better..

10/20/2018 4:46:26 AM

Hanson Ma

Next year is digging a deeper planting hole 3’ deep 6’x8’. Found my soil was only soft about 10”down this year.

10/20/2018 8:21:07 AM

Deal With It

Remember to move the drip tape away from the stump so that I won't lose half of my daily gains, as a result of the removal of a foaming stump and a few secondaries.

10/20/2018 10:56:53 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Drink and fish more, worry less about plants.

10/20/2018 12:01:07 PM

NE Wisconsin

1. Better wind protection. My first year was damage control from day 4 on because of a storm. My biggest pumpkin came off a very wind damaged plant.

2. Do better with walking boards. I'm a big guy, not easy to stay on them, but does a lot of compacting when I don't.

3. Plant less. My first year had 4 AG, 2 FP, but then also still did my usual 30 or so decorative pumpkin, gourd, squash plants, 35 sunflowers, and Indian corn/popcorn rows. The non-AG plants took up way too much time to be able to give the AGs proper attention. Thinking I might go 2 plants next year. One big one orange, and stick to WI seeds. Maybe a Brandt and an Engel.

4. Start earlier.

5. Pray for better weather.

10/20/2018 2:13:15 PM

Wisconsin

Im just gonna do whatever the Steves are doing!

10/20/2018 7:46:44 PM

Ontario

Get wife to pull more weeds

10/20/2018 8:04:46 PM

Georgia

^lmao

10/20/2018 8:54:05 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Trying to grow big in Georgia’s difficult climate is challenging. To get to the next level the two things I need to do are: get a Stihl SR200 backpack sprayer and more importantly, I need to try to find some mentors that I can text with questions and gain insight from. It’s difficult to find specific answers on the internet for growing big kin’s. Well, good answers at least.....

10/20/2018 9:14:51 PM

Upa Creek, MO

CBrown - join a club. There are plenty of them and you don’t need to be a local. You’ll get newsletters with all levels of knowledege including articles written by seasoned growers. Most importantly you’ll be in contact with other folks willing to help. The southeast had a great one years back run by the Finders, but it has since dissolved. Also, keep an eye out for Spence on here. He’s out of Alabama, maybe Greenbow, and is a great grower.

10/20/2018 9:52:23 PM

Georgia

Good to see you posting Cbrown. I joined the St. Croix group in MN and they have a good members only area and their premium membership which is like $25 included a good reference book on growing giant pumpkins. And they have nice looking website that is easy to navigate. Obviously, Georgia is tough place to grow, but for both of us right now, our biggest limiting factors are us and not the climate. And congrats again, on your personal best this year.

10/21/2018 9:38:12 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Thanks Smallmouth and Fryght, I agree that my knowledge is the biggest limiting factor right now. I’ll check out St Croix and for sure be joining a club as well as finding advice wherever I can. My current tasks are getting the soil perfect or as good as I can get it and finding the best seeds.

Fryght, I may smell a friendly Georgia challenge between us next year.......... ;-)

10/21/2018 10:19:20 AM

Georgia

Well you just placed third in the OVPG raffle so your 2019 season is already off to a winning start. So, I am certainly going to keep it to bragging rights, Plus, you have a much better set-up than I have.

10/21/2018 3:58:18 PM