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Saturday, June 20, 2015 swhitty Bangor, ME

Entry 4 of 48  
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The 1400 Lopresti is doing great. The cucumber beetles had a few days where they were taking over, but I spent A LOT of time squishing them, and they seem to be at a more manageable level. The leaves are a little scarred from it, but I think they'll push through it. I just special-ordered some beneficial nematodes at Blue Seal to attack any pests/larvae in the ground that could be destroying my roots. I've never used them before, but my boyfriend Dale highly suggested trying them.

I also played around with some compost tea. I made a simple design with a 5 gallon bucket and a cheap air pump, and it seemed to work okay. I used the recipe in Don Langevin's book, How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins, the All-Organic Way. It consists of 5 gallons of water, 2 oz humic acid, 2 oz fish/seaweed fertilizer, 2 oz molasses, and 1 pound worm castings. I also put some seagull guano in it. There is no research or reasoning behind that one other than the fact that Dale suggested trying it.

I'll be posting a blog soon with more details!

Oh, and I forgot to mention. I had a baby pumpkin at 9 feet which I got rid of. I have another around 10 feet which I'll also get rid of, and I just saw a baby pop up at 14 feet. That will probably be the one! The main vine is 15 feet, and I FINALLY got around to getting some boards down to prevent soil compaction (bad Sarah). Hopefully my organic methods will allow the earthworms to thrive and make up for my negligence. I also read online about how to use a pitchfork to aerate your soil which I might give a try.
 



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