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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Thursday, October 08, 2026
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TillyTilly20
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Spencer, MA
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Entry 82 of 82 |
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One of my last posts of the year will be about growing on perlite and my findings. Mill fabric is a treasure for growers, but it seems nearly impossible for a new grower to find (a huge business opportunity for the right person). Therefore I was forced to decide what else I could grow on. I used 3 different approaches.
The first was a pumpkin grown directly on the ground with a perlite buffer. This worked and that pumpkin grew to be 524 pounds.
The second was Origen grown on a board (with no drilled holes) with about 3-4 inches of perlite in top. This worked well until the wet spells ensured that the perlite stayed water logged because the perlite I had had a mix of large perlite as well as powder. The powder absorbed the water and ensured the bed underneath stayed wet. However because of its inorganic properties it did not cause any rot (as I feared when I found the brown spots under Origen).
The third was Feefer which was a hybrid approach where I had multiple boards under the pumpkin which allowed for drainage and with a few inches of perlite on top. (As pictured) This pumpkin was clean as a whistle when lifted.
I propose therefore that perlite is a good base to grow a AG on given you can keep it dry. I got the idea from looking at Ian Paton's diary. I see he grows his on a bed of perlite even with irrigation lines under the pumpkin. If it worked for him I figured it would work for me. I would love to know his and others thoughts on this.
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