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New Bremen, Ohio

OK here's the deal. This is my first year and have been very very dedicated from learning everything I can, to my daily care of my pumpkin. I'm the type at every free moment, I'm in the pumpkin patch or learning more on the internet. Today I get home from work and perform my daily circumferance measurement and felt a split on the bottom of the blossom end. I knelt down to see a 4" cut with a damn quarter in it. Yes, a damn quarter. After pulling the quarter out with a needle nose pliers, I seen the cut was about 2" deep. I guess the purpose of the quarter was to insure the cut would stay open. 1st question is why? Why would somebody do this? What is the point and has anyone heard of putting a quarter in a cut? I don't know what to think. I'm very much love this hobby, but I'm wondering if it is worth it if people can't leave other people's property alone.

8/7/2002 8:38:13 PM

Canton,Mass

Sounds like kids to me,probably around 13 yearsold.Got any in the neighborhood?If they wanted to kill it they would have.They'll be back for sure..

8/7/2002 9:51:03 PM

prairie du sac wi

Thats to bad,sorry to hear that.I worry about the same thing happening to me. Maybee you should set up a motion light in your patch,If there coming at night it might help.
Did you treat the wound with Captan? Good luck!!

8/7/2002 11:07:40 PM

Rexburg, Idaho ([email protected] )

Break out the high voltage electric fence.

8/7/2002 11:54:44 PM

Yreka, CA

I'm thinking get some big angry geese! I was just beginning to wonder if a person with little kids can grow pumpkins at all. My own kids keep stepping on my vines and crushing them. There is so much other yard to play in, but they cannot seem to stay clear of the vines no matter how much I beg and threaten.

But seriously, if it's kids, you might see if the local cops will come out and make a show of looking around. (I don't know if you live in a small enough town that they would do that for you) If kids see the cops there, it might frighten them off of coming onto your property again.

Patience

8/8/2002 1:15:18 AM

Kuna, Id.

I have hot wire around mine, Bought a good one to it'll make ya wet your pants if ya get a hold of it. Its dry ground on one side of the fence and open irrgation on the other(nice and wet)they can get in but not out with out me noing it. Hung the no Trespass signs out. This way if I catch them the cops can take them home. May be able to trade out some weed pulling and not press charges. Who no's one may grow a big one rather then kill them.
Ken

8/8/2002 1:49:10 AM

Saegertown Pa.

Sorry to hear that's every growers worst nightmare.

8/8/2002 7:04:56 AM

Ga.

Vertigo,,I know where you are coming from..Someone pulled the stem off my 378 this year...Kids sure are meaner than they used to be...Hold your head up,,hard to do when someone attempts to destroy what we have worked so hard for...Good luck at getting it healed up...
Jeff

8/8/2002 7:11:59 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

This is my third visit to this post this morning. I don't know what to say. After I let the neighbors cat out of the havahart trap came back in and grabbed a coffee only to see the woodchuck in the garden which I threw a hammer at ( only thing close at hand)...These creatures are dumb stupid animals but when someone has that much disrespect for other peoples property that are supposed to knowledgeable you have to wonder what they're being taught! As mad as I was at the animals...This post makes ya boil! Kids will be Kids, I know but somehow this just stikes me as malcious. You Know if it was on the stoop and they smashed it I might let it go as a kids prank but to go in the garden and stuff a quarter in it, is different! Especially to hide it under the pumpkin! I don't know....Hope you can patch it up and good luck! Chuck

8/8/2002 8:27:04 AM

Long Island,New York

Hmmm...a four inch cut, two inches deep with a quarter put in it, likely to prevent healing. 13year old? This NYer doubts that. A cut in the weakest spot on a pkn and a wedge to keep it cut.Probably in a top to bottom direction too, huh?. Sounds like a deliberate attempt to "take you out" of the running. I'd write up a list of local "competitors" , trace back my past conversations....maybe you can find some suspects that way. Its probably just the NYer in me, but it doesn't sound like kids working on thier own to me...unless one of them is growing, is knoweledgable in growing, or a relative of a grower with a bad set of morals..........G

8/8/2002 9:07:53 AM

Long Island, NY

Very sorry to here about this mess. And I have another angel on the cause, having some malicious friends growing up. I think the quarter may have been the ammo of a sling shot or simmilar weapon.

Probably done on a dare. Kid wouldn't have to get that close to hit a big irrisitable target like a pumpkin. Would leave a big gash and lodge itself in there good.

Try not to take it personally, these kids must have no clue at all. I know when I was young I didn't and it's hard to refuse a dare and still maintain your status as "cool". Which is all that matters when the kid. They might not even know they hit it.

If this is the case. Put something in front to block the pumpkin from a fututer projectile attack. A good test would be to set out some culled fruit as easy targets and see if they get nailed too.

Again I might be wrong. Just hard to imagine a diliberate plot to kill your pumpkin. Anyway, I hope it recovers. Keep us posted.

Steve

8/8/2002 8:24:10 PM

Canton,Mass

To Lipumkin...disagree with you on your theory.If I wanted to take out my competitor,I would just cut the primary vine.Show's over.

8/8/2002 8:30:41 PM

Cologne / Germany

Sounds to me like some sort of "revenge" indeed. Do you have conflicts with your neighbours or anyone else? Should be other things to do with a quarter for a 13 year old tahn putting it into a pumpkin. Using coins, nails etc. is usually to kill a tree that is not wanted or something else. The facts also sound like some "vodoo ritual", so first think about anyone that might want to attack you. Insanity is all around.

8/8/2002 9:03:20 PM

prairie du sac wi

right on stevo. I was just thinking about it well i was at work and I came to the same conclusion that the quarter was most likely was ammo of a sling shot. thats what I was going to post.

8/9/2002 12:57:16 AM

Greencastle, PA

yes, 13 year olds are the root of all your troubles. maybe it's cause we get stariotyped. if someone blamed shit on me just because i was 13 i would take an axe to their pumpkin.
tom

8/9/2002 4:43:00 PM

Greencastle, PA

yes, 13 year olds are the root of all your troubles. maybe it's cause we get stariotyped. if someone blamed shit on me just because i'm 13 i would take an axe to their pumpkin.
tom

8/9/2002 4:43:14 PM

Greencastle, PA

oops, sprry for the double post. it must be beause i'm 13.

8/9/2002 4:43:52 PM

New Bremen, Ohio

The reason why I posted this was to see if anyone had ever heard of putting a quarter in a cut. I know many of you think it is a 13 year old, but I don't think so. The cut was positioned on the blossom end on the bottom where the pumpkin has the most stress and was positioned so I couldn't see it easily. The quarter kept the cut open about 1/2 ". After removing the quarter, I super glued it shut and applied Cantan. So far it looks OK, but I hold my breath everytime I look. I don't want to think that someone would do this, but just don't know. I enjoy hearing about people's pumpkin growth rate and how big their pumpkin is on the internet, but beaware, you may be asking for trouble by doing so.

8/9/2002 4:57:04 PM

Cologne / Germany

Hey Tom, being on the other side because you can´t grow a pumpkin on your own? Your last post was you´re in trouble and need to stay away - doesn´t seem your problems are solved. You come here with that interesting new name and dare to talk like this? Man I´d like to know what kind of generation you´re in. You seem to be kind of intelligent, maybe you have an answer.

8/9/2002 5:06:10 PM

Midway City, California

No more of Tom We had enough of Tom the last time every one was on him.==========================================
Virtigo I hope the quarter was not a tip for some hard working waitress. ;=)

8/9/2002 11:07:45 PM

Greencastle, PA

a generation of numbers. all teenagers are today to the public are numbers, statistics. nobody really listens to what we have to say. i don't care if you've had enough water. i've had enough too. you haven't put up with what i have. i've taken crap from people my whole life and then people get pissed off when i give it back. protest the fact tthat i'm here as much as you want. i feed on your hate. if you have anything else to say to me go right ahead, say whatever the hell you want. it's not only my generation, it's yours too. don't be hypocrites, it's your generation who's causing the coorportae scandles, which leads to a weak economy, which leads to a weak government. also, it's your generation who's selling sex to teenagers. but you know what, we're all weak, and we're all obsessed with sex. after all, the meaning of life is simply to reproduce and irradicate the enamies. but you know what, we're our own enamies, so maybe we should all just kill ourselves. people are stupid, weak things, nothing more. and i hate all people, i hate myself.
tom

8/11/2002 4:31:20 AM