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Cooks Creek, Manitoba, Canada

I am trying to figure out which seeds I will use this year. I have room for 4 plants and each year I start 4 to 5 "good" seeds and a few of my own for backups incase something goes wrong. I then stick the plants in the garden and hope they will all do well - sometimes they do, sometime they don't.

This year my current plan has me starting 8 "good" seeds and placing two plants into the garden at each location. I'll then cull out a plant when it becomes apparent which one is doing better. My problem with this is it just doesn't sit right with me. It seems like a waste of good seeds, yet it might give me better results in the end.

Here is an example for this years planting:
Planting 1:
1215 Hebb 02 (if it germinates) otherwise 888 Hebb 02
901 Hebb 02

Anyone of these plants should be a keeper and I would feel guilty culling it out. My questions are, what do some of you do and what do you think about this approach?

1/30/2003 2:20:14 PM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

I'll be starting 2 for every place and then another one 2 weeks later in case of storm damage thats 3 seeds where 1 might have been enough,its better to waste 2 seeds than waste a lot of time getting a patch ready and end up with nothing growing in it you can still give your favourite seeds priority.Last year I had to do the later sowing and all I had left was a 845 Nesbitt the first batch recovered from wind damage and it never got planted out.Ouch!

1/30/2003 7:10:23 PM

Cincinnati,OH

Last year I started with 6 seeds. I was only going to grow one plant so I gave away 2 seeds to a friend; of which only 1 germinated, the other he planted and let die because he was too busy. I planted my 4 seeds; only 1 germinated and 4 days later a squirrel dug under the wire I covered it with and bit it off clean to the ground. Plant as many as you want and never have to look back at a lost season.

1/30/2003 8:18:56 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

I guess Bez what everyone is saying is you get to plant once a year....that day you worked all year to get ready for! Nature has a way of culling off the plants! If your lucky enough to be able to germinate all, lose none to dampening off or replant shock wind, slugs and squirrels you should feel right proud of culling one yourself! but give it a chance so that a week later when it doubles and goes flat you still have something growing! Good luck Bez! Grow em big! Chuck

1/30/2003 11:39:13 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

I plan to start 8 seeds in peat pots, in order to plant 4. At planting time, if the 8 are all right, the other 4 will go to bigger plastic pots, were they will wait until two weeks to be planted in case some accident happened to the four on the patch. If nothing happens after two weeks, I will give them to friends and plant 4 more in pots to have some possible replacement. No sad surprises wanted.
Don

1/31/2003 9:12:26 AM

Knopp, Germany

I like this thread. Some real good ideas. I like your idea Don. Heck, I could even keep the ones as back ups in my newly built green house until needed. If nothing else, they could stay in bigger containers and be used as pollinators!

1/31/2003 9:21:46 AM

Long Island,New York

I only grow 1 maybe 2 plants to full term. I start the two target seeds along with three alternates from my own pkns or friends pumpkins as backups. Usually one or two of the backups get planted outdoors for a while til it is determined the target plants are ok. I will continue to start a pair of seeds every 5-7 days until the middle of june just in case disaster strikes the target plants in the patch. These backups are usually my seeds or friends that I have a few of. They are usually tied into the year's "Theme " so that if one target plant goes down the cross will be a good alternate. Some of you guys may call all this a waste and seed abuse but Ive seen more Bullshirt, more "do as I say not as I do" on this chatboard in the last two weeks than productive pumpkineering. Sock it to me...Im ready.

1/31/2003 9:38:45 AM

Atlanta, Georgia

Owen,
You can start all of the seeds at the same time and keep your backup plants in the house an extra week.
Just use big plastic pots, turn them upside down and secure the bottom shut with clear plastic and tape so you can see the roots. Then cut the bottoms of the pots off (which will now be the top of the pot) and fill them up only half way with dirt and plant your seeds. Use only a little bit of light but heat them from underneath. They will grow long and tall and thin but just keep adding soil so they don't fall over. When you are ready to plant them outside just carefully lay them on their side in your planting hole and remove the plastic bottom and sit the pot upright. it should now slide easily off the plant. If you do this carefully you have no root damage at all and a plant with an extended root system. Just make sure to cover the whole thing once it's in the garden right up to the first two seed leaves.
4 inch peat pots are out as far as I'm concerned. I believe I read this idea first from an article by Jack LaRue. He gave me permission to share it with other growers and post it in my own words at the ggpga website. I'm trying it and my first cloning experiments today personally and will let you know my results.
Michel

1/31/2003 9:39:39 AM

Knopp, Germany

Good idea Michel. I saw someone use ice-cream containers. same idea, turn them upside down, cut out the bottom. When you are ready to plant, take the top off of the now bottom end and it slides right out. I got 8 ready to use.

G. I like you idea about starting backups every week or so, but I would have to modify for our growing season to the end of May. If I planted in mid June, I would only get about 105 days of decent to half decent weather. Gets cold quick here!

1/31/2003 10:29:43 AM

North Ga

Has anybody tried starting seeds in brown paper grocery bags? Just a thought. Any input as to pros and cons will be appreciated.

1/31/2003 10:44:59 AM

North Ga

Sorry, I meant to post that on the seed starting message board.

1/31/2003 10:52:38 AM

Western NY

Glenn, i think you're right on with how you do it. when someone only grows one or two plants, you have to be prepared for anything. even is you grow more plants, most of us who have plenty of seeds from our own pumpkins from previous years would be smart to do the same. odds are, nobody else will plant them, so might as well use them as backups. it's one thing i have learned over the last couple years of losing one here and there to wind or slugs. if you can save a week by having a backup right there, it can make all the difference.

Andy

1/31/2003 10:52:56 AM

Long Island,New York

You know what Owen?...Id rather have a 40 day old fruit at 400lbs on Oct 4 than nothing....lol...its a really long summer when the patch is empty in July.......G

1/31/2003 12:05:41 PM

Cooks Creek, Manitoba, Canada

I don't think I got my point across - or maybe I'm just not reading the replies correctly.

I always have plants available as a backup I just usually use a seed of lesser value. With the horrible weather we had last spring I used every backup plus I had to add a couple more. So if I am starting 4 good seeds I also start at least 4 lesser seeds just incase.

This year I plan on starting 8 good seeds and another 4-6 lesser backups. All 8 will go into the garden (two to a spot) and the backups will be ready if a catastrophy hits, otherwise I will monitor the growth of the plants for a while and then pick which plants I will keep - I won't even touch on the issue of how do you know which plant to keep. Sometime it can be obvious other times you are just guessing.

I guess my issue is a moral one - I only have room for 4 plants and if I plant 8 good seeds and everything goes well, I will end up wasting 4 good seeds (so far none of my neighbors want to grow these things). It doesn't sit quite right with me and I was just curious what other growers out there do. Maybe I'm making too much out of nothing.

Daniel

1/31/2003 2:18:10 PM

Knopp, Germany

You know what G. I beleive you.

1/31/2003 2:28:29 PM