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Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Now that the events are almost over and we have seen the heavy hitters huge fruit out there I was curious what everyone will be doing differently next year to try and match some of those record weights out there. Personally I think I will make sure that I get an earlier start. If mother nature isn't going to cooperate I may add soil heating cables or a lamp inside the cold frame.

10/23/2003 7:53:24 AM

In my first year of growing I started my seeds very late (May 19th). In my second year I started them on May 1st. In my third and fourth year I started them on April 22/23. I found out that it is far better to start the seeds a bit later than too early. Next year I won't sow any earlier than May 5th to May 10th and set out my plants on May 15th. The plants will rapidly catch up with the earlier started ones and will eventually even surpass them. In addition to that I found that the later ones will grow much stronger and healthier. And I also think it is no good idea to set fruit any earlier than the 1st of July. The ones pollinated in the second half of June will stop growing early and the later pollinated fruits will get bigger.
Just my experience and thoughts, of course.....
Best wishes,
Martin

10/23/2003 8:17:29 AM

Deer Park, WI

I have a number of changes that I will put to use next year. First and foremost, powdery mildew control will be much more aggressive and earlier. Starting about July 1st. Prevention is the best cure. Secondly, Im planting a cover crop for the first time. A bag of winter rye only cost me $8 and covers an acre. Plenty to go around. Plus, it gives me something to do and watch in the offseason. Also added gypsum to my soil for the first time. One of my main focuses for next spring is increasing soil temperature as early and quickly as possible. I think this has slowed me in the past, so big bad cold-frames are on the to-do list. Just a few changes in my pursuit of 1100.

10/23/2003 8:55:17 AM

Knopp, Germany

Increase the OM content of my patch, bury each vine, consider trimming some secondaries off if it gets to crowded, give my plants more space (from 250 to 500 sq ft).

10/23/2003 8:55:32 AM

Ontario

I am going to prep my patch this fall and going to get the plants outside earlier. This past season I couldnt get onto my patch to till it because it was too wet and in the meantime my plants were starting to drop and vine in their pots, not good for the roots!! I will also pay much more attention to pruning which caused a mess of vines. I had really small leaves so I thought the more the better but it just caused confusion in the vines. Thats what i am going to do differently next year, but for more experienced growers im sure tht the above is second nature!

10/23/2003 9:07:14 AM

Pulaski Tn [email protected]

i'm switching to LITE beer...taste great!!!

10/23/2003 9:10:30 AM

Utah

Less Filling !

10/23/2003 9:18:08 AM

Key West, FL

Grow a lot bigger pumpkin with no splits. I don't know if there is much I'm going to change, maybe plant size but I haven't decided yet.

10/23/2003 11:18:14 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

After having my biggest pumpkins ever split on me the last 2 years in a row, I was thinking of switching from lite beer to whiskey.

The 2 main things that i will do differant are.

1. Make piles of dirt in each corner of the garden. So
when its vine burying time I have easy access to it.
I compacted the soil too much this year walking back and
forth bringing in dirt for vine burying. or I might
try the trenching technique.

2. Construct a more open fruit shade. I think I enclosed
the pumpkin too much and air circulation was
nonexistant. I did'nt have a problem with molds or
fungus on the pumpkin but I think the temp. may have
been to high inside the fruit shade.

10/23/2003 11:34:16 AM

Utah

there is too much to list here !!! LOL !

10/23/2003 11:38:45 AM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

1.Add calcium to the soil.
2.If you a have a good hot house an early start should not be a problem so I will go for the last week of April.
3.Kill all the aphids to prevent virus infection.
4.Expand the area for the pumpkin on the ground not only on the roof. Unfortunately this means no tomatoes but I think that secondary roots are necessary for stabilization of the plant.
5.Get a fruit on a huge main vine by mercilessly cutting every second secondary.
6.No or much less misting to prevent diseases. Also I will not spoil my plant with too much of foliar nutrition

And most importantly:less watching… the plant needs some intimacy!
Jernej

10/23/2003 11:56:33 AM

Sequim, WA

This was my first season in a new patch and that made a big difference for me even though I was unable to do as much prep work as I would have liked. This year I will get the prep done. I'll be adding a lot more manure (this week), and planting a cover crop. Pest and disease control will start earlier as Joze said. What's that old saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I will get a watering system in place that won't have me moving sprinklers around and through the patch on a daily basis. Grow fewer plants (11 is just too many). And get a better sprinkler timer that can run multiple cycles throughout the day, so I don't have to go to patch every day. I will also try to get something under all the fruit to help prevent bottom splits. I only had mats under two of them, both had nice bottoms, others that grew on the soil would probably have split underneath had the gotten much larger judging by the concavity underneath them.

10/23/2003 12:02:27 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Many things to do. Better water system, more organics, soil sampling in spring, ensure proper drainage under stump area, build 3 temp.compensating greenhouses, more worms, timely vine pruning, plant good seeds.
But most of all become The Big Kahuna.

10/23/2003 6:25:29 PM

[email protected]

Dig pits with Backhoe this weekend.
Till with same tractor. All the way down to 16"!(New tines;o)
Add *LESS* organic material.
Add more calcined clay.
Correct recently discovered Manganese deficiency (tissue culture)
Better temperature controls.
No granular ferts needed.
Spoon feed all fertilizers only as needed. No luxury apps.
Remove shade producing trees as legally as possible.
Pest control was perfect. Change nothing from 2003 program.

Steve

10/23/2003 7:50:55 PM

Greencastle, PA

I'm going to get my soil ready and hope for better weather, going to put in some beneficial fungi if i can. and going to see if my neighbors will do something about their tree covering half my patch.
tom

10/23/2003 11:28:15 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil......#1 priority
nothing else matters if you have the seed
soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil, soil.

10/24/2003 7:17:02 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

Ned,
Change your e-mail addy for your handle...the old one is still there
Kyle

10/24/2003 7:17:59 AM

Gloucester, MA

Quit work.

10/24/2003 7:24:04 AM

Wood River, Nebraska

30% shade, no more sun burnt leaves. "Admire" systemic pesticide. Anyone have a source for less than a gallon???
No more herbicide overspray from neighbors! I've already done a fall broadleaf application for them. :-)

10/24/2003 8:55:33 AM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Thanks Kyle. I changed my settings so it should be fine now. My address is [email protected] Great responses gang. It sounds like this pumpkin growing never leaves one content, always striving to do better. Not a bad way to live life.

10/24/2003 9:26:34 AM

[email protected]

Stewee, 2 oz jars of the 75%WP are around $40.00. I've sold over $1 million of the stuff this year. No. Mostly not to pumpkins growers! LOL!

Steve

10/24/2003 6:23:45 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

Stewee, I bought 16 oz. for $85. It will take care of my acre for one year. Will be doing a chemigation treatment on the patch. OSU Agriculteral Dept. did a study this year and I am just waiting for their results.....Tom

10/24/2003 9:09:10 PM