From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Princeton Kentucky

If anyone has Input from last years season, I would enjoy reading them. I and other growers would Benefit greatly from hearing your OOPS Moments from not only last year but prior years growing. For myself there were two Big Mistakes I made. One being I put way too much sand under the Kin which created the perfect Mouse Hotel and Resort! The second being I planted way too many kins and failed to maintain them all which was Very Wasteful all the way around on my part. I read somewhere on BP that if you can learn what "NOT" to do you'll go far and Grow BIG!! Thanks for any Input!!

3/22/2013 12:47:21 PM

Columbia, Kentucky

read all the diarys,find local growers. I snapped the main vine at 12'feet last year and had to grow a kin on a secondary. so take your time let the sun warm the vine up and dont rush it. test youe soil twice a year, once in the spring once in the fall and if you choose mid season. most of all....Have fun.

3/22/2013 1:43:44 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Back in 2008 I learned the hard way about how hot poultry manure is. Easy does it if you are considering chicken poop.

3/22/2013 2:20:30 PM

Omaha, Ne.

I'm going fishing more. The more I'm in the patch the more I'll over do it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JlVqfC8-UI Just replace a Pumpkin plant for the duck...That's me!

3/22/2013 3:32:11 PM

Sourthern Utah

going to back off,, on the over thinking,, take more time, just doing a good job on the basics,, be more mindful of watering schedule,, and fert/nutrient schedule, and hope to keep the bugs in check better,,

3/22/2013 4:21:08 PM

Minnesota

Don't count on any pollinations! when it stays in the high 90's they don't pollinate like you think they should. After about 8 pollinations that didn't take, I was happy for any pollination.

3/22/2013 4:21:29 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I'm not going to let the temperatures at pollination time get to 104 like 2012. I won't let the creek flood like it did in 2010.

3/22/2013 5:35:55 PM

Cincinnati,OH

Uh, systemic insecticide needs to be re-applied.
Don't be a dummy, read all the instructions.

3/22/2013 7:03:00 PM

Mission Viejo, CA

Oh my gosh so many mistakes in my rookie year

Didn;'t test the soil.
Didn't test the plant tissue.
Used bagged manure
Randomly applied miscellaneous fertilizers.
Didn't make notes
Broke the main vine at about 13 feet.
Stepped on vines several times.
Nicked up and scratched my kin multiple times.
Crappy vine maintenance
Culled a nice fruit on the main vine in favor of a side vine fruit because it was 5 days further ahead in the growth cycle.
No cover shade.
Over misting caused burnt leaves. Or was it the salt in the bagged manure? Or the 110 degree heat and no shade?

Still managed to grow a nice, orange 322.5 lb fruit.

God is awesome. He still blesses us even when we mess up.

3/23/2013 12:09:46 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Don't grow next to a stand of 100+ year old trees that only allows 4-5 hours of light on the patch.

Don't use a small sprayer in late May that had a droplet residual of Roundup in it.

Do get a soil test. I didn't last year.

Find a couple of good people on here you can communicate with and ask questions.

Lots of great info here, but don't believe everything you read, it is still the internet. Insert French model.

3/23/2013 9:15:14 AM

Omaha, Ne.

Bonjour..lOl

3/23/2013 1:25:41 PM

Salem, Oregon

They can't post anything on the internet if it isn't true

3/23/2013 1:31:18 PM

Massachusetts

do not let the wife put grub killer down with a brodcast spreader next to the giant mater plants.

3/23/2013 1:49:39 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Sneak up to John's ( northwest rain ) and see what he's really doing ;)

3/23/2013 4:36:25 PM

Deerfield, Michigan

Don't forget to turn off the hose when filling water tanks.
Don't let the chickens in your patch. (More harm then good)
Don't rely on friends to water for you while on vacation.
Don't take Vacation.
And last but not least: Don't let your wife know how much this hobby really costs.

3/23/2013 10:51:27 PM

Princeton Kentucky

afveteran, the costs on that last one can really add up at the proctologist, then you'll wish you hadn't grown 'em BIG, lol.

3/24/2013 8:10:46 AM

Ireland

panic when some disaster happens and dive straight in to fix it before actually thinking it through first

3/24/2013 4:38:22 PM

Winston Salem, NC

READ THE LABELS...and figure out what is okay to mix together when...lost one less than a month in and the plant never recovered

3/28/2013 7:45:42 PM