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Lodi, California

This isn't really the right time of year for this question, but it popped into my mind and I wanted to give voice to it. It is pretty standard practice to grow two or even three plants in a single area, then cull down to the strongest or most desirable plant. Has anyone ever attempted doing this twice, once on each opposing side of a growing-area (4-6 plants on a single plot, for example), culled down to two plants, then allow these two plants to grow towards the center of the plot? I don't know if this is worth the effort, but I would think it would give the grower more choice, since they would be able to choose between two different plants mid-season. I'd like to your thoughts on this.

7/8/2019 6:03:07 PM

Grittyville, WA

Think big-- four or six... how about 500 plants in a 40 ft diameter circle and cull 1/2 of the plants every week. By the end of ten weeks the chosen 1 plant will remain. (And then later in the fall after all that rigorous selection it will go B.E.S. on you...) Thats my thoughts.

7/9/2019 2:26:08 AM

Grittyville, WA

Its a fine idea just depends what your goal is and how much work you can do.

7/9/2019 3:21:51 AM

Plymouth, MN

What you describe is how I've grown the last couple of years. Small plot, start two plants at the opposite end of the garden. Gives the chance to get a cross you want and a little bit more insurance for early screw ups.

In practice, one corner of my garden is near a black walnut and is fairly toxic. Tomatoes die. Pumpkin tolerates but does not thrive. So unless something dramatic happens to the one plant, I pretty much know who I'm growing at the beginning of the season.

7/9/2019 11:11:24 AM

Lodi, California

Yeah, that was my idea, to give the grower more tolerance for screw-ups. It's pretty hot where I live, so if I don't shade my mains they will wilt and die. Despite my efforts, I've already lost 2/4 of the main vines in my patch, and one of the surviving vines still got scorched. It would have been nice to have a backup plant in this particular scenario.

7/9/2019 2:28:55 PM

Colorado

I know of growers that have room for one full sized plant that grow from opposite ends and pull one of them once they have one set on the main.

7/10/2019 5:33:16 PM