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Oakland, CA, USA

Has anyone here tried growing AGs on a significant slope? I'm going to plant this year in a patch that drops at least four or more feet per twenty feet of run (probably more, but I'm going from memory). The soil is almost pure sand (I'll load it with organics, don't worry). I'm wondering if AGs notice or care about the slope and if they do react to slope, in what way? Any suggestions on limiting erosion? I've got my own ideas, but I want to consult those of you with more experience than mine. There is a picture of the site in my grower's diary '05(the vineyard pic) Thanks to all. Erin.

1/4/2005 9:02:29 PM

Edmonton, Canada

Could you use some sort of terracing?

1/4/2005 9:04:27 PM

[email protected]

Is there any flat area? I'll email you a picture of a friends patch for ideas.

1/4/2005 9:24:48 PM

Follansbee, Wv

You may want to look at BrooksB diary. He grows on a terraced patch that is not very wide and had success with it. I do recall that he built a stand for a pumpkin on the hillside. Check out his diary, it was really ingenious!

1/4/2005 9:58:32 PM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

They like to grow upwards and once they start so it is difficult to convince them to turn down. You may check growing up to the roof in my 2003 diary

1/5/2005 2:35:05 AM

Oakland, CA, USA

Thanks for all the replies. Knowing that they like to grow up is critical information, since the high end of my patch is up against a fence with a road on the other side. I've got as much space as I can clear and improve, right now I'm planning on 32 feet from bottom to top of hill, so I'll plant them at the bottom and let them run up to the fence-line. I was planning to plant them all at the top of the hill or alternate top and bottom to conserve space (interleaved christmas trees), but not now!
There's no true flat area, everything has some slope, but it's less at the top (which was why I chose that area), and while it's too much of an engineering feat to truly terrace it all to make wide, flat beds, I will do some shallow terraces to give it many levels of flatness.

At the sloped patch I have all the room I can use, but at home I have barely enough for one. I may use Urban's roof-garden idea to increase the space for my secondaries by training their ends up lattices. I'll probably be foliar-feeding anyway, so they should do fine. Much to ponder. Thanks everybody!

1/5/2005 2:34:13 PM

A big problem with growing on a slope is mainly erosion at the beggining of the seedlings life. If you get a heavy rain with nice top soil on a slope you get a lot of run and the water digs bad trenches down the slope and can carry or wash out a lot of good nutrients out of the soil. Before the pumpkin can get up to size and protect the soil with its big leaves you should plant a small grass like crop a little bit on the hill, that would probably make a huge difference for erosion and nutrient loss. My dad plants barley in his fields over fall and winter so that if the fields dry out and start blowing the barley will hold down the muck. You can always rip or till up the crop. Another suggestion would be to lay out a garden mat with wood chips. In our garden we have this black stringy mat like stuff that you unroll cut and lay acrosss the garden then you peg it down and put woodchips on it. It breaths well, and keeps all the weeds down. Well just a suggestion.
Good luck to ya.

1/5/2005 10:18:32 PM

Oakland, CA, USA

Thanks Kyle. I was actually thinking about something along those lines. We don't get much rain around here beyond May (almost none!), but up until then, it's anybody's guess. I have been reading a little here and there about "companion planting" and was wondering about whether or not it was something that I should apply to giant pumpkin growing. Companion plants can often be found to work with your main crop to augment pest resistence or improve soil conditions, release beneficial hormones, etc. Maybe I should start a separate thread to see if anyone has any ideas on this.... In any case, planting something to retain the soil until the pumpkin can take over is a good idea that I think I'll use. Thanks. -Erin.

1/6/2005 12:46:50 AM

Ohio

Thats funny this post came up, cause i emailed Dave this morning about growing on a hill side, He dont grow on a hill side he grows on a Mountain,lol,And grows giants that way too!

Tremor when you get a chance can you email me that pic please.

Im growing one of my pumpkins on a slope this year, Im running it off a flat spot then down a slope to another flat spot then slopes again, Im hoping i get lucky and hit the flat spot when i set my pumpkin, But if i dont, Im going to do what Dave G. does and put alot of sand so the pumpkin sits flat on the slope.

Monty, I was thinking about making another patch, iM SERIOUS,,,,LMAO,. If Dave can have a patch on a slope(steeper then mine) I should have no problem on the side of my hill,lol

Brooks

1/6/2005 1:10:18 AM

Ohio

azazel, One more thing, Dave told me today he would rather not grow up hill because its really hard to get the Vines to lay down. Can you grow from side to side?

Brooks

1/6/2005 1:17:07 AM

Oz

Just remember,,they chase the sun and they are hungry.
If you got lots of sun and water/feed,go for it.

lol When you grow the "big one",you can back up the trailer
right up to the pumpkin.

Use filter fabric and stakes to terrace.
Pallet "berms" help build soil mounds that do not wash away.
It would be sad to hear that you got "rolled" in ya patch!

1/6/2005 1:55:45 PM

Oakland, CA, USA

Hi Brooks, yeah, I can plant in any orientation. My available space is effectively unlimited, except by my ability to cultivate it without machinery (just a shovel and 150lbs. of skinny dude). But I can run the vines side to side. Now that I think about it, some of the pictures from Boily's satelite patch show pretty significant slope and the plants growing side-to-side across it (if memory serves). Ok, so maybe the erosion control question is really where I should be most concerned. Thanks for the pointers on that one McPumpkin. I'm not clear on what a pallet berms is, though; could you explain that one? I sure wish all this rain would give it a rest for a few days so I could get out there and do some more work! Thanks to all for the comments. -Erin.

1/6/2005 2:17:48 PM