[WitchyKitty]

I was waiting to see if someone would start the thread...I was getting ready to. Thanks for starting it!

I can't do anything, outside, as the garden is buried under a whole lot of snow and ice, atm...but I did buy my seeds for this year...though I keep my eyes open for more I might like better, lol.
I'll do my minis, like JBLs and such, as usual, but, this year, I want to give some assorted Small Decorative Gourds a try and I'm trying Small Sugar Pie pumpkins, too, since those are what I prefer to paint to take out to the graves.
With my limited space, most of you know I usually do smaller varieties. We will see how it goes.

I'm trying to decide how I want to set up the pie pumpkins...they will be a little too heavy to grow on my towers like the minis and gourds. I didn't care for the low trellises I made for my Triple Treats to grow across the one year, so I may end up just growing them on the ground around the outside of the raised beds like I did the Jarrahdales. We will see. I've got plenty of time, lol. (Though, I wish I didn't have plenty of time, lol!)🎃

 

[WitchyKitty]

Your plan is well grounded & I have a similar plan but sort've different. I promised my neighbors they can have all the pumpkins that grow on their side of fence as long as their dog "Gus" (most beautiful golden retriever EVER) keeps squirrels off fence & stop them from eating pumpkins. It's an amicable solution.... but
My $$$ is on the squirrels

My money is always on the squirrels, around here, lol...sigh. 😕

 

[WitchyKitty]

We have a rain barrel, too. It really helps to have it filled up when we go into a sudden hot, dry spell for a period.
I have even used plastic shopping bags cut open to use as shades if needed, lol. Whatever works!

 

[WitchyKitty]

the squirrels here they do not touch my pumpkins but trash everything else ugh i wish the little critters would go live in someone else yard lol but thats not going to happen

Our squirrels love to get into pretty much everything...chipmunks, raccoons, and bunnies, too. They are all adorable, but they drive me crazy, too!

 

[WitchyKitty]

I'm afraid I'm going to be out of the game this year as far as pumpkins go.

With the continued drought here, it's become apparent we really need to change how we're gardening. So, last year we started the move to raised bed gardening where I can install permanent buried drip lines, fill with a healthy dose of coconut coir for water retention, and easy sun shades installation as needed when we get continued 100+ waves. Come planting time I'm only going to have one of those ready, so it will be dedicated to the 'salsa garden' (not really salsa, per se, but mostly tomatoes) The second one is built, but not enough compost to fill it yet, I have 4-6 more to go.

I might plant a mini or two in a pot for giggles.

We're also in kind of a limbo space with my job this year as I'm currently working a 6 month extension, and past June is an unknown, so the original plan to go full xeriscaping and finish the garden was tossed right out the window until the follow on contract is awarded.

I hope your drought lets up at some point, soon.
Even though you may not be in the big pumpkin game, this year, I hope you still post what you are doing with your garden and hope you do decided to grow some minis, just for fun, too, and show us what you get of those!
I hope your job situation ends up better, too, and yo get that contract and continuation past June!

 

[WitchyKitty]

Didn't you have a picture of a squirrel chomping on a your front porch pumpkin one year? It was a cute photo.

I'm sure I did...I know I have a pic of a squirrel laying next to one of our pumpkins on the porch.

 

[WitchyKitty]

Good thing you know what's going on with it, now. Wish you didn't have to try to fix it, now, though.
Interesting info about mustard.

 

[WitchyKitty]

We just put a new brand and type of organic soil in our raised beds/veggie garden...so, hopefully, we will get some nice results for my veggies, gourds and pumpkins...ooooorrrrr everything will die.
Guess we will see, lol.

 

[WitchyKitty]

You got me, too!!! I was just like...not fair!!!!!

 

[WitchyKitty]

I like my pumpkins and gourds for September decorating as well as October and, if they survive, November...so I just wait until a couple weeks before our Illinois weather evens out, which is usually May, start indoors and plant outdoors mid to late May, depending on weather.
I grow smaller varieties, though, so they do mature, earlier...but our growing season ends a bit earlier, too, as the vines start to die back, powdery mildew begins to take hold, ect., again, due to weather. If I was growing larger pumpkins, I would start them, indoors, a bit earlier than the minis and smaller varieties.
Truly, it just depends on the weather and growing season in your specific state, plus the days to maturity to figure when you should start.
If they mature too early, for you, keep them on the vine as long as you can, then harvest and store somewhere until you need them.
I wish I could help, more, but my state's weather and growing season is very different than yours.
One other thing you can check is online pumpkin growers in your area...forums, colleges (some colleges in states have local growing information for many things, online), ect.

 

[WitchyKitty]

I have not heard of artificial moon light...so I haven't a clue. I'd have to look into that...

 

[WitchyKitty]

I just found this hybrid pumpkin that is a bush style...it's a bit expensive, especially with shipping, but, after going back and forth about it, I decided to give it a try, at least once. It's a mini style 3x3 round pumpkin called Kandy Korn.
I had never heard of it. It gets good reviews, from the few that have tried them, so far. We will see. For the price, I hope they do well and give me, at least, enough pumpkins to make up for the price. (I hope they do better than the comparable Wee be Littles. I was growing Little October Pumpkins, which were similar size/shape but vining, and I loved those, but I can't find them, this year or last.)

Pumpkin, Kandy Korn Plus Hybrid

These small bush plants produce up to 12 glowing yellow-ochre pumpkins per plant.

www.burpee.com

 

[WitchyKitty]

^^^^^
That is a great idea.

That's what I have always done! It worked for years...until we got a new X1 cable box that, apparently, gets too hot. Due to this, I will have to figure something else out, as last year I practically cooked some of the seeds! Stupid new cable box...old one was perfect for seeds, lol.

I have heard of filing the seeds, but have never tried it, yet.

 

[WitchyKitty]

You may be on to something. I also had to upgrade to a new cable box. I started using just a heat mat instead of the cable box which worked for about two years, but last year was a totally nightmare as I could not get it to work. It put me two weeks behind. I just ended going back to soil and had a 100% germination rate.

Yep. Last year was a nightmare for my poor, overcooked seeds, too. Need a new method...soon.
With the extra grow light I put in my mini greenhouse, maybe if I do something similar with filing, soaking, already moist, warm soil, my greenhouse will be enough. I always just preferred the baggie method because then I wouldn't waste pots, dirt and space planting seeds that I couldn't see would definitely germinate.

 

[WitchyKitty]

Well, I wasn't getting alerts that everyone was chatting, over here, so I missed a lot.
For those of you who have already started, your set ups look great! For those who have babies, already, I'm super jealous!! For those dealing with snow, still, I feel ya', as we just woke up to white, yesterday, and freezing lows, still, too. No pumpkin and gourd planting for me, just yet. We have nice, warm weather coming by the end of the week for a short while, but the future forecast for end of April and beginning of May is saying back to 50s for highs. I hope that changes.
Heck, I'm still waiting for them to ship out my new type of seeds...those Kandy Korn Hybrid ones.
Saki.Girl, I can't wait to see what your surprise pumpkins will be!
The squash bug sign is hilarious!
IowaGuy, your germinating set up looks like it should work, great!
I don't even know where I will grow my pumpkins...I planted more greens than usual, this year...which the seeds are probably all dead, now, due to too much moisture and then snow and freezing...sigh...so now I have less room. Hmmm...this should be interesting...it will be like a game of Tetris in the garden, this year!!

 

[WitchyKitty]

Is it suppose to do it backwards??
View attachment 760392

I can't quite see what you mean...
Did you plant your seeds the correct direction?

 

[WitchyKitty]

Yes, I planted them all pointy end facing down. If you look in the center of the pic you will see the seed is actually pushing itself out....its sideways

Oooh, that's what you meant. Yeah, the seed coats almost always come up with the cotyledon (baby sprout leaves). It will just push right up out if the ground as the sprout goes up and the roots go down. It comes up whatever direction those cotyledon happen to be facing/breaking out of the sead coat. Like UnOrthodOx said, pretty normal. It'll straighten itself out.

 

[WitchyKitty]

I, finally, have warmer temps and was able to start my pumpkin and gourd seeds with the baggie method (along with my mammoth and large sunflowers, zucchini, and cucumbers.)
I'm going to try my new cable box, again, for warmth but, this time, I placed something between the box and the seed bags so they don't cook like last year, lol...sigh. Hopefully, this will work. I tried a folded up old heating pad cover I had, but it was too thick, so now I'm trying a kitchen trivet or two. I miss the perfect temp of my old cable box, lol.
We already have the soil and trellises ready in the garden...just gotta get those seeds to germinate!

 

[WitchyKitty]

Central Iowa seemed to have gotten sucker-punched with summer temps since Sunday, hooray! I'll prolly transport my plants outside in 2 weeks, give the ground some time to warm up

Yeah, Illinois, here, and we went from 50s and 60s to 80s, today and 90s the next 3 days or so...crazy weather. The ground should be good and warm by the time my seeds I just started germinating are ready, as well.

 

[WitchyKitty]

I'm starting to see baggie seed germination of all varieties!