[Hauling Horseman]

....and we have like 3 healthy females ready to open in the next 3 days or so, this is after we decided to cut out a bunch of vines. Im so confused, still assuming we let it over-vine.

 

[Mayor of Haddonfield]

My first two pumpkins have been harvested. These were grown in my home garden, which is only a 4 x 10 area. Still have two more that are approximately the same size as these. I’d estimate they are 12 inches tall, and approximately 15 pounds

 

[Col. Fryght]

My first two pumpkins have been harvested. These were grown in my home garden, which is only a 4 x 10 area. Still have two more that are approximately the same size as these. I’d estimate they are 12 inches tall, and approximately 15 pounds

Nice color and shape. Pretty impressive for 40sq ft. considering every leaf and root really has to produce.

I am just counting down the days on my pumpkins. My stems are just getting soft even with a fan blowing on them. I might just cut them from the vine this weekend if things don't get better. Since Monday, we have had about three inches of rain with more expected. Now, I wish I had some nice sunny warm days to help keep the stems dry.

I feel like American politics in terms of my weather, all extremes. It is has been either a 100 degrees with record breaking heat index or 4 inches of rain in a week. Your choice as to which political party is the heat and which one is the rain, either way I just want 88 degrees with an inch of rain per week.

 

[WitchyKitty]

My first two pumpkins have been harvested. These were grown in my home garden, which is only a 4 x 10 area. Still have two more that are approximately the same size as these. I’d estimate they are 12 inches tall, and approximately 15 pounds
View attachment 782141

Those are perfect carving pumpkins!!

 

[Kdestra]

Nice color and shape. Pretty impressive for 40sq ft. considering every leaf and root really has to produce.

I am just counting down the days on my pumpkins. My stems are just getting soft even with a fan blowing on them. I might just cut them from the vine this weekend if things don't get better. Since Monday, we have had about three inches of rain with more expected. Now, I wish I had some nice sunny warm days to help keep the stems dry.

I feel like American politics in terms of my weather, all extremes. It is has been either a 100 degrees with record breaking heat index or 4 inches of rain in a week. Your choice as to which political party is the heat and which one is the rain, either way I just want 88 degrees with an inch of rain per week.

Stay safe down there.

 

[Mayor of Haddonfield]

Those are perfect carving pumpkins!!

Yes they are! I’m very surprised that I’m going to get 4 that are the same size from two plants that I bought in a container. The plants were about two inches apart, and instead of cutting one off when they were young, I decided to let them go to see what I’d get.

 

[WitchyKitty]

Well, here is my harvest, this year...besides my one little Hooligan that is trying to mature on a nearly dead vine. (I'll post that one if it makes it.)
The two gourds that lost their stems are hanging in there...we will see for how long...one of them has a bad bug damage spot on the other side. It may be healed, but I'm not holding my breath. The pie pumpkin on the right is the one that got nibbled...I'm hoping the bites are healed enough for the pumpkin to last.
So, not my best year, and decorating with all these long, pale gourds won't be easy, but not a complete loss of a year.
I'll still have to go out to the pumpkin patches for pumpkins to paint for the cemetery, as I didn't get enough Pies or JBLs.
They will get put into baskets once that last one decides what it's going to do.

 

[MCR]

Well, here is my harvest, this year...besides my one little Hooligan that is trying to mature on a nearly dead vine. (I'll post that one if it makes it.)
The two gourds that lost their stems are hanging in there...we will see for how long...one of them has a bad bug damage spot on the other side. It may be healed, but I'm not holding my breath. The pie pumpkin on the right is the one that got nibbled...I'm hoping the bites are healed enough for the pumpkin to last.
So, not my best year, and decorating with all these long, pale gourds won't be easy, but not a complete loss of a year.
I'll still have to go out to the pumpkin patches for pumpking to paint for the cemetery, as I didn't get enough Pies or JBLs.
They will get put into baskets once that last one decides what it's going to do.

View attachment 782315
View attachment 782314

They look fantastic! And that nice symmetric arrangement resonates with my OCD.

 

[WitchyKitty]

They look fantastic! And that nice symmetric arrangement resonates with my OCD.

Thanks!!
Yep. OCD is the name of the game, lol.

 

[Mayor of Haddonfield]

Well, here is my harvest, this year...besides my one little Hooligan that is trying to mature on a nearly dead vine. (I'll post that one if it makes it.)
The two gourds that lost their stems are hanging in there...we will see for how long...one of them has a bad bug damage spot on the other side. It may be healed, but I'm not holding my breath. The pie pumpkin on the right is the one that got nibbled...I'm hoping the bites are healed enough for the pumpkin to last.
So, not my best year, and decorating with all these long, pale gourds won't be easy, but not a complete loss of a year.
I'll still have to go out to the pumpkin patches for pumpkins to paint for the cemetery, as I didn't get enough Pies or JBLs.
They will get put into baskets once that last one decides what it's going to do.

View attachment 782315
View attachment 782314

I love it, WK! It feels like everyone just planted their seeds, and here we are harvesting already.

 

[Col. Fryght]

I love it, WK! It feels like everyone just planted their seeds, and here we are harvesting already.

Lol, except when I look at my notes and see that my first till was on 2/26. But that was more on me since I had just bought my Honda tiller from a Home Depot tool rental clearance sale.

I will say my energy has comeback now that the heat wave is broken. I went ahead and snipped the vine on the smaller pumpkin whose stem was giving me the most trouble. It was maturing so fast that it was probably time anyway.

The big one seems to be responding to treatment really well. Last night, it had just a couple of beads of sap and the overall stem was firm. I think the big one will put another 25 pounds or so this week. Still might have a chance for 275-300.

 

[Rosemary]

I’m starting to realize why I was dissuaded from using landscape fabric. While I have a lovely weed free pumpkin patch, the majority of my pumpkins are way smaller than they should be. I thought the 5 gallon bucket olla “system” I set up would be sufficient to keep the plants watered but they really do need to be able to put in roots from the vines. Oh well, now I know! I guess most things have a trade off. I’ll still have pumpkins albeit small ones. As a test, I planted some lumina in my rose garden where there is no fabric or mulch. They are huge! I didn’t water, or fertilize and they haven’t had much rain. Luckily there is still next year! But I’m still mentally kicking myself for forgoing function over form

they really took over the roses.

 

[Kdestra]

I’m starting to realize why I was dissuaded from using landscape fabric. While I have a lovely weed free pumpkin patch, the majority of my pumpkins are way smaller than they should be. I thought the 5 gallon bucket olla “system” I set up would be sufficient to keep the plants watered but they really do need to be able to put in roots from the vines. Oh well, now I know! I guess most things have a trade off. I’ll still have pumpkins albeit small ones. As a test, I planted some lumina in my rose garden where there is no fabric or mulch. They are huge! I didn’t water, or fertilize and they haven’t had much rain. Luckily there is still next year! But I’m still mentally kicking myself for forgoing function over form


View attachment 782394

they really took over the roses.
View attachment 782396

You really do have a beautiful pumpkin patch. I love seeing all the pumpkins peaking out & the leaves look healthy & strong.

 

[Rosemary]

You really do have a beautiful pumpkin patch. I love seeing all the pumpkins peaking out & the leaves look healthy & strong.

Thanks. The patch where my roses and gladiolus are planted is definitely healthier. Next year I’m definitely NOT using the landscape fabric. Maybe the method would be good for growing smaller varieties like sugar or minis?

Here’s a picture of the other patch. From a distance it looks great. But most of the pumpkins are smaller than soccer balls. I still have a month until I pick them out so maybe they’ll grow 🤞🏻.

 

[MCR]

I’m starting to realize why I was dissuaded from using landscape fabric. While I have a lovely weed free pumpkin patch, the majority of my pumpkins are way smaller than they should be. I thought the 5 gallon bucket olla “system” I set up would be sufficient to keep the plants watered but they really do need to be able to put in roots from the vines. Oh well, now I know! I guess most things have a trade off. I’ll still have pumpkins albeit small ones. As a test, I planted some lumina in my rose garden where there is no fabric or mulch. They are huge! I didn’t water, or fertilize and they haven’t had much rain. Luckily there is still next year! But I’m still mentally kicking myself for forgoing function over form


View attachment 782394

they really took over the roses.
View attachment 782396

You're certainly right about the roots. When I tore out a plant last weekend I saw just how extensive the root system is. The main vine (bottom) had 3+ foot long roots at the stump (I didn't get any of them pulled out at full length) with multiple >1 foot roots at each secondary node. And the secondary vine (top) also had roots at each leaf node. There's a shocking amount of potential for nutrient update in these vines.

 

[Rosemary]

What I’m really wondering is this: is there a way around the weeds? It’s probably a simple “no” but I’m hoping there is a secret!

 

[Col. Fryght]

What I’m really wondering is this: is there a way around the weeds? It’s probably a simple “no” but I’m hoping there is a secret!

The growers that I know who use weed block cut out a hole at each leaf node. Also, a lot of them leave a an uncovered channel of 8- 10 inches for the main vine to grow in contact with ground. If you had a least the main vine hugging the ground, I bet you would get some good size.

 

[WitchyKitty]

I just painstakingly, carefully removed all the vines that were all tangled up together off my mini pumpkin/gourd towers/ropes except for the one, single vine holding that last mini Hooligan. Wow, was it hard to follow the vines and not accidentally cut or pull that single vine!

 

[Col. Fryght]

SUNDAY MORNING TALE OF THE TAPE

I received eight inches of rain this week. You know that you have had a lot of rain when it has not rained in three days and your garden looks like it has just rained within the hour. The bright side is that it knocks water of my list of things that are not being maxed out for growth.

The storms took out a third of my leaves and turned over vines. And guess what, there was a third pumpkin in my garden. The stem had rotted off, but it was still about a 30lb pumpkin. I am letting it dry off, but it appears the rot might have made it to the main cavity.


P2 is just slowing down. Certainly, has nothing to do with watering. It dropped from 25lbs a week to 19lbs this week. It now has an estimated weight of 230 with two weeks left. Well, 250 is still more than I want to lift by myself.

P2

P1

Surprise Pumpkin

 

[Kdestra]

Temps are going above 90 so I'm trying to shade pumpkins with chairs, towels, old shirts,etc.