Pumpkin patch

638 Views 3 Replies 2 Participants Last post by Unregistered-1427815803, May 18, 2004

shakeytails in KY

Discussion Starter · May 17, 2004

I'm thinking about planting a small pumpkin patch(half acre or so) to hopefully make a few dollars in the fall. I have about 2 weeks to decide how to proceed.

I'm not going to put a lot of money into this as far as drip irrigation, regular chemical applications, etc., just $20 or so of treated seed and a few applications of Sevin dust or a similar inexpensive pesticide. Maybe side dress with a little 10-10-10. I just want to lightly test the waters.

The land I'm thinking of using is in fescue sod, pH about 5.5, medium fertility, well drained. I'd really rather not till if I don't have to. Will this work? Bush-hog and allow a few days for re-growth. Round-up the area , allow time for burn down. Run a single shank soil ripper where the rows will be. Plant by hand or borrow a friends gardenway seeder. Control grass/weed growth between rows with either bush-hog or lawnmower until the pumpkin plants take over.

Does this sound do-able? Also anybody have any clue on yields? I'm leaning towards Howden. Should I expect one fruit per plant, one fruit for every 2 plants?

Any comments are welcome!

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Canehdian

· #2 · May 18, 2004

Hmmm...

I grow giant pumpkins, however it is not much different. A couple quick points I would recommend tilling the soil so the roots can spread easier, but your #1 concern is your soil Ph at 5.5. Have you done a soil test? Your reading is to low, you want a soil Ph of say at least 6.3 to 7.2. However 6.8 would be ideal for pumpkins. Lime would correct your acidic soil, you need to raise it 1 point.

Hope this Helped,

TTYL
Ernie

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shakeytails in KY

Discussion Starter · #3 · May 18, 2004

The average pH for that field is 5.5, per soil test. My info tells me that's the very low end of the scale for pumpkins, so I might add some pelleted lime for a quick boost. My hay field is at 6.5, but I'm not about to plow up any of that

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· #4 · May 18, 2004

Is raising blue hubbard any different from pumpkins?

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