Finally Tilled the Pumpkin Patch this Weekend

[Luremaker]

Finally had some warm and dry weather this weekend. I tilled the winter rye back into my pumpkin patch. The rye was about 18 to 24 inches tall. Picked another bucket of stone after tilling and spread a little fertilizer. Going to wait a few days then till again and plant my pumpkins the first week of June. I am really happy with how the soil is looking. Lots or organic matter. I first tilled this part of my cattle pasture in the fall of '06 and planted some rye then pumpkins with a little red clover last year and tilled those in in the fall and planted more rye last September and the soil has improved a lot in only two seasons. My other vegetable garden has been tilled for 7 seasons and the soil is not half as nice.

[Texas Dodge]

Looks good

[Kernopelli]

Looks awseome! I followed your threads last summer and wanted to follow your lead and get my patch prepped this last winter/spring but was just too busy. Hopefully next year will be a go. I did start some plants from several "monster breeds" from a guy at work. He gets them up to a healthy 700-800+ LBS regularly but puts way more effort in it than I'll be able to.

How did your harvest turn out last fall, not sure I remember hearing what the end result was? Keep up the good work and keep us up to date, I really enjoyed following your posts last year.

[Luremaker]

Last September's harvest was good considering how dry the months of June and July were. We started having rains in mid August and most of the growth happened after that. Pumpkins averaged 8 to 12 lbs instead of the usual average 15 to 22lbs. We also had a frost in early September after which we harvested the pumpkins. A later frost would have allowed the pumpkins to grow larger. My 1997 harvest was only two wagons and I should have had closer to three wagons. I am hoping for more rain this summer and better harvest. The forecast is for more frost this week. I am hoping to soil temperature will warm up before I plant.

[hunterridgefarm]

Steve,

Good looking harvest from last year!

The new tilled ground look great. Do you have any problems tilling the rye in without mowing first? Looks like the tiller cut it up good.

I hope to get most of my pumpkins in the ground over the next two weeks. I have a L3130 like you and will be needing to add a tiller for next year. What size is yours?

David

[Luremaker]

My tiller is the Agric AFMJ and it chops up the rye pretty good without any mowing. It's 55" wide, it is narrower than my tires but has not made any difference to me. I bought it used from a guy who used it to till his small garden for two summers at right price. I can easily offset it to one side to completely cover one tire. It's the only tiller I have ever had so I can't compare it with other brands. I set the slip clutch so that it slips when it hits those big stones.

I also hope to have all my seeds in before mid June. We had another frost last night so it will be a while before I start planting my seeds.

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Do you have many deer in your area Luremaker? The deer just love pumpkin plants and I have very little luck getting mine to maturity. Seems that deer love just about anything I plant.

[Luremaker]

Originally Posted by TNhobbyfarmer

Do you have many deer in your area Luremaker? The deer just love pumpkin plants and I have very little luck getting mine to maturity. Seems that deer love just about anything I plant.

We do have lots of deer around here. Fortunately, they rarely come near my gardens. We have two outdoor dogs and the neighbors have two outdoor dogs as well and the deer stay clear. We have more problems with rabbits than anything else.

[tony123]

Great looking photos Luremaker!

David, you and I are pretty close in climate and it sounds like you have some pumpkin experience. What would you choose as a good planting date for the Greenville area?

I'm only planning 6-8 plants. How many pumpkins might I expect from that?

Thanks.

tony

[Luremaker]

Originally Posted by tony123

Great looking photos Luremaker!

David, you and I are pretty close in climate and it sounds like you have some pumpkin experience. What would you choose as a good planting date for the Greenville area?

I'm only planning 6-8 plants. How many pumpkins might I expect from that?

Thanks.

tony

Hi Tony, I try to plant my pumpkins no later than mid June. I have planted them as late as early July but the pumpkins are smaller. Large varieties will produce 1 to 2 pumpkins (15lb to 25lb) per plant while smaller varieties will produce 8 to 12 per plant. Some mini bush varieties will produce as many as 15 to 20 fruit.

I live in a temperature zone 5 (Great Lakes) Region. What zone are you in?

Here is one link to some information on growing pumpkins. There is a lot of good on-line material published by University and State/Provincial Ag departments on growing pumpkins and other crops in different regions. I am sure you can find detailed information pertaining to SC.
Pumpkin and Squash Production