OP
deereman10
Bronze Member
What do you guys do for fertilizer?
Potato Hiller for pumpkins?
- Thread starter deereman10
- Start date
Luremaker
Veteran Member
Pumpkins are heavy feeders. I start with a soil test ($13.50) each spring and go from there. Here is a link to some fertilizer recommendations:
Pumpkin and Squash Production
Cucurbits - Fertility
OP
deereman10
Bronze Member
Thanks for the links. The first one said to expect 2500 to 3000 pumpkins,acre! I've never come close to that. I average about 400-500/acre depending on the year. What do you get an acre?
ZDB
Silver Member
We plant 1 to 2 350' rows of pumpkins annually on 4' wide 7"deep raised beds with black plastic mulch.
Our plastic mulched pumpkins are ready on average about 1 to 1.5 weeks before identical plants in soil only.
Our plastic mulched pumpkins are ready on average about 1 to 1.5 weeks before identical plants in soil only.
ZDB
Silver Member
Each row ends up as 8' wide for harvest. A 350' long row last year yielded approximately 500 pumpkins at 3' per planting, 3 plants per hole, 1.5 pumpkins per plant. Planted jack-o-lantern's weighing in about 30-40#'s each.
OP
deereman10
Bronze Member
ZDB- How much does the black plastic cost?
ZDB
Silver Member
4'x4000' of 1mil is running around $95 a roll this year
4'x4000' of 1.5mil is running around $145
We have used both, with all our rocks and deer hooves the 1.5mil holds up to punctures and wind whip better.
4'x4000' of 1.5mil is running around $145
We have used both, with all our rocks and deer hooves the 1.5mil holds up to punctures and wind whip better.
OP
deereman10
Bronze Member
I've heard the plastic limits the amount of water and nutrients the plant gets and doesnt allow the secondary root systems to form.
Luremaker
Veteran Member
I side dress granular fertilizer when the seed is planted and again just before plants start to vine. Now if you drip irrigate under the plastic mulch you can add all the nutrients directly to the plants as you irrigate.