Ideas on planter for pumpkins

[mboulais]

Good morning MBoulais: I've read your post and am really depressed. Nothing that you've done but rather my own stupidity. My wife ask me to plant some pumpkins for the grand kids to make jack-o-latterns out of. Well I figured that if you wanted them to be jack-o-latterns then you would surely need to plant them at night. Otherwise they will grow up thinking they were just pumpkins... "Just kidding". A couple of questions poped in my head while reading your post. 1. How are you putting the fertilize out? 2. Do you have help available? I was thinking about taking 2 car rims, 16" probally, weld you a 2 inch pipe cap laying down long ways on one rim on the inside of the rim. mount or weld the two rims on a platform with a pilot bearing on a shaft where the wheels would turn freely, on the front of the platform weld a piece of angle iron at an angle on both sides of the platform weld a bolt or shaft to each piece of angle iron. these will be used to add a disc blade to each side to make the hills.You could hand drop the fertilize just before the disc makes the hill. Then drop the seed in the 2 " pipe cap. When the cap comes in contact with the ground it will make a hole for the seeds to fall into. Then the other rim will roll over the seed and cover and pack the ground. This rim would probally work better weighted a little. Mount you a seat on the platform for your helper to sit on. This could be mounted on the 3 point hitch and could even have wheels at the back to support the weight. Just an idea. Maybe it will be of some help to you.

Two years ago when I did a 2400+ seeds in over 600 hills, we did not fertilize until after the plants were up. I was growing them "on halves" with my sister, she and her college age sons fertilized with 5-10-5 by hand one evenig after the plants were up 6" or so.

Your idea sounds good, but I would like to avoid an implement with a passenger at this point. My oldest is 10 and I would not be comfortable with her back there yet.

Pumpkins need two different fertilizers, higher Nitrogen at begining of season, and higher Potasium and Phosphorus later to enhance the fruit.

 

[gary pate]

Hi Moboulais; This is my first time planting pumpkins and I didn't do my homework before attacking this project. I disc my ground good about every 2-3 weeks for 2 months so the bed is pretty well grass free. I also limed the ground the end of april. I used 17-17-17. I put about a good hand full in each hill and mixed it in good with the soil. Then I put some plain soil over that and planted 6 seed every 4'. I spaced the rows 4' apart. I planted three rows the first time at night (another story for another day). About 2weeks later I planted 4 more rows the same way. The first 3 rows had came up and were about 3" high. Any reccondmendations as to what I should do now or just let mother-nature take over. I planted two different types of pumpkins. One was the regular jack-0-lattern type and the other was the small baking pumpkins. Maybe I'll grow enough for the kids and wife to enjoy. Hopefully I'll have enough to share with the neighborhood kids. Have a good day and GOD BLESS ALL

 

[mboulais]

Hi Moboulais; This is my first time planting pumpkins and I didn't do my homework before attacking this project. I disc my ground good about every 2-3 weeks for 2 months so the bed is pretty well grass free. I also limed the ground the end of april. I used 17-17-17. I put about a good hand full in each hill and mixed it in good with the soil. Then I put some plain soil over that and planted 6 seed every 4'. I spaced the rows 4' apart. I planted three rows the first time at night (another story for another day). About 2weeks later I planted 4 more rows the same way. The first 3 rows had came up and were about 3" high. Any reccondmendations as to what I should do now or just let mother-nature take over. I planted two different types of pumpkins. One was the regular jack-0-lattern type and the other was the small baking pumpkins. Maybe I'll grow enough for the kids and wife to enjoy. Hopefully I'll have enough to share with the neighborhood kids. Have a good day and GOD BLESS ALL

You can add some more of that 17-17-17 in a circle just a little further out from the center of the hill than the leaves extend. Just a little will do. If it's been dry out like it has here watering a couple times a week until the runners start to fill the garden will help. If you're rainfall is at or above average then let it be.

I figure 4600 seeds / acre. You are probably planted a little heavier than that at four foot spacing. You will have a full garden when the runners start. You will probably have about 2 fruit for each seed you planted. My kids love picking pumpkins. Good luck with your pumpkins.

 

[gary pate]

mboulais; Thanks for the reply. I planted a little heavy figuring that I could always thin a few out and transplant in areas that didn't come up good. I will add some more fertlizer when I go back up in a couple of weeks. LureMaker posted about planting his and broadcasting the fertlizer because the vine runners will root into the ground as they grow. I didn't know that. If I had listened to my dad when I was a kid all those times we planted all this stuff then I wouldn't be so lost now. But back then it was just work to me and I didn't soak much of his knowledge up. Sure wish I could go back and do it all again.I have some chicken fertlize that I might use instead. What do think about that?Thanks