Pumpkin Crop

[Redgoatea]

Apparently my black thumb prevents pumpkin growth. Mine just barely blossomed. Good thing you all got a great crop cause looks like I'll be buying this year. :-(

 

[Duffster]

You got to love pie samples. My wife will be busy baking a few sweetie pie pumpkin pies to freeze for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If I lucky I'll come home Sunday to a sample or two.

You should try canning it. It was really easy and it should keep nearly indefinitely.

All my plants finally succumbed to powdery mildew.

I thought mine did to. They got it and started to die immediately but a few of the ends continued to run and set pumpkins. Now there is new growth coming out of the base of the plants. I have no idea if this is normal or if it is because it has been so hot and wet.

 

[mcooper]

All you folks having trouble with powdery mildew...why not try a powdery mildew resistant variety?

I'm growing "Racer PMR" from Johnny's select seeds, it's in the 12-16pound weight class and they claim they are ready within 85-90 days from planting. I have kid basket ball sized pumpkins right now and I planted in late July near Starkville, MS. They have shown NO SIGN of powdery mildew thus far, but this is a virgin spot I'm planting in. I have had no squash vine borer damage thus far and I scout pretty hard for them

 

[butternut]

I ended up with a decent yield, considering the problems I had. I have some quality issues though, especially on a percentage of the larger (older) fruit... mildew spotting on the stems and cucumber beetle munch spots on the rinds. This was always going to be a learning year for me. I'm donating a few hundred pumpkins to the local school for a pumpkin sale, giving lots to family and friends, and whatever is left to a pig farmer I know.

I got a rye/vetch cover crop in last weekend as part of a revised low/no till strategy for next year. Barry, I don't have a flail or sickle mower. I think I'm just going to have to use my rotary cutter come next May when the crop is in flower. I wonder if one of those cheesy home lawn rollers would do anything? Probably not with that much biomass. I'd be great to roll/kill it flat though, even if I had to follow up with some Roundup. The brush hog is definitely going to clump up the residual, but I suppose at less than a 1/2 acre, I could get out there with a rake and even it up some. Just hope I can kill it, and I can get the timing right. Even with the legume, the rye is going to hold the N and be "allelopathic" for a couple weeks. So, I need to have it down by the end of May.

 

[barrybro]

I cut it the week before planting and killed it with roundup the day after planting. I had read that the alleopathic affect is more on other grasses. It did not seem to have an affect on the pumpkin germination.

Barry

 

[firefighter9208]

All the pumpkins are in the barn and a lot have already been sold. Thought I would share some pictures of the pumpkins and kids.... The biggest ones are about 200 pounds.

 

[barrybro]

We have the majority of our pumpkins in and we are getting our activities ready for opening.

Barry

 

[Luremaker]

We have the majority of our pumpkins in and we are getting our activities ready for opening.

Barry

Everything is looking great Barry!! Looks like your are going to have a banner season. I really like those "Cinderella" pumpkins. They look a little more red than orange.

 

[ohio farmer04]

2011 pumpkin crop ohio ok green pumpkin
what price pumpkins gourds indan corn stalks corn stalks with ear on

pie pumpkins
would like up prices
but every church store know sale pumpkins
what pay high school kids pick ?

 

[barrybro]

I have a great number of pumpkins. I also have a large number of soft pumpkins. I sprayed fungicide but this looks like a ground fungus. I have been doing a little reading, and it looks like the drenching rains and the hot weather can cause a soil fungus to bloom. I think the crop will end up being average. I have not set my prices yet this year.

Barry