Pumpkin Patch Project

[Bob77064]

Thanks for asking Steve. I have been meaning to post a final update but just haven't gotten around to it. Your question has inspired me to do a recap and post a few pics.

All things considered, it turned out great, especially since this was my first try at raising pumpkins. I learned quite a few things thanks to some great input from several TBNers including you Steve. My main purpose in doing the pumpkin patch was to entertain some folks from my church and give some pumpkins to the kids. The pictures are from the pumpkin patch party. We had a hayride, ate lots of good food and visited the pumpkin patch so everyone could get a pumpkin. I got around 100-150 pumpkins from the small patch so I had plenty to give away. My wife even sold a few at a flea market she attended at a later date. It was a fun project!

Jerry, that's some beautiful property you have there. Where in Tn are you? Probably not to far from us.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Jerry, that's some beautiful property you have there. Where in Tn are you? Probably not to far from us.

Thanks Bob. Yes my property is quite beautiful. I live in Gallatin, TN, not too far from the KY border. I suspect we are neighbors. Where are you located?

 

[Bob77064]

Thanks Bob. Yes my property is quite beautiful. I live in Gallatin, TN, not too far from the KY border. I suspect we are neighbors. Where are you located?

We are in Allen County about 12 miles from Sumner County, I went to the Walmart in Gallatin last night.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

We are in Allen County about 12 miles from Sumner County, I went to the Walmart in Gallatin last night.

You passed within about 1/2 mile from my house as you came down 31E to go to Wally World.

 

[Bob77064]

You passed within about 1/2 mile from my house as you came down 31E to go to Wally World.

Nice area neighbor, next time I will wave.

 

[Luremaker]

Jerry, looks like everyone had a good time at your harvest party. I am still shocked that I ended up getting around 100 pumpkins. I still have another 200 out in the patch but they have yet to turn orange. I gave up on my patch in July after the beetles ate most of the plants and we had no rain for the entire month of July.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Jerry, looks like everyone had a good time at your harvest party. I am still shocked that I ended up getting around 100 pumpkins. I still have another 200 out in the patch but they have yet to turn orange. I gave up on my patch in July after the beetles ate most of the plants and we had no rain for the entire month of July.

Steve, sounds like you had "one of those seasons". To bad the beetles and dry weather worked against you in the same season. Luckily for you and me, we don't do this for a living, just a hobby.

I have done quite a bit of reading about growing pumpkins since I started the project last summer. The seed catalogs offer quite a bit of information. I think I am going to order my seeds next season. The seed companies offer a couple of options that should be helpful. One is Farmore treated seeds that resist beetle damage early in the growing stage. Sounds like you could have used that this year. Also, they offer powdery mildew resistant seeds. I had a fair amount of powdery mildew damage to my pumpkins. Buying the seeds that are insect and PM resistant is more expensive but I think the peace of mind is worth the extra expense. The one thing that only mother nature controls is the weather. Unless you plan on irrigating (which I don't plan to do), you have to depend on natural irrigation from the sky and in certain years that can be hit or miss.

Well anyway, I enjoyed my first year of pumpkin "farming". I'll probably do it again next summer on a little bigger scale but nothing too big. The amount of land I have suitable for a pumpkin patch is fairly small, so small scale is the way it will stay.