Pumpkin Patch Project

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I am in the process of working on a small pumpkin patch, about .15 acre. I plowed and disked the area a month or so ago. I used a two bottom Ford 101 plow. Today I plowed it again with the scarifiers on my box blade. I want to keep the soil loose and weeds out until I plant in early to mid June.

I will spray Command for pre emergent weed control. Also I plan to spray something (any suggestions?) for insect control once the plants come up.

I saved seeds from a pumpkin last fall to plant. I probably would have bought seeds, but I know someone who did it this way last year, and it worked surprisingly well. If this is successful, I plan on inviting members of my Sunday School class to my place in the fall. My class members are all in an age range to have grandkids, so I want them to bring as many kids as possible to get the pumpkins to take home for holloween.

This will be a new experience for me. Any suggestions or helpful hints from you pumpkin experts will be appreciated. The first two pics are the day of using the turning plow. The last two are today when I used the box as a plow.

If there appears to be any interest in this thread, I will update it periodically as things progress.

 

[HCJtractor]

I'm in. I want to do the same so i will follow and learn. Good luck!

 

[MarkV]

I don't know anything about the product Command but wouldn't a pre emergent also work against the pumpkin seeds and prevent germination?

MarkV

 

[kiotiken]

Last year was my first kick at the can and the biggest lesson I learned was that each plant needs more room than I gave them. Looks like you have lots of room so you maybe fine, just make sure you give each one some room to stretch out. Also, I'm thinking June is too late. I'm starting them in pots inside this weekend, but you being so far south, you could go straight to planting now.

 

[Briar Hill Brittanys]

First, let me say I'm not a "pumpkin expert". Second, I'm in like HCJtractor. I am working on a pumpkin patch, too, and trying to expand into watermelons. This is my first attempt at more than a couple of hills of pumpkins. The area I'm planting was plowed last year to kill the sod. Then a couple of deep passes with a spring tine cultivator, followed by discing. I layed off the rows by leaving a tractor width on each long side, and a little over a tractor width between each row. Drew up the hills. Planted 3 seeds, spaced 10'. Plan for weeds is to wait about a week or so and cultivate between rows. Then I'll drill buckwheat to crowd out the weeds. The added benefit there is organic matter and bees. Once the pumpkins start vining, there's not going to be any cultivating. I got this idea from a fellow on another forum. He actually planted using a JD 71 Flexi-Planter. Dude, that's some major pumpkin patch. Mark

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I don't know anything about the product Command but wouldn't a pre emergent also work against the pumpkin seeds and prevent germination?

MarkV

Command is labeled for pumpkins so it should not be a problem. I think it has widespread use among commercial growers. I have read some articles and it is recommended.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Last year was my first kick at the can and the biggest lesson I learned was that each plant needs more room than I gave them. Looks like you have lots of room so you maybe fine, just make sure you give each one some room to stretch out. Also, I'm thinking June is too late. I'm starting them in pots inside this weekend, but you being so far south, you could go straight to planting now.

The problem with planting now is that the pumpkins would mature too soon before halloween, late Aug. to early Sept. The ideal situation would be to mature late Sept. to early Oct. Of course, where you are located freezing would occur much earlier so you will have to plan differently.

The main problem I can forsee with planting in June is the possibility of a dry summer. I think pumpkins will need good rain to prosper. Guess I'll just hope to get lucky with some decent rains.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Dude, that's some major pumpkin patch. Mark

I think the picture is somewhat of an illusion. It's really not as big as it looks but will probably feel big when some of the manual labor starts. I plan to plant by hand which will be a chore.

 

[Ranger Rick]

The problem with planting now is that the pumpkins would mature too soon before halloween, late Aug. to early Sept. The ideal situation would be to mature late Sept. to early Oct. Of course, where you are located freezing would occur much earlier so you will have to plan differently.

The main problem I can forsee with planting in June is the possibility of a dry summer. I think pumpkins will need good rain to prosper. Guess I'll just hope to get lucky with some decent rains.

You are right to wait until middle to late June with planting your pumpkins. The maturity dates of pumpkins range from 90 days to 120 days. There are many different varieties and sizes of pumpkins and sizes. Some varieties are very compact plants and others need lots of space between plants and rows. Since you recycled these seeds do you have any idea how big the plants were last year? That will help in determining the spacing on your plants. If you plant them too close you will get smaller pumpkins. You can always mulch the plants with straw to keep down the weeds. What we did was plant a cover crop in the fall and then spray it to kill it in May and then no till plant the pumpkins in the mulch of the cover crop. That kept the weeds down pretty well. Rick

 

[Luremaker]

I've grown a few pumpkins over the years. There are a few large growers here on TBN. I plant between 2-3 acres a year. I till and cultivate until the plants fill in the rows, so weeds are generally not a problem. I've been really lucky when it comes to bugs. I've only had two or three years where I had to spray.

I like long (500 feet) and wide row spacing (10-12 feet). I use both a Cole 12MX and JD 71 planter to plant the seed. I like to plant between the 7th and 15th of June. I have planted as late as July 4th and still have great crops. The Cole 12MX plants in hills of 3-4 seeds spaced 36 to 40 inches apart in the row.

 

[HCJtractor]

Wow, that's really a pretty pumpkin patch! Can I just plant several rows with a row planter and expect them to do ok? I can't water them. How about fertilizer?

 

[Luremaker]

Wow, that's really a pretty pumpkin patch! Can I just plant several rows with a row planter and expect them to do ok? I can't water them. How about fertilizer?

Thanks. I like to side dress fertilizer when planting and again just before the plant begins to vine. Pumpkins like lots of phosphate and nitrogen. If you really want a good crop I'd recommend a soil test and bring the phosphate levels up a week or two before planting your seed if you do not side dress. I do not water my pumpkins I let Mother Nature take care of that for me. I do shallow till between the rows every 10-14 days for weed control.

Pumpkin and Squash Production

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

I've grown a few pumpkins over the years. There are a few large growers here on TBN. I plant between 2-3 acres a year. I till and cultivate until the plants fill in the rows, so weeds are generally not a problem. I've been really lucky when it comes to bugs. I've only had two or three years where I had to spray.

I like long (500 feet) and wide row spacing (10-12 feet). I use both a Cole 12MX and JD 71 planter to plant the seed. I like to plant between the 7th and 15th of June. I have planted as late as July 4th and still have great crops. The Cole 12MX plants in hills of 3-4 seeds spaced 36 to 40 inches apart in the row.

Fantastic looking pumpkins. I hope I can do half that well with my patch. Do you scout for insects and only spray when you see evidence? What insect control chemical do you use? I have heard about a bug that bores into the stems and kills the entire plant. Do you know what that would be?

 

[Luremaker]

I've grown a few pumpkins over the years. There are a few large growers here on TBN. I plant between 2-3 acres a year. I till and cultivate until the plants fill in the rows, so weeds are generally not a problem. I've been really lucky when it comes to bugs. I've only had two or three years where I had to spray.

I like long (500 feet) and wide row spacing (10-12 feet). I use both a Cole 12MX and JD 71 planter to plant the seed. I like to plant between the 7th and 15th of June. I have planted as late as July 4th and still have great crops. The Cole 12MX plants in hills of 3-4 seeds spaced 36 to 40 inches apart in the row.

Fantastic looking pumpkins. I hope I can do half that well with my patch. Do you scout for insects and only spray when you see evidence? What insect control chemical do you use? I have heard about a bug that bores into the stems and kills the entire plant. Do you know what that would be?

I keep an eye out for cucumber beetles. If I see them very early when the plants are small in under 6 leaf stage I'll spray with seven. If I see them later after the plants have vined I don't bother spraying. I have been very lucky and have had little insect or disease problems. I always rotate my patches and I am sure that helps. I am further north than you are and we have deep frosts which I am sure kills many insects as well. The most common disease problem I have is powdery mildew.

I think the insect you are asking about is the squash vine borer. In all the years I have planted pumpkins I have only seen these once. I know some pumpkin farmers have rigorous spray schedules to control diseases and insects but they have large investments and must avoid the risk of losing their crops. I give most of my pumpkins away so if I have a bad year I only hope for a better crop next year.


"Squash Vine Borer
The squash vine borer is a pest on pumpkins, squash, marrow and gourds. The adult is an attractive clear-winged moth with black and orange body and orange legs fringed with long, black hairs. The larva is the destructive stage of this pest as it feeds within the vine and causes the plant to wilt and/or collapse often causing death. Although squash is the preferred host, butternut squash is apparently immune to this pest."

 

[ShenandoahJoe]

Sounds like you're doing it right. Just don't do what I did, and plant the patch where a squadron of hazmat trucks will have to clean up an oil spill.

 

[farmall 55a case]

How's it coming along?

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

How's it coming along?

I haven't posted in awhile because nothing's currently going on. The field is prepared and the next phase is going to be planting, probably in the second week of June.

I recently went to Youtube and searched "planting pumpkins". There were quite a few videos, most of which were of the backyard planting variety. However, there were several that dealt more with commercial planting. For obvious reasons, the commercial guys use mechanical planters and tractors. There was some good information. One guy just drives a tractor slowly along with a JD 71 planter attached. Instead of using some sort of pumpkin plate, he removes the seed box and puts a funnel into the seed tube. A person walks beside the planter and drops a pumpkin seed often enough to get a reasonably accurate seed population. I have heard about doing something similar with a mechanical tobacco planter. The person will count off a few seconds and drop a seed, over and over.

I have a 71 planter so I think I will try this method. Sounds a lot easier than doing it manually. I 'll post more with pictures as this thing progresses. Don't know if I'll get any pumpkins but I'm having fun trying.

 

[Luremaker]

I haven't posted in awhile because nothing's currently going on. The field is prepared and the next phase is going to be planting, probably in the second week of June.

I recently went to Youtube and searched "planting pumpkins". There were quite a few videos, most of which were of the backyard planting variety. However, there were several that dealt more with commercial planting. For obvious reasons, the commercial guys use mechanical planters and tractors. There was some good information. One guy just drives a tractor slowly along with a JD 71 planter attached. Instead of using some sort of pumpkin plate, he removes the seed box and puts a funnel into the seed tube. A person walks beside the planter and drops a pumpkin seed often enough to get a reasonably accurate seed population. I have heard about doing something similar with a mechanical tobacco planter. The person will count off a few seconds and drop a seed, over and over.

I have a 71 planter so I think I will try this method. Sounds a lot easier than doing it manually. I 'll post more with pictures as this thing progresses. Don't know if I'll get any pumpkins but I'm having fun trying.

You can also use the John Deere large pumpkin seed plate B27436 with the false ring if you can find one. You can also modify a large sunflower plate or even make your own from a blank plate.

I should have the results of my soil test this week and will be adding any required MAP to the patches over the weekend and till it all up. I'll let it all sit for two weeks or so to allow some weeds to germinate then till just before staking my rows and planting with my Cole 12MX planter.

I heard on the radio yesterday that if you have cucumber beetles to spray with soap and water to control them. The spray must come in contact with the beetle to kill it though.

 

[TNhobbyfarmer]

You can also use the John Deere large pumpkin seed plate B27436 with the false ring if you can find one. You can also modify a large sunflower plate or even make your own from a blank plate.

I should have the results of my soil test this week and will be adding any required MAP to the patches over the weekend and till it all up. I'll let it all sit for two weeks or so to allow some weeds to germinate then till just before staking my rows and planting with my Cole 12MX planter.

I heard on the radio yesterday that if you have cucumber beetles to spray with soap and water to control them. The spray must come in contact with the beetle to kill it though.

Luremaker; Since this more of a fun project for me instead of a serious agricultural venture, I did not do a soil test. I did throw a couple of bags of lime pellets on the small plot and will put some fertilizer on the rows after planting. When do you recommend fertilizing? Pre emerge or post emerge or does it matter that much?

What does the MAP acronym mean?

 

[Ranger Rick]

One guy just drives a tractor slowly along with a JD 71 planter attached. Instead of using some sort of pumpkin plate, he removes the seed box and puts a funnel into the seed tube. A person walks beside the planter and drops a pumpkin seed often enough to get a reasonably accurate seed population. I have heard about doing something similar with a mechanical tobacco planter. The person will count off a few seconds and drop a seed, over and over.

I have a 71 planter so I think I will try this method. Sounds a lot easier than doing it manually. I 'll post more with pictures as this thing progresses. Don't know if I'll get any pumpkins but I'm having fun trying.

The first year we planted pumpkins at the park for pick your own, we just made a furrow and walked along with a bucket a seed dropped a seed and kicked some dirt over. That was a pain in the back. Then we got fancy we took the old corn planter and put a bench on it with a couple of simple tractor seats and dropped seeds down the funnel with a tube attached to it. We painted a stripe on the tire and each time the stripe came around we dropped a seed. It was a four row planter and we used the two outside rows to get the spacing we wanted. That worked well. A few years later we were getting many acres of pumpkins we got a dedicated pumpkin planter.