Pumpkin Planting!

[DMF]

Finally got a chance to put our started plants in the ground last weekend and I actually took pictures of some of the work.

The patches were weeded up since I last plowed and tilled so I ran the KKII 6' tiller over it first. (I thought the rear-view picture was kind of neat). You can see one section of my hay field in the background that is way past due for cutting! The last picture shows a tray of 200 that are ready to be planted. I put in a total of 1000 transplants on Saturday; 800 in the patch shown here and an additional 200 in another patch not pictured where we also have some ornamental corn planted.

 

[Luremaker]

Wow! That looks like back breaking work planting all those plants. Do you find there is an advantage transplanting plants instead of seeding directly into the soil. I plant around a thousand plants (pumpkins, squash etc) but plant only seed. This year I used a Cole 12MX planter and it worked like a charm. I wait until the soil is in the high 60's before I plant. My plants are just breaking the surface this week.

 

[DMF]

It is back breaking...actually, I feel it more in the back of my legs more than anywhere else.

We do it this way because we try to have pumpkins ready for the Halloween crowd; counting backwards, we need to start the plants by a certain time...around Memorial day or so. Unfortunately, our field is rarely dry enough to have worked it before then so we have gone to starting them in trays and re-planting. It is definately a PIA and we question our sanity often...

What would be cool would be to get one of those old tobacco transplanters where two people ride on the back and take turns putting the transplants in as the holes are made while driving along.

This year, I actually had dry enough weather to plow and till the fields in time to plant directly but my wife talked me into this method again for this year. In a way, I am glad as we got so much rain afterward that my father-in-laws seeds have rotted in the ground. Although, my plants may end up doing the same if we don't see some relief from this weather soon...

 

[jwillett]

Well all my pumpkin seeds rotted in the groung along with all my beans because of all the rain. I replanted the beans and they were doing good until the deer found them. I did not try to replant the pumpkins this year maybe next year.

Jim

 

[DMF]

That stinks Jim! We lost the majority of our plants last year due to rain. In fact, we only got about 3 or 4 bucket loads like the ones in my avatar last year and that was it!

 

[Luremaker]

I am lucky, I guess, that my property is on a high ridge. Very rock ground with excellent drainage. It can rain hard for a week, yet I can go out the next day and till the garden. My problem this year has been frost. We can usually plant the first of June but this year I had to plant two weeks late.

 

[DMF]

We can usually plant the first of June but this year I had to plant two weeks late.

Think they'll be ready in time?

We live on a south-facing slope...old cow pasture with 100 years of manure spread on it...pretty fertile but lousy for drainage.

 

[Luremaker]

Think they'll be ready in time?

We live on a south-facing slope...old cow pasture with 100 years of manure spread on it...pretty fertile but lousy for drainage.

I have had to plant later than this and still had a good crop. I think pumpkins are like corn and require degree days rather than growing days. Our summers tend to be hot with lots of rain. I harvest my pumpkins after our first frost which can be early to late September. I won't really know until September how well the harvest will be.

This year I planted Howden (115 day), Jack-O-Lantern (75 day), Jack be Little (95), 'Hooligan' Hybrid Pumpkin (95 day), 'Spooktacular' Hybrid Pumpkin (85 day), small sugar (110 day), Acorn Squash (87 days), Butternut Squash (85 days), and lots of crown of Thorn gourds. I also grow lots of sweet corn.

 

[derekuk101]

Luremaker, where did you find that planter you used???? I've been looking for something that would plant pumpkin seeds. That thing looks like it would do the job.

 

[Luremaker]

Luremaker, where did you find that planter you used???? I've been looking for something that would plant pumpkin seeds. That thing looks like it would do the job.

I found it on Kijiji. It is the first time I actually used a 3pth planter. I used to plant all my seeds with my Earthway Planter. This Cole 12MX came with one corn (medium flat) plate, one pumpkin plate and one squash plate along with four gears to adjust seed spacing. It drops 3-4 pumpkin seeds every 45-50 inches. It also side dresses fertilizer at the same time. I spaced the squash and smaller pumpkins 24 to 30 inches. The price was right. I did have to take it apart because the main bearing was seized. It is the only planter that I could find this spring which actually came with pumpkin and squash plates.

In these photos I was planting sweet corn.

Cole Planter Company: 12 MX Multiflex Precision Planting & Fertilizer Units

 

[DMF]

Very nice set-up! I would love to be able to plant our pumpkins that way.

We get our seeds from Harris. We planted "Mystic Plus", "Magic Wand", "Gladiator" and "Super Herc" all treated for powdery mildew resistance; 250 each. All were 110 to 115 days. We also planted ornamental corn. We started gourds but not one of them came up...?

I just checked our plants last night and it looks like we have some cucumber beetles already...several plants had holes chewed in them. Do you have problems with them? If so, how do you treat them? We usually spray the plants with Sevin when we see them.

 

[Luremaker]

Thanks for the complements on the planter. Every year I say I'll plant new varieties of pumpkins but always seem to order the sames ones that I have had success with in the past.

I moved my pumpkin patch this year and I have not seen any cucumber beetles yet. Last summer they were the worst I have ever seen them. I sprayed Sevin to help control them, but I won't spray after the plants start to flower. I have Sevin for this summer but Ontario has now added Sevin to the list of banned pesticides so I do not know what I'll do in the future to control cucumber beetles and squash bugs. I may have to get an applicator's license.

 

[barrybro]

I have about three acres of pumpkins and I just sprayed mine this morning with sevin for cucumber beetles. I wouldn't wait to spray. I have lost at least 30 hills to bacterial wilt carried by the cucumber beetle.

Barry

 

[DMF]

I did spray them last week. This weekend we cultivated and side dressed them with some manure. The weather we've been getting has saved me from watering, but we need some sun!

 

[Luremaker]

I have not yet had to spray as I have not seen any beetles. I think it's just too cool for them. It's been getting down to the high 40's most nights here. Very cold for July!!

Do you guys spray before seeing any beetles or wait until you actually see them? I have always waited until I see them.

I did run the tiller between all the pumpkin rows on the weekend to clean up any weeds. I'm having trouble keeping up with the weeds in my corn patch.

 

[barrybro]

I wait until I see them. Not sure that was a good strategy this since I lost so many plants. I was in my field last night and noticed squash bug eggs on several plants so I am going to start my 7-10 day interval of spraying sevin and a fungicide.

As weeds go I did the same as you, I tilled until they vined. I felt like I kept bringing up new seeds and once they vined I had really lost the battle. This year I planted them closer together (I can't run the rototiller between them), and I planned on using herbicides to help control the weeds. I put strategy down right after planting. I have then put down poast after they had 3-4 leaves. This has worked good on the grasses. My plan was to use Sandea for broadleafs (or permit) but it is just too expensive so I am trying to keep the broadleafs down by hand. Quite a task on 3 acres. I also used by two row cultivatio to weed while the plants were still small.

My soil is very sandy so I use drip irrigation which seems to work really well. Even if I have some weed pressure I get water and nutrients right to the pumpkin and they seem to do okay.

Barry

 

[Luremaker]

This is the first year year I spaced my pumpkins in rows wide enough to till. In the past I have always spaced rows five feet apart and used my cultivator to weed the rows. It's difficult to spray in the narrow rows unless I sprayed by hand, which I do not like to do.

This year I decided to space things out a little more to give me easier access. I also left grass rows between patches. I have not decided yet if I prefer one large patch or multiple smaller patches.

Here's a photo taken (mid July) a few summers ago with five foot row spacing. Healthy plants and very few bugs.

 

[barrybro]

Great looking pumpkins! I have an old orchard sprayer that I use so I don't have too much of an issue getting the spray on the pumpkins. My weeds are much worse than in that picture (I don't see any). This is my second year so I am still learning.

My farm is at:
Harvest Moon Acres

Barry

 

[Luremaker]

Great looking pumpkins! I have an old orchard sprayer that I use so I don't have too much of an issue getting the spray on the pumpkins. My weeds are much worse than in that picture (I don't see any). This is my second year so I am still learning.

My farm is at:
Harvest Moon Acres

Barry

Great website Barry! You have a great looking farm. I have thought of doing something similar but have to wait for a few more years before I could commit the time. Right now I sell a few pumpkins road side, give to the local schools, friend and neighbors.

 

[DMF]

Do you guys spray before seeing any beetles or wait until you actually see them? I have always waited until I see them.

I wait until I see them as well. I really dislike spraying...partly because I don't like to put chemicals in the ground and partly because my set-up to spray isn't the best. I use a small 12-volt sprayer on the back of my Ranger. (See below)

My farm is at:
Harvest Moon Acres

Barry

Very nice website and I love the pumpkin slingshot! Can you provide any construction details to what you have there?