Pumpkins.... It's that time of year!

[firefighter9208]

The pumpkins look great. How do you load/unload the pallet boxes on the trailer since it has the tubing sides and deck between the wheels? Are you driving on the trailer with a forklift, or do you load the boxes empty and fill them in the field? I guess you are just able to squezze two 40" boxes side by side, especially if they're bulging a little and the trailer is around 82".

I've moved a few bins at a time in the pickup bed but I've often wondered how I'd have to secure the load on a deckover gooseneck when the bins are heaped up and I have a couple hour ride on the interstate. Would I have to level the bins off and have a strap over each row? I've seen some guys put the cardboard lids on the bins when stacking in a semi trailer. We grow 10-12 acres of pumpkins but some seasons I have to buy a few more and transport a distance. Godd luck with your fall crops.

I have forks on my tractor. I set a full box and pallet on the trailer and then push it up with another box/pallet. I then use my pallet jacks 2-1/2 Ton Pallet Jack to move the pallets and boxes on the trailer. I can get 8 pallets on the trailer. They are kinda tight, but it can be done.

I did double stack the front two stacks one time and used straps to secure them. I usually only put straps around the back two boxes/pallets. I know they should be secured, but the sides of the trailer keep them from moving.

I wish I had a deckover, but this trailer belongs to my neighbor (he only uses it two or three times a year) and he told me I didn't need to buy a $5000.00 trailer when I could use his for free. He's a really good guy!!!

If I did use a deckover, I would just put ratchet straps across the top.

I concreted my 24'x40' barn last year and it's the best thing I have done. I can use the pallet jacks to tightly "pack" the boxes of pumpkins on pallet in the barn and waste no floor space. We sort the pumpkins in boxes (by size) as we unload them off the trailer and into the barn. Then, when I have an order I just load them with the forks on the tractor.

Chris

 

[firefighter9208]

Hey Chris, quick question.....do or did you ever have any issues with "powdery mildew"? I love growing pumpkins and they always start out great. But about 4 weeks into it, they get hit with that mildew. Pretty much eventually kills them all. I tried moving the patch but it still manages to find my pumpkins.

Thanks!

Brian

The first thing you can do is get a reputable seed catalog (Rupp or Harris Seeds). Look for a variety that is resistant to powdery mildew.

I begin spraying my pumpkins when they have just emerged from the ground. Usually 2-3 days post emergence. You have to stay on top of your fungicide application.

I use DuPont? Manzateｮ Pro-Stick Labels & MSDS and Syngenta > Crop Protection > Product . The Manzate is a wettable powder and the Bravo is a liquid. I follow the label recommendation for application. You can buy both w/o a permit, but they are expensive. The Manzate is about $35.00 for a 6# bag. The Bravo is over $100.00 for 2 1/2 gallon.

The maximum time recommended between applications of the fungicide is 5-7 days. If it rains the day after I spray with the fungicide, then I spray again the next day.

I use an airblast sprayer Air Blast Sprayers to apply pesticide/fungicide. You can use a 25-50 gallon ATV sprayer, but need to soak the leaves. Even the underside if possible.

Also, if you are irrigating with a sprinkler you could be causing your powdery mildew problem. I use (underground) drip irrigation. If you have to use a sprinkler, they recommend watering in the morning, so the leaves will dry off during the day. Wet leaves overnight are not good with pumpkins.


Chris

 

[FarmerG]

I could talk all day about growing produce.

Keep talking, I'm always interested in hearing about how to grow produce on a larger scale. There is far more money in that if you can find the markets, and keep up with the volume.

Question: How do you get your 2" pump to run through drip tape? I would think the pressure would blow the tape apart. My 2" trash pump fills a 500 gallon stock tank in about 5 minutes....

It looks like your letting your pumpkins act as ground cover to keep the weeds out once they get well established....what row configurations are you using when you plant? Are you just direct seeding into the ground? I could ask a million questions...but thanks for any answers you give.

 

[bdc1211]

The first thing you can do is get a reputable seed catalog (Rupp or Harris Seeds). Look for a variety that is resistant to powdery mildew.

I begin spraying my pumpkins when they have just emerged from the ground. Usually 2-3 days post emergence. You have to stay on top of your fungicide application.

I use DuPont? Manzateｮ Pro-Stick Labels & MSDS and Syngenta > Crop Protection > Product . The Manzate is a wettable powder and the Bravo is a liquid. I follow the label recommendation for application. You can buy both w/o a permit, but they are expensive. The Manzate is about $35.00 for a 6# bag. The Bravo is over $100.00 for 2 1/2 gallon.

The maximum time recommended between applications of the fungicide is 5-7 days. If it rains the day after I spray with the fungicide, then I spray again the next day.

I use an airblast sprayer Air Blast Sprayers to apply pesticide/fungicide. You can use a 25-50 gallon ATV sprayer, but need to soak the leaves. Even the underside if possible.

Also, if you are irrigating with a sprinkler you could be causing your powdery mildew problem. I use (underground) drip irrigation. If you have to use a sprinkler, they recommend watering in the morning, so the leaves will dry off during the day. Wet leaves overnight are not good with pumpkins.


Chris

Wow, thanks for the info Chris. I appreciate it.

BTW, I am really envious! Your farm looks awesome. And as a bonus, you have your family totally involved. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Brian

 

[downslope]

Keep talking, I'm always interested in hearing about how to grow produce on a larger scale. There is far more money in that if you can find the markets, and keep up with the volume.

Question: How do you get your 2" pump to run through drip tape? I would think the pressure would blow the tape apart. My 2" trash pump fills a 500 gallon stock tank in about 5 minutes....

It looks like your letting your pumpkins act as ground cover to keep the weeds out once they get well established....what row configurations are you using when you plant? Are you just direct seeding into the ground? I could ask a million questions...but thanks for any answers you give.

Typical drip tape for veggies uses about 0.5 gpm per 100 feet; you can get higher or lower rates but that is the most common. You will need a filter in front of the mainline for the drip. Screen filters and sand filters are common, a lot depends on the quality of your water source. For a small setup a screen filter is common. They come in various sizes from 3/4" and up. The more tape you want to run at one time the bigger the filter you need.

One-season drip tape is usually 8-10 mil wall thickness for vegetables and you will want about 10-15 psi on the tape. The easiest was to control the pressure is just put a gate valve in the line and have a pressure gauge on the output of the filter. You can throttle it down by closing the gate valve. Of course, it's wasteful to use too big a pump and then have to throttle it down. What I have done is try to be running some sprinklers in another crop while at the same time running the drip off of the same pump. If you have a gas engine pump you can also just slow the engine down. It's more difficult with an electric unless you install a VFR to adjust the motor speed. The ideal situation would be to have the pump sized to just produce enough output at the psi and volume that you require. You can always go with a smaller pump and set up the drip in zones.

I would say most pumpkins are direct-seeded, unless you are in a very short season area or trying to grow competion size pumpkins, then you would probably want to go with transplants.

 

[firefighter9208]

Keep talking, I'm always interested in hearing about how to grow produce on a larger scale. There is far more money in that if you can find the markets, and keep up with the volume.

Question: How do you get your 2" pump to run through drip tape? I would think the pressure would blow the tape apart. My 2" trash pump fills a 500 gallon stock tank in about 5 minutes....

It looks like your letting your pumpkins act as ground cover to keep the weeds out once they get well established....what row configurations are you using when you plant? Are you just direct seeding into the ground? I could ask a million questions...but thanks for any answers you give.

I'm using the 2" pump to water about 6000' of 5/8" drip tape (3 acres). The emitters are on 12" centers. The tape puts out .25 gallons of water per 100 feet per minute @ 10 psi. That's about 15 gallons per minute.

I have a liquid filled guage on the outlet side of the pump. I run the pressure @ about 25-30 psi at the pump. If I don't exceed this pressure then I don't have problems with the tape. If I exceed this pressure I do have problems. That's about 1/2 throttle on the 2" pacer pump.

I do use the vines as ground cover. I just have to cultivate the rows until the vines start to run. If I cultivate the last time just as they start to run I get good ground coverage and very few weeds.

Harris seeds has a chart in their catalog that tells plant spacing for the different type of pumpkins. Some are planted in 5' rows with 24" between the plants (bush type) and others are planted in 10' rows with 6'-8' between the plants (giant pumpkins).

I do direct seed (by hand) and with the planter. Some of the seeds are really expensive and we plant them by hand (2 seeds to the hill). Others, such as the pie pumpkins, are less expensive and I plant them with a Covington planter. I then go back and thin the plants to one plant to the hill.

Chris

 

[FarmerG]

Good info here....thanks a million!

 

[crbr]

Thanks for the pictures

 

[firefighter9208]

Since everyone loves pictures, I'll post these.

I went to the zoo this weekend to deliver two bins of pumpkins. This year they bought their pumpkins and cornstalks for "Boo at the Zoo" from us. I was afraid that they wouldn't have a way to unload them.

I think this forklift was a little overkill for a 4'x4' bin of pumpkins.... The forks were 8' long. I tried to convince my wife that if I had one of those, I could easily load two bins @ one time. It didn't work....