Yet some more pumpkins questions.....

[CMV]

So for not really knowing what I'm doing and getting 3 month's worth of rain in 1.5 weeks a little while ago, I'm happy with results from pumpkin growing experience so far. Picked a lot this week, a few weeks earlier than planned & think all that rain was reason. About 250 so far, probably ~75 left that aren't ready yet.






So since the patches are about done, now I need to know what to do with them. Have soil test kits to see what it needs in preparation for next year. So based on results will add whatever is required. I plan to enlarge the areas, but use the same spots for next year. I think that's a no-no and you aren't supposed to put same crop in same spot consecutive years, but really no choice since I'm limited on where I can put patches. THis is the smallest area I did this year after tilling:


So here are the questions for now:

1. Once they are completely done producing in a few weeks, what do I do? Just bush hog & then till it up again?
2. Once I get results of soil tests, do I amend now or just prior to planting next year?
3. Should I plant anything or just let them grow weeds/grass until next year? Bush hog as short as possible, spray generic roundup, wait a couple days, broadcast spread granular fertilizer, till is what I did this year about a week prior to planting. So do that again next year? Or make them the size I want now by repeating those step this fall?

Bugs were a real problem! I broadcast spread spectracide granules (stuff from Lowe's for lawns) prior to tilling. After plants got their true leaves and up until male blooms appeared, we sprinkled sevin dust every other week. After they had blooms, broadcast the spectracide granules again. Everything seemed ok, a few squash bugs and whatnot here & there, but thought I had them under control. But EVERY pumpkin I picked had an entire ant colony under it (probably not hurting anything other than biting me for disturbing them), but lots had baby squash bugs, something that bored tiny holes in the flesh leaving a good-looking but rotten on the inside pumpkin, cucumber beetles, etc. Lots of handles rotted away from vine borers. Basically all the "bad bugs" I thought I was controlling were thriving. With the amount of little lizards I have running around you'd think there wouldn't be a bug for miles, but they must not be good hunters So I need some ideas how to be more aggressive, yet still bee-friendly next year.

Also think mulching after planting rows would be much better. Would having a tree service give me a few loads of chipped up trees be OK for that? Would keep the fruit from direct ground contact so seems like that would be better than lying in mud after rain. Then just till that in next fall. Would that be OK or chipped green trees bad idea?

 

[RalphVa]

You got a good harvest. That's a good sized patch, probably a little bigger than my 50x75 patch I had down near the creek for 11 years here in central Va. After initial plowing to turn the green over (mostly fescue), I never plowed again. I made raised rows with a couple discs opposed at 45 degrees, running behind the wheels of my 4' wide tractor.

I just used mulch made up of kitchen leftovers (non meat), mostly ground leaves from silly town people who leave them out for collection and ground up limbs. The best mulch is the stuff that the tree people typically have, as it has green leaves plus the tree trunk and limb stuff. Even better would be some composted cow or horse or chicken manure. I never had any of this latter material, even though there's a horse farm a stone's throw from here; I'd quiz any farmer you get any of this from as to what he might have sprayed on his grass the cattle ate; never use any manure nor straw that has had Grazon sprayed on it. I just scrape away some mulch and plant seeds or plants and put mulch back up against the plants (for seed, when you get plants). Except for that initial tilling, that's all I ever tilled. Modern farmers use green cover crops and have the latest equipment to chop back or mush down the crop and to sow through the cover at seeding time. I did all my planting by hand.

I could grow almost anything successfully in that big garden. I had to give it up after congestive heart failure because I just cannot handle the huge amount of mulch required nor the quick removal of electric fencing and soaker hoses in case of expected floods. Have had far less success now in raised beds up near the house but have a bumper crop of green beans and butternut squash this year but failures in many other areas.

You're not very bee friendly with your use of Seven. It kills ALL bugs. So does most Spectracide stuff.

Squash vine borers (they don't get into butternut stems) are the worst for squash and cucumbers and pumpkins. There are all kinds of methods to try to slow them down. The only things I've heard of that has stopped them is the use of Dixie cups with bottom cut out and placed over the new plant as soon as possible after its up with full leaves. I tried it this year but did an adaptation with toilet rolls that absolutely did not work. I'll try the Dixie cups next year.

For beans and potatoes, there's a new organic material called (unlikely, yes) Colorado Potato Beetle Killer. It's very effective on Mexican bean beetles, potato beetles and all caterpillars. Fully organic. The active ingredient is an organic called Spinosad.

For squash bugs, our Pest Management Guide in the Va system says to use permethrin. It's about as deadly as Seven; so, you have to be careful with it. I've had good luck just lifting the fruit and upon finding squash bugs, I give them a squirt and drop the fruit back to the ground. There is little chance that bees would come in contact this way, and it works quite well on them. I have some now on the butternut leaves, but I'm not spraying them.

Ralph

 

[nimblemotors]

Do you have a plan on how to sell them? Is this pumpkin thing going to make any money??

 

[CMV]

Nope....that is by far our biggest failure......pumpkins were ready way too early so hard to sell. Many going bad waiting to be sold so continually culling and getting rid of soft or newly blemished ones. Quite wasteful. But have been setting up at a local flea market and a few other spots. Will probably break even so no financial loss, but lots of time just to break even

If I put a price tag on the time we spent for no $$$ gain, would look at it like a huge loss. If I put a price tag on how much we learned, how much fun we had (even though hard work) just being outside being in the dirt, or some of the nice people we met along the way, would look at it like a huge gain regardless of P&L. Perspective....

Will do again next year...since we already have everything we need the only $ into next season is some seeds, soil amendments/fertilizer, and bug control. Also learned the types that sold real well/fast and the types nobody seems to want. Perfect looking white Boer Ford, ~15lbs, for example - thought would be a hit since unusual but interesting looking and good to eat, but even at $5 ea for those, nobody wants. $1-$2 they sell, but cost that much to grow. Did a small planting of a variety called Field Trip and figured some people would want those, but not many since they're pretty small at about 5 lbs. Had the fewest of those, but sold like crazy. Locally Aldi's and WM have typical orange jack-o-lantern pumpkins for $4 - no sense in growing those and trying to compete with that. Why would someone want to carry a 20 lb pumpkin around a flea market when they could just put it in their buggy next shopping trip?

The actual "farmer's markets" locally, both seemed like a real pain to get setup, especially to just sell one seasonal crop in a short period. Have to have someone come inspect growing operation, pay fee for whole season, etc. Would probably be much better place to sell more quickly, but seemed like a lot of hassle and expense to get setup there.

So getting ready for next year....will reduce overall area planted and do 3 patches vs 4 and limit to the more bush type/short-vine ones that produce smaller fruit - more plants in same amount of space, more pumpkins, but much smaller ones. Would be nice to make some extra $ from it, but as long as not losing $ it's still something to do and requires me to be outside and active vs wasting a Saturday watching TV or whatever...

 

[nimblemotors]

Thanks for the update, so the pumpkin idea as cash crop not so good, darn was hoping you would do better in that regard.
Perhaps you can sell/consign them to other sellers at the farmer market, and not to end customer, since they already setup to sell?

 

[CMV]

Around here, no. To sell produce at either local farmer's market, It has to be YOUR produce. So I can't sell what I grow to someone to sell at farmer's market as his own. Guess if I jumped thru the hoops and had county inspector out first maybe could.....but if doing all that would just take to farmer's market myself and make more $. For a small operation, hobbyist, one seasonal crop with very short selling season, farmer's market not a good option.

We went to a "farmer's flea market" which is basically a flea market with a little produce. Did some basic roadside stand type deals too.

The best advice I got here before starting this project (and that I completely ignored) was along the lines of "have them sold/know HOW you are going to sell them before you put 1 seed in the dirt". To that I would add research what sells in your area. We planted LOTS of white pumpkins. Up north where I'm originally from unusual and more decorative ones are in demand. White, jarrahdale, Musque de Provence, etc are in demand and lots of people out looking for them for their fall displays. Around here, it's more like "what the heck is wrong with your pumpkins - those don't look like pumpkins". So basic orange and then just a few more decorative types would be good mix. I was exact opposite. Same for size - Our largest, best looking ones are either our personal decorations, were gifted to friends, and remainder sadly fed to the pigs! Very few sold above 30 lbs while the much smaller ones did well.

Since we're in very different areas, what applied to me might be 100% different for you. Might be simple to set up at your farmer's market, people might turn their noses up at jack-o-lanterns or kid-sized ones and be seeking the unusual decorative types.

I'll say this much, they were pretty easy to grow. Plant, water, fertilize, kill bugs. Wanted a little more water than I expected and bugs were much more resilient (and sneakier) than I gave them credit, but overall not terribly difficult. Transporting without damaging probably hardest part.