BEGINNER’S SEMINAR

Today’s course topics:

• SITE SITE SELECTIONSELECTION

• SOILSOIL

• SEEDSSEEDS

• TRANSPLANTINGTRANSPLANTING

• PLANT CAREPLANT CARE

• FRUIT CAREFRUIT CARE

• PUMPKINVILLE PUMPKINVILLE CONTESTCONTEST

SITE SELECTIONSITE SELECTION• AMOUNT OF

SUN• ELEVATION:

DRAINAGE• AVAILABILTY

TO WATER• SPACE

REQUIRED

Space Required Patch Patterns

25’ X 30’ = 750 sq.ft 30’ X 50’ = 1500 sq.ft. (675 sq.ft./plant)

Soil Amendments

1. Manure. (Cow, Horse, Rabbit, ect.)

2. Leaves – not too many.

3. Green manure.

4. Your compost mix.– As much as 5 cu.yards per plant. A pick up

truck load is approximately 3 cu.yards. Apply in the fall. Spring applied needs to be composted or aged.

SCHEDULING YOUR SCHEDULING YOUR AMMENDMENTSAMMENDMENTS

Your Plan of Attack• Fall Preparations

– Apply bulk amendments

– Apply lime • Why? Allow to break

down. Lime takes 3-4 months to help soil.

– Plant cover crop.• Rye or wheat.• Help stop erosion.• Provides N in spring.• Add OM.

• Lack of a cover crop can allow earlier drying in a wet spring.

• Spring Preparations– Covered next.

SPRING PREPARATIONSSPRING PREPARATIONSPre-planting preparations

• Mow cover crop.• Amendments:

– Gypsum– Lime (if needed)– Minerals (Azomite, Ironite, ect.)

• Fertilizers:– Compost– Manure– Powdered Kelp (Seaweed)– Fish

• Work up the ground while tilling in amendments & cover crop/green manure. – Till too early – mud &

clumps. (know your soil)

– Till too late - cover crop too big, hard to till.

SPRING PREPARATIONSSPRING PREPARATIONS1 week before planting preparations

• Pre-warm soil – Should be over 60

degrees.– Plastic sheeting flat on

the ground.– Huts covered with

plastic sheeting (mini-greenhouses)

SPRING PREPARATIONSSPRING PREPARATIONSbefore planting

•Mini-greenhouses can be extremely simple, to the

middle-of-the-road, to the more extravagant. Even 4

bales of hay & an old pane of glass can work just fine.

Simplest

Middle of the road

Extravagant

When do I plant?

• May 1st to May 10th -- Keep from freezing.

• The entire growth cycle takes about 120 days, 60 for plant and 60 for pumpkin.

• Allows for:– Large plant size at pollination time.– Fastest growth at warmest part of summer.– Last 2-3 weeks in Sept, growth slows down.

SEEDSSEEDSPicking the Right Seeds

• Dill’s Atlantic Giant Variety.

• As a beginner, use the best, but cheap seeds.

• DO NOT use store bought seeds.

• Great genetics available from other pumpkin growers for FREE.

Genetics – Understanding them.

• Broken down:– 1082.4 Stelts 05

• 1082.4 = Weight• Stelts = Grower’s Last Name• 05 = Year (2005)

– F = Female (seed it was grown from)

• 968 Razo 04

– M = Male (pollinator plant)

• 723.5 Stelts 04

Seed PreparationFor Planting

• Sand the edges – not the tip.– Use emery board.– Sand edge to show

light brown line.– Helps crack the seed

coat.– Soak in warm water

for 1 hour.

Germination

• And if all goes right, after 4-7 days, the seed sprouts.

• The seedlings can become root-bound in around a week.– This is usually about

the time the 1st true leaf appears.

TRANSPLANTINGTRANSPLANTINGThe day of planting that seedling

• Transplant in the mini-greenhouse.

• Ensure good ventilation, avoid overheating.

• DO NOT use a pit.• A raised bed or small

mound is better.– Quicker to warm up.– Better drainage.

TRANSPLANTINGTRANSPLANTINGThe day of planting that seedling

• Setting the plant.• Main vine opposite 1st

true leaf.• Transplant solution – 1

gallon of warm water with light fertilizers.

• Protect plant on cold nights with cheap styrofoam cooler.

• Spray for bugs!

BETWEEN TRANSPLANT BETWEEN TRANSPLANT AND POLLINATIONAND POLLINATION

• The first waiting period.

• In the next series of slides we will cover some things that will need to be done after transplant and while waiting for pollination time.

Avoid Soil Compaction

• Daily foot travel compacts the soil.

• Stepping stones or walk boards should be used.

• Wet ground will become as hard as concrete.

• Loose soil helps proper O2 exchange & root spreading.

INSECTS & DISEASEINSECTS & DISEASE

• Insects:– Cucumber beetle– Squash Vine Borer– Aphids

Cucumber Beetle

Squash Vine Borer & Aphid

InsecticidesContact or Systemic?

Vines & Wind

• Vines grow as much as a foot a day.

• Leaf stems can be 2-3 feet tall.– Vines should be

staked down and buried.

– Helps prevent vine splits & breaks during winds.

Vine Training & Watering

• Train vines in X-mas tree pattern.

• Moves vines late in the day, warmer. AM they are cold & brittle.

• Never move more than a few inches/day

• Takes a few days to complete a vine move.

• Till ahead of vine growth. Don’t get too close, white root filaments= too close.

• To stretch root growth, water some at the stump and some around the root-zone perimeter. Red line growth in next slides.

Irrigation

• Remember, this plant will need the equivalent of over 1” of rain per week.

• 623 gallons for 1000 sq. ft/ week.

• 89 gallons for 1000 sq. ft/ day.

• Should reach this point around 4th week of July to 1st week of August.

• Optional - cooling/shading as temperatures go above 85 degrees.

Now it’s “Pumpkin Time”POLLINATIONPOLLINATION

• All pumpkins start with a bloom.

• As is common with most plant reproduction, there is a male and female bloom.

• Both on the same plant.

• Usually around the last week of June.

Female Male

POLLINATION POLLINATION MALES

• Male Flowers– Long, thin stem– No “mini-pumpkin”

under flower– Usually 1st to arrive, 5

to 7 days before a female.

– Pollen

POLLINATIONPOLLINATION FEMALES

• Female Flowers– Short, sturdy stem– Marble size ball

under flower.– Can be seen in vine

tips.– Opens 7-10 days

after 1st appearing

POLLINATIONPOLLINATION 2 Ways to Pollinate Pumpkins – By Hand or Bees

• Hand Pollination– Must be controlled or

protected to maintain genetics.

– Insures thorough distribution of pollen to all segments.

– Use multiple male flowers.

– Record pollination date and male plant used.

OPEN POLLINATIONOPEN POLLINATION

• Bees & insects– Uncontrolled for

genetics– Considered “open”

pollinated.– May be unreliable with

a low bee population or bad weather.

– Seeds from open pollinated pumpkins rarely planted.

POLLINATIONPOLLINATION Which one(s) to pollinate

• Deformities – seeds.• Visualize the larger fruit.

– Stem stress• “S” bend for shoulders

• Vine height as fruit height increases

– On top of vine• Vine & stem splits

• Shoulders grow off vine

• Pollinate many on main vine – 10’ out & greater.

Which One(s) To Keep

• 1st – decide how many you want on a plant. – Small plant – 1– Large plant – 2 (?)– 1 pumpkin per plant will

consistently yield the largest.

• Circumference measurement benchmarks: – 14 day – 40”– 21 day – 70”– 30 day – 100”

• Must know pollination date.

Which One(s) To Keep

• The size of the fruit is an important factor, but consider others:– Feet out on the vine

(pollination date).– Shape of the fruit.– Position on the vine.

• Before August 1st, cull down to only fruit you are going to grow.– Don’t keep too many.

Other Things to Consider

• Working on the underside of fruit.

• Continue vine burying– Prune/ terminate at patch

edge.– Discontinue ALL vine

growth during 1st week of August.

• Fruit sliding – adjusting the position– Sand/ mill fabric– Possibly styrofoam

Other Things To Remember

• Once fruit is “set”/ pollinated for sure, usually 30” – 50” circ., begin fertilizing again.

• Read your plant.– Lime green vs. Blue

green

• Fertilize entire root system.

SHADING THE PUMPKINSHADING THE PUMPKINWhat is it & When to use it

• Keeps fruit from scalding• Keeps fruit from internal

heating• Keeps skin softer

– Fewer splits• 5” growth/ day

circumference

• White sheet –easiest• Make it large enough.

– 5’ X 5’

• Keep the neighbors talking.

More things to RememberAgain, while all this is going on….

• Maintain weekly insecticide & fungicide applications.

• Keep plants pest free.• Remember – the Cuke

Beetle bacterial wilt takes 30-45 days to appear.

• And again, no vine growth after 1st week of August.

The Last Things to Do Are…• Hope it

doesn’t explode.

• Hope you don’t run out of water.

• Keep the fruit clean

The Last Things to Do Are…

• Worry about how big it is really going to get.

• Estimate with 3-way measurement called Over-The-Top (OTT)

• Circumference.• Stem to blossom.• Side to side.

The Last Things to Do Are…• Circumference.• Stem to blossom.• Side to side.

•Add the 3 together.

•Go to the OTT chart.

OTT Chart

Slow & Steady Wins the Race

• Remember:– Do everything

gradually– Too much fertilizer will

end your season faster than too little.

– Pre-season ground prep is essential.

Other Info Sources

• How To Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins (1,2, and 3), by Don Langevin

• Bigpumpkins.com• ANDYW1407@GMAIL.COM

Be Kind to Your Neighbors & …

• The day before the weigh-off you’ll need lots of help to load this monster.

• One of the best ways is a tarp & 10 strong backs.

• Another is a front end loader and a strap lifting device.

You Too Could Be Here.