Pumpkin hill layout

[douglas]

Just wondering what kind of setup you all are going to have this year I may have two plants a few yards apart on one side of the garden

[jeanette]

morning doug!! i haven't thought that much about it yet, but i think i'm going to dig up a whole new spot for mine.. gotta deal with those pesky vine borers...
mine took off so darn good last year until the the borers got them.. i'm excited about trying again.

[Pharmer Phil]

jeanette, if I were you. i'd get up cose to the building near where ya was last year...loks like lots of critters been doin' there business there!
I am still debating about what we will do Pumpkin wise...Hey Doug, B.P. have their seed giveaway yet?

[jeanette]

i'd like to but that is where he parks the wagons, i wonder why he doesn't drive around behind the grove, i'd think there would be more room, i'll have to ask him..
that would solve my encroching shade problem too..
jack and i cleared out a bunch of that grove back there, lets in alot more sun now... but there are black walnut trees back there, i wonder if that would be a problem.. they might be far enough away...

[douglas]

I haven't spent much time on the bigpumpkins site because I been spending more time here with you guys

[jeanette]

good answer

[Pharmer Phil]

Dat's it,I knew der was some reason i hadn't been der either

[Compost Pharmer]

Phil, Thanks for the punkins background.

[douglas]

Love the background phil keep up da good work

[mckenzygirl]

I've been thinking of planting my punkins by our apple trees.
My question is: Do punkins and apple trees do ok together? or should I pick a different spot to plant punkins?

[douglas]

I wouldn't chance it, they should be out in open sun away from all trees and shade

[Pharmer Phil]

I wouldn't either, get them where they will have full sun, and no competition for nutrient 'sucking' tree roots, but that's just my two cents worth!

[mckenzygirl]

Ok thanks !
I'll rethink of another place for the punkins.

[Compost Pharmer]

Tried out in the open last year where the punkins had sun lite all day. They did not do good because it was to hot and a lack of rain. Even thou I gave each plant 2 gallons of water every day, they shriveled up and died. This year I built a 'punkin run, (pics posted else where on the forum), where they should only get sun in the morning and up to 1:00 in the afternoon. Hopefully it will not be to hot and we will start to get some rain.

[douglas]

Greg, I had the same problem one year so I got some info on shade structures.
I used some cheap burlap to filter out some of the rays and still had enough sun for them to grow

[Laura]

Douglas. You must not get the wind's we do here..those tarp's would have been gone with the phirst gust of wind we got.. we really have to anchor our's down & even then we have to re-pin them..It get's real windy here in the spring summer fall & winter.. But they do look nice..just would'nt hold up to our wind..

[douglas]

we have alot of wind in the early to late spring but then it calms down some as summer comes along

[douglas]

Just got my pumpkin seeds in today from Dill, I have about ten ready to go

[Compost Pharmer]

Doug, I tried the covering last year after you had suggested it. I put my compost thermometer under the tarp and found it to be 130° F, when the outside temp was 102° F. I used a white tarp thinking it would be cooler. I have no large trees to provide shade. I am hoping that my 'Punkin Run' will work much better. My only fear is we don't start to get some rain they will mandatory water rationing. The lake I live by is now down 11 feet and dropping more every day. Theses are not true lakes that are spring fed. They depend on up stream rivers to keep them full. Reservoirs are what they really are. One reservoir feeds the next in line.

[douglas]

Ive also known pumpkin growers to use misters above their plants on hot days and they say it perks the plants right up cooling them down and uses little water. I have never used misters before because it hasn't been too hot here.
I found a few places where they used misters on BP

www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=35032

www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=33233

www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=33073

www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=32833

[Compost Pharmer]

Thanks Doug for the URL's. I am gonna try the misting system this year as well. So far weare down 1.05 inches of rain for January and just under 20 inches, including 2005. I just hope they don't start manadatory water rationing. The lake is now down 11 feet and dropping more every day.

[douglas]

Well with the misters they say they are good on water so maybe you might think about getting a water timer for the noon hours

Almost forgot concerning the water shortage thing, I made a setup a few years ago with four Rubber made cans with PVC pipes with clamps. I would catch the rain water from the down spouts and pump it out to the garden on the water restriction days.
It's a phunny setup if I do say so myself but it helped some

[Compost Pharmer]

Thanks for pic Doug. I would love to have a system like that, but since it don't rain here, I would not be able to catch any rain. The weather lady is no saying what day it rain but rather that it will rain some day.

[chickenfarmer]

Ya think if I made one of those setups, I could pump up some water to ya Greg.....

But seriously... This looks like this would work for me here in Tennessee.. any further info Doug... what size pump? and what about size of pipe to the garden...?

[douglas]

All you would need is a small pump you can hook up to any standard garden hose and that should do the trick they work well on sprinkler systems
I'll see if I can extend a line out to ya Greg

[Compost Pharmer]

That way this summer, when we don't get any rain, I can turn on the faucet and water the garden.

[deb65802]

dont' run that line down here. we are soggy still. rains every other day. not complaining mind you

just wondering if my feet are going to grow webs.....

[Compost Pharmer]

Same here. It has rained some for the last 7 days. It is now thundering and lightening. Gona rain again tonight. Good for the garden. Saves on the water bill.

[chickenfarmer]

thinking about coming up with a water ram to get some water from the creek to the garden

[douglas]

Looks like we are in for it here the rest of the week too, rain starting today untill sometime next week Local flooding in ponds possible