Pumpkin growing and carving challenge 2016

Its the heat in there causing the leaves to wilt, I have not yet installed ventilation and due to home circumstances I have had barely 2 mins a day at the plot.

The plant however has been very well watered although soil surface is dry, and I will get some ventilation sorted out within this next week.

Steve...

 

Looking really well guys mine keeps getting battered with the winds even with my fence round the plot

 

Mine sulked for about 2 weeks after planting out. My plot was so waterlogged earlier on (like up to 10 days ago) that I was unable to get anything cultivated, so I dig pits in rows, filled them, laid 1m wide strips of Mypex along their (pumpkin and marrow) locations, planted through it, then have been struggling to cultivate the ground infront as things dry out. I'm getting rather fed up with these wet springs that last until mid June.

Had a female flower about a week ago, but only about 3 feet along main stem, so I removed it, hope I did the right thing.

Growth rate's now increasing, but having to use my stock of bargain potting compost to backfill over buried stems as I didn't get the soil to a fine tilth.

And once again my 'giant' marrow plants are coping with my cold, clayey soil in a frost pocket far better than my pumpkins, so this may be my last year of trying for giant pumpkins for a while, apart from some medium sized ones for friends' children and the occasional gallon of pumpkin wine for Halloween.

P.S. I've just checked out my pumpkin this morning and have a female flower about 8 feet along the main stem, so that'll be the one I'll be going for.

P.P.S. I'm now thinking about cultivating additional areas mid/late summer, then covering with heavy duty black polythene dpm over winter. Don't believe those who say covering ground with Mypex will keep the ground beneath dry, such areas have only just begun to be dry enough for planting/cultivation and it's past mid summer.

 

I've found in previous years that "some" rain will run off mypex, so keeping a bed drier than those without any cover. But you have to ensure there is a natural slope for that to happen because as soon as water is held up it will soak through slowly, which is what you want when planting through it.

Covering ground with dpm or black polythene I have also done before now and whilst I was warned by some people on various net forums that this would not be good for my soil, I found no ill effects doing so. And I have covered as early as when our last potato was harvested or as late in the winter as possible without ground being frozen before spring rains.

I'm on clay soil here and we have very wet weather, (No rain = no lakes = no Lake District ) especially in April/May

I manage quite well by covering with polythene or sloped mypex, when polythene is removed I cultivate the ground and recover with mypex till planting time, the polythene is moved to another bed ( I only have enough for one bed at the moment). I aim to have 2 or 3 beds (out of 4) completed by the end of March.

Steve...

 

My areas covered with Mypex over winter have been far wetter underneath than those without any form of covering.

Trying to rotorvate an overwinter mypex covered bed on 29th June:



That's still a soggy wet mess a month after it should be OK to plant stuff out (everything, not only pumpkins).

 

The above comment relates to times of inclement weather, eg "April Showers", whilst it is a rainy period Mypex will shed some water away when used as in my post above. Uncovered beds get all the rain and are wetter by comparison.

I would expect that that through what are drier periods as the mypex will act as a mulch.

On the whole the trick is to swap covers around, remove them or lay them down as per the weather at that moment.

My last cover came up start of May and none will be put down again until back end.

Steve...

 

Looks like your coming along well jwk I have not even got one set yet

 

Coming along nicely John considering the amount of space taken up by the plant/plants.

It does show that you do not need a huge space to grow them in, to get fruit.

My two outside plants have not yet got fruits set on them, I've removed many female flowers from the secondaries and I have one coming on each plant now, on the main vine at around 18-19ft.

The one plant indoors is still growing like mad at around a foot a day and I have two fruits set on the main vine with another coming at around 20ft, I think I will be taking both of the set fruits off and going with the new one.

As John noted earlier the leaves wilt slightly on the indoor plant, especially on the warmer days and that is regardless of how much I water them. In fact watering has to be done carefully as too much onto the foliage can knock the leaves over.

Steve...

 

6 days later and it's still only the size of a large pea.

 

I've now got another female flower on a secondary close to the planting station, and that's all, but my Marrows are producing loads of female flowers which is enabling me to both restrict to one fruit per plant for those to be grown to be big, plus have up to 3 fruits per plants (different crosses) for those that'll be used just for seed production.

Anyway, if I only get a medium sized Pumpkin that'll seem enormous to a friend's small child, plus get some seeds for next year together with a few pounds of Pumpkin flesh for a gallon of Pumpkin wine, I'll be happy (after I drink the wine).

 

The 1872 in the tunnel 8 days ago.



And this morning.



Main vine is now approx 24ft long and still going so I have had to divert it right. Latest female flower and the one I hope to set is on the inside of the vine at the very front. 1 more week and the tunnel will be full.

Steve...

 

@Steve R How many gallons of water a day are going onto that plant? (both at planting pit and buried vine locations).

And does the Pumpkin benefit from being within the polytunnel, rather than being allowed to develop outside? (with just the leaf mass inside).