From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Grittyville, WA

Pumpkin grown on dryish soil or soggyish soil... which goes heavier to chart?

8/3/2023 3:19:37 PM

Austin MN

I remember Chris Stevens (The king of heavy in his day) telling me keeping the soil on the moist side is the key to heavy and genetics and nutrients. Problem is you have to hit that happy medium and keep it moist but not so wet you harbor disease.

8/3/2023 9:02:40 PM

New Castle, Indiana

Maybe leaving a few crabgrass plants to grow in there keeps just the right moisture levels...haha.

8/3/2023 10:55:18 PM

Torrance, Ca.

All of the top growers I know water way mote then I do and go 10% 20% and even higher each year.

I'd say as heavy as you can water without the patch being soaked all the time. One of these top growers said, the guys with the pretty plants and water lightly always have the prettiest pumpkins but never big. The fine line is, watering as much as you need to for your fruit to grow big and heavy also causes major disease.
So pick your poison.;)

Miss Steven's, what a great grower!

8/3/2023 11:12:10 PM

Western NY

We noticed a long time ago in NY that things were going significantly heavier at our weighoffs the years when we had a very rainy September.

8/4/2023 9:15:26 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hey So.Cal.Grower I know it’s me you are referring. I do tend to have pretty plants that are well groomed, and I do tend to be a water mizer, and know I under water compared to others.

Also, perhaps proof in the pudding, both my pumpkins went light last year by 8% and 10% where as my growing buddy/mentor achieves heavy to the chart pumpkins and he waters slightly (prolly 50%) more than me.

Andy, you see those 2 Wolf beauties we have sunning themselves!!

8/4/2023 9:31:42 AM

Western NY

Looking good Glenn! Soil looks moist in your pic, lol.

8/4/2023 9:38:39 AM

Grittyville, WA

Intersting & funny... especially about the crab grass. As always there's a bit of truth in every joke, I thought about scattering a handful of jerusalem articokes out in varous places the patch as "moisture meter" plants, because they will wilt at the slightst discomfort, even when the tough/sturdy pumpkin plant refuses to wilt. (Canary in the coal mine). So then I'd have a way of quickly seeing where things were getting dry.
Thanks guys!

8/4/2023 12:09:02 PM

Torrance, Ca.

lol Glenn!

This in my last post for 10 days! Off for a nice family vacation with ZERO internet service!:)

Andy's post makes says it all!

8/4/2023 12:48:42 PM

Western NY

When I pulled out the plant that grew the 2365, there was a 900 square foot carpet of chickweed in the plant footprint.

8/4/2023 12:49:55 PM

United States

What is the significance of chickenweed in the plant footprint?

8/4/2023 8:21:00 PM

Western NY

I think it held in extra moisture. I would not recommend planting it on purpose.

8/4/2023 11:49:47 PM