Re: sand and fruit protection

Dave, if I am understanding you correctly, you use a sheet during the day, 
propped up with stakes.  When do you use the tarp?  Or is the sheet put on top 
of the tarp and overhangs to catch the sun?  After reading your post, I think I 
will drape the sheet over some 3 & 4' bamboo sticks during the day to keep if 
off the fruit and vines.

Debbie





________________________________
From: "dbhaskaran@aol.com" <dbhaskaran@aol.com>
To: pumpkins@hort.net
Sent: Sun, August 1, 2010 5:48:58 PM
Subject: Re: sand and fruit protection

Debbie,
My suggestion would be to run both...which is what I have done now for 2 years
now.  I didn't like  just the sheet, as we get periods of too much wetness so
running both of them protects the pumpkin from some of the sun that my 6 tarps
and 10 fence posts allow in. (6x8 tarps)
I have put down wet sand before but it seems to dry with a few days...so I
don't think you need to worry.
I also dig a trench around my pumpkins tents so that water hitting the tarps
and dropping...goes into a trench and away from the pumpkin, plus this also
puts the pumpkin on "higher ground" due to the trench and thus more drying.

Also becareful with the MV and the tarps rubbing on them if you use it and
also if you use the sheet on the pumpkins...make sure the front and back get
some  "air"...I use a small stake in front of the pumpkin and put the sheet
over it...thus giving the them stem area some "air".

Hope this helps.
Good luck.
David Bhaskaran
Rochester, MN








-----Original Message-----
From: Debbie Runkle <yorunk13@att.net>
To: pumpkin <pumpkins@hort.net>
Sent: Sun, Aug 1, 2010 9:07 am
Subject: sand and fruit protection


What type of fruit protection is recommended?  I am currently using a tarp day
nd night, but noticed that there isn't a whole lot of air movement.  Now I am
ondering about just using a sheet on the pumpkin during the day and removing
it
at night.  We have alot of humidity, esp. at night.  That leads me to my next
uestion.
I have sand under the pumpkins.  Yesterday I removed as much of the play sand,
hat I had originally used, and replaced it with all purpose sand.  I found
that
the play sand held too much moisture and was damp right out of the bag.  This
orning all of the sand is damp.  The ground is pretty moist due to some recent
ains.  The pumpkins were covered with tarps so no rain got on it or the sand,
ut the sand seems to be absorbing moisture from the ground. I am worried about
he pumpkin rotting.  I don't know if fans would help much since I would most
ikely have to keep them on the pumpkins every day.
Debbie
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