Washington update dog day doldrums
- To: "'Pumpkins'" <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Washington update dog day doldrums
- From: "* C* <c*@chmc.org>
- Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 14:30:32 -0700
Well here's the update I promised before I signed off for vacation. I
pollinated many fruit beginning June 26 and continued hand pollinating
until July 10 when I felt I had enough fruit set. I began culling
excess fruit or fruit in poor positions on the vines the third week of
July. The plants which have been extremely vigorous in producing vine
and leaves liked this so much that they proceeded to abort every fruit
that I had hand pollinated. Some of these were up to 50" in
circumference. Since then the remaining fruit have all been open
pollinated and I don't have specific dates for when they were set but
all were after the third week of July. Largest so far is Lumpy on the
916 LaRue 97. Pear shaped, very orange and naturally lumpy it is 80"
circ. and 180 OTT. It is growing at a rate of about 2" a day in
circumference it is way out on a secondary that has its end terminate
about 4' past the pumpkin. Next also on the LaRue 916 is Akebono. It is
79" in circ. and 178" OTT. Not as lumpy and somewhat broader shouldered
it is on a secondary main at about 8' out. It is growing somewhat
faster than Lumpy and I expect it will be the largest pumpkin in the
patch by the end of the week. On the 469 Hester 97 I have only one
fruit that is noteworthy at this time with a circumference of 69" OTT of
163". It is a pale creamy color and growing very slowly on a secondary
main only 5' out from the main vine stump. I have several other fruit
set in the patch that will bear watching over the next week. With all
the aborts I experienced I'm almost afraid to cull anything else from
the plants. I have composted several hundred pounds of pumpkins from
the size of lemons the the size of beachballs and everything in between.
The 916 is especially prolific at producing fruit, it was just hard to
keep them on the plant. They would get dull looking then develop white
soft patches on the skin and I would know they were goners.
This is a humbling hobby, just when you think you have figured out
what you need to do to have a breakthrough year you get some more
education. With luck I will improve on what I did last year and have
something for the weigh off but I don't expect to be competative with
the fruit I have left at the rate they are growing.
Chris Michalec
Just trying to keep them on the vine.
Covington, WA
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