Pumpkins of New Zealand up and at 'em.

Hi Team. 

So far I have three pumpkins pollinated but all on Fred, Wilma seems
reluctant to give out the female flowers ( I am thinking of a name
change as well - something more original). Her girth on the main runer
is now bright yellow and as thick as my arm in places. It has sort of
gone into tetraploid mode with lots of heavy foliage. I put a sprinkler
system in, I just put 20 metres of 13mm alkathene pipe with mist nozzles
directly on the pipe and curled all around the root zone. I also bought
a liquid fertiliser (Thrive) dispenser that fits on the hose pipe. It
was getting too difficult feeding 'normal' fertiliser. I am using a mix
with more emphasis on the Sulphate of Potash as well as the N and P.
Lots of growth, each plant now taking up about twenty square metres and
growing fast. I have all basal runners trimmed and buried, each plant
now has two main runners each being pruned as per the Christmas Tree
method. Culling time late on I suspect. The plants are running one along
either side of the vege patch, sort of a pincher movement like when the
Zulu's attacked us Colonial types in the film 'Zulu' with Michael Cane
and Stanley Baker.
The vines are now competing with the Evening Primrose and Thyme,
Cammomill and Raspberries on the other side of the garden path. Temp
around the low to mid thirties now. Back to work tomorrow (Jan 5th) alas
- I will have to put shoes on and stuff like that. Never mind, holidays
soon. I have the honour of being the judge for the gardens in next years
Rhododendron Festival so I am away inspecting gardens over the next two
weeks. I may have to call in at the beach for a look for that elusive
bird Jim Ives (Jim is not the bird).
 Cheers John S

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