Attention T.J. Mathews
TJ...See message below. I kept getting an error trying to send this to you!
Sorry list for the interuption.
-Gus
-----Original Message-----
From: Smithhisler, Paul
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 10:35 AM
To: 'T.J. Mathews'
Subject: RE: small space advice
Strawberries...I have wild ones, but they aren't good to eat...good
raspberries though. Fortunately I have a big enough yard I didn't have to
take out anything but grass!
Fruit on the side of a hill could be dangerous...depending on the slope. If
you get a pumpkin set there, you may want to dig out a small bench for it to
sit on. You could also pile a mound of soil downhill from the pumpkin just
to keep it from rolling. Sorry about the SVB damage...you need to get some
Warrior T or Schimitar! Good sh't Maynard!
The plug in your soaker hose is supposed to be there! It reduces the
pressure in the hose from your normal tap pressure. If you remove it, you
will get a lot more water from your soaker...you may even get some
"sprinkler" effect. If your pressure is too great, you could blow out the
hose (thus the reason for the washer.) If you take it out, don't turn the
water on full-blast!
My plants are behind schedule too...almost a month of rain with no sun in
May. My friend placed greenhouses over his plants, so they are way ahead of
mine. Live and learn I guess. That's what this hobby is all about. I
learned last year about vandalism, so this year I have a fence around the
patch...hope it helps!
Good luck, I'll keep an eye on your 'Mallorn' postings to see how you are
doing!
-Gus
-----Original Message-----
From: T.J. Mathews [t*@mindspring.com]
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 10:26 AM
To: Smithhisler, Paul
Subject: Re: small space advice
Gus,
Did you read he actually took his strawberries out this year?
Dang.
I nipped one secondary from the 729 that was threatening
the 824. I buried the end. The great thing is that the two
main vines are going in opposite directions (I gave them a
little help). I'm worried that the 729 is going to fruit on the
side of a hill... I also spotted SVB damage today :-( .
Oh my, I decided to put knew rubber rings in my hoses today
and discovered that my drip hose had a coin size plug in it with
a tiny little hole. How did I miss that? No wonder it leaked
so badly.
Pumpkins get vandalized? What a bringdown.
A water tank sounds outrageous to me but so many seem
to have them. We had a ton of rain on Wednesday and
Thursday pm several total downpours.
Other than my plants a bit behind schedule I'm feeling ok.
thanks, tj
----- Original Message -----
From: "Smithhisler, Paul" <Paul.Smithhisler@dnr.state.oh.us>
To: <tjm4@mindspring.com>
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2001 7:32 AM
Subject: RE: small space advice
> T.J.,
>
> Let 'em go is my philosophy. I like the response..."Get rid of the
> strawberries"..just like a pumpkin grower to say something like that.
> Honestly though, just nip the vine whenever it encroaches on other plants,
> road, house, etc. It is best if you can bury the end of the vine, but not
> necessary.
>
> As far as fruit go...don't worry. Your plant will continue to grow vines
> you never knew it had. I had a bumpkin come up in late August in my
wife's
> mint patch (Lovingly named Wrigley..the pumpkin, not my wife). I didn't
> even know it was there until it was about basketball sized. It grew to
over
> 200 lb. before it was vandalized. My point being, the plant wants to
> survive...in order to survive it must bear offspring. Just try to keep an
> eye on your plant and give the females room to grow. You may have to hack
> one or both plants back some to give the pumpkin room to grow without
> hurting itself. Better to have a clean cut than crushed vines.
>
> Good luck with 'em. Hope you beat my first year's best at 326#. Just know
> this...it is very addictive. My patch has doubled in size and I now own
two
> 2" pumps, 200' of fire hose and a 275 gallon water tank. ; )
>
> -Gus
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: T.J. Mathews [ t*@mindspring.com
<t*@mindspring.com>
> ]
> Sent: Thursday, July 05, 2001 8:49 PM
> To: Pumpkins@mallorn.com
> Subject: small space advice
>
>
> I asked here a while back about keeping two plants in
> a small patch and received some sound advice. So
> it seems some here do this regularly. It's from you
> I seek more.
>
> My Cramer729 is a bit more stout than the Cramer824.
> The 824 has two marble size females at ~ 9 and 12 feet
> out but the 729 is dry so far. I like the idea of keeping
> both knowing that I'm not in this for the weight just the
> fun.
>
> So, is there a point when no more room is an issue?
> The main on the 729 has started up a hill and might
> have 10 more feet before reaching the curb. Uh what
> to do if an AG is on a hill? The 824 is heading into
> precious strawberry territory. Both have secondaries
> heading towards two layers of fence with a tangle of
> bushes where no fruit could be tended to. "Uh yah
> my pumpkin is in there somewhere..."
>
> Bottom line then:
> What does a young plant do if it gets nipped before
> fruiting? I get the impression that nipping secondaries
> is not so bad, please correct me if I'm delusional, and
> what about the main?
>
> thanks in advance,
>
> tj
> takoma park, md
>
>
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