RE: One Dumb Move
- Subject: RE: One Dumb Move
- From: K* a* D*
- Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 11:55:46 -0000
George
Was there a toad saved after all this?
-----Original Message-----
From: George Heyne [SMTP:gheyne@millcomm.com]
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 1999 2:03 AM
To: pumpkin
Subject: One Dumb Move
Early this afternoon, I just completed the tilling of the garden (other
veggies) and just completed my last pass around the pumpkins. I looked
down and thought I saw some movement as it looked like I might have run
over a small toad. I turned the tiller around, took it out gear, and
started to look for the toad. The next thing I realized is that the
tiller was not next to me any more. I looked up and saw it go through my
968 Sproule 98 and it continued toward another pumpkin. I moved quite
quickly and stopped it before it did any more damage.
The tiller went about 18 inches from the stump of the 968 Sproule and
cut right through my secondary main. I had just pollinated a pumpkin on
July 8 on that secondary main vine. I cut the vine off the stump and
applied Captan. Water was dripping out of the spot where I removed the
vine. If one ever wanted to see what a wet wash rag on a stick looked
like, this was a good opportunity. All the leaves were drooping.
The "Pumpkin God" might have caused this as I had been thinking of
cutting off the secondary vine anyway. It was tearing away from the
stump and causing all sorts of problems this past week. Early on, a
small vine had been blown off at this point and caused a split. Thought
I had the problem licked until this area received a lot rain and
humidity. Anyway, maybe this is a blessing in disguise and the "Pumpkin
God" was telling me to remove the vine or lose the entire plant. We will
see what it looks like tomorrow. None of the main vine was hit and I had
pollinated a pumpkin on it this morning.
After all this, I took the tiller back to the truck and put it into slow
speed as I drove up the ramp into the back of the truck. I tried to put
it out of gear, but it wouldn't go and I rammed into the back of the
truck. Fortunately, I was able to stop it before it could cause any more
damage.
At this point, I decided to quit and come back on Sunday when I was in a
better mood. It was a beautiful day in southeastern Minnesota -- blue
skies, not much wind, low humidity, and temperatures in the 70s. All I
can say is to make doubly sure your tiller is out of gear before you
take your eyes off it in the pumpkin patch.
George Heyne
Rochester, Mn.
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