Re: Late Start
- Subject: Re: Late Start
- From: S*@aol.com
- Date: Fri, 23 Jul 1999 13:22:09 EDT
In a message dated 7/22/99 6:42:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
thepumpkinmaster@hotmail.com writes:
> The reason you can't start a seed now and be competitive is because there
> are not enough days. The competitions are on the first week of october
and
> by then you would still have a baby. It could be 2 or 3 hundred llbs but
> that is it. It may grow to be competitive one day but there will be no
> official weigh off for it, and thus no competition
>
>
True, I agree with you on this part, sort of. ALL weighoffs are not at the
same time. There are some weighoffs that are closer to mid-late October.
Also, pumpkins all grow differently, it is POSSIBLE to get one big enough for
a weighoff by then. I grew Burpee Prizewinners last year which have a
maturation date of 120 days. They were 200 pounds (about as heavy as they
get), ripe, and and DONE in less than 90 days. (Well the first couple that
were set were). This was without even burying the vines.
It is all about removing the obstacles that set you back. Corn is another
really good example of this. Farmers do go by "days to maturity" to space out
plantings of sweet corns that need to be isolated, (especially varieties with
the sh2 gene). But most also factor in a mathemetical formula (I forgot the
exact formula) that goes by heat. The hotter it is, the faster the corn will
grow and mature. It could take a stalk of corn 80 days to mature to a full
ear. If the weather averages 20 degrees higher, you can get the same ear in
40-50 days! Same goes with rain. Ever notice your lawn, it won't grow at all
in dry or cooler weather, but as soon as it rains and gets warmer, you will
be mowing every other day. (Actually a stalk of corn is just one big blade of
grass). Anyway, the point is I don't think there are any hard, set,
unbreakable rules when it comes to "days to maturity", or anything else. When
obstacles like these come up, you just need to find a way to overcome them.
Or at least do the best you can.
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