RE: beginning stage
Hi Doug,
When growing in the heat the pumpkins and plants grow very fast. The
theory is start late because the plants will grow faster than the plants in
Canada and Pacific Northwest. My plants go into the ground on the second
of June and I set fruit the third week of July. Yes, I play catch up all
summer long but by September when the temps have moderated a little with
highs in the low 90's and lows in the middle 60's we are still putting on
pounds and grow the whole month. The hard part is setting fruit in the 100
degree days in July. This can be helped by putting out frozen water
bottles to keep the female blossoms cool during pollination. The other
factor is mist. I mist the plants all day.
It seems your plants are much larger than most of the growers already.
Most growers are fighting the cold temps and are at the 5 to 6 leaf stage.
Your plants are 3 feet long and looking for a female blossoms. Once you
set fruit you will probably grow for around 70 days and be done. The key
is to have your pumpkin be done growing just before the contest. If you
have room for another plant try planting one this weekend and you will
catch up to all the other growers in the country.
Good Luck,
Jon
At 03:59 PM 5/18/2000 -0700, you wrote:
>Jon......
>
>What part of CA are you in. I'm in So Cal near Pasadena and I've been in
>the ground since mid April with vines now three feet long. Day time temps
>here will typically exceed 90 from mid June through mid September with many
>of those days above 100. So I though getting in the ground early enough to
>pollinate by mid June would be good. Did I start too early? I understand
>you've grown some big ones (that is if you're the Hunt from the 991 Hunt
>'99). Did you start these in late May also?
>
>Doug Parker
>Sierra Madre, CA
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing FAQ: http://www.mallorn.com/lists/pumpkins/search.cgi
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@mallorn.com with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS
