RE: Newbie: Hello!

Mike-
	I like you are from Illinois, I am in Elmhurst just outside Chicago,
so I know how isolated you feel reading all the different emails.  As you
probably imagine, growing a pumpkin in Chicagoland is going to be difficult
due to garden space, but I'm hopefull for good things in small packages.  I
put my seedlings out 2 weeks ago and surrounded them with "Walls of Water".
I've used them for my tomatoes in the past and have always had fruit by July
4th so I thought they would be good incubators for pumpkins as well.  My
plants are about 4 inches tall with their first true leafs forming.  I have
composted in manure and treated my soil with sulfur to lower the ph to 6.8.
I think this will really help.  Anyways, just to let you know there are
Illinois growers out there.  Steve M.

-----Original Message-----
From: mikem@i-d-t.com [m*@i-d-t.com]
Sent: Monday, May 10, 1999 10:22 AM
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com
Subject: Newbie: Hello!


Greetings all,

Mike Mott here, Champaign,  IL.  I just subscribed to the list about 2 weeks
ago, and am really appreciating the content, although all of the genetic
stuff is way over my head at this point.  I have 4 Dill's in the ground from
a 788 pound parent, doing the glass-on-mound w/ compost-pits-on-the-side
thing as mentioned on several of the great web sites.  Daytime soil temp is
warm to the touch down to 1 1/2" or so.  At Nighttime the glass is covered
with a blanket.  Seeds went in on May 4.
As you might have guessed, I have a bunch of newbie questions for you old
pros ( or should I say "experienced" pros <g>):

-bout how long will outdoor germination take? 8-10 days? 10-14 days?

-I don't see any posts from Midwest growers.  Is the climate just too hot
here?

-How do the genetics naming conventions work?  I assume the number is the
parent weight?  Is the name the name of the grower?

-Is dill's a quality supplier?  The web led me to believe so.

-I see all the posters are doing indoor germination and peat pots, etc.
Frost danger is effectively past here in Central IL.  Am I too early (have 3
seeds in reserve for just such eventuality)?

-My patch gets 80% full sun, but only has a 22' North South axis.  I have to
prune the South side back to avoid my neighbors yard, but I could let the
North end grow into my yard.  Any thoughts about how much damage limiting
vine growth to 22' will do?


Thanks in advance for any and all responses!  I have just been going for a
month or so, but already am getting caught up in "the thrill of the hunt".
(no bear pun intended)

Gotta go now and clean under my fingernails.

MM

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