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Re: Getting Ready - Already Done!

Marv,

I always love a challenge!

I will send you some seeds, just to give you a fair sporting chance!

Glad to here you are starting to work on your soil, I am already done, for
next year!

The glass bottle is a good idea, a soil analysis even better. My fall soil
sample has already been returned from the soil lab, 34% sand, 34% silt, 32%
clay, analyzed as Clay Loam. 

It looks like it is Sandy Loam vs. Clay Loam, any wagers, I see California
- Tom T. is already backing you up?

Now come on Marv, you can't use your poor compost and even worse A TROY
BUILT, as an excuse, my compost is just as good as yours and my tiller is a
1977 front tiner I keep nursing along with loving care!

Take care of your Deer Marv!

I do hope to see you in California next year but I can't afford to buy you
the plane ticket, until after next years weigh off!

Best of Luck!
Chris Andersen
Moraga, Calif.
==============================================



> All right, here we go. This is truly the start of the next growing
season.
> Big pumpkins take some planning. They need good soil. I am starting to
work
> on the soil now. My patch will be about 48 feet by 56 feet, a rectangle,
> nearly a square. I took a look at the soil by putting some in a large jar
so
> that it was half full of soil. After filling the jar with water and then
> shaking it up, I let it settle down into three layers. The bottom layer
is
> sand, the next layer silt and the top layer clay. By measuring and
> calculating using the thickness of the layers, my soil is 70% sand, 25%
silt
> and 5% clay. This falls into the category of sandy loam and brought a
smile
> to my face. There is a book called "Start with the Soil" published by
Rodale
> which is great winter reading.
> 
> I got two dump truck loads of compost from the local compost facility and
had
> it dumped by my garden. After spreading it about evenly, I picked out a
piece
> of a Barbie doll and several other larger pieces of plastic and a few old
> tennis balls. Compost here isn't as good as Chris Anderson gets. I tilled
the
> compost in using my trusty Troy Built Tiller, down about 8 inches.
> 
> I then planted some winter rye for green manure. It came up quickly and
the
> deer ate it just as quickly. I am now in the process of building a fence
> around the entire garden using 4x4 treated lumber 10 feet long which I
will
> bury three feet into the ground and later attach one to the other with
> treated 2x4s. This will give me 7 feet above the ground and I will attach
> some plastic deer fencinging to these 2x4s. It is called Deer-x and comes
in
> 100 foot long rolls , 7 feet high. I hope a 7 foot high fence will keep
those
> deer out.
> 
> I took some soil samples today and will shortly be sending the soil off
to be
> analyzed so that I can add lime if the pH is below 7. Around here soil is
> always acid.
> 
> I'll update you as I move along. You real experts out there feel free to
> criticize what I am doing as I go along. I can use some constructive
> criticism. I am serious about 1998. In 1997 I spent time trying to create
> some good seeds. I plan on going to California, if I have to, for seeds.
I'll
> be in the Ottawa Seed Lottery. I'll see what Ray Waterman has. I'll
trade.
> I'll do what it takes. Without good genetics I know I won't do well. My
> biggest pumpkin this last year was only 449. We had bad weather in PA but
I
> also made some mistakes. Ciliberto beat me again.
> 
> I intend to have four plants in this garden. I have another garden with a
> friend but this garden mentioned above will be my main growing site. I
will
> start my seeds on May 6. This is the date Chris Anderson started his
seeds
> and if that was good enough for Chris it certainly is good enough for me.
I
> started on April 29 last year and I think it was a little early. I think
Norm
> Craven also starts on May 6. In April I intend to build my pumpkin
shelters.
> 
> Marv in Altoona PA
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