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Pruning like a XMAS Tree

Listen up guys, I'm back again.

I haven't gotten many comments regarding my manure post. I guess people are
accepting of my conclusions. I talked to the guy at the feed store here and
he said most people talk about manure in terms of cubic feet. In case you
didn't know it a bushel basket holds 1.25 cubic feet. As far as manure by the
pound, much depends on how wet it is, so cubic feet is more meaningful.
Everyone has favored letting manure compost for 4 to 6 months before putting
it in the garden. One guy said it is ready when the "stink" is gone. Also it
is better to let it be in a pile and not putting it on the garden until you
are ready to till it in. This has to do with runoff.

Chris Anderson has been very helpful to me with great advice. I think that he
has been in the papers and on the radio and TV so much that he would perhaps
like to share some of that responsibility.  

Someone wanted to know what the Xmas Tree method of pruning was. Last year
Norm Craven had a post about this and as far as I know he developed the
method. I am uncertain as to how many people actually use it. He lets his
main vine grow out about 25 feet or so and if there is a pumpkin at 15 to 20
feet, he cuts off the end of the main vine and buries it. He lets the
secondary vines grow out 8 to 10 feet on each side and then prunes the end
and buries these too. He removes all tertiary vines. You end up with a plant
looking like a XMAS Tree. It is about 25 feet long and 16 to 20 feet wide.
That was where I got my thought about 500 sq ft per plant. Norm swears by
this method. Obviously others are allowing their plants to get much bigger. 

Onward and upward.

Marv in Altoona PA
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