Pumpkin Planting!

[DMF]

Finally got a chance to put our started plants in the ground last weekend and I actually took pictures of some of the work.

The patches were weeded up since I last plowed and tilled so I ran the KKII 6' tiller over it first. (I thought the rear-view picture was kind of neat). You can see one section of my hay field in the background that is way past due for cutting! The last picture shows a tray of 200 that are ready to be planted. I put in a total of 1000 transplants on Saturday; 800 in the patch shown here and an additional 200 in another patch not pictured where we also have some ornamental corn planted.

 

[Luremaker]

Wow! That looks like back breaking work planting all those plants. Do you find there is an advantage transplanting plants instead of seeding directly into the soil. I plant around a thousand plants (pumpkins, squash etc) but plant only seed. This year I used a Cole 12MX planter and it worked like a charm. I wait until the soil is in the high 60's before I plant. My plants are just breaking the surface this week.

 

[DMF]

It is back breaking...actually, I feel it more in the back of my legs more than anywhere else.

We do it this way because we try to have pumpkins ready for the Halloween crowd; counting backwards, we need to start the plants by a certain time...around Memorial day or so. Unfortunately, our field is rarely dry enough to have worked it before then so we have gone to starting them in trays and re-planting. It is definately a PIA and we question our sanity often...

What would be cool would be to get one of those old tobacco transplanters where two people ride on the back and take turns putting the transplants in as the holes are made while driving along.

This year, I actually had dry enough weather to plow and till the fields in time to plant directly but my wife talked me into this method again for this year. In a way, I am glad as we got so much rain afterward that my father-in-laws seeds have rotted in the ground. Although, my plants may end up doing the same if we don't see some relief from this weather soon...

 

[jwillett]

Well all my pumpkin seeds rotted in the groung along with all my beans because of all the rain. I replanted the beans and they were doing good until the deer found them. I did not try to replant the pumpkins this year maybe next year.

Jim

 

[DMF]

That stinks Jim! We lost the majority of our plants last year due to rain. In fact, we only got about 3 or 4 bucket loads like the ones in my avatar last year and that was it!

 

[Luremaker]

I am lucky, I guess, that my property is on a high ridge. Very rock ground with excellent drainage. It can rain hard for a week, yet I can go out the next day and till the garden. My problem this year has been frost. We can usually plant the first of June but this year I had to plant two weeks late.

 

[DMF]

We can usually plant the first of June but this year I had to plant two weeks late.

Think they'll be ready in time?

We live on a south-facing slope...old cow pasture with 100 years of manure spread on it...pretty fertile but lousy for drainage.

 

[Luremaker]

Think they'll be ready in time?

We live on a south-facing slope...old cow pasture with 100 years of manure spread on it...pretty fertile but lousy for drainage.

I have had to plant later than this and still had a good crop. I think pumpkins are like corn and require degree days rather than growing days. Our summers tend to be hot with lots of rain. I harvest my pumpkins after our first frost which can be early to late September. I won't really know until September how well the harvest will be.

This year I planted Howden (115 day), Jack-O-Lantern (75 day), Jack be Little (95), 'Hooligan' Hybrid Pumpkin (95 day), 'Spooktacular' Hybrid Pumpkin (85 day), small sugar (110 day), Acorn Squash (87 days), Butternut Squash (85 days), and lots of crown of Thorn gourds. I also grow lots of sweet corn.

 

[derekuk101]

Luremaker, where did you find that planter you used???? I've been looking for something that would plant pumpkin seeds. That thing looks like it would do the job.

 

[Luremaker]

Luremaker, where did you find that planter you used???? I've been looking for something that would plant pumpkin seeds. That thing looks like it would do the job.

I found it on Kijiji. It is the first time I actually used a 3pth planter. I used to plant all my seeds with my Earthway Planter. This Cole 12MX came with one corn (medium flat) plate, one pumpkin plate and one squash plate along with four gears to adjust seed spacing. It drops 3-4 pumpkin seeds every 45-50 inches. It also side dresses fertilizer at the same time. I spaced the squash and smaller pumpkins 24 to 30 inches. The price was right. I did have to take it apart because the main bearing was seized. It is the only planter that I could find this spring which actually came with pumpkin and squash plates.

In these photos I was planting sweet corn.

Cole Planter Company: 12 MX Multiflex Precision Planting & Fertilizer Units