Pumpkins!

            Recently I noticed a couple of volunteer pumpkin plants coming up in the back yard. Last year I had a single vine that I babied along so I could get a few Jack O’Lanterns. I wasn’t really planning on growing more this year as they are a lot of work for me since we don’t have lots of bees and they need a lot of watering. Unfortunately, the spot from last year (and this year) is not well irrigated so I have to it daily by hand during summer months. But they are here, so I will feed ‘em and watch ‘em grow.

            Pumpkin seeds or sprouts can be planted as soon as the ground thaws. The more time they have to grow, the greater the size of the vine and, theoretically, the more pumpkins you will have. Don’t be surprised if they grow very slowly at first because they are growing much more rapidly underground. The roots need to establish well before summer. 

Warm weather really gets them going. By June their roots should be very developed and ready for the warm sun. Vines will grow quickly, unfurling lots of beautiful leaves used to collect sunlight ready to be transformed into energy for growing and depositing in the pumpkin fruit. I’ve seen vines grow nearly a foot in a single day, so you need lots of space. I usually “train” mine to fit in a smaller area by re-routing the extending vines back and forth along the same path. 

Once blooms develop, you better start seeing bees. Pumpkins have separate male and female flowers. The females must be pollinated by the males if you are going to get a pumpkin there. In the absence of bees, like my yard tends to be, you can hand pollinate the females with the male pollen yourself. Look for the female flower first. It will be like all the rest except the area beneath the petals, the carpal, will be swollen like a rose hip. Grab the pollen from a male by pinching the anthers (you’ll see them covered in pollen in the middle of the bloom) and getting the pollen on your fingers. Then gently rub the pollen on the center protrusion (stamen) in middle of the female bloom. That should be enough to do it. If you would rather do it at night, I don’t blame you.

By the end of summer you should be seeing small pumpkins. It will be very sudden. One day, no pumpkin. A day or two later, a softball-sized pumpkin. They will continue to grow until October or November. I like to roll mine a touch to make sure they are growing into that nice, pumpkin shape good for carving.

As far as varieties go, I suggest PumpkinNook.com. They are one of my favorites for learning about pumpkins. Just remember, if your pumpkin is for eating, you may want to go with a variety other than the traditional Jack O’Lantern type. You can eat them, but there are others better for it.

Keep on Growin’!

Protecting the "Babies"

       Weird weather we are having, huh? Well, by now you should have some stuff in the ground just about anywhere in the country. Snow, rain, cold temperatures, we've got it all in the middle of April. Don't forget about the "babies" outside.
        If you are getting lots of snow, don't be afraid to add some mulch to the top of the soil or around the seedlings, if necessary. Use something biodegradable like shredded newspaper or straw and you can add it to your compost later if need be.
        If you are getting a lot of rain in a short bit of time, don't forget to adjust your watering schedule. If it is automatic, shut it down for a day or two. If you have help (the kids) give them a day or two off. Just remember to turn it back on later.
        Watch for your seedlings to appear soon. Waterlogged soil can rot some seeds. If you don't get something coming up in a few weeks of planting, you might want to re-plant some of the seed just to be on the safe side.

Keep it going, people. If you don't grow it, who will?

Irrigation

            In my part of the world, it is time to start considering irrigation for your garden. Technically, you should have considered it before you ever started planting, but it never hurts to upgrade. If you are small time, like me, you would do well to invest a small amount of money in a drip system.

I am slowly installing a drip system in my backyard homestead. Last year, I bought a simple drip system kit, but ran out of time to install it. It was a very simple set-up very similar to this one. I like the ¼-inch drip line since it is easier to work with. If you have a larger garden, you may want to go with the ½-inch hose set-up. They are essentially the same in design, but the larger hose is more durable and better if you want to bury the line (to keep away from animals, equipment, etc.).

The workhorses of the drip system are the emitters. They determine how much water will get to your plants. They can literally bubble out slowly, in a small stream or fan out in a large broadcast. My system is simple. I ran the ¼-inch water line around my plant rows leaving a little slack. At each plant, or the area where I planted seed, I cut the line in half, inserted a Tee and placed the emitter right by the plant/seed on the surface. The 1-gallon per minute (gpm) emitters will run for about 5 minutes, thoroughly soaking the small site. The ½-inch hose requires you to poke a small hole and insert either the emitter directly or a nipple with the emitter attached.

The tricky part was attaching to a water supply. You can attach it to a water hose, spigot or even to your existing sprinkler line. I did the latter. I put a PVC Tee with a ½-inch threaded top into my sprinkler line. Next I added a 2-foot riser. At the top, I placed a microscreen inside a pressure regulator and a fitting that connects the tiny drip line to the regulator. You have to have a pressure regulator because the pressure coming through the sprinkler line is way too high and will blow your system apart.

It took about an hour and required some bending over the raised bed, but now I am wasting a lot less water. The nice thing about purchasing a small set-up is you can easily add to it. Tubing and emitters are very affordable. You can buy all manner of fittings and emitters to get the water exactly where you want it. Many emitters are even adjustable although they tend to cost more.

Happy watering!