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Subject: Market Farming
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- From: "Bill Shoemaker" <wshoemak AT inil.com>
- To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Pumpkins-need info
- Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 14:53:05 -0500
MaryKay
Pumpkins are not difficult to raise and are
originally from the desert southwest so should hold up under your conditions. I
expect drip irrigation will only help though.
They can easily be direct-seeded, though
success depends on local rodents who feed on such seeds. We battle ground
squirrels for the seed. In that case, tranplanting can work but you need to use
2" pots or large-cell trays. Plan on growing them in pots for no more than 3
weeks to avoid them getting root-bound. As soon as they can be pulled out of
their pots or cells safely, plant them.
They are very deep rooted but need moisture to
get the roots going down. Once they get well established you can water less
frequently, but water thoroughly. In dry weather disease shouldn't be a big
problem. Insects to watch for include cucumber beetles and squash
bugs.
Number of fruit per plant depends on the
variety. Big pumpkins will give you 1-2 per plant, sometimes 1 more. Little
varieties (2-4 lb) will give 6-12 per plant. Others are in-between. Heat can
sometimes affect fruit set but once the weather cools down a bit the fruit set
will pick up again.
Bill Shoemaker, Sr Research Specialist, Food
Crops
University of Illinois - St Charles Horticulture Research Center www.nres.uiuc.edu/faculty/directory/shoemaker_wh.html
|
-
[Market-farming] Pumpkins-need info,
JaMaKaEnterprise, 05/24/2006
- Re: [Market-farming] Pumpkins-need info, Bill Shoemaker, 05/24/2006
-
Re: [Market-farming] Pumpkins-need info,
Shelly Elliott, 05/25/2006
- [Market-farming] need herbal vinegar bottles, Sue Wells, 05/25/2006
- <Possible follow-up(s)>
- Re: [Market-farming] Pumpkins-need info, TxBeeFarmer, 05/24/2006
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