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Phoenix, AZ

I know, I should have a REAL shade cover right now but...

Well, I thought this fruit I had was not going to be a keeper, never mind I never thought it would get this big (107 lb est).

Anyway, all I am using to shade it are towels. In addition, I use an overhead sprinkler system so the towels are pretty much wet for about 18 hours a day. Normally, I use dilute chelated calcium on the towels however.

Will this cause problems? Do I have to worry much about mold, etc?

5/6/2006 5:30:59 PM

San Diego

congrats on 100 lbs Ben! I know you were wishing for bigger, but hey, a new personal best is never bad:) You are playing with fire if you leave it uncovered and getting it wet all the time. It is easy to get stem, blossom rot, or have your pumpkin go down with constant moisture on it. Put up a simple 5 minute cover of some kind over it so that you ensure your fruit makes it to harvest. Jim

5/6/2006 7:20:52 PM

Minnesota([email protected])

Congrats from me as well Ben.
Day 35 for the pumpkin is about half the final weight for some growing areas; of course this varies. Maybe you can hit 200 lbs.

5/7/2006 12:18:44 AM

Thornhill, Ontario, Canada

On the GVGO patch tour last year I saw some simple shades that consisted of four long stakes pounded in the ground with burlap wrapped around them to form a shaded box. It seemed to work well. They were pretty big pumpkins anyway.

5/7/2006 12:01:42 PM

Phoenix, AZ

Thanks for the encouragement. 200 lb would be like a dream for me. Maybe I can do it if the plant can just keep from breaking down more. Building a shade structure now.

I am learning now...next year...there is always next year.

5/7/2006 2:05:43 PM