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St.Louis, Missouri

Hey! I'm new to this site and this is my second year growing atlantic giant pumpkins! I've read quite a bit but I have a few questions i'm not completely sure on! I'd love some tips on if i'm doing everything correctly mostly fertilizing.
First off I'm in college and live in Missouri zone 6b next to the Mississippi river and planted all my pumpkins in mid April. Unfortunantly I live on almost all red clay soil, but I do dig a 3" circle 2" deep and fill it with manure. I've been covering the vines at the leaf nodes and hand water a
couple times a week heavily and fertilize with 13-13-13 pellet fertilizer I got from LOWE's once a week with about a cup per plant, spread at the base and tap roots, is this too much? All plants have fruit set with the largest being the size of a soccer ball. I think there might be a slight yellowing on the edges of the leaves and I just don't want to kill them!

My main questions are:

How much should I fertilize and how often with what?
How much would I need to water in clay soils?
Is covering the leaf nodes with soil a good idea?
What is the best way to deal with squash bugs?
Any tips? Thanks!

6/23/2014 10:49:40 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

1> Depends on Soil Test
2> keep soil moist but not wet. Dpends on what mother nature gives you
3> Most growers do cover the vines
4> Spray with a contact insecticide weekly. Along with the application of a systemic twice a year like Merit.

6/23/2014 1:25:02 PM