From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Rhode Island

hey kids what time is it? only the old foogies remeber that slogan by buffalo bob of howdy doody fame --- lol

on a serious note i wanted to remind new and not so new growers that crop rotation especially when growing anything in the pumpkin family is a absolute must.

i realize some of you are just growingh in youtr back yard and space is a premium however, if you dont rotate your crops by the third year (unless you are really lucky and grow inside the maxwell smart dome of silence) you will start to run into all sorts of blights,mildews and wilts by the third to fourth year. sometimes depending on the location of your patch you can start to see problems in your second year.

naturally im advising all of you based on what i have experienced growing with ron for the last ninteen years.
we have been in many patch locations, have about as many sprays as is possible to have, read books, discuss stratigy with experts in the field of disease, etc, and still must rotate out of our patches every three years.

im also telling you this because blights, mildews,and wilts can not be eliminated by sprays of any kind. they can be slowed -yes, but once they have colonized on the root system they will continue to winter over in some form in the soil and bingo, come august they are ready to take you out.

for this reason you must plan some form of crop rotation.

pap

8/12/2008 6:34:11 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Is the rotation out every third year, or do a three year rotation like have 3 areas, use 1, then 2, then 3, then 1, etc.?

Also, if give break every 3 years, for how long? 1 season enough?

Won't soil fumigants kill it all if absolutely necessary?

8/12/2008 8:22:58 PM

Mount Prospect,illinois

other than taking 3 years off, i dont have a choice.

8/12/2008 9:10:08 PM

New Hampshire, USA

It is the only place I have to grow them in, any kind of spore killing formula?

8/12/2008 11:08:19 PM

hamilton,Ontario

please take a look at my diary pap short of digging up the pool(which by the way I have suggested (as cutlery and dishes flew in my direction) i really have no choice...my wife has said to grow regular veggies but something keeps drawing my back to the ag's every year

8/12/2008 11:10:44 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

For anyone that must stay in the same place, and has major disease problems, look at:

http://www.advanllc.com/basamid/application_use.html

This kills EVERYTHING. The good stuff has to be reintroduced, but if its your only option, I don't see any other way (because I am not taking 3 years off, lol)

8/13/2008 9:23:48 AM

Rhode Island

to be totally truthfull about it soil fumagents do little to correct the problem
these companys selling the product claim its like agent orange but dont believe them.
we did it several years ago and the next year if anything the problems got even worse. a waste of money

if your a one or two plant backyard grower possibly you could get a tractor with front bucket and remover a ft of top ssoil. then replace with new soil?

planting a winter crop only allows any diseases to colonize on the new roots

8/13/2008 3:29:22 PM

Ct

Off the pumpkin subject for a moment if I may, all my tomatoes were diseased this year, got lots of fruits but the branches and leaves on all plants turned yellow from the bottom up and wiped out all the growth.I was told it may be leaf spot. Anyway, does this disease winter over in the soil and if so what can I do to avoid it next year?

8/15/2008 10:56:17 AM

SE Minnesota

rotate where you plant the tomatoes, it sounds like a blight

8/15/2008 11:01:54 AM

Ohio

If you have no choice and cant rotate , id atleast plant the stump at the opposite end of the patch that you grew it the previous year, this might help a little.

8/20/2008 10:40:23 PM