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Nipomo, CA

my first year! I have a few questions, first, i'm growing my atlantic giant in adobe, i've added plain potting soil, perlite, and vermiculite to the adobe, adobe is supposed to be full of good stuff and thats pretty much all we have here, so thats good i guess but what should i be doing to keep her healthy? can anyone reccomend a good tea recipie?
could i use fresh lake water for the tea after i filter it? how about watering with the tea? on the leaves, or on the ground? or both. how about watering? how much and how often?i have the plant in the ground already, it's small, but had 4 leaves.

any tips to help me grow a MASSIVE one my seeds are from last year's winner that weighed 1123 pounds.
it's my first year but i'm gonna go for broke, and try for first if i can

6/4/2009 10:02:47 PM

Nipomo, CA

EDIT: has 4 leaves

6/4/2009 10:23:13 PM

Rhode Island

so ya want to grow a massive pumpkin do ya?
heres a couple tips for ya.

did you get a soil test and if so what did they reccommend you add?
did you locate a experienced grower in your area to learn from?
did you research soil soup on your search engine? we use the "soil soup system" we use it every ten days or so. mist and drench - either is good.

fresh lake water should not be a problem. when in doubt? have it annalized

note- better to set your first year sights on just growing a nice pumpkin to compete with rather than winning it all,which usually takes at least two years -lol
by doing so you wont be discouraged so easily.

best of luck. buy some books, invest in yourself and the success will come in time.this is a great hobby and very rewarding to those who see it through.

6/5/2009 7:02:43 AM

Cochecton, NY

I agree with pap. Set your goals at a realistic number. I set mine last year(my first year)@ 300. My biggest was 303. Definiteley do research. Spend as much time on this site as possible reading back in the archives and asking alot of questions, no matter how dumb you think the question is. The growers here have no problem helping out a newcomer. I asked about a million questions last year. pap is a VERY knowledgable fella. Lots of the growers here hold a good bit of knowledge.

6/5/2009 7:24:17 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Agree...buy Don Lagevin's 2nd book, scan the old diaries here, get Dick's Tips, follow this message board, ask questions, join a growers club, be realistic & have fun.

6/5/2009 12:04:59 PM

Buffalo, New York

yup, first year is about learning....my goal last year was 100 pounds and i hit 357.

i am still learning, we all are............my goal this year is 500 pounds but will be content with just beating my 357 last year.

6/6/2009 12:03:52 AM

Gold Hill, Oregon

i'm not familiar with adobe but i would reccomend using some gardening compost.to help keep moisture in during the summer. it also adds nutrients to the soil.

6/6/2009 7:23:58 AM

Nipomo, CA

adobe is basicaly clay, you might know it as "indian clay"
i figured that somone would say try for a nice pumpkin, not a huge one. i've always been real competitive, and i have always tried to get to the top as fast as i can, and so far it's never let me down, i'm gonna hope for a huge one but i'll be fully content with a 100 pounder.

would a home soil test kit work? how much does it genrally cost to have somone come out and test it?
i have a local expert to consult with
and i'm researching soil soup now

thanks!!

6/6/2009 6:24:21 PM

Nipomo, CA

unfortunatly i havent come up with much on this "soil soup"
it all seems very vague to me. Pap, if you could help me out that would be great!

thanks again!

6/6/2009 6:31:59 PM

Yuba City, Ca.

Yep, the first year is all about hands on and learning the do's and don'ts. Lots of great pointers already mentioned but just keep the soil turned up and loose all around the plant. Adobe gets hard and the more the plant grows outward, the more you need to loosen the soil in front of it. Keep the ground moist and water a foot or two away from the plant to make the roots reach and grow for it. Remember roots grow at every leaf node water them to. Try this site for info on soil soup and Compost tea :)

http://www.starrfarms.net/composttea.htm

6/6/2009 8:48:24 PM

Midwest

Pumpkins like organic matter. Although you may find adobe clay contains all the nutrients, will adobe readily give up each nutrient as the plant grows? If in doubt, you should start with what pap suggested, a soil test. Soil Soup is a compost tea that would benefit both the leaves and the soil. But, it isn't a silver bullet. It won't guarantee you a massive pumpkin! Look at the compost tea board for more info. MuddyJoe brings up a good point, burying leaf nodes is one technique to get a larger pumpkin. If adobe is that hard, burying the nodes with that stuff may not be optimal. I'd mix compost and the clay for that.

6/8/2009 12:20:31 AM

Gold Hill, Oregon

something that will help clay soil is pumice. it will last a long time. i would reccomend sending a soil sample to westernlaboratories.com. very good place. they will give soil correction reccomendations to you.

6/8/2009 12:49:25 AM

Rhode Island

jack theres a company called

KIS (keep it simple ,inc.)
12323 180th ave ne
redmond, wa 98052-2212

they manufacture compost tea brewers . the five gallon system is good for growers with only 2 to 3 plants.

1-866-558-0990
www.simplici-tea.com

pap

6/8/2009 7:50:44 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Adobe you can grow in, that is basically what I have. It takes dedication to amend it to something that doesn't pack into bricks. And you have to till deep so things drain. And beware, it seems adobe is usually calcium deficient, but has a lot of the other right stuff.... it can turn into slick mud (body spraining slime) unless you get enough organic material and drainage worked in. Good luck. If you do not have enough worked in, get a spading fork to loosen things, use walkboards, and surface bury your vines (stake down and put pre soaked potmix OVER the vine on the surface of the ground).

6/8/2009 9:59:23 AM