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Middle TN

No Im not calling a square dance! haha I have two plants Im putting in a rectangular patch. Whats the best way to arrange them? I originally thought if I put them in the center of the patch back to back I could use one hoop house and one heat lamp (at least for a while) but wondered if having the pumpkins toward the edge of the patch was correct? Maybe planting them at opposite ends of the patch growing toward each other (toe2toe) and having the pumpkins in the center of the patch would be better? Or possibly catacorner from opposite corners would be best.. or MAYBE Im over thinking the whole thing and it wont matter one way or the other! LOL
Any opinions?
Tammy

3/18/2010 11:02:04 AM

Buffalo, New York

i grow 2 back to back.....the hoops in the middle of my 1000 sq ft patch and the fruit at the end of the patch.

i am sure rotating every 2-3 years is best though....but i think most of the stump area roots would be better in the center of the patch.

3/18/2010 12:49:53 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Avoid the corners. The secondaries near the stump will be too cramped. I rotate to a degree as Jeremy suggests, if I grow up and down the patch one year I grow side to side the next so that the spots for the stumps never overlap 2 years in a row. On each half of your garden I would plant one at the edge of the patch and one in the middle so that you have 2 plants back to back in the middle and one on each end. You grow the plants towards each other on each side of the patch thus giving yourself the most time possible to decide which is the stronger one. Pull the weaker plant out that is competing on that side of the patch. Jim

3/18/2010 1:10:11 PM

Corbin, KY

I planted back to back last season. they were about 4 or 5 feet apart. Made it easy to lay out irragation as well.

3/18/2010 3:21:22 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Ditto back to back.

3/18/2010 6:54:16 PM

Massillon, Ohio

we've done both and like back to back better. the roots get more of the good soil instead of trying to go into the yard!!

3/18/2010 8:22:10 PM

Middle TN

back to back it is.
Thank you :)
Tammy

3/18/2010 9:50:09 PM

Mercersburg, PA

what are the suggested dimensions of the patch to grow like this? and what are the suggested dimensions for a single plant?

3/19/2010 9:28:02 AM

Joliet, IL

i like the center of the patch growing out towards the edges for root reasons in the center, and also for better drainage away from my stumps cuz the center of my patch is crowned. and the crowned center soil will heat up faster in in the spring similar to mounding. if your patch is shorter in length for main vine room, you can gain an additional 2' or 2.5' on each side if you place 2 plants side by side 4'or 5' apart in the center instead of the tradional back to back. this is more like side by side in the center so you are not losing that 4 or 5' in between plants. i then do a slight angling back to center as the main vine grows. so say in a 30' wide by 45' section long you can place one plant at 13' in and the next at 17' in a row. then growing perpindicular to that row outwards you now have 22.5' of room to the edge each way, instead of having only 20' for your mains if you did the traditional back to back with 4' or 5' between plants. this will give you a little longer secondaries one side initially, but after you keep slightly angling the main back to center, the secondary lengths equal out by the end. this extra 2.5' is critical for me when i have a fence on one side and a brick sidewalk and the house on the other. many times my pumpkins have needed this 2.5' to grow, you get 2 additional secondaries on each side with this 2.5'. and one more chance on the main for pollination just in case. i also curve my mains when they get closer to their edges for even more chances if needed on the main and then grow the main parellel to the last secondary on one side after completing the curve. this diagram sucks, but you can get a better idea with the 2 plants on the right. i do not have the angling of the mains back towrds the center shown here, but you can get the point.
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=124707

3/19/2010 3:42:44 PM

Cornelius, Oregon

I have them all running south. Always feels downhill to me.

3/19/2010 7:51:37 PM