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Centennial Colorado

Hi all,
I am wondering if anyone has grown these in pots? I bought a 30 gallon fabric pot like the one that salad Doug used for his tomato and am wondering if anyone else has tried.
Thanks,
Leif

2/18/2021 11:42:59 PM

Scottsbluff, Nebraska

I've tried a few times with some, albeit, limited success. I have some 25-30 gallon plastic tubs that I used. The biggest pumpkin I have grown using this method was around 20 pounds. I'm sure I could have gotten it to grow bigger, but I really didn't push it. I pretty much just let the plant go and do what it was going to do. Also, the seeds I used were just some jack-o-lantern seeds I bought from Home Depot, not competition type field pumpkin seeds.

2/19/2021 12:17:24 AM

Grittyville, WA

Interesting idea.

2/22/2021 4:44:41 PM

Grittyville, WA

Cucurbit roots are more stringy they are longer and less fibrous than a tomato or sunflower, right? My bet is that it would struggle. Prove me wrong.

2/22/2021 4:47:28 PM

Syracuse, NY

Grit---the first thing I always see about a pumpkin plant's root system's description is that it IS a 'fibrous' root system; all-encompasssing, grows everywhere and for long distances. You know that the smaller a plant is allowed to grow, the more it goes Bonsai, IMHO, and without a secondary root system, IMHO, yes, it would only get 'just so big'; One would THEN wonder 'What could have been', lol.
I just had an iDEEEaaaa. And I'm not TelllLLLlin' anyyyyonnnne, lol...eg

2/23/2021 2:02:46 AM

Grittyville, WA

Dont mean to take your thread out on a tangent 97pounder but I think pumpkins are more like "multiple taprooted" than fiberous...

Wiki: "A fibrous root system is universal in monocotyledonous plants and ferns." If you pull up a large clump of grass or if you have ever dug out a large fern (which is like a very large clump of grass x 10) you can see what I think the proper use of the word "fiberous" is. I have pulled up large AG stumps at the end of the season and I would call that "multiple tap roots"... I realize the internet would disagree with me but I am going to go out on a limb and say the internet is not well informed.

If someone knows the terminology for a sprawling taproot... I think this would be the proper label for cucurbit roots.

Tomatoes are intermediate they are both sprawling and fibrous and sunflowers I think are mostly fibrous and much less sprawling. So I think their root system would utilize a container better.

Sorry for the long side track away from directly answering your question, Leif.

2/23/2021 8:20:20 AM