Author: Jeff
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Hello Beautiful!
Just 5 days after planting these beauties showed up. I always soak my seeds for about 6 hours before planting them which speeds up germination rate and success. If I don’t soak them, it’s 10 days until they sprout. It breaks my daughters heart to have to pick one of them to say goodbye to…
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Seeds Planted
Every year, my daughter invites her friends to plant pumpkins. It’s fun to see them throughout the year checking on “their” (MY) pumpkins. It’s a race to see whose seed sprouts first. Then my daughter and I cuddle every morning on our back patio, rocking in chair waiting and watching the sun come up to…
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2025 – The Great Pumpkin Will Rise Again!
This years pumpkin patch will be the most sincere ever. We’re going to great lengths to ensure a successful pumpkin patch. The drip tape will be buried with the emitters pointed down, to prevent dirt from getting into them once the line is buried. We don’t want them to clog up. Tomorrow is seed planting…
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Nuked my patch 😩
I really messed up this year. I didn’t add any compost into the ground before planting. My patch greened up great, but didn’t produce anything. My little girl is not happy. Making plans for next year. It will be much better. I’m going start the prep this fall. I’ll till about 20 bags or so…
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Mycorrhizal Fungi
Mycorrhizae (myco), or beneficial fungi is a secret weapon for pumpkin growers. When you inoculate your pumpkin plants roots with the mycorrhizal fungi powder, it grows into this white mold that surrounds the pumpkins roots. This symbiotic relationship benefits both the pant and the fungi. The fungi brings more water and nutrients to the plant,…
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Welcome Great Pumpkin!
I started a pumpkin patch in our back yard in Reno, NV when my daughter was just 1 and a half years old. That was in 2016. I wanted to start a hobby that we could both have fun with, and make some life long memories. It since then has become a passion of mine.…
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Squash Bugs 🤬🖕🏻
This is my favorite pumpkin pest. His name is Anasa tristi, or, Mr. Squash bug. I’m fully convinced that they’re named “squash bugs” because that’s what I do with them after I pull them off of my pumpkin plants. I throw them on the ground and punch them hard enough to make Mike Tyson proud.…
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Watering Pumpkins – Part 2
From my irrigation manifold, my .700 poly tubing runs to a 15 psi pressure reducer that came with the drip line kit I brought off of Amazon. Its critical that this reducer be used with the drip tubing so it the water pressure doesn’t blow out the drip emitters. Bury the drip tape about 3″…
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Watering Pumpkins – Part 1
This has been my number one problem with pumpkins. I’ve tried water dams, drip systems, sprinklers, you name it. I do have a favorite now, and I can thank Cameron Andelin, owner of Andelin Family Farm for sharing this tip with me. Sub-surface Watering! I won’t ever use another method. Some drip tape buried 4″…