| |
|
Entry Date
|
Nick Name
|
Location
|
|
Friday, April 01, 2022
|
|
McMillin Giants
|
Salem Ohio
|
 |
Entry 8 of 129 |
 |
|
|
|
I will be trying something risky this season on my entire patch, grow Big or kill everything trying!
2022 Patch Plans
-Germinate April 1st.
-In soil April 15th.
-Hoop off May 10th
-Pollinate@13-15’ 1st week of June.
By the size of my hoops this is the absolute earliest I can start. And hopefully last frost is over by May 10????
The Dewitt industrial landscape fabric I purchased will be completely under all 6 plants. (30’ x 150’ area).
Its black underneath to prevent weed growth, and white on top to hopefully greatly increase the sun’s reflection to underside of canopy for several different reasons. (It’s supposed to flow 15 GPM of water per square foot through it, and have good air flow. I believe this will keep soil much warmer for roots early on. I plan on transplanting outside by mid April in thermostat regulated electric heated hoop houses that will open automatically by temperature if thermostat fails. (No Heating Cables) Snow and freezing don’t worry me, I can control temperature in the heated hoops, the plants growing to quickly out of my heated hoops before last frost does concern me.
I want to pollinate extremely early, by beginning of June at latest, if possible, not sure if this is even possible?
All plants will be grown with a very similar to Moby Mikes Waterfall vine pattern, except all vines will be sloped down hill towards pumpkin (kinda like you slope pipes or floors for water drainage, but vines will all naturally be on a slope towards pumpkins), with main deadheaded at pumpkins. I thought of this pattern last year before I ever saw his videos, but the two ideas are almost identical.
My first several secondaries will be very short(5-10’). My last several secondaries near pumpkin will be around 30’ long. On the last 2 secondaries closest to pumpkin I will grow out all tertiaries to around 12’ long.
Water and fertilizers will be added directly to my 550 gallon water tank and applied by overhead watering through Wobbler head sprinklers.
The landscape fabric will maintain lots of moisture and limit air flow to roots, with my clay soil this does concern me.
I will burn holes with a torch in fabric for each leaf node as plant grows, and stake each one with landscape stakes. No burying of any vines! Only bottom roots will touch soil! My patch has very high winds which could break vines that are only staked down and not buried.
I attached a chicken scratch drawing of my vine pattern in a photo. Each plant will be grown in a 32’ long x 22’ wide area.
|
|
|
