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Wimbledon, North Dakota

last year was my first at growing and i came up with 9 pumkins, ranging from 90 to 155. this year i want to break the north dakota record. i think its around 410. i raise rabbits and heard that their poo is very good fertalizer. it attracts worms that in return leave something good for the soil and also areate the soil. does anyone got any news on this subject??

12/27/2003 11:36:02 AM

Montoursville, PA

The finest of all poop! Even beter than foul. Only possible better is bat poop. I just contracted to buy a load for my compost pile next summer. I feel fresh "any kind of poop" should not go into the spring patch. Better to get a little low number 2-2-2 organic fertilizer and hit the patch with new poop and other major adjustments in the fall.

You could make very good tea with it all summer. Use the tea as a drench.

12/27/2003 2:19:25 PM

Canada

Yup, In the fall approx a month after adding cow manure
from the farm when i added my leaves to the patch i also
tossed and dug in 6 buckets of fresh rabbit manure my neaighbour raises rabbits and eats them so i asked him for
some of the good stuff.

DaveM

12/27/2003 6:20:51 PM

Montoursville, PA

GROWER'S FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE

...Some observing these words may say, "holy cow so and so is putting $500.00 into that patch"! OK let's look at the perspective.

...An AG Grower expects to get two five hundred to a thousand pound fruits off of his 1000 square foot patch. Let's assume the grower gets lucky and does get a total of 1500 pounds between the two pumpkins. Let's assume there would be 300 pounds of waste if they were other garden produce. That leaves 1200 pounds of produce you have grown.

Figuring one pound frozen packs of produce at a dollar a pound in the super market frozen foods locker you have just produced $1200.00 worth of frozen food. You have also used up about three to four hundred dollars worth of your patch values you planned to grow in next year too.

If you plan to have a better patch next year you might have to replace a little more than you took out so there my friends is your ball park five hundred bucks to grow a couple of these giants.

If you take the easy cheap synthetic additive routes you can grow them just the same but you will not enable your patch to recover biologically and be as good let alone better next year. On the other hand you can pay a little more for the healthy patch materials and actually sustain what you have and build to even better levels of production.

Those who are just beginning a healthy patch direction need to be aware that it takes time to arrive at a sustainable level. It rarely happens in less than three years of good patient learning and building. Both the patch and the grower have to grow into a new way of better practices in many ways. One can not just do it and arrive at full satisfaction in the same year. Yet pleasing results and changes can be observed in the very first six weeks and we go from there to higher and higher skill and biological management practices.

12/27/2003 6:44:45 PM

Montoursville, PA

MORE: The first trick I look for is someone to say, "I took so and so out of my patch and replaced it with....and by Gad I think it is working and will get better". When that person really sees and believes anything he or she will continue to understand better and the patch will adjust better because time and patience are major factors.

My sincere best of growing to those of you who are working towards the healthy patch you hear about and wish you had. You can achieve much of the goodness you hear about. Keep working at it.

12/27/2003 6:45:18 PM

Forestville, NY

as all ways my answer is spray fish-- molasses and Symbex on ground over the rabbit stuff --till it in -- great start for the patch

12/29/2003 9:51:42 AM

Wimbledon, North Dakota

thanks for the info

1/3/2004 11:16:43 AM