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canal winchester ohio

After going to a past co-workers house today to see how things were coming along for him in his first attempt at giant pumpkins I was floored at what he did. Here in Ohio like most of the midwest we are bogged down deep in a wet spring & I told him to just worry about drying a 6'x6' area for the seedlings & he could take care of the rest later. I said put plastic down to keep a small area dry to get you started & by the time they start vining things should be plenty dry enough to till the rest of the patch. He couldn't wait & he tilled his whole patch ''HIS WHOLE WET PATCH" . When I showed up he asked if the next tilling would break down all the mudballs in his patch & I told him he was screwed and he would be fighting those balls of dirt all year until next growing season. I told him trying to bury his vines would be like putting gravel on top of them, not soil.
So anyone who is growing for the first time & is fairly new at gardening.. DO NOT till a wet garden, the 2 week jump you think your getting will just hold you back the rest of the season.

5/11/2011 1:10:10 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

I probably would have done the same thing, but I read somewhere before not to do that.

5/11/2011 3:42:00 PM

upwind of Carl

Did that to my vegetable garden 2 years ago. Ruined my entire season.

5/11/2011 4:22:31 PM

Buffalo, New York

i am sure we all have tilled some time in our life too early.....i know i have. Its not pretty

5/11/2011 6:36:34 PM

Middle TN

<<< totally guilty!

5/11/2011 8:14:00 PM

Johnston, Iowa

Obviously something to avoid doing in the first place, but when it really gets dry one can till the heck out of it to break down the mud balls.

Again, something to avoid doing in the first place, but with a lot of elbow grease (aka repeated tilling when its dry)its not a total loss.

5/12/2011 12:17:28 PM

Kentucky, U.S.A.

If you do find yourself in that sort of perdickerment(!!!) it's good to have a decent compost pile. Once it dries out a bit spread on some compost and till it in. Best to get the worms active and have them do the work!! BSD, David

5/12/2011 10:26:56 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

We all try to get it in early...Paul..you got it right beat mud into a mush....Yikes!...If you run a roto-tiller just to turn the soil ..you are just kidding yourself...only use the roto-tiller when you're trying to incorporate something into the soil...otherwise just turn it over with a pich fork...When Its Dry!!!

5/14/2011 12:20:42 AM