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Barnesville

Hello, this was my first year trying to grow a giant. I lost my pumpkin about 4 weeks before my local pumpkin festival weigh in due to the bottom of the pumpkin rotting. I had a pallet with a cardboard box over top of the pallet with the pumpkin on top. I also had a large plastic white sheet hoovering above the pumpkin to shade, then a blue tarp over that to prevent rain from making the pumpkin wet. So I did everything I could to.keep the cardboard box dry. However when I watered the plant down the vine, maybe some of my watering made the soil too wet which got the pumpkin wet? I would like to know if anyone can shed some.light on why this happened and what i can do next year to prevent bottom rot. I would.post pictures but I dont see on here where I can do that. Thanks so much!

9/1/2019 7:26:17 PM

Did you have sand on cardboard? Sometimes though, even with your best effort they just rot. Was there a split on bottom or pinhole you did not see?

You have to open a diary to post pictures. If you are a premium member , it is usually posted right away. otherwise, you have to wait a couple of days for entries to show up.

9/1/2019 9:07:11 PM

New Jersey

Some times they just rot. It can be difficult to determine if the rot started from inside or because of an external issue. Under normal conditions, a healthy pumpkin can sit in reasonably moist soil without a problem. However, I would be cautious about growing on a pallet with cardboard. I would recommend something simple like a breathable weed barrier or even sand.

9/1/2019 10:56:13 PM

Barnesville

Thanks so much!

9/2/2019 8:19:58 AM

Bethlehem CT

You can beat yourself up over these things. Believe me I have done it too. It often seems that when you do all the extra protective measures on a pumpkin, they still rot. While the smaller one next to it that gets no care, is sitting right on the bare dirt, has a mouse nest under it and has at a small little sheet over the top of it, makes it to the end.

9/2/2019 8:26:49 AM

Central NY

As a side note, when there are pumpkins growing, there shouldn’t be any “watering down the main” unless your giving the plant svb treatment...uneven watering can cause lots of issues....be sure you are evenly watering your “Space” rather than just around the vines...start a journal...you get extra sets of eyes helping you watch for trouble..good luck!..and remember the giant pumpkin growers motto- “ WaIt TIL nEXT YEAr!!!.”....

9/2/2019 8:32:26 AM

Ontario, Canada

The problem is what your kin was sitting on. You need to have a good solid base that will help keep the bottom drier. This is what we use.

1st we use a 4' x 4' piece of 1/2" plywood, with a few small holes drilled in it as the base. Then we add a 4' x 4' piece of mill fabric & a very thin layer of sand on top of it. We then use another 4 x 4 sheet of mill fabric on top of the sand & cover it with another thin layer of sand. The pumpkin grows on top of this & this allows water to drain away & dry up. The extra sheet of mill fabric & sand allows you to adjust the pumpkin easier as the season progresses if needed.

We cover the kin with a white table cloth that is water resistant. Once it gets cooler we also cover it at night with a white comforter. To keep it dry when it rains, you can use a white plastic sheet over the comforter, but only when it rains or build a more permanent cover over it.

Hope this helps.
Good luck.

9/2/2019 9:41:58 AM