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Location

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Date Posted

Hurdland USA

I see everyone soil testing.
Nutrients needed for plant, flowering, and fruit growth is important.
How many years had you grown pumpkins (or squash or whatever) before you started soil testing; and why did you start?
I myself am not worried about the levels, and doubt I ever will. I can't see paying 15 dollars or more to make sure soil that is going to change is ideal to start.

5/19/2010 2:46:39 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

I soil tested after my first year with AGs in 2003 and now test every fall and spring.

A couple of mentors assisted me over the years with building the soil and they provided me with the details and knowledge needed to help me help myself.

Without a soil test....it is a crap shoot and kind of like trying to win the lottery without buying a ticket.

5/19/2010 3:56:08 PM

East Jordan, MI

This is my first year growing AGs. While I have grown most of the vegetables that my family eats (both fresh and preserved for off season) for over 30 years. I was taught at a young age to rotate crops, add compost (with plenty of manure) every year to replentish the nutrients removed from the previous year, use pesticides sparingly and use commercial fertilizer only if the plants "tell you" that they need something. I have good loamy soil and was going to "wing it this year" without a soil test, but a very wise, trusted, long term local heavy hitter asked me a very important question. "Do you want to just grow a big pumpkin or do you want to grow a competition quality pumpkin? If you want to compete, you need to get your soil tested and add whatever it need to make it not good, but the best it can possibly be." I thought long and hard, and then thought of something that my dad always told me growing up, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right." I sent my soil sample in the next day. A week later the test came back everything was great EXCEPT my Phosphorus was "Very Low", and my Potassium was "Low". I made the recommended addition of 50 lbs of 6-25-25 a couple of weeks before I transplanted my seedlings into the patch and feel as sure as I'm sitting here I have a MUCH better chance at growing a monster than I would have without the soil test.

5/19/2010 9:13:19 PM

Middle TN

I got my first soil test this year. My vines are already twice the size of last years. It may be the amendments suggested by the soil test that I added or the knowledge I gained over the off season or a combination of both. But I figure if Im gonna spend money on fertilizer I might as well know which ones to spend it on :)
Tammy

5/19/2010 9:32:38 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

cntryboy,

It sounds like you ran into Doc.

5/19/2010 10:13:35 PM

East Jordan, MI

gpdude
How'd you guess? LOL.

5/25/2010 9:17:45 PM