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San Diego

I took on the advice of Dan Carlson this year and for fertilizing, went all organic. 2 yards manure in fall, 40 lbs gypsom, 8 inches chopped leaves and grass clippings. In spring, 8 lbs kelp meal and a 3-1-4 plant based organic granular. During the growing season, nothing except a little more 3-1-4 after the pumpkin hit day 20. Not even fish and sea weed. For high heat areas, I am sold on it. It's cheaper, and works better than chemicals and my pumpkin was on a pace for 1150 estimated before she split in san diego, actual weight was 8% light so she would have been over a 100 actual weight. I think this technique has great promise. I'm sold on it. Just some words for thought. Jimmy

8/16/2005 12:30:25 PM

San Diego

over 1000 I mean:)

8/16/2005 12:31:20 PM

Minnesota(dw447@fastmail.fm)

Thanks for posting your fertilization methods Jimmy.
Would you explain your vine training pattern? How many sq. ft. was your plant? I know you lost the crown(stump).

8/16/2005 12:39:14 PM

St. Louis, MO

Thanks for the posting.

Did you spray any pesticides or fungicides?

How would you describe your soil before the organic matter was added?

Did you till in the leaves and manure? When fall, spring, or both?

Thanks, Paul

8/16/2005 2:21:02 PM

San Diego

all my manure, leaves, grass clippings, and gypsom were tilled in the fall. Nothing done in the spring. This was a brand new patch, 390 sq foot. The soil was very balanced before I ammended it with good numbers. The organic matter was only 2% or so, can't quite remember, but nothing special.

The area had been used as a compost pile for grass. leaves, and bushes for many years, but it had never been broken down or tilled in. The organic stuff was just a big pile of plant matter above the ground.

The plant did lose the stump, and my main blew out at 9 feet, I used the christmas tree pattern and then took a secondary and made it my new main which the pumpkin grew on. Plant was about 300 to 350 sq foot because I lost 25% of it when the stump rotted off, my first two main secondaries came out of the stump and were lost.

I used merit in the soil before planting as my only bug control, worked great. No other spraying for bugs all year.
I used immunox twice for powdery mildew during the latter stages of the plants life. I just tried to keep things simple. Merit and immunox were the only 2 things that were not organic when it came to disease and bugs. I have tried going organic in these areas before with less success. Jimmy

8/16/2005 2:49:16 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Thanks for sharing your methods. I will give this a try for next year.

8/17/2005 3:14:57 PM

Warwood

After seeing the results with an Organic fert program I'm starting to look at it more intently. It would be easier than spraying foliar every night. I do believe there is room for chem soluble ferts in a much more diluted fashion and balancing it. Balance is the key. Look at some scientific tested programs for their results. Use what works. Good Black homemade Compost works! Believe it. Don

8/17/2005 4:57:26 PM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

I found that my plants that got the most compost and manure last fall are doing the best this year. The others had slower early growth, poorer pollenation, more aborts and slower fruit growth. It is no secret in the farming community that you can't make up for loss of organic matter by ading artificial fertilizers. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is now using a Soil Conditioning Index for evaluating conservation systems on farms, with the most important consideration being the maintenance or increase of organic matter. Plus, you can't argue with the success that Dan Carlson is having.

8/19/2005 11:16:32 AM

Midwest

Doesn't Don Carlson harvest kelp from the beach? Not many of us have that resource. Wonder if washed kelp/seaweed would be available in the mid-west?

8/24/2005 1:56:10 PM

Montoursville, PA

Kelp meal is quite reasonable, in view, of the fact a 1000 sq. ft. patch only needs half a bag a year, or about 20-25lbs. All agricultural organic sites sell kelp meal. It is one needed product most, of us agree upon.

If you use excessive amounts you will have wild crazy growth and possibly some undesirable events because of it's built in growth hormones.

8/24/2005 4:53:05 PM

Long Island,New York

Yeah, Dan does....its abundant all along the coast of Iowa.

8/24/2005 8:12:03 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Yikes G! LOL

8/25/2005 9:43:38 PM

Follansbee, Wv

I don't grow completely organic, but the amount of store bought ferts that went on my patch could be held in two hands. I don't use seaweed either. I find that 8 dollars for a 50 pounds bag of alfalfa pellets does me just fine. The best thing about organic fert growing is the cost. It's dang near free. I do use store bought fungicides and insecticides though. Again, cheaper is better for my pumpkin budget. Saving money on ferts allows me to spend it on other things, like immunox and such.

8/28/2005 7:40:47 PM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

We sell kelp meal at PumpkinSupply.com, and will have a new powdered powdered product later this fall, so stay tuned.

9/15/2005 3:15:07 PM