From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Oswego, NY

I have been looking at pics of other peoples pumpkin patch and see they have no weeds at all. I have a ton and pulled a lot till the plant was so big I couldn't walk through it. I also fenced mine in to keep the critters out which also makes it hard to take care of them.

9/11/2010 7:36:14 PM

Oswego, NY

Thank you,so you are saying everyone gets weeds and they are pulling them?

9/11/2010 8:48:55 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Stirrup hoe and Round Up.

9/11/2010 10:50:55 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Pulling causes too much damage unless they're real young.

9/11/2010 10:52:41 PM

Long Island,New York

If I was preparing a new area for pkns I'll till the top 2 inches and water...start those weed seeds going then roundup. Id wait til everything was crispy from the roundup and repeat, just the top couple inches where the weed seeds are. Id use weed-seed free ammendments if possible and I'm sure you'd get a big benefit.

9/12/2010 7:43:08 AM

Massillon, Ohio

Thanks Lisa. I just ordered one.

9/12/2010 1:35:31 PM

Bear Creek, NC

I covered my patch with a few inches of compost after the soil was ready. I didn't have any trouble keeping up with the weeds. Very few weeds at all until late in the season. Both will work great. I have the stirrup hoe. But next year it will be on a telescopeing handle.

9/12/2010 5:08:08 PM

Oswego, NY

Thanks all, this I hope will be very helpful.

9/14/2010 5:36:52 PM

Ashby, MA

Anyone put grass clippings down (acts like mulch)? My neighbor does this with success for his regular pumpkin patch. He doesn't grow AG. I didn't want to try it in my AG patch. But figured I'd ask here.

9/15/2010 11:25:55 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Don't use green grass clippings, it will tie up available Nitrogen while it decomposes. Next season I am going to try straw.

9/15/2010 1:32:36 PM

Nd

Straw is just the stem of a mature grass plant. It will tie up available nitrogen longer than grass clippings because the lignin in the mature cells of the plant take longer to break down.

9/15/2010 2:27:08 PM

Cedar Lake, IN.

I thought green grass clippings were high in nitrogen.

9/15/2010 6:07:56 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

They are high in Nitrogen...and will produce enough heat to burn the plant. I also know that if you till in a green manure it will tie up nitrogen for a short period of time. That is why you should cut your cover crop before tilling

9/16/2010 1:40:52 PM

Oswego, NY

What do you mean by tying up available nitrogen?

9/17/2010 7:18:18 PM

East Jordan, MI

while the microbes are breaking down the green manure, they are using available nitrogen already in the soil. Thus making it unavailable to the plant and "tying it up" until they finally get the organic matter decomposed.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/crops/00546.html

9/17/2010 9:48:35 PM

long Island

Very soon I will have a mountain of maple leaves.
Are they a good thing to put on top of the garden soil.
I will be shutting down my patch soon and thought that I would pile up all the maple leaves on top of it for the winter. Is this a good idea or should I let the town take them away like I usually do?

9/18/2010 8:58:41 AM

Bristol,RI,USA.

I like to put down preen for veggies around the plant it wokes well also a push pull weeder from wolf garten and 1 time a year before the plants come out of green houses spray round up, you can preen all year

12/20/2010 5:17:56 PM