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Omaha, NE

As I had mentioned before my pumpkins have outgrown the patch size and are on the grass now. For the last month this has not been a problem, but since I have been fertiziling more, the grass is growing as well. In fact my husband wants to spray the rest of the yard with the fertiziler. The grass is up over all of the vines that are not buried, growing up around the pumpkins, in general it is up as high as the biggest leafs. I know from looking at pictures in the photo gallery some of the growers are also growing in the grass, how do you cut, trim, or mow the grass around the vines?

Karen

8/19/2001 10:55:11 PM

Herndon, VA

DON'T use a string trimmer (weed wacker) or you will end up with holes in your leaves from the high-speed debris. Get a pair of grass shears & have at it, just don't get too close!! Also, I have used a 3.6-volt rechargable hand trimmer with some success; slow going but not nearly as tiring as shears. --Bruiser

8/19/2001 11:12:48 PM

Deer Park WA

karen, I'm an "urban farmer" with limited space and I encourage my plants to grow into the lawn after they reach their 600 sq.' site. This gives me about another 3 to 4 hundred sq.' of patch for a total of 900 sq. foot per patch. I have trained all my secondaries in to "rows" and left a pathways in between about 24" wide. I use my Toro gas string trimmer to keep the paths open from the lawn. Bruiser probably is'nt as skilled with power tools as the rest of us, (do this sober). I have found that hand trimming the remaining grass is the best. Another problem is disease control. I spray with Fungicide/incesticide every 10 to 14 days. My Sherber clone is 110", and my Gadberry is 110", and my 1026 Holland is 98" circumfrence today.

8/20/2001 12:38:21 AM