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Atlanta, Georgia

I'd love to hear what your worst mistakes have been over the years growing AG's! I think it would be a great resource for new and old growers alike.

Some of my many mistakes include not putting slug bait around the pumpkins or protecting them from crows and
wind.
The biggest mistake was in my first year when I put a whole handful of urea around the seedlings and killed them completely...

Anyone want to chime in?
Michel in Germany

5/19/2004 1:21:04 AM

Lake Stevens, WA, USA

Forgive me Jerry.............The biggest mistake I have heard from a first year grower was fertilizing the pumpkin.

Let me clarify: A very good friend of mine was obsessed with growing a 1000 pound pumpkin his first year. He went out and bought all kinds of crazy stuff like fertilizer for coconuts and other weird stuff. I kept telling him that he needed to fertilize the pumpkin regularly (the plant) his interperation of what I said caused him to fertilize the actual pumpkins (the fruits) and his final result for his first year of trying was a bunch of rotted pumpkin fruit.

He couldn't understand why the fruits kept rotting out (and I couldn't either until I finally realized that he was applying fetrilizers directly to the fruits themselves and not the plant) I think of you as my other brother Jerry, but that's just too good not to share!

David

5/19/2004 2:10:11 AM

Knopp, Germany

First year tried to grow 3 plants in a 50 sq ft area. Put a gauze bandage around a split in a vine to protest it, thought I could use fertilizers as described in HTGWCGP I to compensate for soil that I had not properly prepared. I honestly believed that all I really needed was good seed.

5/19/2004 3:28:17 AM

Utah

As Owen hinted at, I think the worst mistake we continually make is fooling ourselfs that we can grow something decent in poor soil!!!
Another good one is snapping off the main vine while trying to move it. (although it seems some growers get their largest fruit by employing this method lol !)

5/19/2004 8:55:00 AM

Pulaski Tn [email protected]

i think my biggest mistake was the day i hit "buy it now" after seeing a little kid standing inside a hollowed out pumpkin on ebay...... since then the ag's have pretty much taken over my life..change all my habits,made me quit fishing,and start drinking more..

5/19/2004 9:17:41 AM

Western Pa.

1.Planting seeds in mud, rather than a soilless mix.
2. Letting seedlings stay too long in the pot.
3. No rodent control.
4. Underpruning
5. Poor drainage
6. Uneven feeding or watering. (Don't make any drastic changes!)
7. Snapping off fruits and vines while "repositioning".
8. Letting too many visitors in the patch (intoducing disease!)
9. Poor stem and fruit positioning.
10. Failing to closely inspect plants to determine what is going "wrong".
11. Failing to include a regular insect and fungicide program from the start.
12. Too much fertilizer!
13. Spending too much time at BigP., rather than working at building up your soil (sweat equity!)
14. Failing to control weeds.
15. Poorly controlled pollination, (cover those flowers!)
16. Failure to follow instructions for fertilizer and insecticide.
17. Bragging BEFORE the weigh-off!
18. Trying to obtain EVERY top seed!
19. Weighing at Canfield (too much competition!)

5/19/2004 9:31:33 AM

Ohio

For me its my mis spellings in these message boards,lol
1. dirt way to wet(seed rot)

5/19/2004 9:43:52 AM

Northeast

Bringing a rake into the garden, turning around and poking a whole in my chosen fruit on the main vine. Painful

5/19/2004 9:53:12 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

I think one of the biggest mistakes a new grower can make is blindley adding things to their soil. I know most new growers are excited. They want to add things to their garden soil to maximize pumpkin growth but are unsure of what or how much to add. You can pay dearly for years after by adding too much of something.

5/19/2004 10:18:49 AM

Webster, NY

I think just letting the plant grow wild. No pruning. I had no idea where the vines were growing or which plant was doing what. This same time I had 2 plants in one small area. It made the mess worse. But, I got a 250 lber out of it all and it made me believe that If I learned more I might be able to do this. I'll find out one of these days.

5/19/2004 12:09:16 PM

Wroclaw, Poland (51 N, 17 E)

Not using manure

5/19/2004 3:43:58 PM

[email protected]

I applied Gibberellic Acid at 4 times the label by mistake. Plants grew like hell but had all male gay flowers for 5 weeks.

5/19/2004 6:09:38 PM

Deer Park, WI

funny you ask..just happened last night. accidentally let go of the glass pane for one of my hot houses and it fell inward, demolishing my 501. UGH.

5/20/2004 10:05:17 AM

Eveleth MN

My biggest mistakes so far in my first year is being in TOO much of a hurry for nature to do its work. Killed one sprout trying to get the seed coat off, and another is half dead do to me proping up the hoop house too early in the morning and its got a decent dose of cold air.

5/20/2004 12:11:47 PM

Utah

huge fau paux:

posting to your journal with out a pictures.

somehow getting the wrong date on your journal entry.
:)

5/20/2004 12:52:37 PM

Liverpool , England

Cutting off the unwanted fruit before adjusting the one I intended to keep, which snapped off at the stem end....Bummer...30' plant and two 200lbers..neither of them attached to the plant.

5/21/2004 7:42:12 PM

Atlanta, Georgia

Another good one I've done was trying to reposition a few pumpkins early in the morning while being in a bad mood.
I snapped off my 1016 Daletas, my 838 Bobier and a 582 Hester all in about 10 minutes while they were basketball size last year...
The 582 Hester surprised me by setting another fruit which hit 595 lbs. and a new pb though...

6/4/2004 3:31:18 AM