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Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

How long before a grower finally looses ones mind???

How many hail storms would you be able to suffer through before tilling it all in?
How much more time would you put in the patch when frost is 5-6 weeks away?
How big of fruit would you expect or hope for when your just now pollinating plants?
How hopeful can you be when your weather forcast for the next two days calls for severe hail storms, again.
How much would you endure, just to get through the season and maybe have something to show for your hard work?

So how determined can a grower be? Well, I'd be willing to bet most all of you would keep on truckin along, and make the best of the growing season. I suppose that is what defines and shows us who we are and what we are made of, eh?
My hat is off to everyone out there who are having a difficult season and keep on it anyways. Maybe years like this defines us as the "serious" pumpkin growers...Growing with sheer determination and a lotta heart. What ever we end end up with by harvest time is proof of our labor, so be proud of all your efforts. Best of luck the rest of the way to all....

8/9/2004 2:50:20 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Never Give Up, Never Surrender...:)

8/9/2004 4:41:21 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

On second thought I have seen the pictures now....Hmm I am thinking Rock Gardening might be a reasonable thought to go threw ones mind.

8/9/2004 4:44:33 AM

[email protected]

Marc,

Giving up in this case is actually fighting back. I'm with Shannon on this in that at first I was going to offer an inspirational diatribe. Then I looked at the pictures.

New plant of attck. What is that structure that appears to diagonally across the patch? Is that the beginnings of a support system? Finish building.

Better yet. Scrap what's there & build bigger. Make it tall enough so you can work under it. Make it strong enough so it can support shade cloth or a 6 mil greenhouse cover in a hurricane.

Use your noodle while designing & building so the cover is not loose. Looseness is the enemy during wind events. Tight covers have no trouble in the wind.

I'm picturing a permanent overhead peaked roof with 6 mil plastic over which shade cloth can be erected. The sides would be removal for air circulation & to allow seconday vine tips room to roam if that best suits the plant.

BRB

8/9/2004 6:43:26 AM

[email protected]

Take a look at these things.

http://www.ezupdirect.com/

We use them for Scouting events. It takes 4 people to put one up. But it's up in less than 3 minutes. The biggest one (16' x 16') is pricey. But the others aren't bad & 2 or 3 could cover the majority of a patch.

I've seen these come up on eBay occasionally.

Perhaps several used ones could be strung along after the last till in the spring, then covered in place & left up all summer.

You have to think outside the box a bit when up to 12 inches of freaking ice cubes falls several thousand feet just to land on your patch.

I'm sorry your having to deal with this.

8/9/2004 7:00:01 AM

Brillion Wisconsin

Madman,

I know how much time and energy goes into this sport/hobby. Having it all taken away in minutes by hail would be more than the ordinary gardener could take.

We are not like the average backyard gardener, we are growers of the most amazing vegetable on earth.

Pollinate the ones in your genetic patch and focus on them. You might be suprised come October.

Oh Yah...by the way, I found your pic's way more troubling than a picture of a dead deer. Dean o

8/9/2004 7:42:48 AM

Wichita, KS

Marc,
I got sick to my stomach when I saw your diary pictures. You are a good grower in the worlds heaviest hail zone, I guess. Build the structure so you can relax, and we can celebrate with you next year when you grow 1000+!

Don't give up. growing pumpkins (minus the hail) is too much fun!

I still have one of your seeds growing in my patch. All my plants are a bit behind, but they're catching up.

Toby

8/9/2004 10:29:44 AM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

Yeah, pupmpkin growers are definatly not your average gardener {laughs}, and if those pictures actually turn your stomach, you ARE definatly totally addicted to this sport, just like me {laughs harder}. Tremor spotted my hail screen structure, yeah, it is built just for hail, covered by 1,000 dollars of hardware cloth. I was in the process of building a new structure to use for my hail cloth/ shade cloth cover. Problem was getting together the $800 at the time I was going to purchase it. James has purchased some, and it looks to be perfect for the job. I doubt it would still withstand a storm that was that bad {without some kind of damage to it} but the plants would have been fine. I will be buying some before next season, even if I have to put the wife up on E Bay to afford it. Priorities are priorities, right?

8/9/2004 11:54:17 AM

Edmonton, Canada

Wow...... that's rough. I've been through of couple of bad hail storms this year myself, but not quite that bad. You might as well let things keep going, just to see what happens. That's my philosophy. I know I can't get a biggie this year because of the damn hail.... so why not experiment. This is the year that I have nothing to lose.... So I'm going to do all of the things I never had the balls to do before. e.g. 0-0-60 fertilizer.

Good Luck.

8/9/2004 12:49:18 PM

Puyallup, WA

Might you consider moving to the Pacific Northwest? It could be less costly!

8/9/2004 12:59:31 PM

Wichita, KS

I've considered it myself, Stan! I'm getting sick of living in California where a 2 bedroom house witho no land costs close to half a million bucks! How are you supposed to be able to grow pumpkins if you have to work 14 hours a day just to make the mortgage payment?

Washington or Oregon look good. Most of the people there used to be Californians, anyway! :-D

8/9/2004 1:15:43 PM

Missoula, Montana

Marc-
WoW! My patched looked like that last year after I harvested my pumkins and took the lawnmower to the patch. I agree with the others, be mad, get over it, do you prep work for next year and don't worry about hail because you got all your protection built this fall. Good luck!

8/9/2004 3:07:03 PM

Puyallup, WA

Mr. Sprout,
Yep, those Californians are invading a large numbers! Don't know of a single pumkin grower that has moved here recently, however.

8/9/2004 3:38:03 PM

Indiana

Marc,
I would give up myself, the only thing I would try to salvage would be the old Gancarz stuff, clones, or offspring fruit, or something. Your weather is BS...makes all our bichin look minuscule. Sorry that happened to you buddy, but I am sure not gonna tell you to hang in there, that would be complete BS. Start moonin the heavens after that crap!

Tom

8/9/2004 5:05:49 PM

[email protected]

Marc I'm serious. I was visiting a kids day camp customer of mine today & sure enough they had 15 EZUPs all over the camp. BooBoo stations, councelor stations, traffic coordinator, arts & crafts, you name it.

In two areas they had more than one cable tied together into larer structures

I asked the guys where they get them. 10' x 10' $79 at Costco, Home Depot or Lowes. Whoever has them in stock.

The commercial ones we use for Scouts cost us $279.00.

They go up in minutes with at least one helper.
Permanent installation would require removal of the tops & replacement with shade cloth. But the peaked roof would shed most of the hail off to the sides. It's the middle sections I'd be concerned with but I'm sure you could adapt something.

8/9/2004 6:05:41 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

JEEZ Mad Man - That type of damage would drive anyone crazy.

Mother Nature really had it out for you. I don't think that it was really meant to be this year.

Hang in there and start planning your hail protection for next year.

8/9/2004 8:00:39 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

Toby...move to Mountain City, TN.....2800 sq ft, 3 bedroom fixer upper with 5 acres= $52,000

8/9/2004 9:26:54 PM

Wichita, KS

WHAHUH? did you say ***5*** acres?

Kyle, what you just described is worth $700,000 in CA, low end, anywhere in the state! Man, I was born in CA, lived here all my life, but I think its the most backward place there is.

sorry for getting off topic, folks. So, how much hail have you gotten this year in TN, Kyle?

8/9/2004 10:45:55 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

zero.
I've seen hail twice in 12 years.

8/10/2004 6:35:04 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Holy smokes, that patch is decimated. I've never seen anything like that before. OUCH. Sorry, buddy, and ya, I'm not going to tell you a little fertilizer will take care of all your worries either. Better luck next year.

8/10/2004 9:37:57 AM

Roanoke Il

Marc sorry to hear about the hail the little I had was bad enough but the but kicking you took sorry man . Keep your spirits up bud. mark

8/10/2004 2:35:08 PM

Kentucky - USA

Hi Marc.. Sorry about your bad luck.

But..Look on the bright side. You can start working on your soil for next year.

Tim

8/10/2004 8:09:49 PM

Colorado Hail, CO. Elev. 5,900 FT

Well thanks for all the input everyone, I guess the hail is what makes me a mad madman {laughs}, what is worse is that this is two years straight of a non- competition year due to hail. I'll finish out the season somehow and auction off the wife over winter to buy the hail/shade cloth I need. I'll try like hell to get genetic fruits before seasons end. but might have to make some clones.... a few plants are only 1 foot long with 4-5 leaves....LMAO

8/11/2004 1:21:26 PM