Saturday, April 2, 2022

The Pumpkin Patch is Tilled and Amended

Today I put down some peat moss, a little compost, copper, boron, manganese, iron, elemental sulfur and humic acid as per my soil test recommendations I got results back a week ago.  After that I tilled it all in. 
The peat moss is added to help the tilth, CEC, increase moisture/nutrient holding capacity and to create air pockets for the roots.  This loamy soil is looking and feeling very nice right now.

After tilling, I put down some winter rye grass seed on the second half of the greenhouse, which I will till in around the beginning of June when the pumpkin plants vine starts to run.   The rye grass will help to suppress weeds, reduce soil compression and add organic matter back into the soil.

Around April 15th I'll start my seeds.  As mentioned before, I'll be growing the 2047 Bowman, which was the first pumpkin to ever go to a scale in Utah and go over a ton.  The pollinator on that plant was Utah state record pumpkin, so I like the cross.   I'll also be growing a giant watermelon this year also.  The seed I'll be growing produced the 2nd biggest watermelon ever grown in the world this last year.

3 comments:

Tim said...

Hi Jamie, I went to a pumpkin weighing last year, picked up some seeds, and am excited to follow you on your journey this year as a complete newbie! Thanks for all the information on your blog. I won't be able to put in nearly the dedication you do, but am excited to give it a try.

Jamie said...

Thanks Tim. Hopefully we can learn from each other this year.

Chas said...

I’ve been following your journey. Waiting on my soil sample test to come back so I can amend for the year.