Some Pics from the Pumpkin Patch

866 Johnson (1161 Rodonis x 1544 Revier)

1306 Mohr (1161 Rodonis x 1288 Wallace)

1204 Scherber (1421 Stelts x 1725 Harp)

1308 Todd (50 Todd x 901 Hunt)

Pumpkin Plant Update & Colorado Growing

The pumpkin plants are doing well even though our Colorado weather is not so great. The picture to the right was taken this morning. More snow in the forecast for tonight and then we should be back into the 60s again. I have a thermostatically controlled space heater in one hoop house and I have 150 watts of light bulbs in the other hoop house so the plants should be fine.

So far the 1161 Rodonis is my best plant. The 1528 Starr slowed down about a week before planting it outside and it has never recovered. The 1316 Harp and 1236 Harp are about the same but in different ways. The 1316 Harp doesn't seem to like the heat at all and gets droopy leaves when it gets hot. It also looks like it is going to double vine. The 1236 Harp is about the same size as the 1316 but has lighter color. I'm guessing that in the next 1.5 weeks I'll be to the point that I'm going to have to decide which plant to keep.

The best looking plant so far of all of the plants isn't my plant. The kids 1129 Orleck is the best plant to this point. Nice green leaves, good vigor and maybe the biggest in size of all of the plants. The kids are going to grow big and heavy this year. I'm second guessing if I should have kept the Orleck for myself. It will be a good pollinator.

Hoop Houses in Place & Ready to Grow

I finally completed the construction of my hoop houses yesterday and put them into place just in time to beat the storm. 80 degrees yesterday and snowing this moring. Welcome to the Mile High City!

My last hoop houses were destroyed so I made new ones that were slightly larger. I'm getting very anxious to get my pumpkin plants into the ground but the weather here in Denver is going to be around freezing at night for the next few days so I'm holding off for now. I'm concerned about the plants roots getting bound so I will probably put them in the hoop houses on Saturday with some heat sources to get them going.

Putting on the Pounds in the Late Season

Today's high was about 54 degrees and the over night lows for the next two nights will be in the low 30s. This is pumpkin killing weather. Pumpkin plants don't like frost in the least and when there is frost your season is done. More than likely your pumpkin will survive the frost okay but there is a risk of splits. The leaves however are another story.

In an attempt to keep the kids' pumpkin plant growing I've covered the small plant with clear plastic and then put two light bulbs in with the plant to add a little heat to the space. I don't know if it will work or not but I figured it was worth the 15 minutes to set it up and give it a try.

The best way to protect the plant late in the season is the way Pete did it with remay wrapped around a wood structure (see picture in previous post). It costs a little but it adds warmth and frost protection late in the season to keep the pumpkin growing a couple of extra weeks.

Tucking the Baby in at Night

Tomorrow is supposed to have a low around 32 degrees with a chance of snow. To keep Haddie's pumpkin warm tonight I built a little green house and put in a light to try to keep it warm. I put the green house out about two hours ago and just went out now to add the light. The plant was okay but not happy. The 60-watt bulb hopefully will keep her warm enough tonight to survive the next 36 hours.

Transplanting the Seedling-Walking on Your Tipi Toes with New Plants

It is time to put my potted plant into the ground outside. Normally I would have done this two weeks ago but because of very cold weather here in Denver (possible snow in the forecast tomorrow) I haven't done it yet. I plan on planting two plants on Thursday with a green house and a 60-watt bulb to give them a little extra warmth. For the last couple of days I've been preparing the pumpkin plants by putting them outside for a few hours a day and in the garage at night. This can be a little nerve racking for a new pumpkin grower. Wind, cold, sun and kids can be a real risk to new pumpkin plants (caught my 1-year-old son digging in the pot yesterday afternoon).

It isn't uncommon for new pumpkin plants to droop considerably when they get in a new environment. When this happens don't get to discouraged. Take the pot inside (if it isn't planted yet) and give the plant a little water. Pumpkins can be a little finicky at first and when they get unhappy they will tell you very quickly. Just give them a little TLC and they usually come back around.

If you have any great tips for transplanting new plants please let me know. I'm always happy to get a great new tip.

It's Planting Time in Denver -- Kind Of

It is about that time of year to plant your pumpkins in the ground. By now you should have a nice little green plant popping up from a seed you planted about two weeks ago. The forecast for Denver isn't looking great however. Two nights in the next week will be around 38 degrees so I am planning on holding off putting the last two pumpkin plants in the ground until Monday.

My daughter's pumpkin was planted on Monday and has done pretty well so far. We put a wall-o-water around the pumpkin to shield it from wind and to keep it a little warmer at night and so far it has done pretty well.