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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 8, 2012 13:30:46 GMT -5
My 7 year old really wants me to grow a pumpkin for Halloween. It's the thing he wants more than anything out of my garden. Florida and Halloween pumpkins are a tough mix, because July and August disease pressure is bad, bad, bad. Not to mention the bugs! But he asked, so I am going to try. (I will be reminding him all along that growing a pumpkin successfully is NOT a sure thing, because this is not a good pumpkin-growing area.)
I need to find a variety to try, though. Looking for something orange and ~10-15 lbs that makes a decent jack 'o' lantern. Disease resistance will help enormously, as it will be very hot, humid, and rainy through August. In a perfect world, it would taste good so I can make pies with any that don't end up carved.
Is there such a variety, or do I just get any jack 'o' lantern pumpkin variety and pray real hard that I can keep diseases at bay long enough to get one decent-looking fruit to maturity?
I'd appreciate any help or relevant experiences any of you can share. Thanks!
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izzy
Pro Member
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Posts: 347
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Post by izzy on May 8, 2012 16:20:59 GMT -5
Laura,
Down here in deep South Texas, we have the same challenges with bugs, disease, and humidity. You might find pumpkin varieties from Mexico suitable. I've grown several, and they did extremely well. The pumpkins I grew were not Jack-O-Lantern type, or even orange, but the purpose was not for Halloween. Maybe there are some orange types from Mexico.
One important consideration: do you have svb in your area? That will narrow the potential list.
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Post by gulfcoastguy on May 8, 2012 21:38:32 GMT -5
The orange is the problem. If you could accept buff I'd say Musquee de Provence (sold in about any online catalogue) or Tennesee Vining from southernexposure.com. The are both moschatas and more bug and heat resistant than the pepo or maxima varieties.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 8, 2012 22:27:17 GMT -5
We do have SVBs, though I haven't seen them (yet) this year. I'll talk to my son about buff pumpkins. (Maybe I can paint one orange? ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/AlTVKjAhCypksR0Ugttf.png) )
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 28, 2012 20:38:56 GMT -5
I ordered seeds for Musquee de Provence and Long Island Cheese. Even if the son decides he doesn't want a buff Jack-o-Lantern, they should be good eats. I also ordered seeds for Seminole Pumpkin, for eating only. I hear from other Florida gardeners that it does well and produces here - it grows wild in the Everglades, so Florida summers are what it likes. I'll do one hill of each just for experimenting. One hill of each is all I have room for, anyway. Based on what I hear about the size of the vines, I might be pulling the Seminole Pumpkin out of my apple and orange trees by the end of the season. ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/69NYbMmPkXk2bJ9R8OBQ.png) Thanks for the suggestions and reality check. I'll post back in the fall with results.
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Post by gulfcoastguy on May 29, 2012 12:45:07 GMT -5
Seminole roots along the vine an "travels". The original roots can die and the vine keep growing and producing till frost but the end point might be down the street.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 30, 2012 10:04:26 GMT -5
That's okay, I'll just wind it around and around my yard in circles, hang some netting and let it grow up the fence, heck maybe let it climb over the fence and eat the side yard, too. The next door neighbor mows religiously, so I think he'll keep it in bounds for me on that side. ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/AlTVKjAhCypksR0Ugttf.png)
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Jun 23, 2012 14:34:14 GMT -5
I ended up planting the Seminole Pumpkin seeds on the other side of the backyard. If the vines climb the kids' swingset, that's an opportunity for them to play Tarzan, right? ;D
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Sept 4, 2012 8:40:15 GMT -5
So far all three types are doing well. All were attacked repeatedly by SVBs, but all of them shrugged off the attacks, and kept running (and rooting) on their merry way. Long Island Cheese and Musqee du Provence have had some foliage issues (August was wet, wet, wet), but are putting on new growth faster than the old growth is dying. Seminole Pumpkin is actually not as big or vigorous as the other two, but the dirt on that side of the yard is pretty poor...it's amazing that it grows at all, really. However, the Seminole Pumpkin appears to be nearly impervious to disease. It would probably be scary-big if it were on the good side of the yard. ![:o](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/69NYbMmPkXk2bJ9R8OBQ.png) I have a baby pumpkin on the Long Island Cheese and one (possibly two) have set on the Seminole Pumpkin. None have set on the Musquee du Provence yet, but all three kinds are putting out both male and female flowers. Since my first frost is usually Thanksgiving or so, they still have time to set and mature more pumpkins, right?
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Post by stratcat on Sept 4, 2012 10:06:06 GMT -5
Sounds like fun! I'm especially interested in how the Seminole Pumpkin does. Year's ago, I read that one is a real long keeper. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/AgR8NN4iidU1wy_OcyQm.png) As an aside, up here I saw pumpkins that were ripe in August. ![:P](//storage.proboards.com/3247375/images/uJ3wHzVudwy0q4vAqilQ.png)
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