From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Upa Creek, MO

I have seen plenty of posts on how smaller plants can still grow 1000# pumpkins. Does anyone have examples of patches only receiving 6 hours or so of direct sunlight in the important months like July and growing nice pumpkins?

I have seen some people's diaries with plants growing up against houses (like Longmont Pete), but wasn't sure what direction it was relative to the patch. So if the patch was west of the house, they would have to wait till the morning sun's rays cleared the house. It looks like I will be planting just east of some very old oaks, so the direct light will be limited to morning into mid afternoon and I will be missing late day sun.

Thanks

11/11/2010 6:58:54 PM

Western PA

I think you will be in better shape in your scenario (with the patch on the east side of the trees) as opposed to the opposite like I had with half of my patch. You wont start to suffer until late August in my opinion.

I had my patch on the west side of some tall apple trees and I really think it hurt my two plants that were on that side of the patch. Those two plants were in my best soil and they still produced much smaller fruits than my other two on the other end of the patch, that got about 3 more hours of morning sun, and they were in newly tilled soil too with very little organic matter added.

The air and soil will still be nice and warm even though you will be loosing some evening sun. In my case, it took untill close to eleven o clock am until the sun got over those apple trees, and started to warm everything up.

Just my opinion, I hope someone with more experience on this will chime in. Good post !

11/11/2010 7:27:54 PM

Bloomington, IN

Hey Luke, the most direct sun my patch gets is about 7 hours worth on June 21 (longest day). From there it decreases, so is probably more like 6 to 6 1/2 for most of the season. It also gets some scattered light through the trees. I grew a pumpkin close to 600 lbs on a side vine this year on a plant that had only 300 sq. ft. of prepared dirt to grow in (I let the plant sprawl into the lawn). I think 1000 lbs is definatley feasable in my patch. Focus on getting your soil right, give your plant plenty of water, get the bugs and disease in check and a 1000 lb pumpkin should definatley be attainable. Also don't split your main vine like I did, lol. Brian

11/11/2010 9:00:39 PM

Colorado

Luke, the house is west of my "patch". I get sun from early morning until about 2 in the afternoon... once the sun goes over the house I am in full shade for the rest of the afternoon/evening. It's not ideal (in my opinion) but I think many growers have shown that you don't need full sun all day to grow a monster. I believe the 1689 was grown with a similar amount of sun.

11/11/2010 11:42:50 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Yeah Pete...But how many pounds of KDL where used to gravitate the effectZ of photon energy concentrating the orbitZ and exiting the inner neronZ that suck the energy out of the patches in Littleton.....Now I wanna know...

The CatZ out of the bag dude...And Im not telling you anymore about the rabbit hormoneZ I sprayed on BiZzs pumpkin....but it waZ fun to watch.....

Serilously,..... If I can be such....Pete doeZ grow one big damn pumpkin on the side of hiZ house..in a small space, with limited sun..repeatididilly....

11/12/2010 6:39:42 AM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks for the input everybody. I know full light is ideal, but it's great to hear examples of monsters being grown in non ideal conditions. I just need to make sure the soil is good, keep the plants healthy and make due with the 6-7 hours or so of light I get.

Luke

11/12/2010 8:53:23 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Luke,
I grew a 1351 lb dmg in an area that was semi shaded.

11/12/2010 11:10:03 AM

Ohio

Luke,
Joe Jutras grew his world record 1689 in half of days sun light on for his plant , from what I can remember reading somewhere.(I think it was in a SNGPG news letter the same year he grew it.)
Maybe some one in Joes club of the SNGPG will chime in that knows the details.

11/12/2010 12:11:07 PM

canal winchester ohio

http://www.sngpg.com/images/Jutras_1689_Report.jpg
Read the last paragraph.

11/12/2010 12:51:14 PM

Upa Creek, MO

Thanks again, the clubhouse Joe describes in the beginning sounds like my kind of place.

11/12/2010 6:46:02 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

you haven't lived until you've been there...LOL!

11/12/2010 9:17:37 PM