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Hart County Georgia

I started an atlantic giant seed and now my pumpkin is about the size of a basketball. It is July 2 2020. I have soaker hoses around the plant. Cardboard under pumpkin. It has a great healthy plant stem in a great position. Do yall start a high tunnel greenhouse around yours or a tarp and when do you do that?

7/2/2020 9:00:11 AM

North Of The Border

If you have a lawn chair or old tee shirt towel, something that can cover the fruit for now, it will help the skin stay flexible, witch will add to the overall weight gains. In a week or two, if you have a good fruit going, you'll definitely have to upgrade. You can just lay a blanket or sheet on top, or put some stakes in the ground around it, or do the tarp or high tunnel.

If you put something directly on the fruit, you'll have to make sure it comes off when wet, and you should be fine. You will probably want sand under the pumpkin, or a pallet so that it does not rot.

Good luck!

7/2/2020 11:43:51 AM

North Of The Border

Also, you should start a grower diary, as we would all like to see how your plant is doing.

7/2/2020 11:45:27 AM

Hart County Georgia

Thank you for the advice! I will get a grower diary started!

7/3/2020 12:51:55 AM

Syracuse, NY

i've never actually made a smaller structure like the one depicted, but i DO use ones that are 8' X 8' to grow my plants in until they are busting outta there, like right now, lol--

PLUS, the Floating Row Cover fabric i use is from a company in Georgia, so, this is all working out just great!
the FRC is NOT to protect the pumpkins, but the plants therein until it is 'time'...'for their breakout'...

ahem - just Google pumpkin shade structure and you'll see all kinds of ideas, but please try the one in the video below, to get off to a good start, lol, like me, lol;

if you do the tarp-only with 4 posts? make sure you poke a few holes in the tarp to allow drainage, but away from at least the pumpkin's STEM, and don't fear it like the plague; it's just water---no one's ever thought to put a threaded grommet and a drainage hose in to solve the problem, nor a narrow board across the posts between them...dang, i'm due for a nap of about 8 hours, lol---

if nothing else, the speaker is very interesting to listen to;
one of my own seeds, the 508 Gerry, grew the 737-or-so New Zealand record in probably '04 or so, so i was happy to see
this SHADE STRUCTURE video was FROM NZ:

https://giantpumpkins.co.nz/hoop-type-shade-for-your-giant-pumpkins-how-to

good luck, and i also see NO sense in putting a white sheet over anything i wanna protect from the SUN - concerning tarps, at least blue and dark grey or black, i feel, would be best. see, nothing ever needs to touch the pumpkin but the palms of your hands - and then the hands of the lifting crew! ha!
makes me wanna run out there NOW and make one of these shades, lol---take care - eg

7/3/2020 4:21:57 AM

Hart County Georgia

Thanks a million for the advice and ideas! I need to start my diary. So excited about the growth of my pumpkin! It is as big as a small round watermelon today! I hope that it will survive the summer months! Things are looking good!

7/4/2020 1:35:49 AM

Western Washington

Good luck, Endoraleigh!

7/4/2020 2:00:29 PM

Hart County Georgia

I started a grower diary! I apologize for the droopy leaves. It was a hot day! We are having a wonderful week of rain this week for the forecast. I am sure I will have a lot of growth after this week and will post another picture!

7/7/2020 9:29:18 AM

Western Washington

Looking forward to it! So great to see new people here!

7/7/2020 2:02:44 PM