The pumpkin patch

[Wedgetail]

Our Jap pumpkin plant has produced 7 fruit all good size like the one in the photo


The Golden Nuggets have really taken off in the last week and have just put up first fruit.

The Jarrahdales are all so booming away with 5 fruit on at the moment
.
Getting some help from these little guys

Anyway hope you enjoy the photos . Cheers dave

 

[ClissAT]

Oh Wedgetail how lucky you are to have water or at least ground moisture.
I also have those varieties growing, planted 3months ago, most with a few flowers on but no more. The vines are still in male flower producing phase and won't get out of that phase into female flower phase until there is moisture.
But the way it looks now, I'll loose them before rain comes.
We had a little rain several days ago but the sun and wind have sucked it away.
I note you are using hay bales. Pumpkins love growing that way.
I tried that method this year also, knowing it would be dry, but it got so dry the hay bales crumbled into a pile of powder.

 

[Wedgetail]

Hi ClissAt water is not a problem We have a bore with a flow of only 350ltr per hour which I run for six hours a day on solar when needed and keep two 22500 ltr tanks topped up the water is pretty good about 330 sodium, 500 bicarbonate and a few others at very low rates. We also have 2 smaller dams and a small spring to fall back on in the last 4 or 5 weeks we have had 130ml so this has helped as well. The hay bales I used to break the water flow as it is steeper than the photo shows we lost a lot of garden in the first storm 55ml in 1 hour and the bales can break down in next year's mulch. It's a bugger you are in such a dry spot as if you don't have enough garden intruders to deal with without been short or water. Is the water ongoing or is this just been a bad year? All the best for now Dave

 

[Letsgokate]

Wow all looks awesome, well done

 

[ClissAT]

When I bought the place I was happy there was a good sized dam to pump from for garden needs. There is an underground pressurized reticulation system with several taps over 1.5ac of house paddock with extensive garden and orchard.
But immediately I took over the property, I saw a problem with the water.
It's taken me all these years to work it out. And now the dam water is completely toxic. But apparently it was ok originally because the previous owners used it continuously in the extensive dripper irrigation system.
But they may have bled something into the dripper water which I wouldn't know about because they pulled the whole system apart and took it with them when they vacated the property (much to my despair!).
Anyway it means I'm always short of water unless its actually raining. But due to the ants eating all the organic matter out of the soil, within a few days after rain, the ground is bone dry again and I need to pour the water on from tanks.
So in this exceptionally dry season, I've almost used all the available tank water already so I only water here and there and reuse house water. But its not enough by far.

 

[Wedgetail]

Thats a bugger about the dam water I hope you get plenty of rain and soon other wise I might have to post you a pumpkin or two. Put the rainbow up for you thought it might help bring some rain. cheers Dave

 

[ClissAT]

Actually wedgetail, its a double bugger, because in dry years I usually use pumpkins to supplement the horse's feed.
But haven't produced a single pumpkin in over a year.
And the few I grew last year were eaten at half grown by bush rats anyway.

 

[Wedgetail]

With these very hot days at the moment I decided to reduce the golden nugget crop off the 11 plants by about half. Here is today's pick. Dave