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Rushville, Ohio

Hello! This winter I've been making sourdough bread and while I read many recipes and Reddit threads and watched many YouTube videos about "how to" the thing I found the most helpful was a Reddit thread about what steps people skip in the bread making process. It actually helped me understand the bread baking process better and I was able to have success after that. I started wondering if the same kind of thread would be useful for big pumpkin growing. If anyone is willing to share common big pumpkin practices that they skip I would be interested to hear about it! I'm not looking for "shortcuts" for the purpose of being lazy. I'm just wondering if anyone finds success in skipping practices like vine burying, tilling, weeding, fertilizing, anything that you would be willing to share. Thanks!

2/4/2025 2:04:40 PM

Grittyville, WA

I haven't heard of anyone skipping weeding yet, and still getting a great result. The others, yes. Provided the soil has the nutrients already available, its not necessary to fertilize during the season.

GOTY Dave Stelts doesnt do vine burying, but his results indicate that he still gets enough secondary roots... Subscribe to the SNGPG/ask for the December issue if you want to read about his growing.
Part of what makes it fun is you dont have to stick to one method. People are trying different ways of doing things, but like I said, I havent heard of getting great results with lots of weeds but you really never know what could happen next in this hobby!

[Last edit: 02/04/25 3:26:39 PM]

2/4/2025 3:10:47 PM

Syracuse, NY

I would lean away from not fertilizing, by default, to not get in that channel of thinking that if it's perfect now, it'll stay perfect for even a couple of months, with ALL that a soil produces between Points A and B, time-wise. I'm gonna get my taxes done over the next day or so and I had SO much time to figure them out beforehand...what a shock it's gonna be. Same idea, in that checking and adding what is needed ongoingly is prolly the weigh to go, coming from a non-soil sampler of about 15 years, lol. Shhh...not a Heavy Hitter, butt that's my opinion, lol. eg

2/4/2025 10:46:41 PM

Grittyville, WA

I skip the walking boards... but maybe this is why I haven't hit 2k yet, and why maybe I never will.

2/5/2025 3:45:05 AM

Bethlehem CT

I skip the walking boards and I don't cover the vines. lately I have been skipping mycorrhizae in favor of beneficial bacteria.

2/5/2025 7:02:56 AM

Bethlehem CT

Oh and I haven't done a soil test for quite some time. I may do one this year just to get an idea of my pH. I think it is tough to know what you can skip and what you can't skip, especially if you are a beginner I would advise being cautious about skipping parts to your growing regimen. If you do, it comes with risk.... But that is also how we truly gain knowledge and learn for ourselves.
The conditions that we grow in our so different. All of those differences determine what things you can skip and what you can't. Take vine burying as an example, if you are growing in sandy soil, you don't have to be as concerned with rotting your vines when covering them. in heavy clay soil, rotting could be a huge problem.

[Last edit: 02/05/25 7:15:12 AM]

2/5/2025 7:04:20 AM

Rushville, Ohio

Thanks everyone! That's all helpful. Like I said, I'm not looking to necessarily skip steps myself, but if I can understand what other people skip and why that helps me understand the growing process better and figure out what changes I need to make. For example- I do have heavy clay soil. I was on top of vine burying last year BUT I don't think I should have done so much. I think my vine started to rot. I noticed some rot when I pulled my plant and my pumpkin was soft. So while I might do some vine burying still I will try to be more careful about it. I also didn't know how much I should fertilize, if at all. The was kind of confusing for me. I didn't have walking boards but maybe I should. Hearing what you all do helps!

2/5/2025 10:59:44 AM

Syracuse, NY

In a nutshell, the best grower's opportunities are made real by doing EVERY, EVERY thing that COULD grow a giant pumpkin.
*I am one to talk, remember!*
I'm just saying what a common-sensical non-grower might THINK, OBJECTIVELY, if presented with one (Hello.) underachiever and
2+ growers that are near or AT HH status;
Like when someone* is comparing, embarrassingly, a person who is NOT achieving his/her goals to one or more that ARE and
they swing their* arms to and from these 'participants' like they're* weighing the two situations:
'No soil testing? Why not?
No walking boards? Why Not?
No vine Burying? Why not?
No fertilizing? Why not?
No wind protection? Why not?
No fungicides? Why not?
No Mycorrhizae? Why not?
No insecticide? Why not?
No...'...and the list could go on + on, butt the final scenario/question could be:
'No Record-Breaking Pumpkin? WHY NOT???' (See above, lol.)
I'll ask myself these questions soon, and probably the final one as well, in October, lol.
Next year - Always next year.
laters---eric g

[Last edit: 02/05/25 1:59:49 PM]

2/5/2025 1:54:07 PM

Ironton, ohio

I skip adjusting the ph of my water. I’d love to have a couple 300 gallon tanks and allow my municipal water/fertlizer to be tested and adjusted before applying to the plant, but being a backyard grower my wife doesn’t want that clutter.My two best seasons I didn’t use mycorrhiza. By years end it looks like I skipped weeding. Skipping things won’t set state/word records, but I enjoyed the heck outta weighing my 1325 last fall. Could it have been 1500? I say do as many of the small things as you can given your time and budget. Happy growing!

2/5/2025 2:28:30 PM

Syracuse, NY

Dalton - Well-put, and well-grown! Keep doing or not doing what you do or don't, lol!
A true mountain climber:
'I skip rope!'
Audience 'Whaaaahhht?' Lol---eric g

[Last edit: 02/05/25 6:24:28 PM]

2/5/2025 3:19:22 PM

Ontario

I think if there was 1 thing elites agree upon that I skip, it's mill fabric. All My fruits are always right on the ground on a bed of the sand subsoil we have. Never had a problem with the bottoms. Rots only ever came in from the stem

2/5/2025 3:51:26 PM