off topic - Any PUMPKIN growers here?

Any body experienced with growing pumpkins???
I'm in southeast Iowa and plan to plant 1/2 acre of pumpkins this spring. I moldboard plowed the sod this past fall, and plan to use some liquid lime to get my PH right. That's where my questions begin..... What's optimum row spacing and plant spacing? Can I plant with a JD 7000 finger pickup planter with 1/2 the fingers removed and use every other row? What about herbicide programs that will give me residual weed control once they start vine growth and cultivation isn't an option? Is there a pre and a post emergence program? What about optimum planting date/maturity? I'm doing this for fun and for a learning experience for the kids. However, I don't want this to turn into a weedy mess disaster. Any and all information is much appreciated! Thanks

Where at in SEIowa? I know the manager of the CPS in Mediapolis grows some pumpkins and they are never weedy. Not sure what he plants them with.
AaronSEOA

DJL,
I can"t help you with most of your questions, but I will tell you of some experience I have with planting pumpkin seeds with a JD7000.

I repair/adjust/callibrate corn planter meters for a winter time hobby...about 300 meters a year, for the last 12 years.

My neighbor owns a super market and plants his own pumpkins, at least a couple hundred acres of them. He owns a JD7000 with 30" rows.

First of all, corn finger meters are not engineered for planting other crops; they do a fair job with sweet corn.

I just recently ran his meters on my test stand. His meters are in excellent shape with little wear and new brushes. We tested 3 different sizes of pumpkin seeds. The best those corn meters can do is about 65% singulation....the rest is skips and doubles.
Just to make sure for a double-check, I ran some Pioneer plateless flats in those meters and they planted 97-98% singulation....an excellent score.

Thru the years, I have tested meters for other pumpkin growers, with the same results. I have not yet tested JD Vac planter meters to see if they will do a better job.

I have tested a meter with only 6 fingers. The results are the same, except with 6 fingers you get 1/2 the total number of seeds planted.

My neighbor says he is satisfield with that 65% singulation; he said there is no need to be concerned with that since pumpkins are not that sensitive to lack of growth due to spacing or skips. They produce very well no matter how accurately they are planted. He is very happy with his pumpkin yields.

There are special meters designed for pumpkin seeds, but the price of them offsets whatever advantage they have over corn fingers for your 1/2 acre.

My advice: If your meters are in good shape, pour the pumpkin seeds in the hoppers and plant in the 30" or 38" rows your planter is set for.
Keep the weeds in control and pray for rain.

LA in WI

(quoted from post at 00:32:34 02/22/12)
Keep the weeds in control and pray for rain.

LA in WI

Click to expand...

But not too much rain or you will have Powdery Mildew.


I aim for 4-6 foot rows, with plants at 2'. Some varieties need more space, some less. Wide rows allow mechanical cultivation for longer time.

I always thought a check row planter would be interesting to try, just for the cultivation aspect...none left around here.

I run pumpkins through an AC air planter. It does 90% plus depending on the seed size(It doesn't like Big Max, Atlantic Giant, or other big squash types).


I know of another who used a White 5400 with the hopper and plate unit removed, and a rider platform added. The rider is the metering unit.