#pumpkinasks

The main pests I deal with are aphids, whiteflies, caterpillars, and leaf footed bugs, so I'm going to scatter some basil, coriander, oregano and marigolds in there because those are supposed to help repel those and/or attract insects that will kill them for me. Such as one of nature's most horrific concepts, the parasitic wasp. Plus more pollinators never hurts.

Maybe, but the kind of head start we're talking about doesn't really significantly affect the size, number, or earliness of pumpkins it'll grow, which is generally the part we care about.

It's true that favorable seed orientation can benefit emergence. In other words, if you planted two seeds "rightside up" and "upside down", I think you'd have a decent chance of seeing the RSU one break the surface slightly sooner. (Now I kinda want to do an experiment).

And in the very early seedling stage, a head start of even a single day above ground does result in a visible size advantage, so it'll seem like that one is way more robust. This is where it's easy to make the leap and figure that that one always will be more robust, and at the same magnitude compared to the other one, but it doesn't work like that. The advantage quickly gets lost as the plants mature. By the time the plants are flowering/fruiting, you wouldn't be able to tell which is which.

(Think of the way you could easily spot the size and developmental difference between a newborn and a 1-year-old kid, but that difference would be indiscernible if you looked at them at ages 40 and 41.)

Oh no! Well I've seen them be surprisingly resilient downstream from huge damage, but you might do well to encourage all the secondary rooting you can before things get worse. I doubt secondary vines can 100% take over if the main root system is effectively cut off by rot, but I have to think any amount of extra help might extend your window a little.

Try digging some shallow trenching to lay the main vine in, or at least mound up some extra soil along it, and keep it moist if it's not already.

Hmmmmmm it's hard to say what my favourite aus are because my favourites are just ones that are done well. It's easier to say that I'm not usually a supernatural, sci-fi, or coffee shop au person, but even those can be good with the right execution.

It's a sign. Pumpkin Patch 2024 here we come 🧡🧡🧡