Our organic pumpkin patch 2009, by Chrissie Spanton
In May, Grandpa Spanton started our nasturtium from seed so we would have flowering plants before the pumpkins grew.
In June we planted all of our pumpkins. We have an acre of pumpkins on trial so we can see what organic products work on the bugs. We planted French Marigolds, Nasturtium and Borage to ward of some of the bugs. We also planted later in the season, hoping we would miss the first round of bugs.
Everyday, I go into the patch with scotch tape, gloves and a razor blade. It takes about 2 hours to go through all of the plants. In the beginning, I did not see any squash bugs and tons of vine borer eggs. I taped them off and searched for the vine borer resting on top of the leaves. I usually go into the patch at dusk, the bugs are groggy then. My husband Richard Spanton Jr is very proud of the pumpkin patch this year. It has taken us 3 years to perfect the organic approach.
Fast forward to August 4, 2009. The pumpkins are looking good. I have been spending 2-3 hours a night in them searching for bugs. Squash bugs are more prevalent now. I am only seeing nymphs though. Yesterday I noticed about 8 batches of squash bug eggs on the backs of the leaves. I also squished 5 nymphs. For an acre of pumpkins, that isn't too bad. I taped off 4 vine borer eggs too. I did not see any vine borer damage this time.
In October of 2009 we will have:
Giant White Pumpkins, Cinderella, Blue Moon, Ghost Pumpkins, Jack-O-Lanterns, Baby Boos, and many gourds.
