Wednesday 5 December 2012

Pumpkin problems

One of the first acts at our new patch was to make some pumpkin / melon mounds. I have never grown pumpkins before and was keen to have a go, using some seeds that Bek had kindly passed on. I made three mounds and duly popped in the following seeds:
  • Pumpkin -  Buttercup
  • Pumpkin -  Australian Butter
  • Melon - Tigger
The Buttercups didn't come up - it happens. In their place I popped in  two seeds of Pumpkin - Musquee de Provence - they are both up now. The Tigger Melon (cute name for a melon - I am expecting stripes) has been successful with all 5 seeds up. The Australian Butter was also a good germinator and  threw up 5 strong seedlings. Over time, I thinned them out to two stout ones and was going to make a decision about which got pulled soon.  I was feeling rather proud of myself and was anticipating a crop.

This morning on my round of the patch I was confronted by this sight. 


One of the seedlings seems to have been stripped from its stem. It doesn't look at though it has been eaten. The other does look like it has been munched. I am not sure that they enjoyed their snack. 

Who is the culprit - possum, rabbit? I am thinking possum as I have seen some scat close to the house. 

Hmm, so today I will pop in some of the Baby Blue seeds and also invest in some protective wire to keep the critters off until the pumpkins are a suitable size.

Hope your pumpkins are doing well!





6 comments:

  1. Hi Louise, I had snails eat all my pumpkin seedlings and cucumbers...

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  2. Oh that's a shame! I haven't seen a snail here. I suspect its a little too dry. Lose one pest, gain another I guess.

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  3. There's always some creature that thinks they have more of a right to our vegies! I was thinking that was a lot of pumpkin you were planting but seems that is very wise!
    I haven't planted my butternuts out, yet. I wasn't sure where they would fit but I have a spot now and I just need to make my mounds. Pumpkins have failed miserably for me in the past so I'm determined to give them a good chance, this year.

    Oh, and how's that apron coming along?? :) I'll contact you through your shop.

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    Replies
    1. Apron is done! I was hoping you'd get on my blog . send me an email and I'll send yo photos. louisehigfields@gmail.com

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  4. How annoying! I have to admit I find pumpkins go one of two ways - they way you discovered and the one where they take over the garden. They just don't seem to do an in between.

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    Replies
    1. Now that I have lots of space, I am hoping for the take over. Bring it on. The pumpkins have a little wire cage now to protect them and so I am hoping that they will be ok. The cage will come off when they get a little bit bigger.

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