Cliff's Grower Log -- October 2004

Just some notes... I'm planting. Cover crop of hairy vetch and buckwheat. I'm also putting in a garlic garden. Just can't get enough of this growing thing... I was hindered slightly as it appears the tractor needs a new water pump. While riding I get a shower of coolant. So, while I wait for the part to arrive, I'll just have to make due with the cover crop as it is.

Ah! Time for my annual "end of season notes". Things done well or done wrong, and what to try next year:

• The dome shaped hoophouses worked out great! Easy to build, and they don't get too hot during the day. By mid-June they can become half-domes, and serve as excellent wind breaks.
• I think my year was made/broken in March when I received a huge load of manure, and it was a lot fresher than I expected. All year my plants grew like crazy, leaves and vines everywhere. But fruit growth hardly happened until August. I had 80% of my pollinations abort. I think I got a super-dose of nitrogen. They say, only put manure on in the fall. They, are right.
• I still need more organic matter. I'll see how the cover crop pans out (not expecting much) and add a lot of good compost in the spring. I'm also pondering the addition of sand.
• I need better plant management. This season I didn't prune early on, as this does help with wind resistance. But, after a while my plants are really a huge mess.

Ah, here is a little tidbit that I want to remember, so I'll publish it to the world in the process: I grew some pumpkins on sand, and others on styrofoam, and dirt. Those that grew on sand had flat bottoms (undersides) while those that grew on anything else formed a cavity underneath the pumpkin. This is a big advantage for growing on sand!