The plants in the grow box have been slow and steady, with none of the crazy burst of growth I’ve had in the past, resulting in very leggy plants. Sure things might be taking a little longer (or feels like they have) but I can live with that if I end up with a good looking seedling.
Now that I have the first true leaf, I can easily orientate the plant the right way in the patch. I took it out of the box and left it in a shady spot outside to let it get more accustomed to the temp change.
Transplanting
This it the 748kg (1650lb) Werner seed, it fascinates me so I’ve kept it in the box under the light just to see how it goes, I’ve nicknamed it the Mutant
I put the hoop house structure up again, notice the not quite pristine white colour on the end after being outside for a good part of winter.
The 789.5kg (1740.5lb) Harris was put into the patch, and actually looks better in real life than this photo, which makes it look like it’s sitting weirdly, but must be from the angle I took the photo.
It had good looking roots on it, which I forgot to take a photo of. Hopefully there has been minimal shock to the plant and it can start doing its thing and growing.
If this is your first time growing, the pumpkin vines will grow in the opposite direction of the first true leaf, which is the little one in the middle. Makes it handy so you don’t have to try and turn vines later on.
Checking the Forecast
The next 5 days weather forecast predicts there won’t be any really cold nights, which is handy. But you never know what will happen. Make sure to keep an eye on the forecast, and covering your plant overnight if you are concerned about any potential frost damage.
Working out Fertiliser
Next up is working out the application rate for the liquid product I have from Agrifert. While one litre of product doesn’t go into much water, when reading the directions that small amount of water is enough to do a hectare of grass.
I’m using the blue drum for that product, and of course, I’m watering in the very small patch to help feed a giant pumpkin plant which is a hungry plant. I think it will be a bit of trial and error to work out the best rates and how much to use, but I do know it will be better than not using anything and better than last years season.
Growing giant pumpkins is a passion that I love sharing. 🎃 If you’ve found my content helpful or entertaining, why not say thanks with a coffee? ☕
It’ll fuel my next giant pumpkin adventure!
