Pumpkins Galore
Oklahoma State University Dept. of Agriculture conducts field trials but we/I rarely find out about the presentations. Tonight I had the opportunity to go to one at the Bixby Vegetable Research Station. (Thanks to Sue Gray)
We had the opportunity to walk through the beds and take a look at the varieties that they were testing. Pumpkins are planted in June and harvested in September.
Equally interesting was the growers conversations I overheard among the growers. They talked about the varieties they grew and how few pumpkins were on the vines at the Research Station.
But the star of the presentation was the windbreak of grain planted between the rows of pumpkins. Sorghum sudan haygrazer was planted to help prevent aphids and mildew problems with the pumpkin crop.
The pumpkin seeds were planted June 21 and the haygrazer seeds were planted the next day. They used preemergent to help with weed control, insecticide and fungicide spray were applied every two weeks, 46-0-0 nitrogen was the fertilizer of choice, and watering was from an overhead system.
With that said, the grain is a beautiful and functional forage plant. It's popularly grown for maze making.
I'd like to get ahold of some of the haygrazer seeds. Wouldn't you love to grow a few rows feed the birds next fall?
We had the opportunity to walk through the beds and take a look at the varieties that they were testing. Pumpkins are planted in June and harvested in September.
Equally interesting was the growers conversations I overheard among the growers. They talked about the varieties they grew and how few pumpkins were on the vines at the Research Station.
But the star of the presentation was the windbreak of grain planted between the rows of pumpkins. Sorghum sudan haygrazer was planted to help prevent aphids and mildew problems with the pumpkin crop.
The pumpkin seeds were planted June 21 and the haygrazer seeds were planted the next day. They used preemergent to help with weed control, insecticide and fungicide spray were applied every two weeks, 46-0-0 nitrogen was the fertilizer of choice, and watering was from an overhead system.
With that said, the grain is a beautiful and functional forage plant. It's popularly grown for maze making.
I'd like to get ahold of some of the haygrazer seeds. Wouldn't you love to grow a few rows feed the birds next fall?
Comments