2012 TEG Giant Pumpkin Contest - weigh in by 15 October

[vfem]

DH gets all insane about it. He puts tracking powder in the attic and the garage attic, sticky traps in the corners of every room, and snap traps under the cabinets. AND, he'll probably try to get me to let the dog sleep in the house for a few nights (she REEKS of fresh thawed cow manure right now)...

Our dogs are house dogs... but 2 of them are retired racing Greyhounds... so getting them to "hunt mice" just isn't going to happen... LOL Our other dog is an American Eskimo. She keeps an eye out but she's usually not as quick as the mice! ;-)

This is why I totally have an outdoor BARN-cat! Nasty mice in my house drive me nuts!

Has anyone actually planted and planned their pumpkins yet?

 

[Unclebean]

We love growing pumpkins and would like to join! I don't have seeds yet but I'll be getting some!

 

[ducks4you]

nachoqtpie, c'mon--break down and get some barn cats!! I only have 2 but I never see mice in the house, and I don't care if I spot a few in the barn.

 

[sparkles2307]

So, I am getting itchy to plant the garden. Prudence tells me that this early spring insnt real... but darnit I wanna plant things!

 

[SuperChemicalGirl]

So, I am getting itchy to plant the garden. Prudence tells me that this early spring insnt real... but darnit I wanna plant things!

I caved and started 2 of my giant watermelon seeds. I figure, if the weather holds, I'm golden. If not, I re-start seeds in 4 weeks.

 

[897tgigvib]

One time when I lived in Montana I set a Tomato out the last day of May. It got frosted on, hurt it, but it survived, barely. After that I trusted the normal plant out date of June 8th and all was well. The year there was a late frost June 23 I was just plum lucky for procrastinating and busy that year.

Now I'm back to California but in some altitude, and know season extension things like a Montanan. I'm waiting for warmer soil. Gives me time to prepare the garden more.

 

[nachoqtpie]

nachoqtpie, c'mon--break down and get some barn cats!! I only have 2 but I never see mice in the house, and I don't care if I spot a few in the barn.

Well... if I had a barn... I might! And... if my dogs wouldn't eat it... I might! LOL

We do have lots of stray cats around.. but it doesn't really seem to help. I guess that since the "strays" are really family pets that are just outside and are used to getting fed regularly (ie fat. lazy cats) that they really aren't helping much! LOL We're going to plant pumpkins in about a week...

 

[Cats Critters and Garden]

Picked up some "Big Max" pumpkin seeds today, they are suppose to be able to reach 100+ pounds. I'll be starting some of them inside soon.

 

[vfem]

Found pumpkin sprouts in my compost pile for the Halloween pumpkins we had out front. Guess I'm going to try to move the starts over into my corn rows and see how they do! Kinda nice they started for me!

 

[897tgigvib]

Even if they were hybrid pumpkins you almost always still get great Jack o lanterns! I have seed saved for several generations from a store bought pumpkin. They grow just like Connecticut Fields, but a bit taller.