Howdy
I have 5 Jackolantern pumpkin vines going and not a lot of room for them. The only sun my yard gets is along the chain link fence on the south side of my yard. (Minnesota) the vine that looks the best immediately grew up the chain link fence and now I have been weaving it along the fence (mid-way up). I don't think the vine is in danger of being chocked off by the fence.
I do have a female flower that is just about to open, if this pumpkin gets going, what should I do to make sure the weight of the pumpkin doesn't pull the vine off the fence and break? The female flower is about 3 feet off the ground.
Should I make a fabric sling for it that is tied to the fence? If so, what material would be best? Build a platform for it?
Thanks in advance!
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applestar
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Sling is your best bet. You want to use a material that sheds water and is quick drying. I've used nylon pantyhose and tights, as well as net bags that produce like lemons and onions are sold in.
Advantage of net bags is that you can see what's going on inside. Advantage of pantyhose and tights is that they expand to accommodate the fruits as they grow. They can also supply some shade for the fruit to prevent sun scald if opaque. I've seen pictures of pantyhose legs tied into a hammock for very large pumpkins, but what I usually use is the panty portion.
I cut off the legs and knot them closed, then make some holes just below the waist band and weave haystring through to make a cinch. Put the fruit in the seat and tie the top closed leaving sufficient gap for the vine and tie the string in such a way that the weight of the fruit is supported by the string rather than the vine.
You can do the same with sufficiently large net bag. Here's one I made for a melon:
Advantage of net bags is that you can see what's going on inside. Advantage of pantyhose and tights is that they expand to accommodate the fruits as they grow. They can also supply some shade for the fruit to prevent sun scald if opaque. I've seen pictures of pantyhose legs tied into a hammock for very large pumpkins, but what I usually use is the panty portion.
I cut off the legs and knot them closed, then make some holes just below the waist band and weave haystring through to make a cinch. Put the fruit in the seat and tie the top closed leaving sufficient gap for the vine and tie the string in such a way that the weight of the fruit is supported by the string rather than the vine.
You can do the same with sufficiently large net bag. Here's one I made for a melon:
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Thanks! The flower I mentioned in my first post fell off, but now a bigger one is getting established about 5 feet up. Too bad it will be hanging on the other side of the fence. The neighbor doesn't care though, his garden is coming through the fence too.
A couple of follow-up questions.
-I have a produce bag that is cotton mesh, would that be ok to use as a sling? would it dry fast enough? I noticed the ones you mentioned were not cotton.
-What should I be feeding these vines to make sure I give them the best chance to produce well? All I have been doing is giving them some compost from my bin as it becomes available around the base of the vine.
-should I be bury the vine up to where it starts climbing the fence or is that unnecessary?
- Water every day?
Thanks again!!
A couple of follow-up questions.
-I have a produce bag that is cotton mesh, would that be ok to use as a sling? would it dry fast enough? I noticed the ones you mentioned were not cotton.
-What should I be feeding these vines to make sure I give them the best chance to produce well? All I have been doing is giving them some compost from my bin as it becomes available around the base of the vine.
-should I be bury the vine up to where it starts climbing the fence or is that unnecessary?
- Water every day?
Thanks again!!