YOUTH PUMPKIN PROJECT
EVALUATING SMALL PUMPKINS FOR CRAFTING
Liz Driscoll and Greg Hoyt
Department of Horticultural Science and Soil Science, NCSU.
Pumpkin cultivars are many and seed companies advertise some of their cultivars as excellent pumpkins for painting faces. This field experiment will supply 10 cultivars of small paintable pumpkins (Rockafellow, Apprentice, Lil Ironsides, Field Trip, Chucky, Gargoyle, Baby Pam, Iron Man, Cannon Ball, and Fall Splendor) for evaluations by 4-H clubs throughout Western North Carolina. 4-H club members will be able to visit the Research Station this fall and be exposed to pumpkin production practices.
Youth participating in the project will follow the growth and development of the pumpkins through a blog: http://the-pumpkin-project.blogspot.com/2010/08/start-of-pumpkin-project.html
They will be encouraged to interact with scientists to ask questions and leave observations through the commenting feature. The blog will pose questions for them to consider as well as showcase photos of the pumpkins over time. The project will culminate in a field experience with youth evaluating the pumpkins based on characteristics they find favorable. For example, they will look at growth patterns over time and compare it to aesthetic and functional features of the paintable pumpkins.
This study includes a spacing treatment experiment to evaluate surface area needed for maximum yield of each pumpkin cultivar (Rockafellow, Apprentice, Lil Ironsides, Field Trip, Chucky, Gargoyle, Baby Pam, Iron Man, Cannon Ball, and Fall Splendor). Pumpkins were planted on various square footage per plant. Large fruited pumpkins (>18 lbs) are typically grown on at least 18 square foot area per pumpkin vine to get maximum yields. We propose to have each pumpkin plant on a 9, 13.5, and 18 square foot planting area to see how each of these cultivars yield with this various surface area. Pumpkins were planted on June 17, 2010 with one plant per in-row spacing. All rows are on 6 ft between-row spacing, with in-row spacing of 18, 27, and 36 inches (to get the 9, 13.5, and 18 square foot surface area). Each treatment has 3 rows for a total of 15 plants per treatment. Black plastic with fumigation was applied 3 weeks before planting.
EVALUATING SMALL PUMPKINS FOR CRAFTING
Liz Driscoll and Greg Hoyt
Department of Horticultural Science and Soil Science, NCSU.
Pumpkin cultivars are many and seed companies advertise some of their cultivars as excellent pumpkins for painting faces. This field experiment will supply 10 cultivars of small paintable pumpkins (Rockafellow, Apprentice, Lil Ironsides, Field Trip, Chucky, Gargoyle, Baby Pam, Iron Man, Cannon Ball, and Fall Splendor) for evaluations by 4-H clubs throughout Western North Carolina. 4-H club members will be able to visit the Research Station this fall and be exposed to pumpkin production practices.
Youth participating in the project will follow the growth and development of the pumpkins through a blog: http://the-pumpkin-project.blogspot.com/2010/08/start-of-pumpkin-project.html
They will be encouraged to interact with scientists to ask questions and leave observations through the commenting feature. The blog will pose questions for them to consider as well as showcase photos of the pumpkins over time. The project will culminate in a field experience with youth evaluating the pumpkins based on characteristics they find favorable. For example, they will look at growth patterns over time and compare it to aesthetic and functional features of the paintable pumpkins.
This study includes a spacing treatment experiment to evaluate surface area needed for maximum yield of each pumpkin cultivar (Rockafellow, Apprentice, Lil Ironsides, Field Trip, Chucky, Gargoyle, Baby Pam, Iron Man, Cannon Ball, and Fall Splendor). Pumpkins were planted on various square footage per plant. Large fruited pumpkins (>18 lbs) are typically grown on at least 18 square foot area per pumpkin vine to get maximum yields. We propose to have each pumpkin plant on a 9, 13.5, and 18 square foot planting area to see how each of these cultivars yield with this various surface area. Pumpkins were planted on June 17, 2010 with one plant per in-row spacing. All rows are on 6 ft between-row spacing, with in-row spacing of 18, 27, and 36 inches (to get the 9, 13.5, and 18 square foot surface area). Each treatment has 3 rows for a total of 15 plants per treatment. Black plastic with fumigation was applied 3 weeks before planting.
