Pumpkins
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Effects of Soil Texture on Cucurbit Fruit Quality
This comparative study examined the effects of sand-loam soil versus sphagnum peat moss soilless substrate on cucurbit fruit production, specifically ripeness and BRIX index. This study spanned four (4) growing seasons beginning in 2019 and culminating in 2023. Four different popular cucurbit cultivars were seeded in early May, transplanted Memorial Day weekend in either 15-gallon…
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After a Whole Winter of Winter Squash
Okay, I lied. Well….. Maybe not totally. Although I won’t be doing another “Winter Squash Wednesday” blog or social media post (at least for a while), I did want to do one more squash blog before the spring planting season starts at the greenhouse and the spring season officially begins. In this blog, I will…
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Stripes and Spots, Oh My!
A blog about striped and stopped cucumber beetles, and how they both are cucurbit pests. Basic cultural controls, such as weed barrier, removing weeds and plant debris, and rotating crops, are key to preventing cucumber beetles from taking up residence in your cucurbit field and risking the possibility of infecting your crop with bacterial wilt.…
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Sugar and Pie Pumpkins are Sweet as Sugar…
And Perfect for Pumpkin Soup! We have now entered the chilliest days of the winter season. That time of year when everyone is planning and preparing for the warmer months ahead and staying warm inside: reading books, doing puzzles, watching movies, and if you’re anything like me, roasting a delicious winter squash from the previous…
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Precious, Precocious Pumpkins
October greetings from the farm and greenhouse! Mum season is done and I am at the halfway point of the fall 2021 semester. I feel like this month, season, and year have flown by! Before Halloween comes and goes, I wanted to write a blog about the stars of the month of October – pumpkins!…
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The Colors of Autumn
A series of photos celebrating pumpkins and winter squash that are as colorful as the changing leaves….
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When Is My Pumpkin Ready?
Some quick tips and suggestions for determining winter squash ripeness. Hello everyone and happy end of summer! We’ve made it through all the wet weather and humidity of August and are now ready to begin September! Hopefully it will be drier and A LOT cooler than the past few weeks. Whew! That sticky humidity! Before…
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Needing a Cool Breeze on a Hot Day? Your Squash Do Too!
August greetings from the farm and greenhouses! We are suffering from the triple H’s here in the Philadelphia region – hazy, hot, and humid. Whatever breeze we had today was a warm and humid one. Personally, I’m counting down the days to October and hopefully cooler weather. My childhood pet name was pumpkin and at…