How to Grow Pumpkins & Melons in Pits || Black Gumbo
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Want a pumpkin patch or great summer watermelons? Who doesn't love a sprawling vine with giant fruit? This method of planting pumpkins, melons, squash and even cucumbers works great. Its a composting pit with all the nasty refuse of the fridge, the unfinished compost pile, roadkill and anything else you can imagine. Certain plants can use that unfinished compost in the bottom of a pit, just plant right on top. I'll show you how easy it is. I've used this method for three years now and it has performed well.
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Black Gumbo shares our suburban, backyard, sustainable gardening efforts. We work a small-scale, typical Zone 9a garden and raised beds, the kind of gardening accessible to all. We tend to take the slice of life approach and hope you will enjoy our family, our dog, our cooking, our adventures, and occasionally some commentary and advice. We love family, joy and friendship, and we invite you to enjoy these things with us!
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WOW! you throw steak away.... I'm flabbergasted.
Always excellent to see Phoebe Sharona.
Listen, I know we’re supposed to be focused on the gardening but am I the only one that thinks that shirt and hat combo is so sharp? 👍🏻
Thank you. :-) That's one of my favorite hats.
Now she talks with shirt and hat. 🤣
@@MyChilepepper 😆
No, you are not. I was thinking the same thing, but, this was a garden video. 😂
I like Phoebe!
I'm in west central Florida and tonite is our last cool nite in the 50's. Tomorrow I plant my Seminole pumpkins. Can't wait.
My seminole pumpkins and watermelons are going in this weekend. This is the method I'll be using for the first time.
I've planning to plant one melon hole tomorrow! Also have Seminole pumpkins.
Just discovered u .ha now I'm learning you pit methods
These videos are great! Thanks for sharing all your knowledge.
Outstanding method my friend!
I have got to try this method. Thanks for sharing.
I plan on trying this method this year! I think it is a great way to save some space. Kansas Zone 6a
Great information.
I'm liking my melon pit. I went as far as planting the three sisters: winter squash, corn and bush beans. Maybe I went overboard but I like to experiment so we'll see what happens. So far I have squash seedlings, Corn was planted 2nd so I have small seedlings and I just planted bush beans today.
I remember watching you do this idea last year, we've just had a big tree taken down and this idea sprang to mind, I'll probably be cutting out roots as well.. anyway I'm trying the Mashed Potato squash this year.. I've been saving old banana skins to dump in the bottom, fingers crossed..
Grew Seminole squash/pumpkins last year and was really impressed. One seed grew into a huge plant with lots of fruit. It handled the vine borers better than anything else I've grown.
This is very informative and helpful. I recently did a single seed challenge activity with my 7 yr old and her 3 cousins. They all germinated and one of the cousins chose pumpkin. I will recommend this video to her so she knows how to care for it. Thanks for the info great video 👌🏽
Your video inspired me not only to dig melon pits, but also to go buy a skill saw! I’ve always spent hours whacking at roots with my shovel and eventually giving up, I don’t know why I never thought to use a power tool. Genius!
Fish yes .I am of a certain age I was always taught no meat products . 🤔
thats a cool way to do it scott i'll have to try it..BTW i did get the seed's you sent..i will put together a nice video to thank you.
JOHN
Adding gypsum to your soil with help break the clay up and clay is actually rich in minerals. It takes 2 years roughly however you are assisting that with digging and planting.
Growing in a pit! Love seeing something new to me in the garden. Thanks!
I love butternut squash. They store extremely well. I can't wait to see you grow the hybrid variety.
Oh, I love this idea. I have an area where we had several trees removed last year and it's not quite where I want it to be in terms of planting landscape additions, but I do want to get some ground cover going and squash plants are perfect for filling a space quickly!
It is great timing for me to see this video . I want to try growing cantaloupe and little watermelons for the first time.(even tho my growing season up North here is very short.) I love the weird and interesting way to plant in the pumpkin/melon pits ! So I think I may be trying. it this year . Time to clean out my frig real soon ... lol ... My ground is all sand ... Wish me luck ! 😊
Planted winter luxury pumpkin this year. Can’t wait. Wish I had an area that I could use this type of method. ❤️🙏🏻
Okay - I'm in. I got a couple of sweet type melons I want to try this year ... this will be the method. Love the introduction. Thank you!
I followed your instructions last spring & did my pumpkins, it worked great! I’m planning on doing it again & add some melons too! We are way too early yet to plant but getting ready! Thanks for this video, great content, as always!
Thanks for this video Scott, my neighbour kindly lets me grow in her garden so I have more growing space and this method will be really good for a bit of her garden that is overgrown and I won't have time to clear it...I can just dig a few holes for my pumpkins and as they grow they will cover the weeds 😊. Thanks so much 😊
I'm in League City so your videos are always right on the money for me. Great stuff Scott.
Thanks, neighbor.
Gosh, I just posted a very similar video in the context of killing off my lawn - and needing to deal with my hard clay! This is how I will be planting pumpkins this year! My pumpkin pit will be vegan though since that's what I am!! Lol!
I've never heard of this method, it's very interesting! And as always, phoebe is adorable 😁
Pumpkins and gourds are some of my fave plants. I'm looking forward to watching yours grow. I wish I could grow pumpkins here in Florida. I tried many years in a row. Always failures. My channel started as a pumpkin patch channel. But we have powdery mildew and melon worms. It's why we have to import pumpkins from other states and don't have true you pick pumpkin patches. I didn't even know that was a thing til a few years ago. Anyway, I get to enjoy yours.
Fun listening to you today. Great ideas for fertilizing your pits. Good luck!
I live close to where the South Anna’s originated...and I’m growing them for the first time as well. I’ve seen your previous video on pits, so I’ve got my mounds all prepared. Can’t wait to see how they do! I didn’t put in any scraps, but made my own mix of sifted forest soil and composted manure. Looking forward to hopefully getting some big butternuts..
I love your anti-Phoebe fence! Lol
The pit probably draws lots if earthworms too. Thanks for the info!
That's similar to what I did. I just used a flat shovel to cut the grass about 1 1/2 - 2" deep, then dug 14 - 16" of dirt out then buried the grass in the bottom. I'm trying the 3 sisters method. If the corn would ever come up that is! 😎
I have a fence corner just like yours right now where we cut down an old water oak a year ago, and shredded the stump and let it settle for a year. I put in two raised beds and I definitely have room to try out one of these pits! Just need to decide what i want to plant in it!
Interesting method.
Very interesting- we’ll watch it grow with you! Was always told not to use meat or bones -but don’t always do as I’m told 😉
I finally found a bunch of eggs my chickens were laying under a bench. They need to go somewhere quick.
I'm growing melons and pumpkins for the first time this year- however I've started seedlings already and am going to just place the starts in the "pit". Fingers crossed!!
Ima try
I'm doing hulless pumpkins (oilseed or "pepitas") this year- took me FOREVER to find them in stock, ended up having to get them from Ukraine. I'll (probably) be doing all mine in pits too, with alfalfa cubes, eggs, and whatever else I can round up.
Cheap kibble is another thing you can dump in a pit. Just make sure it's covered REALLY WELL. Once it starts to decay the smell seems to stick around longer than other things.
Phoebe has a special anti-Phoebe fence!!
I've been growing parsley for years, it just keeps coming back. I'm planting more this spring in another bed. I'm also going to start Italian Sage this year, it's been a few since I've done it./ You have a nice amount of herbs. Take care!
This is awesome but there's something really comical about buying milk and steak and asparagus in a hole in your yard hahahaha
A very timely video, thank you Scott. My garden takes up about 1/3rd of my backyard. It starts near the house, is about 15 feet wide, and runs along the south fence. But it doesnt go all the way to the back fence. It ends at a bush the previous owners planted and there is about 25 feet from the bush to the back fence. Im going to cut down the bush and extend the garden to the back fence next year. But this year I need to plant some watermelons, my wife loves watermelon. I was thinking on how to plant them. A pit is a good idea, and I could put them where a raised bed will be so improving the soil isnt a total waste. I could even use some half finished compost in the bottom of the pits to help with the clay.
Sounds like a great idea. I am hoping over the years that pits like these will be scattered over an area and like you, hope they will contribute to breaking up the clay.
@@ScottHead Dealing with clay seems to be a widespread concern regardless of zone. :) Its the main reason I do mainly container gardening. The pits seem like a perfect fit. I think next years garden extension will have true in ground raised beds. The melons will also likely help kill off the grass and weeds in that area.
i'm east of you in louisiana and i can highly recommend the seminole tan pumpkins.
I have been keeping meat bones for months to throw in the bottom of my giant atlantic pumpkin pit. Only 2 more weeks before the last frost date!!!
Hi
Darn dog
So not fair to doggie
Every year I lose my vines to vine borers. I am curious to see how this progresses.
Thanks Scott for the content! I was looking to start my watermelons and pumpkins soon but the thing is, I started growing my watermelon seeds in trays because I didn’t know much about growing them. Should I move over the seedlings to the ground? I’m unsure what to do at this point. Thanks.
You can transplant them but be very careful not to disturb the roots as much as possible.
My butternut squash were all completely destroyed by vine borers last year. Very sad. Every single plant. I got one immature fruit to harvest hahahaa.
@scott head.... I love this channel!! What’s your opinion of “3 in 1” apple trees. I have limited space and most apple trees require a pollinator. Thank you♥️
I think such trees are a fantastic way to get pollination going.
@@ScottHead ... that’s all I needed to hear!! Ordering now. Thank you so much.♥️♥️
How deep do you usually dig the pit? I have some Seminole pumpkins I still need to plant.
18" to 30", depends on how hard the soil is and how well my back is doing, lol.
I'm in the Katy area and trying this method with seminole pumpkins and butternut squash. Thanks for the idea! I think I need to start thinning these out a bit. Do you generally keep 1 plant for pit or more than that? I had 6-7 sprout at each pit.
I leave 2 or three vines per pit.
@@ScottHead thank you!
What time of year are you planting your pumpkins? I’m in Hempstead, just north of Houston. We are injecting BT into the stems of our summer squash when they are about 12” tall. No loss to vine borers this year. Bumper crop of squash. Is pumpkin vine hollow enough to do the same?
Between March and July. You might get a few successes if you plant right now, but we are in the marginal portion of the planting time. I'd go for it.
I live in San Antonio and also have very heavy clay soil. I always thought if I dug a hole like this I would have serious drainage issues. Do you just water less or do you not have issues with drainage?
It gets so hot the plants wick up all the water I give them, especially in the summer. So the hole, though it is slow to drain, never seems to hold any moisture for long. Melons and pumpkins have huge biomass in their leaves and vines, they are big plants, so they use up water quickly.
Would diatomaceous earth on the stems of the pumpkins and melons help against the moth laying it’s eggs? I’ve been using it on different things and it seems to help. I’m using a swiffer duster to use it like a powder puff and dust my tomatoes a little here and there.
I could be helpful I suppose, never tried it on squash types.
Have you used this for any other plants like tomatoes peppers etc?
Just melons and squashes.
We are in very different zones. What should the average temperature be about for me to start a melon pit?
I like to have days in the high 70s to low 80s, night in the 60s
@@ScottHead Thank you. I am going to try it with Tendersweet Orange watermelons.
Will u Lin where u purchase from .it will be helpful for me in Mauriceville and sis and her guy in Manville
Check my other comment, I buy from online sources.
Scott, what cultivator did you grow last year?
Kogigu. Did well.
@@ScottHead thanks. Question: Why do you grow pumpkins in our area if you don't eat them? What do you do with them?
I do eat them, they are delicious. Did I say I did not eat them? I can't remember. I have not been able to get many yet though since I am trying to hone in on the cultivar that performs best. If I didn't eat them though, I'd grow them for the ground cover, for the fun of it, and because they can make great compost.
Nice...why didnt you plant Seminole pumpkins if thats what you wanted?
No seeds on hand.
Ok...I planted some starts yesterday.
Your clay looks like sandy loam compared to ours. And we are just 10 minutes north of you.
Depends on the part of the yard.
Can I use chicken poop at the bottom?
Sure, good stuff.
Was that really a dead rat? :-)
Yes, excellent source of nutrition.