NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS — A pumpkin planting alert has recently been sent out to all the residents of Nieu-Bethesda and this serves to notify those from further afield that it is time.
Your complimentary pumpkin seeds can be collected from 'Die Padstal' or Ian Alleman in Nieu-Bethesda.
If you plant them now and nurture them using secret growing techniques and masterful gardening skills, they will be ready for the annual 'Pump-Palooza' which will take place over 2019's Easter weekend in Nieu-Bethesda.
This year the pumpkin festival hub has been shifted to 'Die Padstal' at the edge of the village.
There are fabulous prizes (and of course titles) up for grabs - so the public is encouraged to plant those pumpkin pips as soon as you can.
There are a few secrets to growing a decent pumpkin:
- they need a lot of sunlight and should be protected from wind and rain - use a shade tent on very hot days.
- they need a lot of water, but not wet or dense soil - it must be well drained and somewhat sandy.
- fertilize the pumpkin patch with 10cm of rotting cow manure - the soil must be slightly acid or nearly neutral.
- The male flowers show up first, followed by the females. (They have a baby pumpkin at the end of the flower) The vine must be very strong before letting the female flower set fruit. You should break off the first 2 females on each vine and wait for the 3rd when the vine is about 2 metres long. You can hand pollinate the female flower with a paintbrush taking pollen from the male flower.
- The more healthy leaves you have, the more nutrients there will be for your pumpkin.
- Train the vine away from the pumpkin as it grows.
- Allow for only one potential prize-winner to grow... pluck off the other pumpkins. Give your plant 15-20 gallons of water twice a week, near the stem, in the evenings - pumpkins do most of their growing at night.
The pumpkin experts in Nieu-Bethesda look forward to some giants in 2019!
'We bring you the latetst Nieu-Bethesda, Karoo news'
