Planting Rye.
To plant a field of pumpkins we must first plant a field of rye. We plant rye in the fall between mid October and mid November. Here is a picture of how we plant rye. We use a tractor to pull a grain drill. The grain drill parts the dirt, drops the correct amount of seed in, covers it up, and presses it in.
Field of Rye.
This is a picture of the rye was taken in mid May. It has a height of about 5 feet at this time. The rye is starting to bloom at this point, which means it is ready to be mowed down for preparation for pumpkin planting.
Mowing Rye.
We mow the rye using GPS technology. The GPS helps to keep the passes straight and consistently spaced.
Planting Pumpkins.
To plant the pumpkins, We use a six row corn planter. We actually only use two of the six rows to plant the pumpkins.
Pumpkins coming up.
Here the pumpkins are starting to come up. You can see the rye laying on the ground. This rye will help deter weeds, help hold the soil moisture, and keeps the pumpkins cleaner by them not laying in the dirt.
Growing pumpkin vines.
Here the pumpkins are vining out. Soon the blossoms will be out waiting for the honey bees to pollinate so they will make fruit.
Harvest Time.
The honey bees have done their job to pollinate the flowers. Now we are here to harvest the pumpkins.
