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Want pumpkins this fall? Time to get planting
Growing your own fall decorations
Written by Abby Read
Raising your own pumpkin patch, whether it is for decorations or pies, can be a fun a way to introduce gardening for your family.
Even though pumpkin season is several months away, it’s important to know the prime pumpkin-planting time is now.
Russ Wallace, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service vegetable specialist, Lubbock provides tips and basic requirements for growing your own personal pumpkin patch.
Pumpkin planting season in Texas is summer
Sunlight hours and temperature play an important role in how well pumpkins grow in Texas. While too much sunlight and extremely hot weather can damage some plants, pumpkins thrive in early Texas summers.
Different varieties need various amounts of days to become completely ripe. You should choose the planting variety based on when you plan on harvesting your pumpkins for your fall activities.
“The best time of year to plant pumpkins is from early May through June, but it also depends on the variety to be grown,” Wallace said. “Some varieties mature in 85 days while others may not mature for 120 days. So those with 120 days to harvest should be planted early.”
Pumpkins require good drainage to thrive
Knowing the soil in your area is crucial as pumpkins thrive in soils with good drainage. Without good soil, pumpkins might need a change to their water intake, explained Wallace.
“Pumpkins can grow on any soil that has good drainage. In the High Plains pumpkins are generally grown on sandy loams to clay loams,” Wallace said. “If grown on sandier soils they will require more irrigation.”
If the soil in your area does not drain water well, adding organic matter such as peat moss and compost to the soil will give it better drainage. This should allow the soil to become suitable for growing pumpkins and other plants that need good drainage.
Pumpkin water requirements may be higher than you think
With their growing season in the middle of Texas’s hot and dry summers, it’s important to keep in mind that pumpkins need a lot of water to thrive.
“Pumpkins require about 25-30 inches of rain plus irrigation,” Wallace said. “They need most of their water when the fruit is developing/maturing. If water is not uniformly applied while fruit is maturing, the ends of the pumpkins may not fully develop. We see that a lot in high heat, drought conditions.”
Proper watering conditions will set your pumpkin plants up for successful ripening for harvest. Irrigation and good, draining soil will help your pumpkin patch thrive in Texas weather.
Oct. 7 is the last day to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election.
Voters also should double check their voter registration to make sure all the information is up-to-date. Go to votetexas.gov on the Texas Secretary of State’s website to make any address changes.
Registering to vote in Texas is easy, simply complete a voter registration application on the SOS website and return it to your county election office at least 30 days before the upcoming election date.
Fill in the required information, print and sign the complete application. At this late date it may be best to deliver the registration form in person to the election office in the courthouse annex at Montague.
Any additional information on voter registration can be seen on the county website at co.montague.tx.us, click on elections. Direct any questions to the office at 894-2540.
Marty Hilton and his crew with City of Saint Jo Public Works pulled an all nighter repairing an eight-inch water main break along U.S. 82 and Boggess Street. The break was reported around noon on Wednesday. City officials said one of the hardest parts was digging on U.S. 82 and when large trucks would go by the vibrations kept making the walls fall down causing them to be dug out again. The repair was completed at 10:30 a.m. Thursday and the water turned back on. The city is under a boil order until the water tests are complete, which can’t happen until Monday when the lab reopens. (Courtesy photo)
Tawni Jones Ledbetter was arrested on July 10 by law officers in Hood County on a warrant for making a false statement to the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission.
Ledbetter was released from jail on $10,000 bond. While the former owner of The Rack lists Bowie as where she lives, she also remarried earlier this year to a man who resides in Granbury.
The TABC complaint could be handled as a misdemeanor according to the public information office, but additional details were unavailable as of presstime. The PIO indicated it depends on the specific type of case and he did not have the warrant information at the time of the call.
Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.
CORRECTION – In the Wednesday Bowie News this article in the print edition stated Ledbetter was the owner of The Rack, this is incorrect. She is no longer owner of this business. We apologize for this error.
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