Pumpkins

Hello All,

I am planting a pumpkin patch in soil that was tested as being sandy loam, being slighting acidic 5.5, and low-medium in nitrogen and almost all the other major macronutrients. I added aged cow manure, and my partner added lime, and bone meal. I planted a row of seeds and tried my best to mix the lime/bone meal, manure, and local soil together but then I started to worry that the added lime and bone meal might have ill effects on the seeds ability to germinate. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thank you!

I bet you'll have zero trouble germinating the seeds. Pumpkins love to germinate, and FAST. The trouble (if it exists) would show up once the roots start growing and feeding. And that would only be trouble it you added too much lime, or if it hasn't dissolved enough yet and the roots hit "hot" spots.

If you added the lime in a calculated amount to balance the acidic soil, then you'll come out neutral and be ok.

Thanks Matt,   Do you know about how long it generally takes for lime to dissolve?  

Depends on the grind size. A powder would likely integrate into the soil with a good rain. Really not sure about granules.

Worst case scenario: they sprout and then die off. If so, you could just scoop some dirt aside, making a nice 6 inch divot in your questionable soil. Then fill it with potting mix, plant your seeds there, and hope that the rest of the soil will have mellowed by the time the pumpkin roots reach it.