I don't make beds. I make plots that are 50' wide. Then I plant across the 50' side.

As far as your bottom ground, I have a cattle farmers that would plant her pumpkins in the washed out areas, to help keep the ground from washing more.

Just check out where you would sell your produce BEFORE you plant. Nothing worse than to have alot of something that you can't get rid of.

I didn't check, what part of the country are you from?

Im in Central MO.

Plowing and planting in the spring will work as long as you don't get too much rain. You can't plow mud. And your pumpkin planting needs to take place in June to be ready by October.
plastic mulch works well with tomato growing.
I agree about knowing your market ahead of time.

Around here we try to have pumpkins and winter squash by the 1st of October at the latest. That gives you enough time to sell them all. I start bringing in the winter squash and decorative pumpkins after Labor Day.

You might check if there are local farmers market or produce auctions in your areas.

I have an uncle in Northwest MO, just south of Iowa, east of Kansas, he grows vegetables, and takes em to Kansas City, they have a Mosterous farmers market.

Now first thing you need to do if you want to stand a chance to stay ahead of the weeds, (been there done that) with a spring plowing is to wait till green up, then spray glyphosphate at the highest rate you can afford, be sure to mix with ammonium sulphate for the best results, wait about a week to plow, youll be fine, the weeds will be knocked back sufficently so as you can stay ahead with cultivating, but beings that you work off farm Id wait after plowing for the newly exposed weed seeds to sprout then spray again, wait three days then disc. Then youll be as good as if you fall plowed, albeit a little behind, and youll stay behind all season.
josh

Josh,

Did you mean Monstrous? Giganic

I have to use spell check all the time.

Eric

I can type pretty fast, but with lousy spelling, if I was a secretary theyd fire me :0) Yeah I mean huge, big, block party
josh

Whatever you do, try to get pumpkins seeded as early as possible. Once you get into late June and especially July its not so much a maturity problem most varieties will mature even seeded early July but a virus problem from aphids. The later you seed the worse virus will be. Also keep a close eye out for downy mildew...Bob.

Ok. I read an article put out by the University of Missouri and they said the 4th of July was optimal for pumpkins. I did some this year about the beginning of June and it seemed like they ran out of steam. I had some major bug issues and that was more of an issue than planting date, I imagine.

July 4th is ideal IF you want to have pumpkins ONLY for 10/31. Most people will buy their pumpkins LONG before that. I start selling some as early as Labor Day, of course, those people are not worrying about them getting cut and keeping til Halloween. I STRONGLY recommend that any pumpkin that will be cut for decoration, that the people wait til about 7-10 days before Halloween to cut them.

As far as them running out of steam, if your area had a year like I had, I'm not surprised. And the bugs probably had more to do with the 'lack of steam' that you might be aware of.

Most of the varieties that I know have 100+ days maturity, and if you back=date from Halloween, you will be mid-late July. Old-timers have said plant by 7/4 for Halloween. I try to have all of my planting done by then because I'll be picking tomatoes and everything else and don't have time to plant and pick.