It never ceases to amaze me just how fast pumpkins grow at this point of the season. For us moisture has been very good since the first week after transplanting. These plants have been in the field right at a month. Pumpkins are starting to vine out and I just put on a side dress nitrogen application on 7/25. We don’t have much fruit set yet, but there are female flowers starting to form, hopefully this predicted cool down around the first of August will coincide with some good temperatures for fruit set and development. Now is the time to really start scouting for insects and diseases, powdery mildew first and foremost. Make sure to check vines and undersides of leaves when looking for signs of early infection and start a preventative fungicide program for optimal control. Check out the Midwest Vegetable Production Guide for more details on diseases and products.
Our area has definitely been in the heart of the summer heat and humidity. Temperatures have been in the 90s for most of July especially the last half of the month. Rainfall has been very scattered at best however most places have seen some rain this month. At my house we have had 5.73 inches for the month (through 7/29). We did catch 2.64 inches the afternoon of 7/20, but we are fortunate to not have gotten any of the excessive outburst of rain with many storms tracking more to the north or south. All in all the crops look very good and most have had enough rain to get them through the heat. The humidity is very high so that helps reduce water stress on crops, its just not pleasant for us as workers.
Sweet corn harvest made it easily by July 4th this year for most. Most main season summer vegetables are doing well, but I will say that field tomatoes seem to be later to set fruit and now ripen but they are otherwise looking good. Melons are starting to come in as well. We are in the midst of peaches and many really good varieties coming up for harvest in the next few weeks.