Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 136 Entries. Thursday, February 11 View Page With the spirit of the Olympics in the air, I thought is was a good time to start my 2010 diary. GO CANADA GO!! Thursday, February 11 View Page Today the olympic torch relay passed by the end of my street so I wanted down there to take in the festivities. Along comes the athlete with the flame cheering with the crowd! Thursday, February 11 View Page As she got closer, something was happening and I could tell that the excitement was building. Thursday, February 11 View Page Then, all of a sudden, another athlete emerges from the crowd and they go through the ceremony of lighting a new torch and continuing the run. That one cop to the right was a bit in the way of the photo but I managed to capture the flame passing just at the right time....pretty cool!! Sunday, February 21 View Page Equal opportunity employer. What a great job! Sunday, February 21 View Page Nice fresh ice..getting ready for today that the press is calling "Super Sunday" All the super-powers in hockey are competing for placement in the next round. 3 games in a row and other events...our town is nuts right now!! Sunday, February 21 View Page He was amazing to watch, we had great seats!! Saturday, April 10 View Page Caught my patch buddy Cole by surprise snoozing in the tall rye in the patch. Today is tilling day and I will add the granular humic acid, kelp meal and a few other ammendments before putting up the hoophouse to warm the soil. Planting time is not too far away so we've got to take advantage of the nice sunny weather right now. Going orange again this year and planting the 993 Vincent/McGill and 1370 Rose in my home patch. Steve also going orange again this year and will plant the 1059 Vincent/McGill. A bunch of new North Shore growers are giving it a try again this year so I will be starting a bunch of seeds and also our cousin Moira and family are going to be giving growing a giant the college try this year....should be fun!! Saturday, April 17 View Page We were able to till the patch last weekend and I'm really pleased with the tilth of the soil. This year I rented a larger 2 speed self propelled honda tiller that sure made the job alot easier. Having the self propelled front wheels and the rear tines made for a nice deep and easy tilling. Added a few ammendments as per mentor suggestions and prepared for putting up the hoophouse. Saturday, April 17 View Page Since I am a backyard grower with only 1 patch, I rotate my planting spots each year. This year the planting spots will be back closer to the neighbours fence and plants growing towards my house and secondaries out towards the sides. I've started some of my 728 seeds and Steve's 467 seeds for other local growers that grow without the aid of a hoophouse. I like to give those growers larger plants that have grown under lights for about a week and then in larger pots out in the hoophouse....gives that plant a fighting chance when planted and not protected in early May. I'll be starting the 1370 Rose and 993 Vincent/McGill for my home patch in about 2 weeks along with a 1059 Vincent/McGill for Steve. Friday, April 23 View Page In less than 36 hours the 993 and 1059 Vincent/McGill and the 1370 Rose germinated. Using the wet paper towel in zip lock baggy on top of the hot water heater method has worked brilliantly again this year! We also have a bunch of Steve's 467 seeds (904 Northrup x 919 Richards) and my 728 seeds (919 Richards x self) at various stages of growth and seedlings for give-aways to others to grow. Steve's 467 seeds are the best and easiest to start and I've had nearly 100% success this year with those. Monday, April 26 View Page ...2 days in the pots and then in the hoophouse in another couple days. I usually have them in the ground end of April or first weekend in May so on the same track this year. Wednesday, May 5 View Page All the backyard gardeners can appreciate this photo. 8 yards of rich manure based compost (triple mix) that will require moving one wheelbarrow at a time over the front lawn, down the side of the house and into the patch. My stockpile from last year was used cover vines when burying secondaries and the rest of our flower beds were due for a top-dressing anyways, so we decided to get another stockpile for the pumpkin patch this year. Some of this will go over to a buddies house where his son will be growing again this year and some will be going over to my buddy Steve's house where he will also stockpile and use for covering/burying vines....the rest I am moving today. Monday, May 10 View Page So my cousin Moira (Mo here on bp.com) is ready for her first season with big pumpkins and was given a couple of seedlings to plant in her renovated pumpkin patch. One day last week she decided (after several wobbly-pops) that it was planting day and despite repeated email instructions on planting....she managed to get the plant in the opposite way that it was going to vine. She carefully lifted and re-positioned and has yet to update me or her diary as to the success or failure of the operation. I did get a nice email from her and she promised "no more drunken gardening" which as we know...is a good idea. Friday, May 14 View Page The 993 plant growing good and enjoying our nice weather we have going right now. After 9 years of teamwork in the patch with my lovely wife, she has taken on the 993 Vincent/McGill plant as hers and expects to do well in the Nanaimo weighoff this fall. We've always grown together, yet she has never had one officially weighed...that changes this year. Friday, May 14 View Page ...and the 1370 Rose also starting to bend over and look for more room to grow. It really does help planting them on a slight angle towards where they should fall. I expect to have to cut that "kickstand" second leaf off later as the vine begins to lay down. Almost every year, I need to trim that leaf off in order to assist and avoid any issues. Its always tough to trim off an early leaf at that stage but it was a great tip I got early on by one of my grower mentors....thanks for that! Friday, May 14 View Page Went out salmon and crab fising (no salmon this time) and passed by a bunch of California sea lions resting on a loading dock buoy. You can see a couple of big males standing there while the females jump into the water. Love the sea lion on the left that is in the tuck position just as it is about to enter the water...great picture Uncle Chris. Also planted Unc's pumpkin plant at his patch...his soil has never looked as good as it does now. Wednesday, May 19 View Page The rhodo bushes that border our patch are in full bloom right now....love this time of the year!! Wednesday, May 19 View Page Good example of the "kickstand" second true leaf that is now allowing the vine to settle down easily. I'll cut this leaf off in a day or 2...and it will be off and running!! Wednesday, May 19 View Page 1370 Rose plant growing nicely and vining out. Looking back at last years diary has me at about the same pace. Tuesday, May 25 View Page Over the weekend my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary by going to the coastline on Vancouver Island. This shot is from the deck of our cabin looking out. We were in Ucluelet, BC. Tuesday, May 25 View Page ...and at sunset after cooking up steak and crab on the BBQ... Tuesday, May 25 View Page Then down the road a few miles to Tofino BC, where there is a quaint little town as well with miles of beaches like this one for surfing!! Tuesday, May 25 View Page And then a big treat on the way home we stopped in Port Alberni BC to visit Elaine and Jake van Kooten. Not only did we have a great visit with them, but took in a patch and garden tour including the greenhouse and the rest of their manicured gardens in the back. A super home and garden that they should be very proud of!! Already looking forward to coffee and a visit with them again soon. Friday, June 11 View Page I saw that one of the Island Boyz is going to update his diary so I thought I better do the same. Still sharing some of its space with other plants is the 993 at about 10'. Our weather has been cold and wet when compared to previous years. Can't wait to see our electrical bill! Friday, June 11 View Page The 1370 Rose is doing well and at 5 1/2' on the main with secodaries coming in well now. It is in rocket fuel growth suddenly after stating out slowly when compared to the 993. Our weather forcast is set to improve so next update might be when the hoop needs to come down... Going to check the other Boyz patches today! Friday, June 11 View Page My friend Sadler's plant at his house. Sadler is growing Steve's 467 Perrault seed (904 Northrup x 919 Richards) from his pumpkin last year....should be orange!! His goal is a pumpkin heavier than himself...he turns 12 years old in a few weeks. Also growing the 467 seed is cousin Moira. Friday, June 11 View Page Steve has a mishap a few weeks ago with his 1059 Vincent and luckily I still had a couple of 467 plants in large pots as backups. Its a few weeks behind but will catch up quick with this good weather and should be on track for an early July pollination. He is growing his own 467 seed with hopes of a new PB and getting something larger than his brother Larry grew a few years ago...that would be great to do with your own seed!! Tuesday, June 22 View Page Went fishing this morning at the Capilano River here in North Vancouver. My buddy Jeff caught this nice little coho and we saw alot of other fish moving upstream towards the hatchery. Catch and release for wild salmon but you can keep the returning hatchery fish which is fun and boy they sure bar-b-que up nicely!! Tuesday, June 22 View Page The 993.2 Vincent/McGill on the right and 1370 Rose to the left. Both growing in flag pattern with room for nice long secondaries on the one side each. Hoop will come down in a day or two. 993.2 has a female at 12' and one in the tip as well so we are on track for late May and early July pollinations. 1370 plant is a little behind but catching up fast. Wednesday, June 23 View Page Of course I meant looks like we are set for late June/early July pollinations (not May). Few more days for this one to fatten up, get some colour and open. Tuesday, June 29 View Page This one should open either tomorrow morning or the next day and is at 11' on the 1370 Rose. Will get the ole rub and tickle with pollen from the 993.2 Vincent/McGill. There is another one further out, will try to set that one too and then make the cut down to 1 later. Tuesday, June 29 View Page Then, in a few more days this one on the 993.2 will open at 15' on the main and hopefully have a nice date with pollen from the 1370. There is another one under the basket at 11.5' that was selfed on the 24th but the jury is still out whether or not it set. Either way, it is on the wrong side of the vine and I'd much rather go with the one further out that is in a better position and placement....hope is running high right now as the plants start to fill out nicely!! Thursday, July 1 View Page Pollinated a nice 5 lobe female on the 1370 Rose this morning with 3 willing male flowers from the 993 Vincent/McGill. Fairly good early vine position and 11' out on the main. I will pollinate another on the main vine in another 8 days or so and make the cut from there. Friday, July 2 View Page Plants are starting to fill out nicely with lots of room left to go before the patch is full to push the fruit till weighoff time. Full steam ahead with burying vines and a few more pollinations will be done over the next week. With the cooler than normal spring and late start to summer, plants are about 1 week to 10 days behind last year at the same time. Monday, July 5 View Page Pollinated this nice 5 lobe flower this morning on the 993 plant with 3 willing male flowers from the 1370 Rose. This one is the second pumpkin on the main vine and sits at 15'. The first (self-pollinated) pumpkin on the 993 is set and growing, but I'm not happy with the placement or cross, so I am really hoping for this one to set. First few secondaries on each plant are nearing the 15' termination point and all vines are growing at about 2 feet per week so the patch should be full by the end of July. One more pollination on the 1370 Rose will be done on the main vine soon and I will most likely pollinate a few "backup" or "just in case" pumpkins on strong secondaries before making the final cut. Friday, July 9 View Page Over the course of a few days, my wife Andrea decided that the fruit at 12' had to go on her 993 plant in favour of the new one under the basket at 15' that is better situated on the vine and also the cross we were looking to do with the 1370 Rose. There is another on a strong later secondary that she will keep as backup to the one on the main for awhile. We expect the patch to be full by the end of July...especially with this weather we have now!! Look out Island Ladies, there will be a new entrant in Nanaimo this year. Flowers are being picked daily for the other Boyz, and Steve has 2 set on his plant. Sunday, July 11 View Page Busy day of pollinations today! In our home patch we had 3 females open this morning all on the 993 plant including this nice 6 lober which is on the 6th secondary about 12' out on that vine. One was on the main at 18' just past what appears to be the set keeper and the other on a strong secondary. All were pollinated with 1370 Rose. Andrea will decide which fruit to keep in about a week, when I believe she will cull her plant down to 1 or 2 pumpkins. I'm helping her out a little with this plant but the bigger decisions are hers. Also pollinated my buddy Kent's son Sadler's plant this morning as a nice 5 lobe opened on that as well. Sadler is growing Steve's 467 Perrault from last year....can you say Orange?? 467 (904 Northrup x 919 Richards) x 993 Vincent McGill....!! Orange all the way with this one...really hoping for a nice fruit for Sadler on this plant. Lucky kid got his own 80cc Honda dirt bike yesterday....guess he will be keeping up to the big boyz on the ATVs now!! Monday, July 12 View Page Today's pollination of a 5 lober on the 1370 Rose crossing with the 993 V/M. Not the greatest vine position, however this one is at 16' with another open in a day or 2. If this one takes I may try a differant approach and terminate the main past the fruit as there are plenty of secondaries before the fruit and enough to fill its portion of the patch. Tuesday, July 13 View Page Adding to the dilema of the 1370 pumpkin in the previous picture with the poor vine placement, is this one next out on the main at 18'. It is about 10 days late for the pollination party...but I guess better late than never with great vine position like this!! Tuesday, July 13 View Page The 993 plant wtih fruit at day 8 and day 2. Will give the second one till day 10 and do the daily comparisons before we chop one. Interestingly....... Tuesday, July 13 View Page ....the 2 day old 6 lober on the secondary, is the biggest of the bunch of them so far this season and was clearly the biggest flower at pollination time. It will also make it to day 10 mark and then we will let the plant tell us whether it is all guts and glory on the main vine with one pumpkin, or a safety backup on a good spot on the plant. Monday, July 19 View Page Steve, Jeff and I went on their new boat up an area call Indian Arm. It is basically the dead end of Vancouver's large port and the sourrounding cities. Amazing that a mere 15 minutes from a city of nearly 3 million by boat and we were in the middle of nowhere...pretty and spectacular! Monday, July 19 View Page My trusty old golf umbrellas inside old hoophouse tubing in the ground work great for now!! Monday, July 19 View Page 14 days and 30" in circ and starting to put on 3-4" each day now. I shoot for 50" at day 20 and last year we had 45" with my new PB of 728 lbs and 55" with the smaller 672 lber...so anywhere close to that and its cool. Sunday, July 25 View Page Doing some patch cleanup and grooming today and needed to raise the vine past the 10 day old 1370 Rose pumpkin and this was the taproot attached...amazing! Sunday, July 25 View Page This photo was taken on Wednesday the 21st while doing some work on my roof. The July 5th pollinated pumpkin on the 993 plant is to the right, and the July 15th pollinated pumpkin on the 1370 plant is to the left. Only 10 days apart...but worlds apart as far as growth right now....will the 1370 catch up and pass the 993.....time will tell. Sunday, July 25 View Page Again, a photo from Wednesday the 21st shows my wife's 993 pumpkin a few days before day 20. We got nice turns in both main vines and plenty of shoulder room for the pumpkins to grow into. Terminating 1 vine per day now on the 993 plant and the 1370 plant will have its spot filled before the end of July. Sunday, July 25 View Page ....and of course the photo for the previous entry.... Sunday, July 25 View Page Now on day 20, the 993 fruit has started to look a little blocky and bulging around the back end. In 4 short days, it went from a nice round pumpkin to what we have here....has me a bit concerned but....it is what it is!! My wife and I installed pulp mill belting under the fruit on top of the sand bed and it is covered by an old bed linen during the day to protect from the sun. Sunday, July 25 View Page Went fishing today on Steve's new fishing boat out in an area called Howe Sound. This is the inlet that leads up to Whistler where alot of the Olympic events were held this year during the winter games. A beautiful day...but the salmon eluded us for now...we will give it another try next week. Steve and I have been buddies for about 25 years now and never run out of things to talk about while we are out fishing...we even talked a little about pumpkins. Going over to his house tonight to apply systemics for bugs and disease....he has some aphids and we want to ward off any September/October issues. Monday, July 26 View Page And of course there is always 1 neighbour that does not bother listening to the news or notice all the warning signs posted and does not secure their garbage. This young fellow made the rounds last night and after eating the offenders garbage, came over and took the cover off my 1370 pumpkin and gave it a nice big paw scratch on the top-side...won't be winning the Howard Dill award with this fruit in 2010....but sure will have the battle scars to show it survived a bear attack. Saturday, July 31 View Page Day 26 today on the 993 Vincent/McGill. Ramping up the daily gains and surprising us more and more each morning when the cover comes off and the tape goes on. A few more secondaries to terminate and the main can continue to grow. The 1370 Rose pumpkin is 10 days behind the leader but closing the gap every day. Very nice plant and almost has its alloted space full. Tuesday, August 3 View Page The 1370 Rose is enjoying our fine weather here now. Tuesday, August 3 View Page The 993 is getting high and wide in a hurry.... Tuesday, August 3 View Page Our skyrocket tomatos have reached the top of the trellis and are reaching for the roof! The long gourd plant is on the other side near the fence growing up the other side and on top of the trellis. Monday, August 9 View Page Away for 4 days salmon fishing on the North Coast of Vancouver Island and come home to see this...WOW! My wife was withholding detailed pumpkin reports and I feared that there was going to be an "issue" with one of the plants when I got home cause she was not telling me that her 993 fruit was gettting huge! Well over 300 lbs now and gained an average of 22.5 lbs per day for the 4 days that I was away. Monday, August 9 View Page Here is a Stellar Sea Lion basking on a rock during a nice part of the day. This thing was huge and did not mind us getting near to take this photo. Monday, August 9 View Page Here is Jeff with the largest fish caught on the first day. Tipped the scales at 33 lbs!! Monday, August 9 View Page Here is Steve holding one of our catches. Please note the pumpkin coloured boat and his pumpkin coloured jacket. It took along time to find a double eagle fishing boat in the right colour!! Monday, August 9 View Page Seemed that on almost every out-cropping of rock, there was a bald eagle just waiting for a fish to show up near the surface. Monday, August 9 View Page Another shot of one of the catches. Beer can is strickly for size reference and of course there were no full ones on board during the trip....at least there were no full ones when we got to dry land. Tuesday, August 17 View Page The reason that I got into growing giant pumpkins....my daughter Sydney. She's off to university in the fall and enjoying this great summer weather we have right now. Tuesday, August 17 View Page Keith (my buddy from Mill Creek West by god Virginia) our sunflowers have never been better.....thanks again!! Here is our giant sunflower, this year with multiple heads. Sometimes our giant sunflowers only produce 1 head and this year there are many. Tuesday, August 17 View Page ....more sunflowers from Keith....very nice colours!! Tuesday, August 17 View Page ...another nice sunflower... Tuesday, August 17 View Page ...final sunflower pic....thanks again Keith!! Tuesday, August 17 View Page Day 43 today for the 993 Vincent/McGill in the foreground and day 33 on the 1370 Rose in the rear. 268" OTT on the 993 plant (412 lbs) down to 13 lbs per day for the past 3 days after a run of 19-20 lbs per day for about a week. The 1370 Rose has ramped up to over 20 lbs per day and I'm hoping that it will catch my wife's 993 and sail on past it. I could not get a pollination to take on this plant untill mid July so it is quite a bit behind where I'd like to be but our weather in the Pacific Northwest usually allows us to have pretty good weight gains till the end of September....hoping for a nice warm Indian summer. Thanks to my Island mentor who offered advice on the adjustment of the 1370 fruit. Seems to be sitting better now and the blossom end is more in line with the stem than it was before. We put sand under the blossom end on top of the belting and it seems much happier....thanks again!! Wednesday, August 18 View Page The 993 fruit is getting very tall and wide and starting to deepen its nice orange colour. The 1370 is nursing a new stem split and at day 33 is growing like a good thing now. In the background you can see my first attempt at a long gourd that did not get high enough on the trellis and has now hit the ground, curved and still growing like mad!! I put a small piece of pulp mill belting under it to keep it off the soil and allow it to slide easier as it grows.....live and learn I guess!! Thursday, August 19 View Page Weather here has been great and both pumpkins are growing nicely. I keep forgetting my camera but will update soon from Sadler, Steve, Jeff and my Uncle Chris's patches soon. Sadler has a nice one going and hopes to hit a weighoff with a junior division, Jeff has a later set pumpkin that is picking up the pace, Steve has had some issues this year and is lucky to have a late set pumpkin and my Uncle Chris is being suspiciously quiet when it comes to pumpkin updates, which leads me to believe he has something nice going!! Monday, August 23 View Page The 993 pumpkin is starting too deepen its nice orange colour and the skin is still very smooth and shiny. Monday, August 23 View Page Fairly wide and tall, this is going to be a great carver. Had a nice chat with my spud farming friend who has a good one going on his farm. The Island Boyz (and Galz) might not make a clean sweep of things in Nanaimo if we can get Chad to the finish line this year. Late season issues cancelled Chad's trip to the Island for the past couple of years, looking to turn around that trend in 2010!! Saturday, August 28 View Page We do grow other things. A nice rose plant from a family property on the Island. When we move back there, we will take this plant with us. Saturday, August 28 View Page A nice type of hibiscus. We love going to Maui and seeing these flower bushed used as hedges....very nice! Saturday, August 28 View Page Lots of types of tomatos. Double cherry tomato.... Saturday, August 28 View Page Still real nice weather here, cooling in the evening but its close to September so we should all be expecting that. Growth slowing down consistantly but I'll take 10-12 lbs per day during September if I am lucky. Saturday, August 28 View Page Both have fans on 24/7 and this year I may just put up a better rain guard system than my golf umbrellas for the fall weather we may get. Have not had to build structures for the past couple of years cause we have just not had any rain during the summer months. Saturday, August 28 View Page Backside of the 993 pumpkin...getting deep orange! Friday, September 3 View Page I sometimes feel like this guy with so many questions that it is sometimes beyond confusing. Just wanted to take this posting to thank my mentors that are helping me along the way with emails, phone calls and text messages. Many thanks to my East Coast, West Coast, Northern, Southern, Canadian, American and International mentors...I really do appreciate all the help and every little bit makes a differance! Each year, I learn something new that can be applied to our sport/hobby, and for that I am very appreciative. Glenn Friday, September 3 View Page Nice tall sunflowers...also...what was going to be the new expanded deck and new landscaping (OK, extended pumpkin patch) in the backyard turned into new roof when we had a thundershower that resulted in rain in our daughter's room. Oh well, the patch/backyard project gets put back on the back burner for now. Friday, September 3 View Page View from out "pumpkin patch viewing area" where we have 4 chairs lined up for sipping a cold one and admiring the hard work in the patch. Friday, September 3 View Page 993.2 Vincent/McGill x 1370 Rose taking in the last few rays of sunshine. Today is day 60 and it sits at 304" OTT or 594 lbs and put on 97 lbs in past 10 days. Friday, September 3 View Page 1370 Rose x 993.2 Vincent/McGill at day 50 and sits at 273" OTT or 434 lbs and gained 120 lbs over the past 10 days so has a chance to catch the 993.2 if all systems are go over the next 20 days or so. This pumpkin is also still very smooth and shiny and perhaps wanted to be much larger...sure wish I could have gotten a late June pollination on this plant. Weighoff in Nanaimo is not till October 17th so we have a way to go....no chickens getting counted yet....but we do hope to have 2 pumpkins to take to the Island again this year. Friday, September 10 View Page 1370 Rose x 993.2 V/M at day 57 has averaged 8 lbs per day so far in September. Slowed down considerably, but hey....its September and the evenings are much cooler. Getting some nice orange to it now and glad I injected the 993.2 into it as I think it is a nice cross with the trifecta potential of big, orange and pretty! Friday, September 10 View Page Stump/main vine/basal crown area that is almost always covered. I like to keep them dry and away from any possible critters. Friday, September 10 View Page Late season leaf pictures and a follow up question posted on the message board for your consideration. This is the last leaf on the last secondary of the 993 plant...still in great shape! Friday, September 10 View Page This is the last leaf on the last secondary on the 1370 plant...also...still in great shape. Friday, September 10 View Page ...amazingly...this is the 3rd true leaf on the 1370 plant and it is also still in pretty good shape considering its age! Friday, September 10 View Page ....here's where it gets puzzling for me as in this picture to the right you can see some leaf damage on further out secondaries on the 1370 plant. Also a first for me this year is stem splits that needed further slice surgery in order to stop from splitting into the cavity. Friday, September 10 View Page ...cluster shot of leaf issue on the 1370 plant.... Friday, September 10 View Page ...close up of leaf issue... So long and short of all these postings is that I sent off leaves for a tissue analysis and a separate disease test to A&L Labs to finally get an answer to what is plagueing part of my plants year in and year out. and....... Friday, September 10 View Page The tissue analysis was iteresting and I'm glad I got it done, but will have one done earlier next year. The disease test took quite awhile and the scientist that finally called me admitted that they were very stumped and that my sample passed all the culture tests and disease tests possible and the final conclusion was; "No fungal pathogens were isolated from the symptomatic pumpkin leaves submitted. The symptoms might be caused by pesticides, herbicides or other causal agents" The follow up phone call with the scientist left me with greater understanding of the testing process and the fact that my patch and soil is pathogen free...... ......now to just find out and isolate what foliar spray or combination of sprays has caused this to my plants.....and eliminate that from my rotation!! Tuesday, September 14 View Page Day 70 yesterday for the 993.2 fruit which gained 38 lbs over the past 10 days and sits at 310" or around 629 lbs. Day 60 for the 1370 kin which gained 73 lbs over the past 10 days and sits at 288" or around 507 lbs. Good September gains so far, I can only imagine what the Island Boyz have going and see that the Spud farmer in the mountains has a nice one growing from his own seed. Tuesday, September 14 View Page My first year with long gourds has been fun. This one was very early on the plant and only part way up my trellis. It hit the ground, curved and just kept growing. Its over 6 feet long and really thick where it is laying on the ground. Tuesday, September 14 View Page This one is a much later pollinated (last week of August) but managed to centre itself on our trellis which is kind of neat. Well over 4 feet long and still growing 3" per day. Both gourds on the same plant. We grew Reiss Skyrocket tomatos on one side, and a long gourd plant on the other obviously with both going up opposite sides. The long gourds wanted to take over, and I will plant the skyrockets elsewhere next year and give the long gourds the full trellis. There is no long gourd category at the Weighoff in Nanaimo so these will just have to get picked and shown with the rest of the Halloween display later on. Tuesday, September 14 View Page A quick change in weather forcast has prompted me to put back on the sheets, then the quilt and then the 1370 got an old shower curtain and the 993 gets a doubled up piece of poly tarp to dry and keep them drier during a few days of suspected rain showers. Tuesday, September 21 View Page I liked this picture....shows the skyrocket tomatos and the long gourd in the back on the trellis. Tuesday, September 21 View Page 1370 Rose still growing slowly and over the past 7 days has put on 49 lbs and creeping its way to over 600 lbs. Tuesday, September 21 View Page Side view of the 1370 and back end of 993. Tuesday, September 21 View Page 993 is also still chugging along and has put on 40 lbs in the past 7 days and creeping ever so close to the 700 lb mark. Mostly very round and a very nice orange....but the bottom end is lumpy bumpy and thumps as thick as concrete!! Friday, September 24 View Page Rainy and cool for about a week, supposed to get a little better for awhile. Need the skyrockets to ripen up some more and the gourd still growing too. Sunday, September 26 View Page Finally had my camera today during a patch visit. This is my buddy Jeff's pumpkin off our 728 Dixon from last year x 993.2 Vincent/McGill. What a beauty, has not had the tape on it for over a week but looks to be around 200 lbs. Grown in a small spot (at first) Jeff has done a great job with this plant and has kept it healthy and growing all season...well done!! Sunday, September 26 View Page ...and a shot from the side of Jeff's. Sunday, September 26 View Page And this is Sadler's pumpkin on the 467 Perrault seed that tapes over 300 lbs now! This one along with Jeff's beauty and a few pretty ones from Chad along with my 993.2 might make for an interesting fight to the finish for Howard Dill honors in Nanaimo this year. Sunday, September 26 View Page In the believe it or not category, here is the improvement in 1 year for Sadler. Amazingly enough, that is his last years pumpkin that he grew sitting on top of last years pumpkin! The pumpkin he grew last year, has survived an entire year off the vine and inside the house. Tuesday, September 28 View Page Even the umbrella came down today after several days of heavy rain and surprisingly warm days. Tuesday, September 28 View Page Most of the 993.2 pumpkins are weighing in real heavy (sorry Wiz)this year. Tuesday, September 28 View Page Day 85 today with steady gains at 40 lbs last week and averaged just over 5 lbs per day for this month so far. I've had them grow ever so slowly for longer, so hoping for the best. After no rain in June, July and August we've had over 8 inched of rain so far in September...enough is enough!! Just hoping for top 10 in Nanaimo this year. I've been lucky #8 past couple of years. 1370 has stopped and is no longer camera worthy. Wednesday, October 6 View Page Nanaimo Pumpkin Festival even makes the front page of the Home & Garden section of the North Shore News today. My buddies son Fraser was happy to pose with the pumpkin and can't wait to come back and trick-or-treat and see the pumpkins all carved!! Monday, October 11 View Page The 1370 fruit had stopped growing and I wanted to get a jump on patch prep, so my wife and I cleared out all the vines and leaves and stuck the main vine into a jug of water for a few days till we load up to go to the weighoff. Got a beauty nice day today so it made easy work of chopping, cutting and bagging up the green waste for recycling. Monday, October 11 View Page My daughter Sydney was home from University this weekend for Thanksgiving and allowed a picture with her ole pops in the pumpkin patch. The 993.2 pumpkin is at day 98 today and is still slowly putting on inches (well 1/2 inch at a time) and now sits at 140-96-91 or roughly estimated at 736 lbs. It has done slightly over 1.5 lbs per day during October so far, and will get harvested this coming Saturday for the voyage over to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. There are quite a few Mainlanders that are making the trek over to the Island for British Columbia's premier weigh-off....should be fun!! Monday, October 11 View Page Even our black bengal cat Cole got in the action and gently jumped up on the 1370 pumpkin to see what was going on in the patch. This cat has been awesome again this year, sleeping under the canopy of the patch leaves during the heat of the day and patroling the top of the fence line during the night to keep the critters out. He caught alot more squirrels than the Havahart trap I use, so he is welcome anytime in our patch. Monday, October 18 View Page Here are the "mainlanders" showing up in force in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island for the weighoff. In the white truck are the pumpkins from Dave Chan and Janet Love and in front is the fully loaded truck and trailer from Pemberton and North Vancouver. Was great to meet Dave and Janet in person, what a nice couple and we all felt like we had known them both for years....instant friends. Monday, October 18 View Page Here are all the boyz sitting on the trailer waiting for our turn to unload. We brought 6 pumpkins to be weighed, all with awesome results and a bunch of new personal bests. Monday, October 18 View Page Here is shot of part of the line-up waiting to be weighed. In the bottom right corner is my buddy Jeff's pumpkin grown from my 728 Dixon from last year crossed with the 993.2 Vincent/McGill. Jeff's pumpkin was estimated at 197 lbs and went official at 195 lbs.....the only mainland pumpkin to go a little light. Now officially the 195 Johnson 2010. Bigger and better for Jeff next year for sure. You can see Jake van Kooten eyeing up the line-up and surveying which pumpkin was next to go on the scale. Monday, October 18 View Page Here is my buddy Sadler's pumpkin after being weighed sitting next to his pumpkin from 2009. Now officially the 357 McIntosh, this pumpkin went in at 5.3% heavy and was grown from last years 467 Perrault (904 Northrup x 919 Richards) and gives Sadler a new personal best. Monday, October 18 View Page This picture says it all....look at the smile on Sadler's face when the weight of his pumpkin is revealed. What a great accomplishment for a 12 year old!! Monday, October 18 View Page Here is our 1370 Rose x 993.2 Vincent/McGill getting ready to hit the scale. Taping out at 566 lbs this pumpkin came in officially at 624 lbs which is 10.2% heavy!! Pretty happy about that and nervous at the same time as we had to wait for our next one to hit the scale later on. Monday, October 18 View Page Post scale...sits the 624 Dixon at 10.2% heavy to the charts. You can see in this picture that the pumpkin was very concave on the bottom and you could stick your arm through the bottom from one side to the other. I did not know that till we lifted it from the patch as I had it packed with sand....good thing that I did. Man, would it have been heavy with a flat bottom!! Monday, October 18 View Page Here is my mentor Jake van Kooten preparing me for our next pumpkin to be lifted and brought to the scale. Jake and his son-in-law Troy were in charge of lifting and placement on the scale...great job guys!! Monday, October 18 View Page Jake and Troy leading over my 993.2 pumpkin to the scales. Troy in the background...a big dude that looked like he could have lifed those pumpkins by himself without the forklift. Monday, October 18 View Page Waiting for the weight, this pumpkin taped out at 723 lbs but looked and acted like it would go heavy. Most of the 993.2 Vincent/McGill pumpkins are weighing in pretty heavy so I was hoping that we would surpass our PB of 728 lbs set last year in Nanaimo. Monday, October 18 View Page And true to form, our patch brings in another over the chart pumpkin and a new personal best of 808 lbs. This pumpkin came in at a whopping 11.75% heavy and to our delight, gave us our first pumpkin over 800 lbs and beating our last years PB by 80 lbs!! Oddly, our family lucky number is '8' so we are pretty happy with the outcome!! Cross is 993.2 Vincent/McGill x 1370 Rose. Monday, October 18 View Page Chad Gilmore's beast waiting its turn on the scale. Grown from Chad's own 921 Gimore from last year (1536.5 van Kooten x 1255 van Kooten)this pumpkin was called "Double J". Taping at 1035 lbs............. Monday, October 18 View Page Another heavy pumpkin as Chad's pumpkin goes 1049 lbs and gives Chad a new personal best. I could not wait to congratulate him and his youngest son Nicholas on his personal best and 3rd place finish. One of the coolest families that we had the honour of getting to know better is Chad, his lovely wife Nicki, and sons Sam, Owen and Nicholas. All of the boyz helped me with my weighoff duties and took turns revealing the weights to be announced. Chad, you are one lucky man!! Wednesday, October 20 View Page Awaiting their destiny as jack-o-lanterns, the daily drive-by-fruitings are increasing and all the same quesions are asked....and a few new ones. This picture shows the claw marks from the bear that tried to roll over the now 624 lber in the middle on July 26th. Thursday, October 28 View Page The Dixon 624 and 808 find their true calling.... Thursday, October 28 View Page The 624 on the left is sitting on its top and the 808 sits nicely on its blossom end. It is clear now why both pumpkins went well over 10% heavy...Very thick walls. Friday, October 29 View Page One of our friends popped by today on a run with her soccer team. We live very nearby a full sports facility with fields and recreation centre and part of a soccer academy made it part of training a run to look at the pumpkins. We had team after team of kids of all ages. Not hard to tell which one was the crowd favourite!! Friday, November 19 View Page Measurements have been taken, stakes driven and string layout has been confirmed. Existing patio to the left of this picture will be expanded to 40' x 20' for backyard enjoyment and most likely will include a hot-tub sometime. Short rock wall will be continued along the stringline an additional 40' and rest of yard to the right will be incorporated into patch/garden area. Much talked about patch and patio expansion project will give the existing patch of 35' x 25' an upgrade to 75' x 25' and allow us to grow an additional plant and also grow slightly larger plants. Excited that we will only need to cut our front lawn now! Pumpkin viewing area in back on rocks will remain the same. Saturday, November 20 View Page It has been cold here for the past week or 10 days and all the local ski hills are open now, gotta get my planks tuned up and get out there. The 808 pumpkin is frozen solid and we got our first dusting of snow. Monday, November 22 View Page We are expecting our road warrior buddiez to be here for a visit as the Wiz & Biz continue their journey from Washington State and into British Columbia. I've stocked up on a beer that they both should enjoy to ensure that there will be no fighting between brotherz....this one should satisfy you both. Can't wait to see you guyz again!! Thursday, November 25 View Page Second dumping of snow and as usual it will warm up and start to rain and clear things up for the city. Our local hills and mountains are getting piles of snow so an early season for them. Our trusty Jeep Cherokee gets us everywhere we need to go and has been a great vehicle! Throw it in 4 wheel drive and chug on by all the people "trying" to drive around here. 808 pumpkin still frozen solid. Crazy weather for us, you can see in the background that the trees still had not dropped all their leaves and it was clearly still fall season. Wednesday, December 8 View Page We had great seats for the hockey game and had a really good time with the Wiz and the Biz. I guess what the Wiz forgot was the score as Vancouver steam rolled over Colorado and there were alot of celebrations like this. Wednesday, December 8 View Page And then, what a pleasant surprise. The Wiz and Biz left behind a T-Shirt for me to find....thanks guys...you are welcome here any time!! Friday, December 24 View Page A couple of buddies of mine convert their ATVs for winter use with a set of tracks. These machines will go more places than a snowmobile and sure turn alot of heads on the trails. Here they are on their way to a local glacier up near Whistler mountain.