Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 49 Entries. Wednesday, February 1 View Page Today is my birthday. Deb took me out to eat with our friends, Jack and Alison, pictured here with me and the anchor they made for me to help slow my downward slide as I turn 51 years old. UGH! LOL! Sunday, February 12 View Page Scottie center stage at Roba Farms weigh off in Sept 2011. Sunday, February 12 View Page Scott DiMarco once again in the spotlight in 2011, 4th place at PGPGA weigh off in Altoona, Oct. 2011. Saturday, March 17 View Page Got some of the good stuff today. Aged manure from a friend that hauls a lot of cattle and raises quite a few of his own on his farm about 3 miles from my place. There is no shortage of bulls**t here. Saturday, March 17 View Page After unloading a pickup full of mushroom soil and going for a load of manure, I was sure glad to see Seth come home from Penn State today. Last year my patch was too wet to get any manure applied. In fact, it was May until I could do anything last year This year's unseasonably warm weather is great. Saturday, March 17 View Page Happy St. Patrick's Day. Not very often are we wearing shorts and a t-shirt on March 17th in north central PA. Seth has more green on than you see my patch. You should usually see a thick cover crop of winter wheat at this time. Last year's record rainfall in September and October, led to a flood and a saturated patch. My cover crop broadcast was kind of a disaster. Monday, April 30 View Page Deb inspecting the hoop houses yesterday. Now just waiting for the warmer weather to arrive Wednesday for transplanting. Tuesday, May 8 View Page The 943 Lengel in the ground 72 hours. Cloudy and rainy the past 48 hours. Tuesday, May 8 View Page The 1216.5 Dimarco, thanks to Scottie for the plant. My goal is to beat Scott's personal best, the 1216.5, with his own seed. Now with a plant he gave me! Its the 1385 Jutras x 1495 Stelts. Wednesday, May 9 View Page Seth and I stopped at Scott DiMarco's patch tonight. He gave us permission to take a rare peek at his plants. He has three nice ones going! Wednesday, May 9 View Page Seth's two favorite tools a pitching wedge and a hoe. He is home from college for a week, then off to Alaska on Sunday, then home for another week, then off to Washington, D.C. for the summer, interning with the accounting firm Baker Tilly. He will really be missed at home and especially in the pumpkin patch! Sunday, May 20 View Page Yesterday late afternoon, I found a Northern Red Salamander trying to escape the heat under a board of Deb's pumpkin's hoop house. That was one reddish orange, big fat creature! About 6 inches long. I hope it was bringing good Luck,size and color to that plant!! Sunday, May 20 View Page Last evening I stopped at Scott DiMarco's for a couple Big Zac tomato plants. He also gave me a couple Italian plum tomato plants and some Italian pole beans that came from the seed stock his ancestors brought over from Italy generations ago. Here is Scottie's 1495 Stelts ready to bust out of its house. Sunday, May 20 View Page Also stopped at Burr and Donna Boston's house Saturday afternoon to get a few odd tomato and pepper plants. Donna's iris bed is magnificent this year. Burr is not growing AG's in 2012. Monday, May 28 View Page My 1216.5 DiMarco starting to vine. We had about 4/10's of rain last night in gusty thunderstorms. The pumpkins' first night without hoop protection. A quick look this morning showed no damage and the plants looking refreshed awaiting 90 degree heat today. Monday, June 25 View Page The lower end of my patch featuring the 1216 DiMarco in the background and the 1320 Snyder closest. It looks as if pollination will start the end of the week. Monday, June 25 View Page Here is the 1216 DiMarco in an almost perfect Christmas tree vine pattern. My first female on this plant should open later in the week. Monday, June 25 View Page My Roundup Ready and BT sweet corn. Temptation II and Obsession II varieties. Applied Roundup Power Max Saturday morning to kill the weeds. Monday, June 25 View Page The 943.5 Lengel and the 1333 Dodge behind the bean poles just before I started running the drip lines Saturday. Finished hooking up the irrigation Sunday and woke up today to a few early morning thunderstorms that brought a half inch of welcome rain. Sunday, July 1 View Page My first pollination of the season. A nice 5 lobe flower on the 1216.5 DiMarco crossed with the 1610 Lieber on June 28th. This is my earliest pollination in five seasons of growing. Sunday, July 1 View Page Seth pollinating a nice 5 lobe flower on the 943 Lengel this morning. Sunday, July 1 View Page The 943 Lengel was pollinated with the 1421 Stelts today, July 1st. Seth is home from Wash. D.C. for the weekend and he picked the pollinator. Thanks to Scott DiMarco for the male flowers. Sunday, July 1 View Page The first female pollinated on the 1333 Dodge UOW, July 1st, with the 1495 Stelts. You can see the very distorted 5 lobe female flower. Wednesday, July 4 View Page The first pollination on the 1320 Snyder with some what distorted 4 lobes. Wednesday, July 4 View Page The 1320 Snyder was pollinated with the 1165 Rea 10, July 2nd. Thanks to Joe Eck, from South Williamsport for the 1165 Rea males. I grew the 1165 last season and it thru a very orange pumpkin. Wednesday, July 4 View Page Happy Independence Day! Today's pollination features the 1216 DiMarco (1385 Jutras x 1495 Stelts). This 5 lobe flower is pollination #2 on this plant. The cross today is with the 1085 Williams (1161 Rodonis x 772 Poirier). Note: Please excuse my spelling in previous posts "thru" should be threw and my pictures on the 1320 Snyder posts are reversed. And no, I did not start "picnicking" yet today! Sunday, July 8 View Page The heat finally let up. But, it may have taken it's toll on the 7/1 pollinations of the 943 Lengel and the 1333 Dodge. They aren't growing. I will know by tomorrow evening whether to cull or let on. Today they seemed just slightly soft. Pictured is the 1216 DiMarco at day 10. 26 inches. It seems to be doing fine. Sunday, July 22 View Page Seth and I pulled the 943 Lengel this morning after four tries at pollination. He also found the stump had also rotted off. Tough luck with our own seed. Sunday, July 22 View Page Day 22 for the 1216 DiMarco. The best in the patch so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it keeps growing. Sunday, July 22 View Page Day 12 for the 1320 Snyder. This was the third try on this plant. Hopefully the 3rd time's a charm. This is the 5th year growing AGs for the fat guy in the picture and the most frustrating season so far. Correction on the last pic: Day 24 for the 1216 DiMarco. Friday, August 3 View Page The 1085 Williams Day 25. The toad was found lurking around the pumpkin. It is the largest toad I have ever seen! Friday, August 3 View Page Day 20 for the 1333 Dodge. This is the 3rd pollination attempt and looks like a survivor! Friday, August 3 View Page My 1216 DiMarco earliest pollination and best pumpkin in the patch this year at D35 No picture of the 1320 Snyder. The four attempt, an open pollination, reached 30"CC at Day 10 Tuesday and quit growing by Thursday with a measurement of 29"CC. Ugh! It is all salad now and will be "tossed" this weekend. Friday, August 10 View Page Tillage radishes with oats and Austrian winter peas in my 2010 patch on Sept. 24. They were planted around August 20th that year. Sunday, August 12 View Page Today the 1085 Williams is 35 days old. Sunday, August 12 View Page Seth and I were walking down to the patch to measure the pumpkins and we saw a woodchuck in the yard. It ran into the woods at the back of our property. We though no big deal, we will get him sometime this week. As we went to measure the Williams, I noticed fresh soil around the stem and main vine area, then a hole burrowed under the pumpkin at the stem. That varmint has to die! It also decided to gnat one the pumpkin a bit. This is the first wildlife damage in five years of growing for us. I sprayed bleach on the flesh wounds and might put a fan on tomorrow to dry them out. Sunday, August 12 View Page Seth says "I'll get that dirty varmint". "I'll give it a lead pill" Monday, August 13 View Page Bad news, the varmint was back this afternoon and dug out the hole under the Williams. I shoved a smoke bomb down the hole waited 5 minutes and cover the hole again. We also told the neighbor, who has a clear view of the patch and the rest of the lower part of our property, to shoot first and take no prisoners. Shot heard at 7:15 tonight... the result was one less woodchuck. It only cost us a beer! But is there more where that one came from? Thursday, August 16 View Page Still fighting the woodchuck. Yesterday it dug out the hole for the third time and chewed on the pumpkin a little more. Help showed up last night with BB guns and baseball bats. Here to help get that varmint were the Myers brothers, next generation of the famed Myersbros, Collomsville,PA. Curt's boys were really enthused about finding the woodchuck. Thursday, August 16 View Page We actually estimated where the burrow was and dug a hole . We found the tunnel but no nest or animal. Thursday, August 16 View Page Zach with his arm and baseball bat in the hole as far as he could reach. He could feel the varmint tugging on his bat! Sunday, September 2 View Page Last Saturday I deemed Deb's friend "the pumpkin patch princess". Alison with the 1085 Williams. I thought she may bring luck to the patch, but the fairy tale ended for this pumpkin. Sunday, September 2 View Page The 1085 Williams was not going to set any records, but it did have awesome color and shape. It quit growing after the groundhog attack and a bout with stem and vine rot at 53 days old. RIP Sunday, September 2 View Page My 1216 DiMarco is still chugging along slow and steady. Remember, I pollinated it with the 1610 Lieber. I hope there are some seeds in it. The Williams only had about 40 seeds in it. Thursday, September 6 View Page Look what I found... "Got Orange" Thursday, September 6 View Page Curt Myers...proud father of this orange beast. "Roba Farms, Monster Pumpkin Madness, Altoona"..."how long will it last"... "where should I take it"..."last night I had a nightmare"...all part of the conversation last evening as we measured this pumpkin. I love this time of year! Monday, October 1 View Page A side view of my 1216.5 DiMarco. Its hanging in there still growing. Five days until the PGPGA weigh off at Altoona. Monday, October 1 View Page The 1216.5 Dimarco (1385 x 1495) crossed with the 1610 Lieber. With any luck, I'm Hoping to break a 1000 lbs. on Saturday. Friday, October 5 View Page Loaded and ready to roll with the 1216.5 Dimarco. Altoona and the PGPGA here we come. May not make the 1000 pound this year.