Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 31 Entries. Thursday, February 23 View Page I was able to work the soil today. I believe the above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures this winter have caused all the organic matter I added to break down relatively fast. Thursday, February 23 View Page I was able to work the soil today. I believe the above normal precipitation and above normal temperatures this winter have caused all the organic matter I added to break down relatively fast. Thursday, February 23 View Page Here is my plot of ground. Thursday, February 23 View Page Here is a photo. Thursday, February 23 View Page Here is a photo. Thursday, February 23 View Page Here is what it looks like. Thursday, February 23 View Page Here is what it looks like. Saturday, March 24 View Page After a week with high temperatures in the upper 70s to mid 80s I received 1.6 inches of rain yesterday. Monday, April 2 View Page Temperatures have been running normal at this location since June 2011. Summer 2011 was very dry but precipitation over the winter was above normal. So far this Spring temperatures are well above normal and precipitation is slightly above normal. The crop of hay is doing very well. You can see a bag of ironite in the background and a rain gauge in the foreground. Monday, April 2 View Page These last two photos were taken April 1 2012. Saturday, April 14 View Page Our weather has been more seasonable lately. I continue to cultivate the soil in the center of the plot trying to develop a nice texture. You can see the darker color where I have added hundreds of pounds of various types of organic matter. The cultivation around the perimeter of the plot is mainly for weed control. Saturday, April 14 View Page Here is another slightly different view of my area. Sunday, April 22 View Page The weather has cooled off. I hope this cool weather is a sign of things to come this summer. Friday, April 27 View Page I am planting two 980 Fredricks seeds on April 27 2012. Friday, April 27 View Page Here they are again so you get some idea of the size of this particular seed stock. Saturday, April 28 View Page The warm water in the cooler keeps the soil warm. April 28 2012 Thursday, May 3 View Page Here is one of the 980 Ferdricks on May 3 2012 trying to break the surface. Saturday, May 5 View Page Our weather has been very favorable for growth so I have left them outside on the dock the past 3 days. This is how they look on May 5 2012. Sunday, May 6 View Page Here is how they look on May 6 2012 before planting. Sunday, May 6 View Page Here they are after planting. A big thanks to Ann Mappes, Terry Mappes, Kenney Mappes, Debbie Mappes, and the Findley family for allowing me to grow in such a beautiful area. Thursday, May 10 View Page Here is 980 Fredricks number 2. Thursday, May 10 View Page Here is 980 Fredricks number one. Both photos taken on May 10. Both seedlings planted in peat pots on April 27. Monday, May 14 View Page Here is 980 Fredricks number 2 on May 14 2012. Monday, May 14 View Page Here is 980 Fredricks number 1 on May 14 2012. Tuesday, May 22 View Page Here is my Fredricks 980 number 2 on May 22 2012. This seed was planted on April 27th. The weather has been nearly perfect for growth and that will be the case tomorrow as well with a high temperature of 80F predicted. After that we will get too hot. I have figured out that the main reason why champion pumpkins come from particular latitude belts around the world is because of temperature. World champions are grown with high temperatures of 79F in July and August with a window of about 75F to 84F. I have not examined low temperatures or daily means yet but plant to investigate it. They will clearly grow faster with high temperatures of 85F than 80F but that faster growth comes at the price of advancing maturity and a shorter growth period. Last summer I compared the leaves of my field pumpkins to a commercial pumpkin grower and noticed that his leaves looked more robust/thicker and had more of a leathery look to them as opposed to mine which were thin like paper. I believe this was the result of too little nitrogen in my soil so I incorporated more nitrogen in my soil with manure oak leaves and moss from the lake. I also fertilized with the liquid fish fertilizer. I see this has given my leaves a thicker more robust look to them allready......it may have even mangled them a little so maybe a bit too much nitrogen. Saturday, May 26 View Page Here is the 980 Fredricks number 2 on May 26 2012. Saturday, May 26 View Page Here is the 980 Fredricks number 2 May 26 2012. Saturday, May 26 View Page Here is the 980 Fredricks number 2 May 26 2012. Saturday, June 9 View Page 980 Fredricks on left 457.8 Bourne on right I saw a squash vine borer moth flying around the plants as I was taking these photos. I will be looking for the eggs under the leaves during the next few days trying to remove them all. Some of the leaves on the 980 Fredricks are not looking normal but overall the plant has a healthy look to it. Saturday, June 9 View Page Here is Bourne 457.8 number 1. This plant is being grown for color. This plant is looking real nice. I saw the first squash vine borer moth of the year today June 9th flying around the plants. Sunday, June 10 View Page Here is the patch on June 10th. I saw another squash vine borer moth today. I will probably pull the small closest plant in the next couple of days that is right next to the 980 Fredricks and just go with two.