Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 70 Entries. Tuesday, April 27 View Page I will be starting a 853 Rahe 09 for this year. The planned pollinator is the 918 Bosworth 09. Both have great genetic backgrounds. I will be starting a 222 Rahe 09 as well because i think it has great potential for big orange. Was also thinking of doing a genetic cross 65 Rahe 09 x 1378 Glasier 09 for heavy x heavy. Also wanted to try out my tetsukabuto cross but I dont know if i will make the genetic crosses this year as the future of the season at this site is questionable. Saturday, May 22 View Page My soil test looked really good this year. The seedlings are ready to go in. Looks like there will be a break in the soggy weather. Saturday, May 22 View Page 65 Rahe 09 (#15 Beachy 02 x 1450 Wallace) heavy genetics. Best looking plant right now. The # 15 Beachy is 730 Stellpflug 96 x sibling. Saturday, May 22 View Page 1378 Glasier 09 (961.5 Urena 06 x 1223 Glasier 08) Heavy genetics. The 1223 Glasier is 961.5 Urena x 1041 Mckie. Thickest stem of the lot. Will probably cross with my 65 Rahe. Saturday, May 22 View Page 4.1 Rahe 09 (Tetsukabuto x 678 Bosworth). I like to use Brooks seeds for experiments. This one is for disease resistance. The 678 Bosworth is 1450 Wallace x 1402 Bosworth. Saturday, May 22 View Page 853 Rahe 09 (1500 Revier x 1450 Wallace) The 1500 Revier is 985 Werner x 1207 Young. Saturday, May 22 View Page 918 Bosworth 09 (1413 Werner 08 x 1209 Kuhn 08) Another fine Bosworth cross. The 1413 Werner is 1566 Werner x 1385 Jutras. The 1209 Kuhn is 1385 Jutras x 1566 Rodonis. Will probably cross it with my 853 Rahe. Saturday, May 22 View Page 222 Rahe 09 (583 Young 08 x 587 Dill 08) My attempt at big & orange. The 583 Young is 670 Daigle x 772 Poirier. The 587 Dill is 730 Dill 06 x 998 Pukos. If you have a 587 Dill you might want to try it. I had a perfect shaped one going on it with a long stem. I lost the pumpkin because I had some boneheaded idea I could grow it in a pot. I will likely self the 222 Rahe. Saturday, May 22 View Page A shot of all the seedlings. Thursday, June 17 View Page 65 Rahe 09 This was my best seedling and is right now my best plant by far. Thursday, June 17 View Page 918 Bosworth 09 Started strong but went flatvine on me. Not sure what i will do with it now. Thursday, June 17 View Page 1378 Glasier 09 Good looking grower. I will be using this one as a "heavy" pollinator. Thursday, June 17 View Page 222 Rahe 09 Looking good so far. Hoping for a big orange un from this one. Thursday, June 17 View Page 4.1 Rahe 09 I'm going to cross this with the 1378 Glasier if the plants co-operate. Thursday, June 17 View Page My 853 Rahe seedling wasnt growing so fast so it became a backup plant in the mulch pile Tuesday, June 29 View Page Flash foward 12 days. 65 Rahe looking good. Might be able to get my 1st set at 15' in a few days. Vine length is 17' not counting the "s" curves. Tuesday, June 29 View Page 222 Rahe. My stump has rotted so I split it wide open. Covered it with Daconil and put a fan on it. Tuesday, June 29 View Page 4.1 Rahe. My previous post is why I took the time to try this cross out. Tuesday, June 29 View Page 1378 Glasier. This is my stud plant. I pollinated one 2 days ago on this plant using 65 Rahe pollen. Tuesday, June 29 View Page 918 Bosworth. Terminated the flatvine main. I pollinated one right at the end of the flatvine main 1 day ago. Used 1378 Glasier pollen. Going to try to see what a terminated flat vine main can do with a pumpkin right on the end. Like 2 vines feeding the pumpkin ???? Tuesday, June 29 View Page Notes for June. Precipitation v high. Temperature above normal. Insect pressure high. Sunday, July 11 View Page A close up of the stump on my 222 after surgery. Plant doesnt look too bad all things considered. Sunday, July 11 View Page A picture of the 222 Rahe plant. Sunday, July 18 View Page 65 Rahe. My "genetic supercross" This set is at day 10, 32" circumfrence. 18' out on the main. Pollinated with 1378 Glasier. Sunday, July 18 View Page Ground level shot of the 65 Rahe canopy. Right now everything is going great Sunday, July 18 View Page This is what the fruits look like on my 4.1 Rahe. Tetsukabuto cross So far all my sets have aborted. My plant might be sterile. If anyone is growing this and makes a controlled cross, I would be interested in the seeds. Friday, July 23 View Page 65 Rahe day 15 143" OTT est. 72 lbs. my biggest day 15 measurement to date Friday, July 23 View Page Another shot to compare size to the day 10 picture Monday, August 2 View Page 65 Rahe day 20 est 104 lbs. Growth on this one stopped shortly after day 15. AHH what could have been. I will probably lose this one. Cant find a thing wrong with the plant, vine or fruit. I guess the pumpkin gods just said no. I might be able to pollinate a fruit in a day or so but I think the chance for something big has come and gone. Melon Farmer ! Monday, August 2 View Page This is what the new growth looks like on the 65 Rahe. I noticed this about the same time as the pumpkin stopped growing. Monday, August 2 View Page In the foreground is a vine of the 918 Bosworth. It mysteriously stopped growing as well. If the 65 Rahe has the same thing the party will be over soon. Monday, August 2 View Page 4.1 Rahe # 18 This is the last shot for a fruit on this plant. Monday, August 2 View Page The blob ! Lol Im glad i did the reverse cross on this genetic plant since i will likely lose the fruit on my 65 Rahe. Monday, August 2 View Page The stump on my 222 Rahe. Doing pretty well for a foamer. Monday, August 2 View Page Fruit #1 on my 222 Rahe. Day 17, selfed, didnt take measurements. Looks glossy, smooth and round. Just what I was looking for. Monday, August 2 View Page 222 Rahe fruit #2 selfed. on a side vine, looks pretty much the same. Monday, August 2 View Page I guess I should have made time to water these pepper plants. They say stressed plants make hotter peppers. Looks like I will find out. Tuesday, August 10 View Page 222 Rahe #1 day 25 estimated 160 lbs. Tuesday, August 10 View Page Strange fruit on the 4.1 Rahe. Day 14, looks like this one might make it. Crossed with 65 Rahe. this is my only controlled cross left on this plant. Tuesday, August 10 View Page Another fruit on the 4.1 x (open) After 20 attempts for controlled pollinations I let the fruits open pollinate and got some fruit. Maybe I was pollinating too early in the am. but 7:30 am doesnt seem too early to me. Tuesday, August 10 View Page The demise of the fruit on the 65 Rahe. It has white lesions now, a sure sign of decay. Looks like it would have been a nice orange color and with the genetics it probably would have been heavy. I still have to have a test done on the plant. I will be trying this seed again. Wednesday, August 25 View Page Ripped out the 65 Rahe plant. Heres whats left. Think I can save it ???? lol Wednesday, August 25 View Page 918 Bosworth gone, 65 Rahe gone, 4.1 Rahe now foaming below ground. Wednesday, August 25 View Page 222 Rahe, fruit #1 day 40 est. 234 lbs. Yee Ha ! its not dead yet. :) Wednesday, August 25 View Page I have 3 fruit on the 222 Rahe genetics plant. Sunday, August 29 View Page I dont think this will keep till halloween Sunday, August 29 View Page 1 lb.14 ounces. Grown from my 1 lb.12 ou. seed from last year. Vareity is Fred Limbaugh potato top. Tuesday, August 31 View Page 222 day 40 est. 252lbs Tuesday, August 31 View Page 65 Rahe. You know its been a tough year when you are taking pictures of rotting fruit. LOL Wednesday, September 1 View Page The last entry for the 222 was day 45 not day 40 Tuesday, September 7 View Page September 3rd Tuesday, September 7 View Page September 3rd. Tuesday, September 7 View Page Today Friday, September 10 View Page 14 Rahe 10 uow (4.1 Rahe 09 x 65 Rahe 09) One of my oddities. 4.1 was the Tetsukabuto cross. This one looks like a hard stem type. Total of 5 fruit on this one. All the others are open pollinations. All the fruit are the same color. Different sizes and shapes though. I'll post more pics when I harvest them. Friday, September 10 View Page blossom end shot. Wednesday, September 15 View Page 4.1 Rahe progeny from left to right 24lbs,55lbs,35lbs,21lbs. All were open pollinated on the same plant. Wednesday, September 15 View Page 150 Rahe 10 est.(1378 Glasier 09 x 65 Rahe 09) Lots of heavy genetics in this cross. Wednesday, September 15 View Page Only plant left. 222 Rahe progeny on the same plant. The largest is about a cheesecake short of 300lbs. 2 are selfed and 1 is sibbed. Friday, September 17 View Page I opened up all the fruit from my 4.1 Rahe progeny and did not find a single viable seed :( If anyone grew the 4.1 and got seeds from it I would be interested. Friday, September 17 View Page Blossom end of my 1378 Glasier fruit. Thats one thick blossom end for a 150 lber. Friday, September 17 View Page Another shot of the 1378 Glasier blossom end. And yes it did have seeds about 250 of them. Tuesday, September 21 View Page With the weigh-offs just around the corner i'm really worried that this one will go light Thursday, October 28 View Page 322 Rahe 2010 (222 Rahe 09 x Self) Thursday, October 28 View Page 270 Rahe 2010 est. (222 Rahe 09 x Sibling) Thursday, October 28 View Page 195 Rahe 2010 est. (222 Rahe 09 x Self) All 3 grown on the same plant with a foaming stump. Friday, November 5 View Page Tripod Friday, November 5 View Page 322 carved Monday, November 8 View Page I received the results for the plant sample from the 65 Rahe I sent in. The test confirmed Fusarium and Rhizoctonia. Here is a link to a picture of what the new growth looked like. http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=141542 Monday, November 8 View Page Here is a link to a disease fact sheet. http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/3000/3113.html Saturday, December 4 View Page 2010 Seeds available 150 Rahe 10 est. (1378 Glasier 09 x 65 Rahe 09) Genetic cross for heavy 1378 Glasier 09 ( 961.5 Urena 06 x 1223 Glasier 08) 1223 Glasier 08 ( 961.5 Urena 06 x 1041 McKie 06) 65 Rahe 09 ( #15 Beachy 02 x 1450 Wallace 06) #15 Beachy 03 ( 730 Stellpflug 96 x Sibling) 961.5 Urena #2 top 5 variance 1450 Wallace # 7 top 5 varience 1041 McKie #3 top 10 variance 730 Stellpflug # 4 top 5 variance 322 Rahe 10 (229 Rahe 09 x self) Genetic cross for orange 222 Rahe 09 ( 583 Young 08 x 587 Dill 08) 583 Young ( 670 Daigle 03 x 772 Poirier 06) 587 Dill ( 730 Dill 06 x 998 Pukos 05) 270 Rahe 10 ( 222 Rahe 09 x Sibling)