Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 41 Entries. Thursday, January 1 View Page Soil test came back in October that looked pretty good. I put down 1 yard of leaf compost per spot. I added 30 pounds of Potash, 50 pounds of Kelp, 10 pounds of Iron Plus (nutrients) and 20 pounds of humic acid for 2,000 square feet. Calcium levels are good. Also planted 2.5 lbs of winter rye. Friday, March 13 View Page Soil test after amendments came in just about right Sunday, April 5 View Page Winter rye is up nicely. I tilled in amendments. I added 18lbs of blood meal, 20 pounds of humic acid, 50 lbs of kelp meal, 15 pounds of sulfate of potash and 15 pounds of iron plus micronutrients. Not too much to add with the report I received back from UMASS Testing Lab Friday, April 17 View Page Applied Merit to the patch via Stihl Mist Blower at 3 table spoons per 3 gallons. I also watered the patch afterwards. I will start my seeds on 4/22 – Wednesday. Patch looks great. Temps mid 60’s today. Sunday, April 19 View Page Put up the greenhouses and installed the heating cables Saturday and Sunday Wednesday, April 22 View Page Started my seeds today 1385 Jutras, 1407 Wolf, 1041 Mckie, 985 Werner, (2) 568 Leonzi’s and (2) 418 Leonzi’s. I will start a second batch when they germinate. The heating cables in the patch are working great keeping the temp between 70 to 80 degrees. The 418 Leonzi was from last year. It is the 1502 Wallace x 1139 Sherwood. The fruit was 21% heavy. The plant and fruit were growing nicely until a hail storm bombarded both the plant and fruit so bad everything stopped growing. I was able to harvest some seeds. Saturday, April 25 View Page Fired up a nice batch of compost tea. I used the new pump I bought over the winter to spray it out from the barrell. I actually cant believe how well it worked. I will push out all of my compst teas and fish / seaweed mixtures this year with the new irrigation system I will put in. Thanks to Thad Starr for the help Sunday, April 26 View Page All seeds up. 1041 germinated yesterday. Cots are curly and slightly stuck together. I think it may have to do with planting the seed on a slight angle. Started 3 more seeds – 1407 Wolf, 1161 Rodonis and 1556 Werner just in case. Temps in the 90’s Monday, April 27 View Page All plants outside today as temps in mid 70’s Thursday, April 30 View Page 1407 Wolf (Spot A), 1385 Jutras (Spot B), 1041 McKie (Spot C), and 985 Werner (Spot B) were all put in the ground. Rootshield, myco, seaweed and worm castings all added to planting hole. 1161 Rodonis and 1556 Werner germinated and are above the soil Friday, May 1 View Page The 2nd 1407 Wolf germinated. Sunday, May 3 View Page Planted the 418 Leonzi in spot (A) with the 1407 Wolf and planted the 1161 Rodonis in spot (C) with the 1041 McKie. The 1407 2nd leaf is having trouble growing due to the 1st true leaf growing crooked. The 2nd 1407 Wolf’s first true leaf is looking funny, but still too small to tell. The 418 Leonzi looks great with a 2nd leaf showing. Heating cables keeping the soil temps around 80 degrees. I always double plant my spots as I seem to always have trouble. Last year I was completely wiped out by corn seed maggots. Monday, May 4 View Page I come home for lunch today to check the pumpers and guess what......the maggots got me again. I lost the 985 Werner. This plant did not have soil cables under it. I hope the plants with soil cables do not get maggots. That is one of the reasons I have the cables in. I will plant the 1556 Werner in its place tomorrow. I also put a piece of plastic around each plant. I heard of people doing this to keep the maggots from getting to the stump. This did not work on the 985. Wednesday, May 6 View Page Planted the 1556 Werner right next to the 1407 because it does not look like it is going to make it. There is a slice down the stump of the 1407 due to the first true leaf trying to break away from the stump (mended together). The other 1407 looks so-so. All other plants doing great. I planted more backups last night – 1161 Rodonis, 1081 Leonzi and 418 Leonzi Friday, May 8 View Page I pulled the 1st 1407 and planted the 2nd one right in its spot. The 2nd actually might make it. The first true leaf was very crooked due to the cots being stuck together. I cut them and it seems to be trying to push forward. I can see the 2nd true leaf. The weather has been very wet. The 3rd set of seeds germinated. I need to put one of them as a backup to the 1385 as that is the only one in that spot. The 1385 is doing great though. The first true leaf has some yellow spots, but most likely due to the wet conditions. Sunday, May 10 View Page 1041 McKie....very nice plant so far Sunday, May 10 View Page 1385 Jutras......another nice looking plant, some yellowing on the 1st true leaf, should not be a big deal. Sunday, May 10 View Page 418 Leonzi....could this be a sleeper? Sunday, May 10 View Page 1161 Rodonis....same plot as the 1041 Sunday, May 10 View Page 1556 Werner is locser to the plastic on the greenhouse. This is a very nice looking plant. The 1407 Wolf is closest in the pic. This is my 2nd 1407 this year. The other I pulled. Sunday, May 31 View Page 418 Leonzi.....nice looking plant so far. Out of the hoophouses and inside the wind breakouts. This one os the 1502 Wallace x 1139 Sherwood Sunday, May 31 View Page The 1041 McKie is a nice looking plant. I had to cut a leaf stalk on it as part of the main kinked pretty badly. Pic to follow on that. 4 foot main on this one. Sunday, May 31 View Page The 1385 Jutras is a beast. 4 foot + main. Had to take the hoop down on this one. The main vine tip was touching the end. Great looking plant so far. Sunday, May 31 View Page Kinked vine on the main of the 1041 McKie. Hopefully it will not be a problem Monday, June 8 View Page Final selection......all plants out of the hoop houses and are growing well. 1385 Jutras is 7 feet in length, 1041 McKie is 6 feet in length and the 418 Leonzi is 5 feet in length. All plants have at least one fruit on the main. I have 2 plots all set with my new sprinkler system and will finish the 3rd plot in the next few days (ran out of supplies). Using roundup was one of the best things I have done so far because it has saved me an enormous amount of time. With 3 little ones now I need to do things as fast as possible. Pics will follow soon....... Monday, June 15 View Page 418 Leonzi - I am beginning to like this plant a lot Monday, June 15 View Page 1041 McKie filling in very nicely. Pumpkins all over the place...... Monday, June 15 View Page 1385 Jutras is an absolute beast of a plant. About 11+ feet right now. The plant reminds me of the 845 bobier I grew a few years back, except this one lays down perfectly..... Sunday, June 21 View Page 418 Leonzi starting to spread out with a main about 10 feet. Baskets covering small pumpers to keep the birds from pecking. Very wet conditions, but plants seem to be ok.... Sunday, June 21 View Page 1041 Mckie....main about 12+ feet and doing well. Sunday, June 21 View Page 1041 female about 8 feet out. I want to see the lobes before I cut this one off. Should open tomorrow..... Sunday, June 21 View Page 1385 Jutras......plant is awesome. 13 plus feet with pumpers everywhere. Perfect one at about the 13 foot mark in the baskets. Nice big male flowers on this plant. Sunday, June 21 View Page 1385 female at the 9 foot mark. Should open tomorrow or so. I want to see the lobes before she gets hacked. Sunday, June 21 View Page 1385 stump view. I will be trying a new pattern this year that some are using with the side vines to try and cram more leaf space in 550 square feet. If we had some some, the main would be 20 feet by now....lol. Thankfully I used heating cables this year and got a nice head start. Monday, June 22 View Page Had females open on each plant today. They were all perfect 5 lobers. All got hacked because they were less than 10 feet out. Friday, June 26 View Page Pollinated a 5 lober on the 1041 Mckie with a 1385 Jutras about 11 feet out. There is a nice one down the line that should open soon. Should pollinate one on the Jutras plant tomorrow or Suday about 12 feet out. The 418 Leonzi plant should be pollinated shortly too. Saturday, June 27 View Page Massive hail storms last night did a lot of damage. My 1041 plant has holes in the main in 3 spots right after a pollination. The main was hanging my a thread so I just cut it off and will train a secondary as the new main. Saturday, June 27 View Page Bottom line is I am not giving up. A few secondaries were cut in half, but I think I can fill them in as the plant grows. There is still a lot of time and I believe I can show a respectable fruit in the end. I bombarded the patch tonight with daconil and will bury all vines that are worth saving tomorrow. I wanted a fungicide on every piece of the plant. I will drench the patch with compost tea tomorrow as well as a lot of seaweed to try and speed up the growth. My 418 was a smaller plant so that should fill in nicely. Thanks for everyone's emails and kind words......Ray Thursday, July 2 View Page Despite the damaged leaves from the hail storm I am still pushing along. I pollinated a 5 lobed 1385 with a 1041. Saturday, July 4 View Page Pollinated my first pumpkin on my 418 Leonzi with a 1385 Jutras about 15-16 feet out. This plant is filling in nicely after the storm. 4 lobed pumpkin Wednesday, July 8 View Page Pollinated a 5 lober on the 1385 Jutras with a 1041 McKie way out, probably 20 feet. This is the 3rd pumpkin on the main. Weather has been wet.