Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 67 Entries. Wednesday, July 13 View Page Finally - starting a diary for 05 Wednesday, July 13 View Page I'm growing 4 plants but 1 doesn't have much of a chance since the trees are shading it quite a bit. The others are - at home) 1036 Perez - at OC) 719 Smith North and 719 Smith East. The 719 Smith is 790 Daletas X 845 Bobier. All were planted later than normal for this area. Wednesday, July 13 View Page The perez early in life - note that I have to turn the main 130 degrees Wednesday, July 13 View Page Another shot of the perez and the main problem Wednesday, July 13 View Page The 719 Smith north early in life. This plot is slightly over 30 ft wide X 22 ft long and I have planted one 719 along the northern edge (30 wide side) in the middle. The other plant is along the eastern edge in the middle. Wednesday, July 13 View Page The 719 Smith east. Wednesday, July 13 View Page I also have baby boos and sugar baby's that volunteered along the fence. I ma letting them grow. Wednesday, July 13 View Page Sugar baby's I think Wednesday, July 13 View Page The 719 Smith east on 9 July 05. Main is 18 ft and 2ndarys are 18' tip to tip. Plant has been a bit tough to get along with - twinned a lot. Had twin females on the main at 10 feet but luckily they aborted. Picture to follow. Wednesday, July 13 View Page Twins Wednesday, July 13 View Page The next 3 are of the patch on 9 July. 719 North is 22 ft on the main and 28 ft side to side. East is a little smaller. All pollinations prior to this week will be cooked 17 July. Wednesday, July 13 View Page Patch pic 2 Wednesday, July 13 View Page Patch pic 3 Wednesday, July 13 View Page Think th8is is a pic of dinner Sunday night Sunday, July 17 View Page Just back from the Orange garden. North 719 has one on the main at 8ft that I had hoped to cut off. But everything this last week aborted on this plant. Now I have the main one and a shock absorber on a 2ndry at 9 ft. One last hope to open Tuesday at 25ft. I'm praying. Anyway, main fruit is 62, 43, 41 (146) at day 16. Shock is 59, 40, 41 (140) at day 15. Fruit on the 719 East is set on the main at 17 ft. Today is day 6 16.5, 12, 13 (41 1/2). Have a 6 day fruit one the 1036 but I will have to play with it this evening. Have a fruit on the 610 also - again this evening. Pics to follow. Gave all 4 plants a drench (5 gallon) today. Used fish, kelp and molasses. Monday, July 18 View Page More updates - 610 Smith (17 July 05) - day 10 21 1/2, 17 1/2, 17 1/2 (56 1/2) is a birdbath in the making - Small plant that is getting much less than its alloted share of sunshine throughout the day. It is getting very intense midday light and heat but nothing in the am or after 4 pm. 1036 Perez (17 July) - pollinated one - measured one at day 6 - 15 1/2, 12, 13 (40 1/2) - pollinated another 18 July. All on the main. Monday, July 18 View Page Summary of fruit to date (as of 17 July) 719 North - main - day 17 62, 43, 31 (146) 710 North -2ndry - day 16 59, 40, 41 (140) 719 East - main - day 6 16 1/2, 12, 13 (41 1/2) 1036 Perez - main - day 6 15 1/2, 12, 13 (40 1/2) 610 Smith - main - day 10 21 1/2, 17 1/2, 17 1/2 (56 1/2) Still trying for better pollinations on all plants but I am out of room on all but the 610 after Wed. Mains on the two 719's are 25 and 23 respectively with no more ground available - ohh well - any more aborts and I'm growing salad. Monday, July 18 View Page Pics as promised - this is the Orange Patch on 17 July. The patch is 33W X 24D appx. Imagine it cut in equal quadrants with one plant situated at the midway point (bisecting line) along the north side and another at a similar point along the eastern boundary. These plants initally occupy quadrants 1 - 3. The final quadrants had volunteers of both baby boos and sugar babies growing which will be or have been removed to make space. Monday, July 18 View Page Another view of the patch Monday, July 18 View Page 3rd view Monday, July 18 View Page Baby boos collected when I tore out the volunteer plants Monday, July 18 View Page Sugar Baby Pumpkins still growing. Monday, July 18 View Page This is a picture of the shock absorber on 719 North. It is 8-9 feet out on a 2ndry. OTT 140 at day 16. Would love to cut it off in favor of a better positioned fruit. Monday, July 18 View Page Since I find myself referring to last year's diary frequently I am going to add a bit of procedural background info. All 3 plots were well amended during the off season with manure, compost and additional soil- only part of what I would have hoped for but that's how it happened. The plots were tilled very well and quite often prior to planting though - which I believe has had a big impact. All plots received a minimum of 80# of Gypsum. With Orange receiving 160#. All will get another like amount this week surface broadcast. Plants were set out late by 1 week in Orange, 2 weeks at the sideyard and 2.5 weeks for the back hill. All vines have been buried up to the first sets in all cases. Really works wonders. At the same time I have removed all tendrils, males flowers and tertiary buds as soon as they could be felt. What I have inevitably missed has provided pollinating flowers and a MINIMUM of unwanted 2ndrys and terts to removed or deal with. Real time saver as far as I am concerned. All water supplied during the first 3 weeks was by drench. All subsequent water has been supplied by overhead sprinklers and misters. I think this is IMPORTANT. I have fertilized 3X in Orange - each time a stump drench of 1/2c fish, 1/2c kelp, 1/2c molasses - over the past 3 weekends. No other applications of any kind have been performed. Home sideyard has received the same 3X treatments as well as a single treatment of dilute 3-30-15 on 12 July. Hope Hillside has revived 4X treatments and will receive a dilute 6-30-15 today. Monday, July 18 View Page Hope Hillside should have been Home but Hope might be a better analogy since this area gets very limited sun and only the harshest of the day. Entry 17 shows the shock absorber on 719 North a bit better. A nice set but I would like something better. Monday, July 18 View Page Hopeside (hehe) plant - 610 Smith - taken today Monday, July 18 View Page Another 610 Smith pic Monday, July 18 View Page 610 Smith fruit - 11 days Monday, July 18 View Page Hopeside (hill plot) picture 1 Monday, July 18 View Page Hopeside (hill) picture 2 with hill slope visible and a tribute to Brigette which resides in our back planter. Cheers Brig. Monday, July 18 View Page Sideyard plant pic 1 Monday, July 18 View Page pic 2 Monday, July 18 View Page Sideyard fruit (1036 Perez) day 7 Monday, July 18 View Page The other half of the sideyard plot - a volunteer watermelon (1 seed). To give an idea of the significance - the sideyard is 50 feet long by 5 ft wide. The Perez was planted 10 ft from the western end. A volunteer watermelon (sugar baby sized yellow) started 10 ft from the eastern end. These plants are now mingling in the middle and it is only 18 July!!!! - I have a problem on my hands. Friday, July 22 View Page This morning the 610 Smith was 36.5, 30, 29 for a total of 85.5 ott. The 1036 perez 31, 25, 25, for a total of 81 ott. The perez doubled in 5 days, the smith added 29 inches. Neither on is setting the world on fire. Fertilzer drench is in order today. Friday, July 22 View Page This was taken about 3 weeks ago next to home pumpkin patch Friday, July 22 View Page This was taken today - same place - is it the same creature just older? Friday, July 22 View Page Second picture - pretty cool? Sunday, July 24 View Page New measurements for Orange pumpkins - Smith North Main - 80, 56, 54 - ott = 190. Smith North Shock - 76, 53, 52 - ott = 181. Six days growth is 18 cir and 44 ott on the good one. Sunday, July 24 View Page A few pictures from the Orange garden to follow. This is the patch with Dave working on sprinklers, shade cloth all over etc. Ripped out the sugar baby pumpkins - PM. The 719 North Main fruit is visible in the middle of the patch. I need to get shade structures up soon. Adjusted the timer to 20 minutes of water 4x a day (9,11,1 and 4) until this heatwave breaks. Almost everything is deadheaded. Sunday, July 24 View Page Bad picture of the big fruit. It is trying to roll over and grow blossum end up. It is at 80 cir at 22 days. Sunday, July 24 View Page Wrong picture for description - This is the bad picture. The other is the 719 East Main fruit. Lost the measurements for this guy but it has grown quite a bit. Sunday, July 24 View Page This is the shock absorber on north. Note the really bad burn it recieved when the shade cloth fell on it during the heat a couple days ago. OTT = 181 I think. Sunday, July 24 View Page And last a couple new pollinations on 2ndrys of the East plant. These will be food later I am sure. Thursday, July 28 View Page Numbers for the house pumpkins today are: 1036 Perez - 57, 43, 40 - ott=140 Day 18. That's a 6 in gain in cir. since yesterday but well behind the 20 day minimum. Oh well. The 610 Smith is 52, 41.5, 41 - ott=134.5 - well behind where it should be but I don't have any hope for that plant anyway. I think it will be my contribution to the small and ugly category this year. Think I will fertilize both today with a drench. Might try a foliar of fish/seaweed and Ca on the 610. Use that plant as a guinea pig of sorts. This is my favorite time of year - for the first 15 days or so after pollination EVERYONE'S pumpkin is still a 1,000 lber. After 20 days the truth begins to show through. I have no illusions about getting anything really big so my feelers are still in good shape. BTW, have 2 more good growers on the 1036 with several more at baseball stage. Last possible female was pollinated yesterday but there will be no more. Sunday, July 31 View Page Just too damn hot to work outside from noon to 4pm anymore so I'll add a bit to this mini-novel (actually it is more like a micro or nano). Anyway - this is the house pkn - 1036 on 31 July. I culled 4 from it today leaving one on the back main at 31, 23, 23 day day 11 and 3 at the vine tips pollinated Tues. Add 20# of gypsum a couple days ago and hit it with 4oz 0-0-25 and fish. Sunday, July 31 View Page This is the so far unnamed pkn on the 1036 on Day 20. 70, 50, 47 for an ott of 167 and 104#. Not much to brag about. Thinking about naming my pumpkins after famous quarter horses or famous beers this year - I could call this "Pie in The Sky" (a horse) or Belhaven Wee Heavy (a famous beer). Either sounds appropriate but I am open to new ideas. Sunday, July 31 View Page Whoops - no picture with that one - here it is. Sunday, July 31 View Page And I'm sure that screwed up the diary - forgot the pic and now everything will be out of order (numerically not like the sign I should have on most days). Sunday, July 31 View Page This is the Hopehill pumpkin (610 Smith). 60, 47, 46 ott=153 but growing slow now. I've let this thing go jungle and the 2ndys are going nuts. Sunday, July 31 View Page This is a flower on one of the secondaries - running along a fence about 6 feet off the ground. It went up the avocado tree. Sunday, July 31 View Page Another pic. Sunday, July 31 View Page Avocados anyone - this tree must have close to 300 on it this year - oh yeah. Sunday, July 31 View Page My little pumpkins Sunday, July 31 View Page Some baby boos. Sunday, July 31 View Page Plumeria flowering - smells so nice. Sunday, July 31 View Page And some bif fat brandywine maters. Tomato sandwiches coming up. Monday, August 1 View Page My hero - Mr. Pumpkinhead himself - JumboJack Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden Thursday, August 4 View Page Orange garden - cut the stem on this 50% through and removed a pie slice Wednesday, August 10 View Page At the ball before the coach turned back into a pumpkin (see I got pkn in there after all) Wednesday, August 10 View Page BTW, twas the first black tie wedding I have ever attended - the Beverly Hills Hotel - and "NO" I wasn't in it Wednesday, November 2 View Page Well it's finally here - my best was a 531# on the 1036 Perez - I BROKE 500 - yeh. And I took 4 others totalling 900 # off the vine. It grew in 120 sq ft of dirt.