Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 59 Entries. Thursday, April 18 View Page Thursday morning, April 18, 2013. The pumpkin patch is a soggy island. I normally would be starting seeds in about a week, but I am going to wait longer. The temperatures have been cold, and the forecast is for at least another week of cold rain. They are even forecasting snow for tonight and tomorrow. We have received nearly 8 inches of rain so far in April, which is about double the normal total for the whole month. Sunday, April 28 View Page The cold wet spring has caused something new to pop up in the Dutch Creek valley: hoop houses. 2 are up now and 3 more will go in layrt today. The soil is just starting to get dry enough to allow patch work. Thanks to my wife and daughter for the new camera so I can post decent photos. Sunday, April 28 View Page Seed starting supplies. I add worm castings, mico, Jobes and Espoma and worm castings to potting soil for the bottom of the pots, and straight Jiffy mix for the top. Since I have been doing this I have faster starting plants and no damping off. Saturday, June 1 View Page When I walked out of the office yesterday afternoon, I was officially RETIRED!! Now I just have to salvage the patch after a slow start. It has been cold,cloudy, wet and I lost 2 plants early to winds that blew down the hoops. But we missed the real bad stuff, got replacements planted, and if the weather straightens out we still could have a good season. At least now I have time give the patch the attention it needs. Wednesday, June 12 View Page We are finally getting needed heat. Only 1723 Marshall is close to anticipated growth. 2 plants without hoops are at same stage as 2 in hoops that were 2 week younger replacements. 839 McWilliams main is running over 90 degrees from intended direction. Thursday, June 13 View Page The hoop finally came off the 1723 Marshall. It is growing fast. My 919 McWilliams replacement is growing fast but the main is 180 degrees off course. It will take extra training to get it straightened out. Long gourds going slowly and field pumpkins need weeding. Wednesday, June 26 View Page Last year when it didn't rain I should have planted cactus. This year I should have planted rice. We had minor flooding around the patch before the growing season. Lots of rain last night brought the creek up to bank full. I hope it drowned the groundhogs. The soil will be too wet to do anything until we get several dry days. All time record flooding is supposed to hit the Wapsipinicon River in Anamosa by Friday. They had 4" to 6" overnight upstream after a terribly wet spring and lots of rain the past 2 weeks. Thursday, June 27 View Page It hasbeen a frustrating season. Cold, cloudy, rain every other day. Had to replace 2 plants due to wind damage. Only 2 main vines ran the direction they should. Then a ground hog damaged 4 plants. The only thing going right is a lack of bugs. But I'm not throwing in the towel yet. Friday, July 5 View Page We lost the 839 McWilliams to root rot. Even though we had a wet June I thought it was safe since the cold May kept it in the hoop house so long. Also when the hoop came off I kept a cover over the stump, but that is where the rot started. So tomorrow the rest get fungicide treatments. The best plant in the patch is the 1723 Marshall. Of course that is the one that lost the main to the groundhog. It has a female to pollinate on the secondary replacing the main in a couple days. The electric fence is good and hot now and there is one less ground hog to worry about. I saw Don Young's latest diary post, and he has nothing to worry about from our patch this year. Saturday, July 27 View Page Pumpkin on 866.5 McWilliams. It was a late start after the first plant was broken by a May 10 windstorm that toppled the hoop. Hopefully it will make something decent if the weather cooperates. Forecast for tomorrow morning is record low in the 40's. Eight dust bottle is for size comparison. I dust the mains with Eight and sometimes Sevin just in case a vine borer survives the other insecticides. Saturday, July 27 View Page Pumpkin on the 919.5 McWilliams. An other late start due to wind damage. I left part of the hoop up with a small cover over the stump to keep it dry. Hopefully this will help prevent root rot. I hope the 866.5 and 919.5 go orange like the parents. They were cross pollinated with each other. Saturday, July 27 View Page 1723 Marshall. It is most aggressive vine in the patch, but so far it has only produced 2 wimpy male flowers and lots of females. Too bad as I wanted to use this as a pollinator. The main was lost to a groundhog. so I pollinated 3 on secondary vines before leaving July 15 for a week in the Black Hills. All 3 controlled pollinations aborted. I just hope that some of the females pollinated b y the bees will take. There has been a good crop of bees this year. Saturday, July 27 View Page 928 Box (selfed 1725 Harp) It has been a very slow starter and all of the females have rotted before opening. It has been a great year for the pigweed. This fall I should be able to afford a better soil test than the P, K, OM, and PH test I got from Iowa State. I think I might be short on some micro nutrients. Saturday, July 27 View Page Female at the end of the 928 Box about 18' out from the stump. My only hope for a pollination before the first of August. Saturday, July 27 View Page Long gourds finally starting to climb the trellises. The unusually cold May has everything about 2 to 3 weeks late. Sunday, August 4 View Page The 866 and 919 both have pumpkins over 100#, with decent shape. Hopefully they will have the great color of their parents. If they can average 20# per day for August and 10# for September the still can make 1000#. Weather is cool and dry, and we are starting to water and add compost tea. We warm some of the water in a black garbage can and add Humega for root drenches. Foliar feeding starts today. So far no bug problems; I hope I just didn't jinx us. The 928 finally had a female open on Friday, but there still is no indication that anything has taken on the 1723. Tuesday, August 6 View Page We got a hard rain yesterday but pumpkins liked it. Noticeable growth so I started measuring. The 866 taped 199" and the 919 taped 189". Both are day 27 after pollination. Not as far along as I like but I will take it. A rabbit nibbled on the 866 so it is time for fox urine to scare them off. Also time to put up the shade tarps. Thursday, August 8 View Page Day 29 after pollination. The 866 is estimated at 229#, averaging 24# per day. The 919 is estimated at 208#, averaging 26# per day. If we can keep the plants healthy and gaining like this, and no early frost we have a chance of breaking 1000# with both this year. It sure would be better than last year when Jacob only had a 234# and I had nothing. We are getting some sweet corn on the part that is being given a rest from pumpkins. Japanese beetles are eating off the silks and wrecking some of the corn. Just as soon as the corn is done, it will get chopped down, sprayed with glyphosate and seeded to rape. Later the rape will get mowed, covered with compost, manure, leaves and 0-0-50, tilled and seeded to a late rye cover crop. Saturday, August 10 View Page 919 on day 31 est. 235#. It slowed down some the past 2 days. This morning I terminated a bunch of little tertiaries to get the plant to switch from growing vine to growing fruit. Later it will get some warm water and foliar feeding. Saturday, August 10 View Page 866 on day 31, est. 275#. Still growing 20# per day, so I don't want to push it too hard. It will get a little water but not too much foliar feed. I plan to start brewing more compost tea today. Thursday, August 22 View Page We got a light shower this morning with another dry week in the forecast. At least our silty creek bottom soil holds the water we are adding very well. The 919 topped 400# and has a great shape and color. I'm not expecting much over 700# from this one. The 866 has a lumpy shape but is growing around 26#per day. It has a chance to make 1000# (I hope). The long gourds finally have a few set and growing fast. Friday, August 30 View Page The919 this morning. It has been averaging 12.5# per day for the whole month of August. Estimated weight is 490, and we are hoping that it will make at least 700#. Nice color and shape, with a few scars from a rabbit attack. Cucumber beetles are just starting to show up. Jacob found the first one last Saturday. He is back for his last year of college, but will have the weekends to help with the patch. Friday, August 30 View Page The 866 this morning. Estimated weight is 690# and it has averaged around 20# per day constant throughout August. It has to average just over 7# per day for the rest of the season to make a personal best and just over 9# per day to be out first 1000# pumpkin. We keep watering every day in the heat and drought. Cool water from the well in the morning and water warmed in a garbage can and buckets in the sun in the evening. We noticed a growth drop-off if we use cool water in the evening, so no more of that. Friday, August 30 View Page Side view of the 866. It hasn't colored up like the 919, so we hope it has a lot more growing left in it. A good rain would be welcomed. We have only had 0.1" in the past month. The 928 Box has 2 late set, white pumpkins growing. They are growing surprisingly fast, considering the lack of rain and the fact that we gave up on weed control on this one. Wednesday, September 4 View Page 919 has slowed way down. 866 is still doing 20+ per day with at least another week of warm weather ahead. I hope it continues and tops 1000#. It is starting to ooze from tiny cracks on the shoulders. The 928 has 2 white fruits approaching 200 and 300. I'm pouring on the water and ferts to see what it can do. I finally have a personal best long gourd with some younger ones that are growing even faster. They are getting plenty of attention too. The sweet corn patch is all mowed down with several inches of chemical free grass clippings added for organic matter. I just need rain to soften the ground so I can till it in. I will add some Chickety Doo Doo to compensate for all the nitrogen the organics will tie up. I have plenty of finished compost to add as well, and it will get a cover crop if it ever rains. The drought and critters wrecked the field pumpkins. Next year they get electric fencing too. Tuesday, September 10 View Page The heat is at record highs but the pumpkins are surviving. 919 is around 550# gaining 6 per day. The 866 is close to 850, gaining 11 per day. I hope it keeps this up and makes 1000#. Our longest gourd is 94", growing 2" per day. It could possibly make our goal of 100". We have another much younger gourd that is 70" growing 5" per day that might do even better if the weather holds up and we avoid an early frost. Monday, September 16 View Page What is a good excuse for taking a weekend off from pumpkin chores? Watching Yadi hit 3 singles and a homer as the Cardinals beat the Mariners 12-2. I made a check on the pumpkins this morning. The 866 is taping 882#, and is gaining 7.7# per day. It needs to do 6# per day for the rest of the season or go heavy to make my 1000# goal. Our longest gourd has now reached 99". But we have gourds that are 86" and 82", still very skinny and growing fast. If the weather holds out they could really get big. We got close to an inch of rain yesterday, the first decent rain in almost 8 weeks. Thursday, September 19 View Page The 866 McWilliams this morning is starting to fill out and color up. It measures 920# on the Team Pumpkin chart and 940# on the GPC chart, so I may have a new personal best. Going by the lighter weight it needs to average 5.3# per day to make my 1000# goal, and it put on 28# in the last 3 days. We had rain yesterday and more is coming this afternoon with 87 degree temp. Over the weekend I will have to start covering with a blanket as lows are supposed to get into the 40's. It has been getting a light foliar feeding every few days with high K tomato fertilizer and molasses, but me sprayer doesn't like the sticky molasses even with warm water. Thursday, September 19 View Page The 919 McWilliams this morning. Growth is slow, but I am letting another one grow on the plant to act as a "shock absorber" in case of heavy rain. It has a few scars and lumps but a real nice color. Thursday, September 19 View Page 360#pumpkin on the main of the 928 Box. I blame the cold spring, plant management and weeds for this plant's problems. Maybe if I had pushed early fertilizer it might have gotten a better start. There is a 300# pumpkin on a secondary. The rabbits found a route through the electric fence and like to nibble on this plant. News for them is that hunting season is open! Thursday, September 19 View Page The long gourd trellises, looking across the weedy 928 Box plant. The stepladder is for tying soft ropes to keep the gourds from breaking the stems. 2 young skinny gourds that were 80" and 84"long 3 days ago are now both 93",with 16 days to go before Pumpkinfest. Monday, September 23 View Page The 919 getting some sun. I like the color. Monday, September 23 View Page The 866 hasn't shown any measureable growth the past few days, but more of these shallow surface cracks have been showing up. It must still be growing. The recent cold snap must have slowed it down. Monday, September 23 View Page Side view of the 866; It looks like the top part is filling out more when compared to a previous photo. Monday, September 23 View Page I didn't like to see this: an 87" gourd with a 23.5" long split. It might have been caused by recent rains, the cold mornings or a combination of both. It would have been a personal best last year, but we have several longer ones this year. Monday, September 23 View Page I didn't mind digging this hole. Well over 100"and still growing. 12 days to go until Pumpkinfest. Thursday, September 26 View Page I had to dig the long gourd hole deeper last evening as the gourd was getting close to the bottom. The gourds got a foliar feeding and this morning it was 2" longer. I hope it keeps growing like that in the final 9 days of the season. I also sprayed the cucumber beetles. It was just their second appearance this year, the first coming the last week of August. Still more surface cracks/cantalouping on the 866 this morning so it still must be adding pounds. I just hope it goes heavy. Tuesday, October 1 View Page I have a dilemma. Yesterday my 866 taped 971#, so it needs as much growing time as possible if I want a chance to make 1000#. But we have rain in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. Too much rain and our 2 wheel drive trucks can get stuck or have trouble getting up the steep hill. I can cover some of the dirt with plastic and tarps. But the weather man is talking about heavy storms for Friday. So I might have to load the pumpkins before Jacob gets home to help. My big pumpkin in Jacob's F150 and his smaller pumpkin in my Ranger. My long gourd will wait until Saturday morning as it still is growing slowly and I want to get every inch I can. I can't seem to knock out the cucumber beetles, but at least they didn't cause a problem until the last 2 weeks. I found some of them with their heads buried in holes they had chewed in my 866. They didn't survive the encounter. Thursday, October 3 View Page This morning the TV weather radar showed a huge storm to our west, and theY said it would start raining around noon and keep it up until dark. So my wife and I went out amid scattered showers and loaded the pumpkins. We spun out a couple times backing up the F150 but finally got the pumpkins out of the patch and up the hill. Now at noon the radar shows that the storm split, went north and south of us and it is clear to the west. Oh well, it is better to lose a couple pounds than lose the whole pumpkin, stuck in the mud. Lu Ann was great help this morning, and took some photos that I will post later. A few years ago I could have loaded them by my self, but my shoulders are too worn out now. I learned many years ago not to underestimate an Iowa farm girl. I'm taking her out to supper tonight; she earned it. Thursday, October 3 View Page One reason to get the pumpkins out before we get 2 days of rain. That hill is steep and can get real slippery. Thursday, October 3 View Page Stump on the 866. Not real big, but it was healthy. No foam. Keeping a plastic cover over the stump helped prevent problems. Thursday, October 3 View Page Something tried chewing on the 866 but didn't get deep enough to cause real harm. Thursday, October 3 View Page Lifting the 866 with the tripod and hoist. I couldn't have gotten the tripod set up without Lu Ann's help. Thursday, October 3 View Page Touchdown for the 866 in the F150. That huge rust hole is just the start of the problems. After the weighoff the truck is headed to the scrap yard. Hopefully we will have a newer 4WD next year. Thursday, October 3 View Page Lu Ann's hand to show the size of the stem on the 866. Thursday, October 3 View Page Walking the tripod over to the 919. Thursday, October 3 View Page The 919 touches down while thunder rolls to the northwest. The storm was close but we only got light sprinkles. Thursday, October 3 View Page Lu Ann showing the size of the stem on the 919. Not a huge pumpkin, but nice shape and color. Thursday, October 3 View Page Just got my soil report back from Western Labs. I can sure see where we need to make some improvements. Much better information than the limited tests available from Iowa state. Sunday, October 6 View Page My pumpkin went way light, weighing just 862 pounds. But in a very tough year it was good enough for 7th place at Anamosa. It was my best placing ever, and my 3rd time in the top 10. When I look at all of the good growers who lost their pumpkins, I guess I didn't do too bad. And I even finished ahead of Don Young, which is a good accomplishment. Sunday, October 6 View Page Don Young's "jaw dropper" that he mentioned in his diary. He really had us going for a while. But he was truthful: jaws did drop when we saw how puny it was. Aand he couldn't lift it with a forklift. It was too small. Sunday, October 6 View Page Jacob's pumpkin went just 535# when we thought it would go over 600. But it was good enough for 12th place, and 2nd largest from Jones County. It was the best looking giant of the show, but the judges gave the Howard Dill award to a field pumpkin. Jacob wasn't upset when he saw I was a young kid who had grown it. Sunday, October 6 View Page Long gourd winners at Anamosa. Left to right event organizer Greg Norlin, 3rd place Don Young (110") 2nd place Richard Stivers (114.5") 1st place Mark McWilliams (me 118.25") That was a real thrill to win one of the categories. Sunday, October 6 View Page Anamosa winner Scott Steil's 1507# pumpkin. I'm sure he felt much better than he did last year after his potential 3rd place pumpkin split on the trailer as he unwrapped it. His son managed to take 2nd place, so they took a pile of cash back home to Minnesota. We Iowa growers need to work hard, as the top prize has gone to Minnesota or Wisconsin the past few years. Some decent weather would help. Sunday, October 6 View Page Merri Barlow brought the biggest watermelon ever weighed at Anamosa. Last year's pumpkin winner, John Barlow lost all of his pumpkins this year. It shows how tough growing conditions were. Tuesday, October 15 View Page 2 cool days and cold nights with lows in 40's to low 50's slowed down growth. 919 is down to 10.5 per day and the 866 is down to 20 per day. It is supposed to warm up but it is getting too dry. We are watering but that is never as good as real rain. 1723 Marshall is getting some kind of disease and nothing really going so it will get pulled. 928 Box has 2 set and we will let them grow for large decoration pumpkins. Too late for competition. Friday, October 25 View Page I lost a good friend last week. Darcy Lee Keil on the left side of the photo. He didn't grow pumpkins, but whenever Steve Swinconos, Joe and Obie Wagner or I needed help loading for the weighoff, Darcy was always there. The sportsmen and farmers of eastern Iowa also lost a great friend and advocate. Darcy worked at the railroad repair shop until it closed when he was 30. He then worked his way through college and landed a job with the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture as an environmental specialist. In 20 years he helped countless farmers and protect their soil and enhance forests streams and rivers. He got trout stocked in Jackson Co. streams and brought back endangered clams in Jones Co. He volunteered for several conservation clubs and mentored many children in how to enjoy and protect the outdoors. He worked hard to secure conservation funding and improve government programs and rules for the counties he served. He was the epitome of the perfect public servant. He was tough: it took a combination of 3 deadly diseases to stop him at the young age of 57. At a time when it is popular to criticize government, Darcy showed how a smart, concerned person could work the system to accomplish great things. Every year from now on when I load a pumpkin I will remember how my friend helped secure the lifting straps and direct me in backing under the pumpkin. I hope all the other growers have a Darcy in their lives, too. Friday, November 1 View Page Here I am with the 862 carved for Halloween and the 118.5 long gourd. Even though the pumpkin fell way short of my goal, with such a tough growing season I consider it a success. A win in the long gourds and finishing ahead of Don Young in the pumpkins isn't all bad. At least I learned a lot more and have renewed enthusiasm. As my St. Louis Cardinals are saying now, just wait until next year when we win it all. Tuesday, November 26 View Page The 866 now tapes 943# on the Team Pumpkin chart and 963# on the GPC chart. It might make my 1000# goal, and as long as it doesn't weigh light or suffer a disaster it will be a new personal best. Longest gourd now exceeds 107", beating our previous best of just over 78".