Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 87 Entries. Friday, January 2 View Page All the best, for the New Year, to the growers who make it all worthwhile. Saturday, January 3 View Page Did my first serious work in my polytunnel this week. Dug out a 15 ft x15 ft area, and , removed the soil to a depth of 2 feet. Replaced with old compost and lots of 3 year old manure, which has been maturing in my back garden, covered in plastic. Still lots more to do before May, but good to have started. Tuesday, January 6 View Page Very hard frosts over the past few days make it difficult to get motivated enough to want to work in the garden. Down to -8 tonight, and staying at freezing or slightly above during the day. Ground to hard to work. Saturday, January 10 View Page Frost broken at least for the time being, so I,m hoping to get back to the garden in the next couple of day's I introduced a fresh bit of manure ( steaming) into my compost heap, just to make sure all biological action was completed, and, if the heap stays cold then I,ll know it's fit for purpose, and, remove the fresh material completely. Monday, January 26 View Page Finally got some more work done in the greenhouse, so, my patch is taking shape nicely. Seed bed,( 10 ft x 6 ft)just needs some more well rotted manure to bulk up the site, so that will be added over the next month. Surrounding area will be filled in as required, and, should be finished by end of February. Added 2 kg of Fish Blood and Bone to present site, with at least a 2kg bag of Seaweed extract and a small amount of general purpose fertilizer, just to boost soil fertility. No Ph test yet, plenty of time in April, when all is settled in. Wednesday, January 28 View Page Had a job interview today, so no work done in the greenhouse, but will make up for that over the next few days-hopefully!!! Pity to have to go back to work fulltime, but, economic necessity is as good a reason as any. It just means less time for everything else. Monday, February 2 View Page Very poor weather over the past few days. Cold, down to -6* at night and just getting over freeezing during the day. Some snow due in this week. Supposed to be the coldest winter in 20 years.Severe weather warning in place. Got a little work done in the greenhouse today though. Patch is taking shape, and, should be fit for purpose in May. Wednesday, February 4 View Page Just got a new job with a Bank. Feeling very proud that one of the silver haired brigade can come back to the workplace, after a long break, but, feeling sad that I have to put in the hours again that I thought I,d left behind in 2003. I was hoping to spend the rest of my life walking/talking plants, and, family, etc,. but, economic necessity foiled that dream. Less time for the greenhouse from monday next. This is tough. Saturday, February 7 View Page Weather just to cold and frosty to do any serious work outside or inside. We have had more snow than I can remember this year, and, combined with hard frosts, it makes for very difficult working conditions. Saturday, February 21 View Page Got no work done in my patch, due to being back at work full time, after a 5 year gap.Even on Saturday and Sunday there is always something needing preferencial treatment, but most of that will be sorted this w/end. So I,m hoping to be able to get back at the patch next w/end at the latest, and, make up some badly lost time Sunday, March 1 View Page Finally got a days work done in the greenhouse, and the patch is beginning to look like a proper pumpkin patch at last. I brought lots of old manure ( 50%) to the patch along with soil ( 30%) and peat ( 20%) old compost etc and added powered seaweed, fish blood and bone , doused the whole area with a low npk fertilizer, and a good drench of liquid seaweed. A generous coating of Chicken manure went on top, and this was just lightly moved into the top 2/3 inches, so now I,ve got a bed about 16 inches deep X 15 ft wide X 20 ft long. Not quite the finished article yet, but getting there. I,ll add about 10% vermiculite to the site in May before planting, and, do some soil tests in the next few weeks, just to be sure..I think one of the reasons I did so badly last year was to rely on natures manure to provide most of the plants needs, so this year, from the start I,m pushing everything to its max. Final year at this game, I might as well go out with a bang. Sunday, March 8 View Page Finally got one bed finished today.it measures 20 ft x 30 ft, maybe a little small, but its all the space I can give it in an already packed polytunnel. I might try squeeze 2 plants in and see what happens. All I need do now is get the soil testing done and add some more manure to the top few inches of the site, and, some more fertilizer just to have it in tip top condition for mid May. I,ll start some photos in May at planting time, and probably one every week from then on until the end. Thursday, March 12 View Page Today outside temp reached 14 degrees at 10am and is promised warm for the whole day. Makes you think that summer is just around the corner. Saturday, March 14 View Page Back to the greenhouse again to complete the first bed. Lots of tidying up, space allocation etc,. on the menu, and will advise how I got on in my next entry Monday, April 6 View Page No work done on patch for the past few days , due to work committments, but bed is ok for 1 plant at this stage. However , I,m off work this week, so I plan to get another bed ready by weekend if possible at this stage. It,s tough to combine work and pumpkins right now, but I,ll have one at least, possibly another for the season. Thursday, April 9 View Page Got lots done today. Finished 1 bed completely, and started another. 1st bed was supercharged with fish blood and bone mix, seaweed powder,a generous topping of 7.7.7 fertilizer, just to get everything buzzing, a layer of chicken manure in the top few inches, and 10 big loads of organic manure, just to bulk up the system. Next is to soil test and correct as reqd, but this can wait as I,m not planning to plant until mid May at the earliest. Ground is now covered with black plastic and some weed suppressant material also black. This will improve soil temp as season warms up. In poor sunlight, today, temp went up to 70* Thursday, April 9 View Page Don't think I ever had soil as good. It's like silk to touch, so if we get any sort of a good season I,m looking to have another Irish record. Saturday, May 2 View Page Soil test completed, and it came in at 6.8, which is as good as it gets. I,ve started 3 seeds, 2 of which are above ground level now, and am still waiting on an old reliable in a 1070 Provencher, which did very well for me in 2007, bringing in a 724 lb. The 2 over ground are a Ghaye and a Beachy, and as I,m not at home while doing up this diary right now, I cannot remember exactly which ones they are, but I,ll fill in that gap on my next entry. Ive only space for 2 plants, at a very tight squeeze, but I,m trying to superguess the Irish weather by starting another 2 seeds in 2 weeks time, just in case the weather gets the best of what's already growing. I,ve got very rich soil this year, so I,m expecting a good season, and the long range weather forecast is for a warm sunny summer. It would make a big change to to previous 2 which were wash out's. Sunday, May 3 View Page As is usual for me I got some of the details wrong in my last letter. I said I had a Beachy, when it is a 1341 Baggs, and a 1058 Ghaye, and a 1070 Provencher. All is correct as of now. All three have made it past the germination stages and the 1070 is just ready to go into a pot, as it was the last to sprout. The tomato in the picture is from a 3.18 lb Smit ( 08 ), and I plan an assault on the European sunflower recore of 14 ft 10 in as well. I already have the Irish record for at least 10 years at 13 ft 10 in, so I got some great seed last year that should be of benefit. Sunday, May 3 View Page 1341 just peeping above the surface. I expect it will be shell free tomorrow Sunday, May 3 View Page I did say 1070 provencher, it is in fact a 1090 provencher. Some day it will all come right Sunday, May 3 View Page 3 rd of the group is the Ghaye 1058, very small seed but looks good. Again just breaking the surface, and should be shedding the shell is 2 days Wednesday, May 13 View Page All 3 seeds growing on now, just as the weather starts to go into a dip. Sunshine has abandoned us for at least the next week, but temps will hold up reasonably in high teens during the day and single figures at night. Will decide today whether anything is fit to be planted in greenhouse. Wednesday, May 13 View Page Just decided the 1341 is the one for the ground today. It's in great condition and has its first real leaf ready to unfold. Other 2 only average. Monday, May 25 View Page have done little work in greenhouse over the last week +. Just had no time to spare, so I,ve got to make a big effort in the next week, just to get another plant into the ground. Baggs doing quite well when you consider the night-time temps are still down in low single figures. Plant is about 14inches in length, and looks nice and healthy, but I,d expect more growth as temps increase later this week. Friday, June 19 View Page 1341 is now about 6 feet long on the main vine and the best secondary is about 3 feet long. Plant is very healthy, with a growth rate of approx 3 to 4 inches per day. I will feed heavily this weekend with a 10N 52P 17K mix and a concoction of Seaweed meal, fish blood and bone etc,. and also give a good drench of the liquid seaweed. Monday, June 22 View Page 1341 is going at a rate of knots.Very energetic plant and healthy also. I,m also interested in reading other growers diaries, and, find it a complete turn of events with the weather some of you are experiencing this season. We have had to put up with this unseasonable weather for the past 2 season's e.g ( 2007 and 2008 ), and it did set us back quite a lot, and this season is soooo different. For a change we are having very benevolent conditions and the growing is easy. Maybe the records will come accross the Atlantic this year? Monday, June 22 View Page 1341 has produced her first female, which is a little earlier than usual, but I,m not complaining. It,s only about 7 ft out so I dont expect miracles, but is very well placed. Unfortunately I probably will have to self fertilise as my2 nd plant may not be in a position to deliver the pollen as it is a late replacement plant. Thursday, June 25 View Page Still got great growth, and, main vine putting on up to 4 inches per day in length. Main vine and secondary vine both very healthy and, while the main vine is still bigger and longer than the secondary, there is very little to separate them. both big strong and free growing. No female on the secondary as yet, but I,d prefer to see a female arrive in the next few days and have some hope of survival. Thursday, June 25 View Page I gave a strong foliar feed of Liquid Seaweed emulsion, and a booster of 10N 52P 17K, to both plants, just to get them into a proper fit condition to hold and retain any pumpkins that are pollinated. Watering is on a permanent "drip feed", which keeps a minimum amount of moisture in the soil, to be topped up with "drenching", and top-ups as required. Saturday, June 27 View Page Main vine fell over last night, but no serious damage done, so I put it back into position this morning. It had rooted on much of the stem, but it is growing so fast the roots had no time to get deep. It does not help that the tip is standing to attention all the time, and always trying to grow opposite the area's I want it to go. 2nd main vine is now longer than the primary by about 12 inches, and, is much lower to the soil, so I don't anticipate ant falling over from this side. 2nd vine also has its first female on show Saturday, June 27 View Page Main vine fell over last night, but no serious damage done, so I put it back into position this morning. It had rooted on much of the stem, but it is growing so fast the roots had no time to get deep. It does not help that the tip is standing to attention all the time, and always trying to grow opposite the area's I want it to go. 2nd main vine is now longer than the primary by about 12 inches, and, is much lower to the soil, so I don't anticipate any falling over from this side. 2nd vine also has its first female on show Sunday, June 28 View Page No apparent damage to vine or to developing pumpkin, although the secon main vine is now considerably longer by about 12 inches Monday, June 29 View Page 5 females now visible on 1341. 3 on 2nd vine and only 2 on main vine. All looking healthy if a little small, but there is plenty of time for them to fatten up before pollination. Wednesday, July 1 View Page All is well on the 1341, and, I expect to pollinate in the next few days. Females are getting larger and look just perfect. Some say it is tempting fate to say how good thing look, but such is life in the manure heap. Back-up still growing strongly, but is unlikely to provide pollen for the 1341, but who knows? Thursday, July 2 View Page Still not open. This is like waiting for a baby to be born. The expectation is enormous and the nerves getting frayed as the day fast approaches. Female is getting bigger by the day, and, shoulb be a nice size when it reaches pollination day. Probably tomorrow? Friday, July 3 View Page Pollinated this morning with a couple of males from the same plant. Had nothing else available, but should have something within the next 2 weeks for another female, as my No,2 plant is now beginning to move a bit better and should have some pollen available. Monday, July 6 View Page Pollinated 2nd pumpkin on 1341 on Sunday morning, and I,m keeping my fingers crossed that at least one of them will hold and prosper. Lots of new pumpkins appearing on this plant but the male count is very low. Even on my backup plant the male count is historically small, and , this could be a worry. Anyone give me a reason why??. I,d be glad to know. Wednesday, July 8 View Page 3rd pollination on the 1341, again by self, and on the main vine. Very healthy plant with vigorous growth. 2nd main vine is now about 4 feet longer than the primary main vine, but why complain when both are in excellent condition Wednesday, July 8 View Page Just found my number 1 vine broken near the growing tip, so no loss on pumpkins already pollinated, and I,m less worried than i should be because the 2nd main vine is longer, stronger, and lying almost flat on the soil, so there is little fear of it falling down. Note guard dog on constant alert for foreign invaders. Sunday, July 12 View Page 1st pollinated about the size of a melon, 2nd not moving at all and 3rd is now past 2nd and growing nicely. Gave plant a liquid feed of seaweed extract, so it should boost the growing time. Will give a generous feed of fertilizer tomorrow. Tuesday, July 14 View Page Pollinated 4th fruit on 1341 again sadly by self. My no 2 plant had 2 males but no pollen. Another tip end on the 2nd main vine showing signs of cracking and splitting. Bit of a problem this year, but plant in general is very healthy and vigerous, and appears capable of overcoming any problems which arrive. No 1 pumpkin is growing steadily, No2 doing very little, no3 growing nicely, and No4 just pollinated today. This may be my lot for the season, unless the backuop plant can do something akin to a miracle. Tuesday, July 14 View Page I,ve not named my backup plant for no reason other than to keep anyone reading this diary on hold, but, it,s doing only ok, so i,ve decided to reveal all today. DADADADAAAA-------- it,s the 1297 ghaye (07). Nothing to write about except to say that, when I needed pollen, it did not provide. It has several females on show, but the nearest to pollination is still about 7 days away. Just as well the 1341Baggs is still producing males at an enormous rate. Might make an interesting cross? Wednesday, July 15 View Page Just did an OTT on the 1341 Baggs. I,m surprised it came in at 66 inches, which is the largest I,ve ever had at this stage of growth. long may it continue. Wednesday, July 15 View Page Just did an OTT on the 1341 Baggs. I,m surprised it came in at 66 inches, which is the largest I,ve ever had at this stage of growth. long may it continue. Fed the plant last night and did a foliar drench the day before. There are 4 pumpkins on this plant, but, I,ll wait for another few days before I decide which to cull and which to keep. I.ll probably keep 2. Friday, July 17 View Page 1341 has gone from 66inches up to 78 inches in the past 2 days. Nice steady growth. I,ve decided not to over feed the plant or to push it to hard, but to coax it intodoing its best with a concoction of Seaweed drench and Fish Blood and Bone soil conditioner. I,ve also given the plants a high boost of Potash, just to encourage better fruit set, and at the end of this week I,ll give them a medium feed of N10 P52 K17, just to complete the overall feeding regime for this month. Seaweed drench and Fish Blood and Bone will be twice weekly feeds from now on. Saturday, July 18 View Page 86 inches Ott on day 14. This is my best so far. the friut is 34 on the Cc measurement. Last night was a cool 12 degrees, but it has not slowed down the growth rate so far. Daytime temps somewhere between 17 and 20 degrees. Quite cool and lots of cloud, but the sun does peep out most days for a little while Sunday, July 19 View Page 90 inches this morning, which is good when you consider that I culled the smaller pumpkin on the same vine last night, and pruned the roots as well to allow the pumpkin to rise as it gets bigger. So overall I,m very satisfied with progress to date and the next pumpkin on the 2nd main vine is moving alsog very well and is about 2/3 the size of my number 1. Monday, July 20 View Page 98 inches and signs of stem split on No 1 Pumpkin. Will take appropriate measures to counteract same today Tuesday, July 21 View Page Still growing nicely, and, up to 105 inches today, or 32 lbs aprox on OTT. treated the mild stem split with powder and wrapped stem in elastic bandage to allow it to expand, but at a much slower rate. I,ll examine the wounded area every couple of days and treat as required. No 2 pumpkin is flawless at this stage, and growing rapidly also. Wednesday, July 22 View Page 110 inches is todays measurement. Going strongly and the problem with stem split seems to have eased fro the time being. 45.5 on CC Thursday, July 23 View Page 114 lbs and seems to have slowed up. Night temps down to 9 to 13 degrees over the past few nights probably does not help, but i remain hopeful that this plant will produce the goods at the weighoff in October Thursday, July 23 View Page Just pollinated the 1297 ghaye with the 1341 Baggs. I know its late but I figured better late than never, and in real terms here in Ireland, I,m only 10 days behind my normal pollinating times. This plant will be pushed as far as possible, and given everything to try produce a winner Thursday, July 23 View Page Planted a Giant marrow in June and it is now producing some females. It will be at least another 10 days to pollination, and, as this is my first attempt at this fruit, i don't expect anything out of the ordinary-but who knows. Thursday, July 23 View Page Number 1 pumpkin is now 20 days old and with No 2 culled, the No 3 is now growing very well Thursday, July 23 View Page 2nd pumpkin measuring in at 102 on OTT. Much better than I had expected, and this one is absolutely flawless. I,m letting 3 pumpkins grow on this vine, and will decide which to keep in about 10/14 days Thursday, July 23 View Page Picture is of my No 1 pumpkin. As you can see, the bandage is wrapped around the neck of the pumpkin , where it attaches to the main vine. I checked it today and the stem split has stopped and is now dry. Lots to be said for the cheapest method, medicated talcum powder and some elastic bandage. Thursday, July 23 View Page Another side view of my premiere pumpkin. Friday, July 24 View Page 120 inches this lovely warm slightly sunny day. All is well with the plant. Saturday, July 25 View Page Number 1 is now 125 on OTT, and Number 2 catching up at 115. I need to give a big liquid feed today as I culled some fruit yesterday, and I need to feed hard from now on. I,ve learned that my biggest rival/friend has a pumpkin at 177 OTT and if I,m to catch up I must push the feeding limit to its maximun from now on Sunday, July 26 View Page 130 inches on No 1 and 125 on No 2. All is well Monday, July 27 View Page Both the No 1 and No 2 pumpkins are measuring in at 134 on OTT. No 1 is 55 on CC and No 2 is 56 on CC. No.2 is really flying, even though it has another pumpkin still growing on the same vine. Monday, July 27 View Page The 2nd pumpkin has put on 10 lbs last night and No 1 only 4.6 lbs which was just about average for that particular fruit. The 2nd fruit still has another pumpkin on the same vine, which is also growing at a very fast rate, only pollinated last week, but is growing so fast I,m probably going to leave ths spare on that vine to take some of the growing pressure off the No 2 fruit. Tuesday, July 28 View Page Number 1 slowed down and is now measuring in at 137 on OTT, while No 2 continues to flourish and gained to 143 inches on OTT. I,ll have to move some vines today, as they are getting very close to the pumpkin. Tuesday, July 28 View Page Female will be ready to pollinate in a few days on the marrow. males in the queue already. Wednesday, July 29 View Page No 1 has increased by 3 inches, and No 2 is now measuring in at 150 inches. Number 2 is the one to keep. Thursday, July 30 View Page No ! in at 143 on OTT and No 2 in at 153 on same scale. Cold nights so growth is severly reduced. I have started covering the pumpkins, just to keep whatever heat is there. Overall, a cool summer with daytime temps in at a low 60 degrees centigrade and nights falling below 10 degrees recently. Sunlight is scarce, rain aplenty. Friday, July 31 View Page Well the covering of the pumpkins has brought its results much quicker than expected. After just one full nights coverage, my best pumpkin ( No 2 ) put on a spectacular 14 inches on OTT, which is the best weight gain I,ve ever had in one night. Full OTT on this pumpkin is now 167, or a gain of 23 lbs. Even my first pumpkin has responded with a reasonable gain also. Saturday, August 1 View Page Another cold and dreary day just past. Daytime temps down to 17 C and nightime to 8 C. Even though the pumpkins are covered, it is not enough to get reasonable growth. Who ever mentioned "Global Warming" should take another look and maybe redefine the phrase to "Global Cooling", at least in our neck of the woods. Even the insect population is devestated. I have never seen so few flying insects as this year. Most of them are probably unable to feed, lay eggs etc because of this un-naturally cold season. Monday, August 3 View Page Weather earming a little again, but I fear it may be to late for the pumpkins. In the past 2 days my best has only grown from 167 inches OTT to 176, or in weight terms from 109 lbs to 126. Not bad for an average plant, but poor for a wannabee. My No 2 pumpkin is suffering a similar fate, going from 147 OTT up to 154 OTT, or again 77.4 lbs up to 88 lbs, which is thar fruits average from day 1 really. What Everyone seems to need is Sunshine and Heat. We supply the rest. Tuesday, August 4 View Page Weather warming again and growth also. No1 fruit up from 176 to 183 inches or 14 lbs. Good but not great, and No2 up to 158 inches OTT. prolonged warm weather this week, with a little sunshine thrown in for good luck, so I,m hoping to maximise the growth for this period. Wednesday, August 5 View Page No 1 fruit continues to flourisg and increased to 188 inches OTT or a 5 inch + overnight. I expect much more over the next week, which will be warm and humid. I fed plant last night and will foliar feed tonight. No 2 is still growing, but I must make a decision on when to cull it and give the No 1 the maximum growth possible. Met with Eugene Brady yesterday, another very competitive grower, and he has a beautiful squash, which measures in at 224 Ott, or 246lbs, and some smaller pumpkins, one which has stem rot, and another which is smaller than mine, but still growing also. Thursday, August 6 View Page Disappointing night with No 1 friut, which only grew 3 inches, or 6 lbs in weight, but should see better from now on, as I gave a heavy feed last night and will continue to do this every 3/4 days. No 2 fruit did its usual, and is now up to 164 OTT. Both disappointing, but hope springs eternal Friday, August 7 View Page Very disappointing growth recently, even though we have lots of heat etc,. back and only 3inches on the No 1 friut,and the same on the No2 fruit.No 1 at 194 on OTT and No 2 at 167. but i suppose better growing than not Friday, August 7 View Page Just culled the 2nd pumpkin. It,s time to be very serious about the remaining one, and, to push it as far as possible. Picture is of my son Thomas on the culled fruit. Saturday, August 8 View Page Almost instant results from the cull, as the remaining fruit has put on a healthy 8 inches on OTT or 20 lbs. This is close to what I expect it to do, so all I have to do now is maintain this growth pattern-however difficult that may be. Giant Marrow has also come on in the past few days. Sunday, August 9 View Page Growth seems to be a fleeting, haphazard sort of thing for me this year. Sometimes good mostly bad though, as last nightd efffort shows only a single inch in overall growth up to 203 on OTT. I,m going to measure again in the morning in case I did something stupid, but I don't think so. Monday, August 10 View Page Very disappointing growth over the past 2 days. I expected somewhere in the region of about15--20 lbs per day, instead I get about 7 on average. This sport is sooooooooo-- frustrating. OTT today is 208 or at least the magical 200 lbs. Tuesday, August 11 View Page Things took a turn for the worst last night, as 2 patches of rot have hit my remaining pumpkin. I,ll have to apply dry heat on these patches to try rectify the situation, but I,m not confident of success. Both spots are very soft and the rot seems to have gone all the way through. So fingers crossed.No weight gain last night either. Wednesday, August 12 View Page Did not treat rot as expected, but will today. Spots have not grown any larger even though the fruit has increased to 213 OTT or 214 lbs, so it,s probably worth while trying to remedy the problem. I,ll wash the sections in a mild bleach solution and the apply talcum powder and a little dry heat to cure the areas and see how it turns out over the next few days. Saturday, August 15 View Page Been out of action for the last 2 days, having a small proceedure done in hospital. thankfully nothing serious, just getting parts fixed before I get to old. Have no faith in my pumpkin right now, and have not even measured it today, but it has sprung surprises on me before, and I hear my rival and friend is also having difficulty with his squash, which appears to have stopped growing also. If i grow next season, I,m going to have to look at adding heat to the mix.Climate over here just not dependable. Saturday, August 15 View Page 16.00 hrs in the pumpkin patch, and decided to measure out of interest. Surprised when it had actually gained again and now stands at 219 OTT, or 231 lbs. I cannot understand why it grows some nights and not others, especially when its relatively warm all the time now, and watering is constant. I,ll foliar feed tonight. Monday, August 17 View Page Checked today and treated the rot with captan and some other compound given me by my local Gardening expert. Hope it works as the pumpkin has not grown in 2 days now , and I feel it may be at its end. But I,ll keep at it until all hope is gone. Feel strongly that Heat is my main shortfall. I can get great soil, all the added ingredients, but unless I can provide the heat necessary, then its only as a good runner-up I,ll ever be. Tuesday, August 18 View Page After 14 years growing these plants, you might think I could second guess what is happening --- reasonably speaking!!. Well I still can't. My fruit grew 22 lbs last night, got more rot spots, and is about as healthy as a sick parrot, but such is the tenacity of the plant to survive, I,m going all the way with it until it either makes weigh day or dies in the attempt. I,ve re treated the rot spots and hope for some dry weather in the near future. Its very humid now but sunshine is very scarce. Wednesday, August 19 View Page No change to the measurements or the rot spots, although one of them seems a little deeper. I cannot do any more to stop this so i hope the measures taken will slow down and stop the problem. Thursday, August 20 View Page Just 2 inch growth on OTT bringing it to a total of 229 or 262 lbs. Going to try another prodoct to help stop the rot, which is getting worse, but in real time I do not expect this plant to survive the weekend. Sunday, August 23 View Page the end finally came quickly to my pumpkin, when rot got all the way through the skin to the inner portion of the plant, and, I was left with no alternative but to remove all. Job done and am planning next season already. End of Diary till 2010.