Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 53 Entries. Sunday, April 22 View Page After a year away from pumpkin growing, I'm back. I'll be growing in 2012, but with less intensity. I've pick two seeds; one from my own stash and one from Jim Kuhn (thank you Jim). I'm not looking to grow any record guord, just something to show. I've learned that there are plenty more important things in life than having the biggest pumpkin. I've added 10 yards of organic compost to my garden (which has been fallow for a year), and will be adding 50 pounds of kelp and humic acid in the next week. Let the games begin! By the way, my mom turns 90 this week- happy birthday mom. Tuesday, April 24 View Page Got my garden tilled. After finishing, I checked the soil temperature- 57.4 F. Tuesday, April 24 View Page Duffy 1513 has germinated and is in the pot. Harp seed is swelling and should be germinated in a day or two. Wednesday, April 25 View Page Harp 1236 has germinated and is potted this morning. Sunday, April 29 View Page Duffy plant is comming along nicely. Should be outside by weeks end. Sunday, April 29 View Page Harp seedling is a couple of days behind. It appears to have a damaged cot, but in the long run, this shouldn't be a problem. Monday, April 30 View Page Soil is all tilled. Added 0.4% imidacloprid and set up my greenhouses to get the soil heating up. Started introducing the plants to a couple of hours of indirect sunlight outdoors on the porch. Saturday, May 5 View Page I got my pumpkins in the ground today. It's overcast, but 86 degrees inside the greenhouse, No heating cables this year, but I do have heaters set to 50 degrees to keep them warm at night. This is the Duffy pant....doing well. Saturday, May 5 View Page This is the Harp plant. The picture is a little fuzzy because of the humidity in the green house. It's struggling some but I'm sticking with it. I have no backup, and I'm not planning on a world record this year. Each plant was given a gallon of 10-50-10, with some myco at the base. Tuesday, May 15 View Page Duffy plant is chugging along. It hasn't been too warm or sunny, but it's looking ready to start vining. Second feeding of 10-50-10 was given a few days ago. Tuesday, May 15 View Page I was worried about the Harp plant, but it's starting to grow strongly. Two leaves came out of one node and I was worried it was going to double vine, but it looks ok. You can see the problem it had from the start with a wilted and deformed coteledyn. My geenhouses are working great. The soil temperature at 4 inches deep was just above 80 degrees over the weekend. Thursday, May 24 View Page The weather has been nice for growing pumpkins. Duffy plant is doing great. Vine is close to 3 feet now and accelerating it's growth. It'll be 10 feet plus by the middle of next month at this rate, hopefully with pumpkins forming for pollination by the end of June. Thursday, May 24 View Page Harp plant has recovered nicely and is quicly playing catch up. It's at 1 plus feet and showing good growth at the tip. The way these plants grow, that's hardly behind the Duffy plant. Thursday, June 14 View Page It's been very cool at night for the last couple of weeks. I was getting some yellowing of my leaves but it seems to have cleared up. I gave both plants a feeding of 4 gallons of 36-6-6 last weekend. This is the Duffy plant at close to 12 feet in length... Thursday, June 14 View Page ...and at just over 11 feet is the first pumpkin forming. I have another one forming on a side vine. If the weather cooperates, I'll be having pumpkin sex by the end of the month. Thursday, June 14 View Page My Harp plant has been struggling some, but is close to 9 feet in length. I haven't found and pumpkins forming yet. Each plant was given a foliar spraying of fish, seaweed, and orthenex this evening. Wednesday, June 20 View Page Scorcher today, close to 100F. I've set up my new automatic watering timer. We'll see how it worked when I get home tonight... Wednesday, June 20 View Page Duffy plant is doing well. My watering timer worked well. The soil is nice and damp and the plants haven't suffered any heat damage. It's now out to 14 feet with a second pumpkin forming on the main vine. Wednesday, June 20 View Page Duffy pumpkin at 11 feet. It should be ready to pollinate in another 3 or 4 days. Wednesday, June 20 View Page Harp plant out to 10 feet. It looks good and it's growth is picking up. Wednesday, June 20 View Page Harp pumpkin forming close to 10 feet out on the main. Saturday, June 23 View Page Pollinate a female on the Duffy plant at 11 feet using a Harp male. Second Duffy female forming at 14 feet. The main vine is out to 16 feet and overall the plant looks nice. Harp female at about 10 feet should be ready to pollinate sometime next week. Early pollinations compared to previous years. Saturday, June 23 View Page Forgot to mention that the Duffy was a 5 lober. Tuesday, June 26 View Page Pollinated a second Duffy female at 14 feet on the main with a Harp male. 4 1/2 lober (4 lobes with a deformed fifth). The first Duffy is swelling to the size of a lemon. Friday, June 29 View Page I sprayed last night with fish and seaweed foliar, with added chlorthalonil and cygon 2-E. The Harp female at 10 feet has aborted before flowering but a second female should be opening in the next couple of days....looking good. The Duffy pumpkin at 10 feet is orange sized. Saturday, June 30 View Page Harp female at 12 feet- ready to pollinate tomorrow. Saturday, June 30 View Page Harp plant is doing well. My plants don't seem to mind the heat we're having. Overhaed sprinklers come on 3 times a day. Saturday, June 30 View Page Duffy plant with it's lush growth. Saturday, June 30 View Page Duffy pumpkin coming up on grapefruit sized. Very long stem. Saturday, June 30 View Page Backup Duffy pumpkin, just in case... Sunday, July 1 View Page Pollinated Harp pumpkin this morning at 12 feet using the Duffy males. 4 lober. Happy Canada Day! Tuesday, July 3 View Page Duffy at day 10. Friday, July 6 View Page Looks like my Harp pollination didn't take- no increased pumpkin size in 4 days. Probably a heat problem. It's been in the 90's. Next pollination is tomorrow at 16 feet. If this one doesn't take, the next pumpkin on the main won't be for another 10 days. I'm letting some side vine pumpkins form. Friday, July 6 View Page Fish and seaweed foliar spray with propiconazole and sevin. Finished up with a gallon drench at the crown with Bayer Tree and Shrub. Pollination of my Harp at 16 feet tomorrow morning. Looks like it's going to be hot. I hope it takes. Duffy is expanding nicely...now at 569 pounds and putting on 56 pounds a day. (I wish....) Saturday, July 7 View Page Was able to pollinate the Harp at 16 feet using the Duffy males for pollen. Only a 3 lober...the best I could tell. Some of the lobes appeared distorted and unusually large. I'm going with it anyways. Sunday, July 8 View Page Duffy plant in the foreground. Growing great. I'll be terminating half a dozen side vines in a couple of days. Sunday, July 8 View Page Duffy pumpkin taping 78 inches OTT this morning. Sunday, July 8 View Page Harp plant in the foreground. So far, the latest pollination seems to be doing ok. Tuesday, July 24 View Page Duffy pumpkin at around 200 pounds. Unfortunately, the heat and humidity have brought something to my patch. Slowly, leaves are browning and dying. I've kept it in check for the last week with heavy spraying, but I'm guessing I've got a month or so before it kills off the patch. Spraying again tonight ( 7 ingredients). Tuesday, July 24 View Page I continue to be unsucessful with the Harp plant. I've pollinated a dozen or so pumpkins and none are taking. They grow to this size and die off. I had one with seeds outside the pumkin. I'm letting it go wild to see if it can generate a pumpkin on it's own. Tuesday, July 24 View Page Harp plant- browning leaves near crown. Thursday, July 26 View Page I'm pretty sure that my plants have angular leaf spot. I've slowed it down by stopping my overhead watering and using a copper containing spray. Duffy pumpkin is around 250 pounds. Harp plant continues to be a bust...no sucessful pollinations from over a dozen attempts. Monday, August 6 View Page My season is quickly closing. My Duffy pumpkin is putting on less than 10 pounds a day. Half the stem is rotted away. I cleaned it up the best I oould and applied a liberal coating of captan. Angular leaf spot continues to spread... I'll post pics when I can. Monday, August 6 View Page Duffy pumpkin at close to 400 pounds. Growth is dropping way off... Monday, August 6 View Page ...with close to 1/2 the stem circumference rotted. Captan was applied heavily. This was a pic after the rain and much of it had washed off. Captan was reapplied heavily. Monday, August 6 View Page Here's my leaves. Don't they look great! I'll keep pluggin away with the sprays, but these plants are going down. Monday, August 6 View Page The Harp plant has finally pollinated at close to 35 feet out on the main. Now if I can only extend the growing season by 1 1/2 months. Monday, August 6 View Page All is not lost. My summer blooming lycoris bulbs are beautiful. Monday, August 6 View Page A closer view. Monday, August 6 View Page And of course, as far as I know, I have the largest growing pineapple in New Hampshire. And it tastes better than pumpkin! Sunday, October 14 View Page Nothing big, but I ended up with some nice display pumpkins. Sunday, October 14 View Page My grand daughter loves the gourds... Sunday, October 14 View Page Last pic to close out the season.