Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 98 Entries. Friday, February 20 View Page Still keeping it orange since 2005. You can see my pumpkin patch from outer space! I judge that this photo was taken late may 2007. Friday, February 20 View Page Got my soil report back- my soil is jacked. Need to raise OM without touching phosphorous and potassium somehow. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Sunday, March 15 View Page This is load #2 of 3 dumps of mushroom soil I got on Sat. There is straw underneath from the vegetable area last year. Sunday, March 15 View Page About half done here on Sunday afternoon. Thats all my body can handle for now, got out of shape over the winter. I'm getting good coverage hopefully this will give my OM a nice boost. Sunday, March 15 View Page Looks like I was able to transplant a colony of praying mantises from my parent's house in MD the other year, based on this nest. A welcome friend in my garden. Hundreds of mantises will come out of this nest probably sometime in May. Thursday, April 23 View Page April 22 is my birthday, earth day, and seed starting day. Yesterday I started the following seeds: Pumpkins: 603.5 Muller (1) 1230 Daletas (1) 1156 Hunt (1) 1343.5 Lyons (1) 434 Gerhardt (4) Squash: 1055.5 Pitura* (1) 811.6 Vincent-McGill* (1) Watermelon: 224 Westfall 239 Leonard (1) Sunflower: 19’ Hain (2) 14.5 Gerhardt (24) Tomato: 3.8 Timm (2) 5.0 Timm (2) Monday, April 27 View Page Hoop houses for two large plants and an and a third house for combined use between two smaller plants are completed. Germination update: 1156 Hunt, 1343 Lyons, 1055.5* Pitura, 811* vincent McGill, 603.5 Muller all germinated in 48 hours (Friday) and have been moved to 4" pots. 434 Gerhardt (1) germinated in 72 hours. 434 Gerhardt (2 and 3) germinated in 96 hours. 1230 Daletas appears to be lifeless but I will keep it on until it molds. Tuesday, April 28 View Page Well, it's official. I'm screwed. The good news is that most of the plants are up in the 4" pots. The bad news is that they will likely burst into flames when I set them out in this soil next week! Sunday, May 3 View Page 1343 Lyons planted in its new home on May 02. Endo plus Myco was used in the pots and at stump site for all plants this year. This is the first time I have ever planted one for weight and not color. Sunday, May 3 View Page 603.5 Muller in its hoop house planted May 02. This one along with my 434 (produced a Howard Dill winner 2008) are my color seeds. The 434 will go out when it gets a little warmer as I was not able to construct a fourth hoop- ran out of plastic. Sunday, May 3 View Page 811* Vincent-McGill (front) and 1055.5* Pitura (back) inside the squash hoop planted May 02. Sunday, May 3 View Page Here's a look at my hoop houses on May 02. Thursday, May 7 View Page I placed 3 x 434 Gerhardts out in the patch yesterday night. Two will directly compete and grow towards the third, which may or may not get pulled depending on how I feel when I run out of space. Overall it is a larger space than the others, about 35' x 20'. It has rained for 9 straight days and been cool so they got a rough start in the world being put out last night. But they were outgrowing the pots and I had no shelter for them. I filed 3 more 434s and will start them as backups soon. Wednesday, May 13 View Page 603.5 Muller on May 12, my best plant right now. Started giving kelp meal a few days ago, I will continue on a weekly basis. I am way ahead of previous years thanks to the hoop houses. Tuesday, May 19 View Page 1343 Lyons. There was a killing frost this morning the 19th- record lows. I applied approx 2lbs each blood meal to all plants inside the hoop house areas on Sunday. I continue to use 1 TSP kelp per plant as a drench in 128 fl. oz. water per week. A foliar of Triazicide was used last week to prevent any early cucumber beetle damage, which I forgot to document. Tuesday, May 19 View Page 434 Gerhardt. Of the 3 434 plants this one took the least damage from frost this morning. As they do not have hoop houses I covered them with 5 gallon pots, which I found to be only minimally effective. Should live though. Tuesday, May 19 View Page 603.5 Muller will be running soon. Tuesday, May 19 View Page Squash plants. 811* in front is the stronger one; the 1055.5* has had the plastic blow in against it and burn it a few times. I found that the direction that the hoop is facing greatly influences the temperature inside. This one faces North to South and gets very hot. Tuesday, May 19 View Page The tomatoes did not enjoy the frost very much. I managed to save the majority of the plant by covering them with hay but the tops got nailed pretty bad. Tuesday, May 19 View Page My tallest sunflower, the 19' Hain, is about 9 inches. I have one of these and about 10 14.5' in the ground. They should respond to the blood meal and warm weather in store for this week. This area against the house was immune from the frost. Monday, June 15 View Page Ok time to quit sandbagging. here are my plants. 1343 Lyons. Monday, June 15 View Page Beefy 603.5 Muller Monday, June 15 View Page 434 #1 no early protection Monday, June 15 View Page 434 #2 no early protection Monday, June 15 View Page 1055.5* Pitura squash. Only looks different because of the angle of the sun. 811* pollinator was shaved down and is just behind it. Tuesday, June 16 View Page I started my fungicide spray program last night. Applied 4 Tbs. Eagle 20 to 1.5 gallons of water to cover all plants in the patch with compression sprayer. Next application will probably require the Stihl 420 backpack mister. Thus far the insecticide program has consisted of a 1 time broadcast/drench of Merit 75WP systemic to ~200 square feet of each planting site plus Triazicide every 10 days or so. Soon I will begin spraying with Talstar (Bifen IT). I will spray the Eagle 20 every other week, rotating between both Daconil and Immunox on the off week. Weekly foliar applications of Kelp will also continue. I applied “Hi Yield” brand grass killer to open areas of the patch on Sunday. I also tested it’s effect on the Atlantic Giants by direct spraying a hefty dose onto the 811 Vincent-McGill* squash (backup plant). If the plant displays no ill effects, I will use the grass killer readily beneath the canopy of my plants to control grass which regenerates from the old lawn. Weather has been cool and damp from planting thru June 15th. Tuesday, June 23 View Page Pollinated 1343 today with 1055.5*. Hate to make a pumpkin-squash cross but there weren’t any males to choose from. Probably will cull this one since it was a deformed 4 lober. Thursday, June 25 View Page Pollinated 603.5 Muller x self today, 5 lobes, approx 13ft out (not official distance). Have another on the 603.5 about 4 inches further on the main to pollinate tomorrow. Also 1055.5* Pitura should be ready tomorrow. 1343 Lyons plant is 20ft long x 23 feet across the back, still filling out the area and in Christmas tree form. Need to start bending main around as edge of patch is in 5 feet. Will have another female on the 1343 to pollinate in about 5 days. Friday, June 26 View Page Pollinated 603.5 Muller x Self, 4 lobes approx 13.5ft. Pollinated 1055.5* Pitura x 811* Vincent-McGill approx 12ft. Friday, June 26 View Page 1055.5* female was 5 lobes Monday, June 29 View Page Pollinated 1343 Lyons with 603.5 Muller at about 18 feet, 5 lobes. On Sat, sprayed a combination of 1 tsp Merit 75, 4 tsp Talstar, and 4 Tbs Eagle 20. First time I have ever sprayed in combination and I did not find any ill effects on Sunday. I did find dead bugs though. Tuesday, June 30 View Page Pics are from Sunday afternoon (Jun28). This is the 1343. I have 2 pollinated on this plant. Not sure if first one took. Day 10 is July 3. Tuesday, June 30 View Page 603.5 Muller. I also have 2 pollinated and they both have very good early shape. Tuesday, June 30 View Page 434 #1. Curving this one around to make room for 434 #2 to get big. I plan on growing multiple non-competition pumpkins on this plant and keep it around 250 sq feet. Tuesday, June 30 View Page 434 #2. Pollinated today x 603.5 Muller, 5 lobes. Tuesday, June 30 View Page 1055.5* Pitura. I have 1 pollinated so far and it has good shape. Wednesday, July 1 View Page Pollinated 1055.5* Pitura x 811* Vincent McGill this morning, 4 lobes. My Halloween plant 434 Gerhardt also had a female blossom open today on the main, so I grabbed a male flower from the same plant and ensured that it received pollen. I don't care about the open cross, just want to be able to track growth. Wednesday, July 8 View Page Patch is almost full. Went to pollinate 1343 x self today and both males had no anthers or pollen in them. WTF. So I yanked 2 males from the 603.5 (the cross will be open). Yesterday, had open cross on 603.5. Monday, had open cross on 1055.5 Pitura. Not doing good on crosses this year so hopefully my early pollinations take. Oh well, the point is to grow a big pumpkin this year not so much make a good cross. Wednesday, July 8 View Page 434 #2 Wednesday, July 8 View Page 1055.5* Pitura Wednesday, July 8 View Page 1343 Lyons Wednesday, July 8 View Page 603.5 Muller Wednesday, July 8 View Page 5.0 Timm Thursday, July 9 View Page Early pollinations: 1055.5* day 10 = 26.5cc, day 11 = 30cc. 603.5 day 10 = 20cc, day 11 = 22cc, day 12 = 25cc. Not the best numbers for 603.5 and I suspect that the growth was being leached by the second fruit only 4 inches further down the vine. So I cut the second fruit off last night as it did not have the perfect shape as fruit #1 has. This pumpkin is about quality, not weight. Thursday, July 9 View Page Missy has completed her naming of the pumpkins this year. 434 #1 is named Chase. 434 #2 is named Utley. 1055.5* Pitura is named Toad. 603.5 Muller is named Howard (as in Howard Dill award winner). I told her some growers would find this comical. 1343.5 Lyons is named Lucky. The horseshoe that I found in the mushroom soil this spring resides next to the stump of this plant. Friday, July 10 View Page Final day of pollination I suppose. Pollinated 434#1 with 603.5 Muller. Pollinated 434#2 with 603.5 Muller. Both were 4 lobes. Monday, July 13 View Page Weather has been the coldest I can remember and growth has been terrible for pollinations. Record low of 50° last night. Should I expect things to pick up with warmer weather, or will these fruits be permanently stunted? 1343 aborted second pumpkin. Not looking good so far for my big plants, 434s and 1055.5* showing the only promise so far. Pollinated 603.5 x self today, 5 lobes, final mainvine pollination on this plant. Pollinated 1343 Lyons x 603.5 Muller yesterday. 1343 plant is enormous but won’t set fruit. Honestly I’m hoping that a side vine open pollination or two shows promise at this point. Just trying to keep my spirits up; at least all plants are still healthy. Tuesday, July 14 View Page Another record low 52° this morning. I should note that on Sunday evening July 12 I began fertilizing foliar with Neptunes fish and seaweed in addition to resuming the kelp. I had resolved not to fertilize this year due to jacked soil but the pumpkin growth indicates that it is needed. Tuesday, July 14 View Page Also, found out my 1343 is sterile, meaning no male reproductive parts and apparently the females are not viable either, which explains why all my pumpkins fail. When you open the male flowers, nothing is inside just a flat stump at the bottom of the flower in every single one. I guess I should pull the plant??? Please let me know. Wednesday, July 15 View Page I cut the second squash off the 1055.5* in hopes of pumping more growth into the first fruit. The first fruit was 51.5 inches day 17, while the second was 28 inches day 12. I still have a 3rd down the line that is younger. Thursday, July 16 View Page 434 #1 13 days, 38 inches Thursday, July 16 View Page 434 #2 14 days, 40 inches Thursday, July 16 View Page 1055.5* 18 days, 54 inches Thursday, July 16 View Page 603.5 Muller 19 days, 48 inches. Hopefully the backup will be better for this one. Thursday, July 16 View Page Sunflowers, 10ft Thursday, July 16 View Page Patch is full! No PM or bug problems yet. Friday, July 17 View Page 603.5 Muller day 20 measurement a sad 51cc. Switching gears- going to grow multiples on this plant for Halloween and just one on the 434 #1 plant. Day 13 for that plant was 43cc with good shape. Monday, July 20 View Page Near record nightime low temps continue to dominate Eastern PA and seem to be keeping the growth numbers down. 434# 1 day 18 = 54cc. 434 #2 day 19 = 56cc. 1055.5* day 23 = 63cc. 603.5 Muller day 24 = 62cc. Tuesday, July 21 View Page 434 #1 is 61.5 inches on day 20. Tuesday, July 21 View Page pardon me the last pic and measurement was for 434 #2. As for 434 #1, it is 60cc on day 19. Tuesday, July 21 View Page 603.5 Muller is 65.5 inches day 25 Tuesday, July 21 View Page 1055.5* is 65 inches day 24. Time to get a OTT measurement on this one due to the strange shape. I might need to cut it and go with the backup pollination. Wednesday, July 22 View Page Day 20 for 434 #1 was 65cc, a 5 inch gain. Day 21 for 434 #2 was 66cc, a 6 inch gain. Thursday, July 23 View Page I culled the 1055.5* squash because it was too ugly and not growing very fast. Hopefully the next one will be better. Sunday, July 26 View Page Day 25 for the 434 #1 has 89cc for est 203lbs. 434#1 looks a bit more like the 1230 Daletas than past offspring. This pumpkin has averaged 4.8" daily circumference growth for the past 5 days. Sunday, July 26 View Page Day 26 for 434 #2 has 88cc for 197lbs est. The 434 #2 has more of the 603.5 Muller look that is normal for this seed. This pumpkin averaged 4.4" daily circumference growth for the past 5 days. Sunday, July 26 View Page Day 19 for new 1055.5* squash is 61cc. So far the shape is okay. I hope it doesn't go the way of the other one. Sunday, July 26 View Page I got 2 of the 603.5 pumpkins up on their blossoms. Hopefully they will grow this way and give me some nice ornamental pumpkins. I have 5 pumpkins set on this plant. Sunday, July 26 View Page Biggest pumpkin on the 603.5 is 82cc. This pumpkin has been growing at around 3 to 3.5 inches circumference per day. Not too horrible considering there are 4 others on the plant. Monday, July 27 View Page Two big storms yesterday caused me to lose my 2nd tallest sunflower at 11ft. Luckily the plants weren’t roughed up too much. Due to the timing of the storm I had to go with a compost tea drench around the stump and mainvine areas instead of using the Stihl. It was too late in the evening and would have been inappropriate to make so much noise at that time. Friday, July 31 View Page Day 30 was yesterday for my smaller 434 pumpkin (Utley) it was 105cc. The cross was x 603.5 Muller. Monday, August 3 View Page 434 #2 day 34 Thursday, August 6 View Page 434#1 day 35, 128cc = 520lbs Thursday, August 6 View Page 1055.5* Pitura, day ?, 93cc = 227lbs. Thursday, August 6 View Page 434#2 day 36, 125cc = 489lbs Thursday, August 13 View Page My bigger 434 is in the mid 700's now. It is day 43. It is developing splits in the stem end below the stem. I think they are about 1/2 inch deep but its hard to tell since the stem is in the way. There are about 3 splits that are around 3 inches long. The main was terminated at the pumpkin so no stress there. I have never been in this situation before, so any advice is appreciated. I coated the splits with undiluted daconil last night. I would really hate to lose the pumpkin now. Is it normal for big ones to crack this way? Should I not be concerned since the walls are hopefully thick in this area? Thursday, August 13 View Page Chase (434 #1) day 43: 148cc 90ss 88fb 326" OTT for 729lbs. OTT continues to be a lower estimate than just cc, which is 759lbs. I suppose this pumpkin stands a chance at the Howard Dill award, but not as good looking as other 434 offspring have been. Thursday, August 13 View Page Splits on Chase, pretty scary stuff! At least they've dried out. Thursday, August 13 View Page Utley (434 #2) day 44 142cc 88ss 83fb 313 OTT for 647lbs. Cross is to 603.5 Muller 03. Vine is getting pretty tight, may need to sever the main at the pumpkin sometime soon. Only about 50 square feet of plant in front of the pumpkin. Thursday, August 13 View Page 1055.5* Pitura, day 37 115cc 78ss 73fb 266 OTT for 403lbs. I removed two squash this week from side vines on the plant, about 60lbs and 150lbs each. I also terminated the main today at the stem- there were only 10 leaves after the squash. I hope this squash can hit 700 or 800 pounds. The cross is open. The plant was let to run wild and is pretty weedy with lots of new vegetative growth. 434 #2 was also let to grow some and I have a back side behind the stump that added about 200 square feet or so of new leaves to the plant. Hoping to prolong the season with this one. Saturday, August 15 View Page I painted the splits with Daconil and put a fan on the stem today. If I lose this pumpkin it will not be for lack of effort. Monday, August 17 View Page 434 #1 Day 46: 154cc 337 OTT, 804lbs. I continue to use the fan and apply daily fungicide paste in attempt to dry up the splits. 434 #2 Day 47: 318 OTT, 678lbs. Friday, August 21 View Page 434 #1 day 50: 159" cc 345" OTT = 862lbs. 434 #2 day 51: 150" cc 326" OTT = 729lbs. #2 has the thump. #1 does not thump well and the split is not looking good. Leaking goop today. The blossom end of #1 vibrates when you thump it. I think #2 will be the survivor, hopefully I can get it over 1,000 by October. Tuesday, August 25 View Page We had a party on Saturday. Here is a pic of my friend's daughter on 434 #1. Growth is slowing so I have resumed fertilizing. No reason for the rest of the patch to suffer just because this pumpkin is splitting. Measurements on Sunday Aug 23 were 160.5-96-93, 349.5 OTT; 896lbs. Thursday, September 10 View Page OOOH BABY just hold together! Estimated weight = ? Thursday, September 10 View Page HMMM this one ain't too shabby either. Estimated weight = BIG AND ORANGE. Cross is 434 Gerhardt to 603.5 Muller. Saturday, October 10 View Page Lost my biggest pumpkin today... it was 171cc 3 weeks ago. It got soft near the blossom end. I still have 1 nice orange one it thumps like a boulder. We will see at the Longwoods Gardens weighoff Oct 17. Thursday, October 15 View Page Here is the squash from the 1055.5 Pitura being loaded up for Longwood Gardens. Looks like the competition will be tough this year. Maybe this will be the only squash. Thursday, October 15 View Page That's what I'm talking about. Longwood here we come. Sunday, October 18 View Page Here she come to the scales at Longwood! Sunday, October 18 View Page 923 pounds and 7% heavy! 3rd place for pumpkins at Longwood. My squash on the 1055.5 Pitura went 11% heavy at 668 pounds and got 2nd place. We had a great time dispite the weather and got to meet the world record holder Christy Harp along with chatting with the legend Dave Stelts who destroyed the competition with his 1400+ monster. Another highlight was Tim Rosa smashing through the 700 pound barrier his first year out going 20% heavy! A big thanks is in order to Tim and all of my friends who helped to get these things loaded up safely. Sunday, October 18 View Page My Dad came up from MD to help with loading and hauling the beasts down to Longwood. Here we are with the 668* Gerhardt 09. Saturday, October 31 View Page Now here's something you don't see everyday- the 923 getting loaded aboard an aircraft carrier. The USS Intrepid in Manhattan. Saturday, October 31 View Page Tim Rosa with the 923 aboard the Intrepid. Saturday, October 31 View Page I found out why the 668* went 11% heavy today. Saturday, October 31 View Page 668* Monster Squash! Saturday, October 31 View Page 923 at the Intrepid! Thursday, December 10 View Page Here's my soil report from mid November