Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 67 Entries. Tuesday, March 3 View Page 264Strange08,(588Young x 660 Dill),120 sq ft plot,2 % heavy.Growing two of my own crosses this year(563 as well). Thursday, April 23 View Page Started first seed of the year-563 Strange(660 Dill selfed) this week.Germinated in 36 hrs.Used a ziplock bag this time(thanks John V).Built my shelter A frame shaped(thanks Norm G).Still waiting for the 615 Jaser(589 Dill x 846 Calai) to germinate.Will start a 804 Vincent-McGill today(670 Daigle x 1180 Daletas). Tuesday, April 28 View Page Looks like I messed up on my first set of germinations.Soil in peat pots was a bit too moist.I repotted the 615 Jaser after 5 days but today the seed has rotted.Started another.The 804 Vincent McGill was repotted as well after 2 days in over-moist soil.Looks like it is starting to open.Must have gotten lucky with the 563.The 563 is now outside in a shelter with soil heating cables.New germinations in 36 hours are the 746 Snyder,786 Veader,695 Young.Using both the heating pad and cooler with hot water container methods.Waiting for the 646 Storey,753 Wallace at 48 hrs now. Thursday, April 30 View Page Germinations-264 Strange-36 hrs,615Jaser,1004 Mohr-48hrs...646 Storey-3 days, 804 Vincent-McGill-4 days....646 and 804 look like club roots...still waiting for the 753 Wallace... Friday, May 1 View Page Started another 804 Vincent-McGill as the club root wasn't producing roots and a Wallace genetic seed(603 Muller sibbed). Started another 786 Veader as the first is struggling and an 801 Daigle(730 Dill x 1689 Jutras).The pollinator plant for the 801 produced dark orange fruit. Saturday, May 2 View Page 695 Young also outside in a shelter,heating cables used.753 Wallace cracking open but I get the impression it will have a club root.646 Story doing well with club root. 24 hr germinations-Wallace cross,786Veader#2....36hrs-804 Vincent-McGill#2 Sunday, May 3 View Page 801 Daigle germinated in 36 hrs.Started a 938 Colbert 08(998 Pukos x 904 Stelts). Tuesday, May 5 View Page 646 Story in the ground.Club root not slowing this one. 938 Colbert germinated in 36 hrs.Started a couple more 563's and a 954 Horton 06(500 Beauchemin x 1097 Beachy)for another grower.Best result in his patch last year.600 lbs in 5 weeks,very late pollination.. Saturday, May 16 View Page The 753 never produced a true leaf...but the cousin,Wallace genetic cross,is doing well.Lost two 1004's,rotted after germination,before popping up.Third one has popped up.Hoping for the same luck on my third swing at the bat,like the 660 Dill(3 tries) that produced a homer,PB,for me(563).New germination this week included the 884 Ornskov(500Northrup x 1233 Reiss),promised to a grower friend who had success with it last time. Saturday, May 16 View Page Left to right-938 Colbert,804 Vincent-McGill,615 Jaser,746 Snyder. Saturday, May 16 View Page Left to right-264 Strange,801 Daigle,786 Veader,Wallace genetic cross. Saturday, May 16 View Page 563 Strange Saturday, May 16 View Page Pic-646 Story 06(710 Companion x 1180 Daletas)....A 695 Young is also in the ground,four leaves... Friday, May 29 View Page 563 Strange 08....nothing like heating cables in the spring...5-10 celcius at night,soil warm to the touch... Friday, June 5 View Page 746Snyder,938Colbert,786Veader,563Strange#2,264Strange, 615Jaser,801Daigle,Wallace genetic cross,804Vincent -McGill,953Horton,884Ornskov are all in the ground now.Bad luck with 786 as a groundhog chewed the head off the small main vine.Hope a secondary will push through.Fenced off the plant.The 938 did not transfer well.Will give it a few more days but not looking good.Should have hardened it off.The 563#1 has a female showing at 5ft.Don't want to self this one again but not much choice as the plant is so much ahead of the others.646Story coming along,still small due to weather.695Young plant at 3ft. Wednesday, June 10 View Page Weather has not been great May and June,cold,sometimes rainy.Some recent plantings last week not doing as expected.Starting to rethink my germination schedule.Seems like unprotected plants can't go in before June 1 in Quebec,last few years.Should have hardened off the plants but it was a bit awkward with their size,was worried about breakage.I'm thinking smaller plants would have handled the cold better.938 Colbert is gone,746 Snyder is looking a little too yellowish,new leaves not doing much.Almost afraid to visit country plots on Friday.Have a few recent germination backups,have to hope for a warm September at this point. Sunday, June 14 View Page Amazing what a week of normal temperatures can do.746 Snyder looking much better as are all the country pumpkins.Noticed a cuke beetle so started some prevention.786 Veader still hanging in,sign of a new main.Will plant another786 backup at the other end of the plot this weekend if the first one improves.Otherwise substitute into the spot.The 695 Young is a solid plant,3+ft,unfortunately going the wrong way.Planted it without the first true leave showing direction and I guessed wrong,lol.Have got it slowly going the right way,will use my imagination with the secondaries(pattern).Backyard plants-646 Story looking solid.563 Strange is at 9ft,females all over the place,unlike the mother 660 Dill plant.Wish this one was on a bigger spot.Have been using Mychor fungi again,drenching with fish and seaweed.I was 100 lbs more last year.Mychor effect? Tuesday, June 23 View Page Have to stay on top of cuke beetles in country plots.All plants picking up with better temps.Probably not looking at pollinations on these plants until third week in July,with the exception of the 695 Young,vine at 5ft.In the city,unprotected plants are at 1-3 ft.The 563 has a successful pollination at 7ft(June 17),another tomorrow at 9ft.Selfed(again)only as the are no other males available.This plant seems to alternate sides with the fruit on the main,making it easy to curve the main.Yellow fruit,good sign for colour.sorry to have lost the 938 Colbert(weather)and the 1004(my technical mistakes).646 Story ribbon vined but I have a single main now.Thanks commentors on the message board,this subject. Tuesday, June 23 View Page These plants are five days old,some with a developed true leaf,the smallest plant in front is only two days from the cots being white and lying on the soil surface.The story is that I brought a pumpkin to school in 2007,was carved by students,teacher kept 20 seeds ,decided to plant them two weeks ago in a dish washing container-bucket,did nothing special(seed filing,heat),germinated in 3-4 days.I tranfered them to single containers and presently I have given most away,planted a couple myself.Seed is the 265 Strange 07,pic in my 2007 diary,female side is 115 Strange which was an 834 Northrup x 221 Hoidn(495 Reiss selfed that was an 801 Stelts selfed).Male side is the 588 Young.Hybrid vigor?? Friday, June 26 View Page Fruit on 563 Strange at 10 days,7ft Friday, June 26 View Page 563 plant,second pollination two days ago at 9ft.Another tomorrow at 11ft. Sunday, June 28 View Page Seems I can't keep up with pollinations on the 563 lol as there was a surprise open female this am.Will have to be "open" but really,nobody grows anything related nearby. If they did,with the weather we have had, not much chance of flowers yet.Did better measurements so there are pollinations at 7,10,12ft(selfs)and 13ft(open,self)...646 Story really taking off,tripled in size,last 10 days... Friday, July 3 View Page Fruit on 563 Strange,43in circ,17days.Wish the plot size wasn't limited(6ft width).Although set at 7ft with 3 pollinations after it,this fruit is really dominating(like the first set producing the 563 last year) and I'm glad I waited to see what the others would do(or not do).Pollinations on the 695 Young,615 Jaser within 7 days.Vine lenths of mains: around 9ft-695 Young,646 Story. Around 6ft-615 Jaser,264 Strange,563 Strange#2,Wallace cross.3ft-804 Vincent- McGill,746 Snyder. 2ft-786 Veader(even the rodents can't kill it)... Wednesday, July 8 View Page 563 fruit,60 in.circ.,22days... secondary vines growing up fence,not ideal(lack of roots) but better than being limited to 3ft.Think I can count sunny,dry days we have had last 30 days,on one hand. Wednesday, July 8 View Page 646 Story.Females at 11,13 ft. Monday, July 13 View Page First pollination in the country plots-4 lobed on the 563 plant at 6 ft(I'll take anything the way this season,weather has been)pollinated with the Wallace cross(603 Muller sibbed).Wanted to add an orange 723,846 to my crosses(845 Nesbitt,603 Muller)).The fruit(to open at the end of the week)is yellow on the Wallace plant,yellow vine also.Other fruit to open this week in the country-801 Daigle at approx 8ft,615 Jaser at about 8ft,264 Strange at 6ft,695 Young at approx 10ft(this plant my second largest,nice Christmas tree pattern).Pollinated the 646 Story at home today(11ft) with the 563.So far so good with the fruit on the 563.Looks like it will go neon orange,hopefully not too soon though.746 Snyder,786 Veader are picking up steam.804 Vincent McGill is slow.Put a few of my 264 and 265's as snake vines and they certainly have chunky,solid mains at 2ft. Tuesday, July 14 View Page Fruit on 563 is 72 in.circ.,28 days.Wrapped it up tonight as it will be 11C,52F...Maybe I should plug in the heating cable,July 14,lol... Wednesday, July 15 View Page Pumpkin on 563.Kept wrapped in a bed sheet for animal protection and sun(yah right!).Third sunny day in a month? 73cc at 29 days. Thursday, July 16 View Page Squirrel and raccoon protection on the 646 Story 05,fruit and tip of main.Almost pulled this plant a month ago when it was stuck at 1-2 ft for a couple of weeks,probably due to cold temps.646 is 710 Companion(810x1016) x 1180 Daletas.The 646 was only 37 days old,shown at an early fall fair.The 1180 plant produced a dark orange fruit,1031 lbs,unfortunately with a small crack in the side.....second pollination tomorrow at 13ft... Friday, July 17 View Page Two pollinations on the 646 Story today-at 13 ft with the 746 Snyder(5 lobes)and at 14 ft,selfed....Did lots of burying with mychor fungi on the 746.Plant got away somewhat with accelerated growth....Three open pollinations in the country yesterday.615 Jaser at 9ft,801 Daigle at 9ft,Wallace cross at 6ft...PM prevention is on as the humidity is going up but thankfully warming up too..Have been drenching(different combinations) with compost tea,seaweed,fish,20-20-20 Plant Prod....some foliar spraying with seaweed... Sunday, July 19 View Page 695 Young plant.Pollination yesterday on main at 18ft(selfed)and today on a secondary at 11ft(selfed).Both pollinations will be "open" though.Heating cables and an A- framed enclosure gave this plant a good start...Pollination(closed) on the 264 Strange at 7ft with the 563 Strange.4 lobes. Tuesday, July 21 View Page 646 Story plant.Challenges of a narrow plot(7ft).Zig zag of the main(continues out bottom left of pic).First fruit is 17cc at 8 days,all three with a healthy shine.I planted this one before I knew the direction of the first true leaf and lost the coin toss(Sunday rush before the work week).The main also ribbon vined.Interventions succeeded,thanks to some of the postings I read...Looking like a first pollination on the 746 Snyder by the end of the week,around 9ft out.Lost the end of the main a few weeks ago.A bug chewed off the tiny tip(can't even take a day off of bug prevention?).Secondary nearby really stepped up quickly...Veader plants coming along,hoping for a pollination in early August and a warm September.Just might happen the way our May-Junes are cool now,autumns warmer.The second 786 has a really chunky main.... Sunday, July 26 View Page First pollination on the 746 Snyder(city plot) today with the 563 at 8ft.Females on all secondaries have been picked off.Plant is growing nicely now(plot that grew the 563)...Culled second pollination on the 646 Story(city plot) due to a bad position.First is a shiney,volleyball size at 13 days,third a healthy,smaller fruit.Another pollination yesterday with the 563 farther down main....Main on 695 Young(country plot) growing 1-2 ft a day even with 4 pollinations at softball size....563(city plant)is at 203 OTT at 40 days.Happy with this as there is only about 60 sq ft of plant before fruit,a long main after fruit,maybe 50 sq ft.Hoping for developed rooting on main to sustain some growth.Leaves still in good shape.Cool weather may not have hurt this plant as no PM yet.Prevention usually only results in a delay for me.... 264 Strange,615 Jaser,563 Strange,801 Daigle,Wallace cross fruit are softball size(country location).All these plants ae smaller due to weather,late planting,pollinations before adequate plant size and possibly some mistakes in soil preps....786 plants(country) growing nicely,good leaf color,pollination early August....Some 264,265 snake vines are growing fast,both in the city and country.Hard to really know reason for small plant size in one country location as some plants doing well,some? The soil is not consistant amongst those plots.Either is the drainage.Maybe I have my answer... Thursday, July 30 View Page 563 Strange,211OTT,44days.. Thursday, July 30 View Page 646 Story,49cc,17days.. Wednesday, August 5 View Page Lost a few pumpkins(aborts) in the country last week on the 801 Daigle,563 Strange and 615 Jaser,New fruit on the first two but looks like the 615 has a vurus.786 Veader has first pollination that looks good,yellow fruit.695Young my biggest plant with a couple of yellow beach ball size fruit on it.At home,646 Story is at 71cc at 24 days,yellow and very nice shape.746 Snyder has three pollinations on main,Plant has taken off with two weeks of heat and some sun.Small late plantings,264,265 Strange have pollinations this week.The 265 is a treat with agressive plant growth,thick stump,long stems and yellow fruit.Might have to put this one in a better spot next year.563 Strange is chugging along at 5 lbs a day,turning reddish.Hope she holds for the fair.216 OTT,thumps thick. Friday, August 7 View Page Fruit on the Wallace cross aborted.Too bad as it was a nicely shaped,shiney yellow pumpkin,volleyball size.Too much rain(like 5 days a week for three months).Looks like this plant has had it as the leaves are turning yellow.Two years ago under normal conditions,I was blowing fruit in this patch...646 Story is at 175OTT,26 days and hopefully will go right past the 563 Strange at 221OTT.Fruit on 746 Snyder(x563) is shiney,yellow,volleyball size and with a healthy plant,now at 200sq ft,I'm hopeful...PM is still in check,maybe a record for me at this time of year.Mychor. influence? A few Big Zac tomatoes on the way,2+ lbs.Been culling smaller ones on the 14 plants I have. Monday, August 10 View Page 563 Strange at 224 OTT Monday, August 10 View Page Stem side of 563 Monday, August 10 View Page 646 Story at 187 OTT....695 Young has two shiney yellow fruit,basketball and beachball size.One 264 Strange has two recent pollinations,yellow fruit.The other 264 has a cream coloured fruit,lol.So much for mid orange X dark orange... Wednesday, August 12 View Page 746 Snyder is 71cc at 18 days.Plant is 350 sq ft,not 200 as posted last week.Fruit is a dark yellow near stem.Going to be dark orange if we continue.Solid all over... Saturday, August 15 View Page 563 is 232OTT,still averaging 5 lbs a day.646 is 208OTT,10 lb average. Pulled 5 plants in one country location this week.Good weather is too late.ground too wet,aborts,etc...563,264,801,804,100...only one left is 746,basketball size and shiney,long stem.Plot is my driest and still mushrooms are growing....695 in other location still pushing 2 healthy fruit.May cut one off in two weeks for local fair. Sunday, August 16 View Page A few corrections to the diary...The remaining pumpkin in one country location is the 786(Veader) and not the 746(Snyder)...The 746 was not 71cc on August 12 as it was 69cc on August 14,lol...Probably was low 60's(61?).Now the fruit is 75cc, so it looks to be averaging 3cc per day,last 4...was just a volleyball size 9 days ago... Sunday, August 16 View Page 746 Snyder,75cc,22days Sunday, August 16 View Page Stem side,746....Hot sunny weather,5 days now... Sunday, August 16 View Page 264 Strange(x563),14days,50sq ft plant Sunday, August 16 View Page 265 Strange(x264),10 days,50 sq ft plant. Thursday, August 20 View Page 746 Snyder is 92cc,averaging 21 lbs. 646 Story is 232OTT,averaging 14 lbs.563 Strange is 235OTT averaging 2 lbs... Monday, August 24 View Page 646 Story.Bit of a sag line.Not going to go dark but maybe a light salmon orange color. Monday, August 24 View Page 563 Strange at 239OTT.Never have had leaves still in good shape at this time of year in the city. Monday, August 24 View Page 563. Monday, August 24 View Page 746 Snyder at 228OTT. Monday, August 24 View Page 2.2 lbs...from Big Zac seed,Totally Tomatoes.Six of my 14 plants have a fruit that should go 2-3 lbs. Tuesday, August 25 View Page A nice surprise today when visiting one country location.The 786 Veader has a nicely shaped 50lb fruit that looks to go red orange.This tough luck plant of 50 sq ft had the main eaten as a young plant by a critter and a rainy summer.The only plant to produce here.I was pulling out some mushrooms today while weeding.Not surprising.Sometimes it's the plant that you are ready to pull but give a second chance that comes through for you... Sunday, August 30 View Page Chilly temps at night last few days.563 is aprox.242OTT, 746 approx 241OTT.Really happy with my second 264 on a 100 sq ft plant.Same shape as mother fruit but I think it will be a little darker.Beachball size.May put it in my best patch next year.Think it has a lot of potential(shape and color,some size)...I could never be an engineer with my measurements-646 is about 232OTT now(not last week) and the 746 plant is more like 250sq ft,not 300-350. Wednesday, September 2 View Page Loaded for Brome County Fair.Fruit from 563 plant.Used duck tape with the measuring tape this time.104-67-70=241,303lbs est. Wednesday, September 2 View Page side view Monday, September 7 View Page The 563 weighed in at 289lbs,second place,5%light. Saturday, September 12 View Page Early fall display(it's more like summer with 70-80's,no rain for two weeks).289Strange09 on left and another fair entry,fruit from 695 Young,picked early,34 days,205 OTT,230 lbs,17% heavy,really nice shape. Saturday, September 12 View Page Fruit on 746 Snyder(x563)at 48 days, aprox.249 OTT,250sq ft plant,unfortunately losing the battle to PM with all this beautiful growing weather. Thursday, September 17 View Page 2.4,2.4,2.2,1.9 lbs and my favourite stout. Saturday, September 26 View Page 746 Snyder(x 563 Strange)at approx.254OTT,on 250 sq.ft. Saturday, October 31 View Page No trick,just a treat for the neighborhood kids......pumpkin from the 746 Snyder-361 lbs,3%heavy Sunday, November 1 View Page Another pic of the 361(746 Snyder x 563 Strange) Sunday, November 1 View Page 110 lbs,6%heavy,100sq ft plant(264x563) Sunday, November 1 View Page 265 lbs,646 Story x 563,110 sq ft plant,late pollination, relatively thick stem and blossom ends. Saturday, November 14 View Page The fruit on the 646 Story was 232 OTT,went 2-3% light.Wished I had used heating cables and a shelter as I stunted this plant for a few weeks.Kind of a survivor!Liked the wall thickness,stem and blossem ends...The 746 Snyder fruit had no weak points and a blossem end of 3-4 inches also...My 264 seed produced a 300lber at +10% as well as the fruit mentioned before...I will retry a few of the crosses I grew this year as well as a few new crosses,hoping for a drier summer,lol...Being working on the fall prep.Have collected and dug in 5000 lbs of horse manure,added blood meal,chopped pumpkins,maple leaves.Bone meal worked well this year in a plot that lacked female flowers.Lots of ladies showed up at the party!Watch what you wish for,lol.