Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 25 Entries. Tuesday, March 31 View Page This will be my second year at attempting to grow an AG pumpkin. Hopefully this year I am a bit wiser and better prepared to grow in my huge 250 sq. ft. of growing area (7'x35'). I got a soil test done by A&L and added some amendments along with a cubic yard of compost just recently. Thanks to all who have contributed seeds and advice and the really hard part coming up is deciding on which ONE plant I go with. I have got some sugar snap peas up already in one of my three 4'x10' "sandboxes" to grow some other veggies. Now if I can just grow a big pumpkin for my grand daughters. Friday, April 24 View Page Filed and soaked two 1112 Barenie seeds(F 1178 Lovelace x M 1450 Wallace)today for 8 hours in mild fish and seaweed water solution. After soaking placed in 4" peat pots with seed starting medium and put in germinator heated by light bulb. Thursday, April 30 View Page This is one of the sprouted 1112 Barenie plants that I will plant soon after hardening off. Friday, May 8 View Page The bamboo skewers work good to help stabalize the small plant. Especially when exposed to the elements in the garden like this one with no protective cover. Friday, May 8 View Page At least the super sugar snap peas are enjoying all of the cool, wet weather. The middle box is half runner beans that have sprouted and I just planted the third box today also in half runners to spread the harvest. With a small garden area you have to be creative and grow "up" to compensate for the lack of growing area. Now if I could just figure out how to grow AG's vertically...... Friday, May 29 View Page The sugar snaps are blooming good and have set pea pods on some of the first planted so it should not be long to enjoy them. My main 1112 Barenie can be seen in the far right and hopefully will fill up this area soon Tuesday, June 2 View Page Battered and bruised, I almost pulled this 1112 a week ago after a bout with hail, high winds and heavy rain. Thanks to some suggestions and a word of patience from Dan it may make it yet (at least until the next round with Mother Nature). You can see a few holes in the leaves from the hail. It looks alot better than what it did and beginning to vine. Tuesday, June 2 View Page Last till this morning. Now we will see how well the plant will fill this area and hopefully set a pumpkin. I actually grew and AG in this same spot last year but lost it at ~200 lbs. due to a bad stem split in August. Friday, June 5 View Page My small pond with the garden in the background. The water is muddy with all of the recent rains we have been having. I had to put up electric fence around both areas to keep the deer out. I discovered they like water lilies as well as the garden veggies. Saturday, June 13 View Page Vine out to about 7 feet but so far slow producing secondaries. Main twisted early maybe contributing to this or possibly just genetics. Saturday, June 13 View Page Another view of the early vine twist to the left of the picture. I am planning on growing this plant out anyway to see how it does. Friday, June 19 View Page Some of the secondaries finally making an appearance even though they think they should grow upwards. The main vine is out to twelve feet as of today. Now the intersting part is trying to fit as many leaves as possible in the limited area. Culled one female at about nine feet a couple of days ago. Monday, June 22 View Page View from the back of the 1112 Barenie. The main vine is out close to 15 feet and starting to fill out some. Monday, June 22 View Page View from under the canopy of leaves. Male blooms lined up like ducks in a row along the main. Maybe they will get put to use soon. Wednesday, July 1 View Page Garden view. Pulled peas, tilled, and planted a few more beans and a couple of yellow tomatoes. One week ago I was snipping off a tendril on the vine tip with a small pumpkin at 15 feet and broke off the complete main with the pumpkin. A careless and costly rookie mistake and I have been sick over knowing better. I will just use the last secondaries as mains and see if I get another female bloom later to have a chance at growing a pumpkin. Saturday, August 1 View Page Updated picture of the 1112 Barenie since last post a month ago. This small pumpkin on the mill fabric was pollinated late on 7-23 after losing two others on the main/secondary. Afraid of not having any pumpkin I let a couple set on secondaries...will wait awhile longer to decide what to leave, cull, etc. Suggestions? Saturday, August 1 View Page These are the two pumpkins I have kept so far on the secondary vines. Thursday, August 13 View Page These are two of the pumpkins I left on the secondary vines from the 1112 Barenie plant. The closest one in the picture is taping around 150 pounds today. Thursday, August 13 View Page This is the third and final pumpkin on the same vine with a July 23rd pollination date. It weighs right at 50 pounds today. Thursday, August 20 View Page Still growing Wednesday, September 30 View Page Not a giant but my personal best. Friday, October 9 View Page This is the last pumpkin taping at 300 pounds. Since I got a personal best I have to consider this a good second year. Other beds cleaned of beans and growing with winter rye (along with leftover bean seed that germinated) May take this pumpkin to one last festival next week. Wednesday, October 21 View Page This is the Howler pumpkin loaded up and ready to go to the Bridge Day Harvest Celebration this past weekend. Never weighed, this pumpkin taped around 300 pounds and was the one pollinated on 7-23. Since there were no other pumpkins entered in this late announced, first ever competition it won fist place. Again, not a giant pumpkin but I do like the shape and color. Wednesday, October 21 View Page My two little pumpkin buddies (grandaughters) had a tailgate lunch at Summersville Lake going back to pick up the pumpkin this past Monday. Saturday, October 24 View Page Wheelbarrowed in another cubic yard of municipal compost today.