Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 74 Entries. Friday, February 5 View Page Going to show the community kids how to grow a big ole pumpkin. Been growing for a few years. Now the guys at Dunbar garaden said I could do what I do and try and get the local kids interested in Giant pumpkins. Maybe even provide a way for the kids to get interested in gardening. Saturday, February 6 View Page I know that this is not the right time of year to for starting a patch but you do what you do when you can do it. This is looking towards the allocated pumpkin patch back by the wind turbine, close to the greenhouse. Saturday, February 6 View Page view of the chicken coop. The shovel is where I will grow two plants. One growing towards the chickens, east, and one growing west. Oh boy, look at all that bermuda grass. The mound by the shovel is a banana tree that was about 5 feet tall last season. Is this going to be fun or what? The new Arkansas state pumpkin record will be grown here. Saturday, February 6 View Page The first pit has been dug. About two feet deep and six accros. The ground was an old homestead and housing developement what back when. Along with rocks I found old bricks, a pull top off an old soda can and assorted pieces of broken glass after the top layer of soil had been removed. Saturday, February 6 View Page For comparison a five gallon bucket in the hole. A soil sample has been submitted. When I took the sample I took about a quart I found three small worms and two ants. Indication that the upper soil has an active organic layer. Thanks to the guys at Dunbar who use eco-friendly organic practices. Saturday, February 6 View Page Lets try this again. Five gallon bucket for comparison. Monday, February 8 View Page Did some more digging on Sunday. Pit number 2. Cannot believe what I found in this hole. Just look at that soil, nice an dark. There must of been a lot of organic covered up in this hole. If not for all the rocks, bricks and shards of glass I would of stopped the dig way before the two foot level. Monday, February 8 View Page Another shot of the newest patch pit. Monday, February 8 View Page Closer look into the past. Monday, February 8 View Page Here is the wind turbine and a pit picture. Monday, February 8 View Page Now for a picture of the 19 grubs that were found within the 5' x 5' x 12". The shiny silver coin is a quarter. Look at the size of those grubs. Never in my life have I seen such big huge grubs. This kind of scares me. Planting in such grub infested area. Will they get my prize plant before it has time to mature enough so they can't destroy the plant? Anybody have any thoughts about what an organic grower might do to discourage those grubs. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Both holes filled with comost, soil and amendents. I inserted a breather pipe that goes to the bottom of each pit. I have brewed compost tea with worm castings and molassas in a 5 gallon bucket and pored into each pit around breather tube. Will contuniue to make c-tea and water each pit to keep micro organisms happy. Feed the soil- grow them big. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Decided on eicht seeds to start. What I don't plant I will give away. Guess I just want a backup plant if some do not germinate. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Filed down the sides of all eight seeds. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Now they soak for six or so hours. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Did the paper towell and bag thing that has worked for me the last two years. Friday or Sat they will see dirt. Better get the pots ready and warmed up. Mycorrhizae is waiting for these seeds, Tuesday, March 16 View Page This was so cool that I just had to show the rest of you guys where my secret ingredient for compost tea comes from. Tuesday, March 16 View Page Another picture of the White Peacock. Sunday, March 21 View Page Four days after soaking these are what the seeds look like. Sunday, March 21 View Page The other four seeds. The 876 was by far the most aggressive root formation. About 3 1/2 inch long. Sunday, March 21 View Page Better pic of the 876. Sunday, March 21 View Page The pot lined up with soil, ammendments. Sunday, March 21 View Page The 916 root system. Sunday, March 21 View Page The 1099 really reaching out for nutrients. This is the 1099 Bowles 08 and has a history of Orange. The 1248 Ford 09 crossed with this one might be one to watch for color. Sunday, March 21 View Page Placed the pots under the rack and out of the way. Will cover with plastic to help retain heat until tomorrow. Also added the Mycorrhial mix to the soil. Then gave them all plenty of compost inriched tea fortified with mollasses to help those microbs do their thing. Monday, April 19 View Page One week after planting the 326, 650 and 816. Monday, April 19 View Page The 876 has not even come up? Monday, April 19 View Page the 1003 is struggling up open up Monday, April 19 View Page the 1248 Ford is showing up for the big dance. This is going to be the big one I hope. Going to cross with an orange producer to hopfully get a big one with great color. Monday, April 19 View Page Here are the pumpkins that will nourish the plants. Monday, April 19 View Page Reverse view. Three weeks til I plant. Monday, April 19 View Page Three weeks later and this is how they look so far. To help fight the bermuda grass I have laid down a thick layer of newspaper and topped with compost. More work head don't cha' know. Monday, April 19 View Page A closer look at the plants. Also onions planted to discurage critters and pests. Two plants you say? Will give them a few weeks to strut thier stuff before one gets pulled. Monday, April 19 View Page One pit has the 326 and 1003 - these are the orange traits. Monday, April 19 View Page The other pit holds the growth or size plants, the 1099 and 1248. Monday, April 19 View Page Done for the day. A view of the patch as I leave the Dunbar Garden. No sign of Elvis. Sunday, May 9 View Page Well well well. The 1099 got a double vine or ribbon vine. Got to pull it. Glad that I planted a back up. The 316 is going strong but I guess I planted it so it would grow towards the other plants that I plan to cross it with. Sunday, May 9 View Page Also got the water barrels out in the patch but still need to find the right place to keep them. Tonight the plants will get 45 gallons of water dripped started at 2:30 Mothers day. Sunday, May 9 View Page This is the 1248 Ford that I am planning on crossing with the 813 Lengel- Before I said the 316 but I am dyslexic or something. Close- they both are pumpkins. Sunday, May 9 View Page Look at all that nut grass- did I really say I was going to try an be organic this year. Sunday, May 9 View Page Another random shot with a sign that someone from Dunbar put out. Sunday, May 9 View Page They really should change it to Arkansas State Record Giant pumpkin. LOL Sunday, May 9 View Page Last picture for Mothers day.Those leaves are only as big as dinner plates. Should be twice that size by now. Hopefully with the water barrels in place they will take off. Friday, June 11 View Page vine borer looking the plant over. got to spray. Friday, June 11 View Page What the plant looked like about May 15 Friday, June 11 View Page May 15th Friday, June 11 View Page Growth from the 19th to the 23rd Friday, June 11 View Page 23 to the 26th. this is about where I need to polinate a punpkin. 13 feet out from the stump. Friday, June 11 View Page Better shot of the plants. Friday, June 11 View Page Shot of the two growing away from the greenhouse. would like to set one in the shade of the tree. Friday, June 11 View Page this one will have to be culled out. it was self polinated. Gee, the three bee hives 50 yards away beat me to the punch. I have to get up really early to beat 15,000 bees looking for pollen. HA! Friday, June 11 View Page Heading for shade, grow grow go! Plums on the trees in back are now ripe. Friday, June 11 View Page May 30th the vine was this far out, 14 or 15 feet. This could be the one. Turned the vine out to reduce stress at the neck. Friday, June 11 View Page that one selfed 12 feet out will stay for a few more days in case the 15 aborts. Friday, June 11 View Page Got this other one at 18 feet. Back up with a back up plan of action. Decisions like this just crack me up. I really want all three to grow to term. Friday, June 11 View Page White pecock still looking for Elvis. Saturday, June 12 View Page I now have the worst case of vine borers in the entire world....Can't get over how fast they multiplied. Started spraying may 15 and seemed to have lost half of the 4 plants. I think that I will plant a few more just to see if I can make it to October with something growing. Dang. Wednesday, June 16 View Page Well the one I wanted to be the one aborted. As did the next one out. My guess is the vine borers stressed those guys too much. Will just have to keep this one. Wednesday, June 16 View Page On the other side of the patch is the 1248 Ford. Growing like its got somewhere to go. There are a few prospective maidens on that vine. Wednesday, June 16 View Page Here is two of the polinated maids. There is about 7 feet of growth past the closest one in the picture. Would like that one to take. Its under the persimmon tree. Natural shade, yea! Monday, July 12 View Page Been awhile since I posted. Most of the pumpkins have aborted, Can't seem to get any to set, the heat maybe. I was checking the biggest one and found that it had split to. Just not a good year. Monday, July 12 View Page This is the patch, with all that vine you would think that one pumpkin would set. Monday, July 12 View Page This one was hiding out under the grass. Seems to be growing. Monday, July 12 View Page This is about 30 feet oun on the 1248 Ford. Still watering at the stump but over head watering along the main vine out to the pumpkin. Monday, July 12 View Page At the other end of the patch. 20 feet out but on a side vine. The one 5 feet from the stump is still solid but not much growth. If it lasts then a porch pumpkin for halloween. Tuesday, July 27 View Page Oh the heartbreak. Thought this one took but it aborted. I found out why. The stump was totally rotted out. The vine borers did it in, just took 6 weeks to kill the plant. Tuesday, July 27 View Page One from another vine going the other way. Tuesday, July 27 View Page Down to one and the vine looks like its going to give out. Thirty five feet out on the main. Tuesday, July 27 View Page Not a bad looking pumpkin but will the heat kill it. Gave the stump 90 gallons of water every two days. Tuesday, July 27 View Page true pain. months of work reduced to a pile of compost filler. Tuesday, July 27 View Page hello ground haven't seen it so neat for awhile. oh well. I knew it could end this way. Tuesday, July 27 View Page The last chance way over there. 302 pounds is not out of reach yet. That is my personal best two years ago. Tuesday, July 27 View Page This is the one 4 feet out from the ribbon vine stump. It seems that this will be the only one to make it this year. How do you keep a pumpkin from rotting in this heat. Won't last till Halloween. Ha. Sunday, August 1 View Page Just to end this years diary. It's Over. The vine sucummed to the forces of nature and now its clean up time at Dunbar Community Garden. Crap. Two years in a row and nothing to show.