Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 52 Entries. Wednesday, April 24 View Page Wow, it's been a while since I updated my diary. Been busy giving a few "how-to" talks and working on a website for the Erin Fall Fair Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off. Check it out at www.eringiantpumpkingrowers.weebly.com It's seed starting day today. I plan on growing 3 plants this year and my daughter is growing one. I'm starting a couple 1843 Geddes, a few 1386 Nieuwenhoff, a few 1266 Nieuwenhoff, a 751.5 Schweigert, and a few 808 Nieuwenhoff for back-ups. Sunday, June 23 View Page My best plant so far this year is my own 1386 Nieuwenhoff (1381 Swarts x 1404 Bryson). I should be pollinating in a few days. My second best is my own 1266 and last but not least is the 1843 Geddes. All should be pollinated by July 1st with decent sized plants. Other stuff is doing good too, just haven't had much time to post to the diary this year. I have a huge swede on the go as well as some giant carrots, giant onions, giant beets, long gourds, corn, sunflowers and about 16 tomato plants. Thursday, June 27 View Page Some other stuff I'm growing this year....Giant Swede (Turnip) Thursday, June 27 View Page Heavy carrot. Not sure what's going on underground but the top of the root is about the same size as the can. Thursday, June 27 View Page Giant Onions .... Thanks John-D-Farmer. Thursday, June 27 View Page Long Gourds and one of the Sunflowers right on track compared to last year. Thursday, June 27 View Page Some nice mega-blooms showing up on the tomatoes now. This is on my own 4.90 Nieuwenhoff. Friday, June 28 View Page Just a clarification from an earlier picture. This is a Swede or Rutabaga, not a Turnip. Thanks Spudley for pointing that out. Tuesday, August 6 View Page I've had few people ask me how I'm doing this year and where I disappeared to so I guess it's time to update the diary. Not a great year for the pumpkins in the Nieuwenhoff patch this year but I've tried a few different giants I've never grown before and they seem to be doing good. Here is one of the two rutabaga's I have going. Tough to get a picture that shows the size but they seem to be pretty good so far. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Tough to get a decent picture of the heavy carrots but the one on the right is the width of a pop can on its side. Not sure what's going on below ground. I planted them about a foot apart but I now see they should have been given more room. Tuesday, August 6 View Page One of the Onions. They may be done growing but not sure. Tuesday, August 6 View Page One of the sunflowers approaching the 16 foot mark. A head has already formed so it may stretch out a bit further. My long gourd trellis is to the left. Tuesday, August 6 View Page ....and inside the trellis is a nice long gourd that's going full steam right now. I hope I need to start digging a hole soon. ;) Tuesday, August 6 View Page An overview of the garden. The LG trellis and barn with sunflowers to the right and the hill my daughter grows on to the back of the pumpkin patch. Tuesday, August 6 View Page The "top of the hill" shot looking the other way. Three pumpkin plants (800 sqft per plant) and the patch is full. I thought I would have lots of room for a few tomato plants around the far edge but they've been swallowed up by the pumpkins. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Pumpkin updates ... I'll start with my daughters 751.5 Schweigert that she is growing on the hill. Tuesday, August 6 View Page The 751.5 Schweigert on the hill is already a nice colour and great shape. Our daughter is ahead of what she was last year and is well on her way to a new PB. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Top view of the 751.5 Schweigert. This one is going to be a beauty. Tuesday, August 6 View Page My 1266 Nieuwenhoff. After culling everything for "the chosen one" it ended up splitting two days later so I've just recently set a couple porch sitters. I know this seed can go big and orange because it has .... just not in my own patch apparently. May try it again next year. Tuesday, August 6 View Page The 1843 Geddes "pentagon". I had a lot of problems with the plant at the start (ribbon vine, double, triple vined, and a large section of the vine that splayed right open) but finally got something set on it, although too late to show its full potential in my garden. Daily gains have been ramping up the past week and flirting with 30 a day. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Top view of the 1843 Geddes. I've never seen a pumpkin so shiny. Getting close to day 30 and it still has a real shine on it. Short and high. All the females were very round and no long shapes that I like to see. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Last but not least is my 1386 Nieuwenhoff. I later pollination than I wanted and about 300 pounds behind what I was last year on the same day. Just can't seem to get this pumpkin to gain over 22 pounds a day. I'm hoping for 1000 pounds but it may not happen this year. Tuesday, August 6 View Page Top view of the 1386 Nieuwenhoff. Great shape and looks like it's going to colour up nicely. Tuesday, August 13 View Page My first try at Giant Peppers. The first one of the season weighed in at 391 grams. I think I've seen bigger ones at the grocery store but I'm letting all the peppers on each plant grow. With more seeds to play around with I'll give it a more serious effort next year. Tuesday, August 13 View Page My 1266 was not meant to be. After losing the first "chosen one" to a split a couple days after I culled everything else I managed to set a couple more just for display. One aborted and the other one suffered a fatal stem split at Day 20. No warning ... it was fine last night with the 4-H patch tour and split right open to the inside complete with fruit flies coming and going the next day. I started ripping the plant out and found a couple Day 5's or so that I will let grow. Tuesday, August 13 View Page The 1843 Geddes gave me a surprise when I last measured. It posted the highest average daily gains I have ever had in my patch. It didn't get off to the greatest start so it won't get to show it's full potential but it definitely has some "get-up-and-go". Unfortunately this one and my 1386 both have large stem splits that I have been dealing with. Just hope they hold together. Tuesday, August 13 View Page My brother, Richard is having a better season than I am. Already has a PB sitting in the patch and growing like crazy with a nice healthy plant behind it. Two years in a row he ended in the high 900's so hopefully this is the year he blows that away and joins the 1000 pound club! Wednesday, August 21 View Page Stem split on the 1266. No warning, just one day it was fine and the next day it was ripped right open to the inside. Wednesday, August 21 View Page Our biggest one also went down to a stem split this week. The 1843 Geddes got off to a slow start but was really picking up steam and doing 35 pounds a day for about 10 days straight when the stem splits I had been treating caused some rot to get inside the pumpkin and it stopped growing. The next picture shows what happened. Wednesday, August 21 View Page This cross section shows the small amount of rot that worked its way to the inside of the pumpkin. I now down to one pumpkin that has a similar problem so we'll see how long it keeps growing. Saturday, August 24 View Page My 1386 Nieuwenhoff still poking along and starting to get the big heavy ribs like its mother did last year. Fingers crossed that it holds together as this is my last pumpkin that I have left for this year. Saturday, August 24 View Page My daughters 751.5 Schweigert. I can't wait to see what it will look like once we get some sun on for a few weeks. It's been under sheets all summer and is still a brilliant, smooth, shiny orange. Saturday, August 24 View Page I ran out of barn for a couple of the sunflowers. One may be a personal best when all is said and done. Saturday, August 24 View Page I have personal best long gourd hanging on the vine at day 34 and still growing a bit each day. Saturday, August 24 View Page My first crack at heavy carrots. Not sure what is going on underground but it sure has it going on above ground. Saturday, August 31 View Page First try at Giant Onion. Started to rot so I weighed it. Just a wee bit over 4 pounds (1830g or 4 pounds-0.55 ounces). Thanks John-D for the plants. Saturday, August 31 View Page Lonely looking in the patch now with my 1386 in the foreground and my daughters 751.5 Schweigert on the hill in the background. Both still gaining a little each day. Tuesday, September 3 View Page First attempt at heavy carrots. This one started to rot so I dug it up. I have one left that looks bigger than this one so I hope it doesn't rot as well. This one is 4 pounds, 11.45 ounces or 2138 Grams (2.138 Kg). Variety Flakkee. Tuesday, September 24 View Page My first try at growing Rutabaga and I had to dig this one up as it started to rot. I weighed it on the bathroom scale and it weighs 52 pounds. I have one still in the garden that looks bigger and no sign of rot or splitting. Tuesday, September 24 View Page Here is my pumpkin patch today. You can see where the three pumpkins were.... Tuesday, September 24 View Page ...and this is where I have decided to display the pumpkins this year rather than in the front yard by the road. Thursday, October 17 View Page My 1386 that stopped growing just over 1000 pounds. I took the blankets off one morning when it was 3C outside and the pumpkin was hot so I knew there was a problem. I had been battling a stem split for quite some time so I figured that was the problem..... Thursday, October 17 View Page ....a tiny pin hole on the bottom were a wrinkle intersected with a rib was all it took to bring an end to my pumpkin season. Thursday, October 17 View Page My brother Richard had much better luck and got a new PB and 1st place at the Erin Fall Fair GPC Weigh Off. He added 350 pounds to his previous PB and grew this 1318 monster. 1318 R.Nieuwenhoff (1843 Geddes x 1266 J.Nieuwenhoff) Thursday, October 17 View Page Our daughter also had a better season than Daddy with a new PB and Howard Dill award with her 473 pounder. 473 L.Nieuwenhoff (751.5 Schweigert x Self) Thursday, October 17 View Page I had some success this year with a 55 pound Rutabaga, 118" Long Gourd, and a 204" Sunflower. Thursday, October 17 View Page The ribbon board and trophy table at the Erin Fall Fair weigh off. Thursday, October 17 View Page Some of the "other giants" at the weigh off. Thursday, October 17 View Page Phil Joynsons carrot that was over 10 pounds! We also had giant beets, rutabaga, carrots, tomatoes, and field pumpkin in the "other giants" competition. Thursday, October 17 View Page A tradition at the Erin Fair weigh off (as long as somebody is willing to donate their pumpkin) is to cut open one of the giants with a chainsaw. The crowd loves it and everybody swoops in to grab some seeds. Thanks Ken Leslie for the "donation". Thursday, October 17 View Page The top pumpkins from the weigh off. This display is the first thing everybody sees when they enter the main gates to the fair...and likely one of the things they are still taking about long after they leave. Thursday, October 17 View Page Look who showed up at the Erin Fall Fair. Most you likely don't know who he is but if you do keep an eye out for it to air on CBC in a few weeks.