Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 200 Entries. Saturday, February 6 View Page It is time to open up a can of PumpkinJesus on the 2010 Giant Pumpkin Growing season! Here is a picture of the patch with frozen cover crop taken last weekend. Ella is standing by to protect all Cucurbita inhabitants from critter invasions. The patch looks a lot different today - 12 inches of snow just finished falling. Only about 10 weeks until the seeds hit the dirt and I am already getting psyched!!!! Monday, March 1 View Page Happy March everyone!!!!! Here is my pumpkin patch after a brutal February in which we received approximately 44 inches of snow. That is at least 2 years' worth of normal snowfall for us, all in one month. Monday, March 1 View Page The weather is beginning to warm up slowly but surely and the snow has already melted and compacted to a depth of about 14.5 inches. With only about 7 weeks to the seed starting date, I am starting to see a light at the end of the winter tunnel! Sunday, April 4 View Page The winter rye cover crop has been taking off the last few days with high temps in the 70s. It's supposed to be around 85 mid-week which has got to be near the record. Sunday, April 4 View Page I don't know why there were a couple of spots where the rye never grew, especially that back left corner. It is so well delineated, alomost like I purposely didn't plant it there. Strange occurance in the patch.......... Sunday, April 4 View Page Everywhere it is growing though, it is beautiful! Sunday, April 4 View Page These are a bunch of hoop sections donated to the pumpkin cause by some friends of ours nearby who weren't using them anymore. They'll be going up in the patch sometime in the next few weeks to keep the plants covered with row cover for most of the summer. Sunday, April 4 View Page I hate that weed!!!!!! Monday, April 5 View Page Two what I believe are mason bees mating on our front steps today. There are many dozens of them around the barn. Sunday, April 25 View Page This year's tentative lineup, if germination is successful, starts with the 1142 Van Kooten '04! Sunday, April 25 View Page My second plant will be the 992 Glasier '05! Sunday, April 25 View Page And for the first time I am growing one of my own seeds, the est. 505 McCracken '09! Sunday, April 25 View Page And also for the first time, I am trying to grow a giant green squash, a seed from a former world record holder - the 1063 Mackenzie '05! Sunday, April 25 View Page Here are the big 4, planted today under cool and drizzly skies in the comfort of our greenhouse on heat mats. I hope to get these in the field in 2 weeks under row cover. I am on the crazy train once again! All aboard!!! :) Saturday, May 8 View Page Finally, it is time for a germination update! Here is my 1142 VanKooten, germinated quickly and looking strong! Saturday, May 8 View Page Here are 2 610 Garrell '03s that I was growing as back-up plants. One of these is going to make it into my patch, they were 7 year old seeds that are looking like world-beaters right now! Saturday, May 8 View Page Here are a bunch of my own 505 McCrackens that are looking good, one of these is going into the patch too. Saturday, May 8 View Page Here is a 992 Glasier that is miraculously coming up now. About 4 days ago I dug up the seed because it looked like it wasn't going to germinate. I peeled off some of the seed coat at the root end and that seems to have saved it. It is still weak but growing stronger each day and I'm very happy about it! Assuming it continues to grow, it is going to be in the patch! Saturday, May 8 View Page Here are 2 1062 Rivard '01s that have come up. This is a new record for me - 9 year old seeds germinating! I'm sure it has a lot to do with Eddy Z's impeccable seed storage because these came from him just recently. I was going to grow one of these in the patch until the 992 Glasier started coming up, now there is no room for them. On the negative side of things, a 1063 Mackenzie green squash I was going to grow has not come up. So once again I will not be going green this year, but that also means I now have room for 4 giant pumpkin plants. Saturday, May 8 View Page This is what the patch currently looks like. Mowed the cover crop last weekend but have been too busy to spread manure and rototill yet. So my plants will not be in until next weekend hopefully. I did manage to get a few hoops up for my row covering and so far they are still standing straight, so I am happy about that! It is extremely windy here right now, so they are being put to the test right away. I am pretty confident that they will be fine though. I am going to try to put more of them up tomorrow, so I hope the wind is slightly less than 50 MPH by then! Friday, May 14 View Page Here is my 1142 Vankooten today, ready to go into the patch, but I am glad that I haven't planted anything yet. The weather has been crazy all week, 50 mph winds and cold last weekend, then a frost Tuesday morning. Today a severe storm ripped through with a little hail and a tornado warning. I'm sure the weather will be perfect for planting this weekend though, just gotta flip the switch on my weather machine! Friday, May 14 View Page Here are my pair of 610 Garrells. Ready to go! Friday, May 14 View Page Here is the best looking 505 McCracken reaching as if it knows there is something bigger abd better out there...... Friday, May 14 View Page And here is the 992 Glasier, recovering well from a very slow start although I'll have to see if there's anything I can spray for that blurriness. This one may spend another week in it's pot before I plant it in the field. Which works out fine because only 3 plants will fit in my first hoop house which is now finished except for the row covering. This plant will end up in house #2 with some other pumpkins and squashes. I will take pictures of the hoop structure soon; I had to run for cover today as lighning was approaching and I chose safety over pictures! Sunday, May 23 View Page The 610 Garrell as of 3 days ago under a mini-hoop structure with row cover until I can get the big piece of row cover on. Sunday, May 23 View Page The 1142 Vankooten, looking good. Sunday, May 23 View Page My 505 McCracken, also looking good. The weather has been pretty favorable this week with enough rain that I haven't had to water since planting day, last Sunday. Today all 3 of these plants will be getting their first dose of seaweed and a little straw mulch around the base. And the beat goes on....... Sunday, May 23 View Page An overview of the patch and my first public photo of the hoop structure! It has withstood some wicked winds a few times already so I am feeling pretty confident that it will stand all season. I just hope the row covering doesn't rip or blow off but only time will tell. I plan on covering the house next weekend, and another one will be built to the right of this one to house my 992 Glasier (which I planted today) as well as a bunch of other pumpkins and squash. Again, the purpose of these structures is to exclude the deadly trio of insects: squash bugs, cucumber beetles and squash vine borers. None of these insects means no worrying about them, no spraying for them, and none of the diseases that they carry which have devastated my plants the last 2 years. I will have to hand pollinate everything growing under the structures, but that is my idea of a good time! This is the year I get at least one monster to a weigh-off, I just know it! Friday, May 28 View Page 1142 Vankooten on Wednesday evening. I just went back and looked at my pics from last year and I am pretty much exactly at the same stage as last year at this time. Friday, May 28 View Page The 505 McCracken. Friday, May 28 View Page The 992 Glasier. After it's precarious start it is now not much farther behind my other plants. I have a feeling I have been leaving my plants in their small pots too long before transplanting. This one was smaller when I put it in the field and it has hardly missed a beat while my other plants seem to stall for a while after they get put in the field. I think they get a little rootbound and need a recovery period before they start to grow again. I'll have to change that for next year. Friday, May 28 View Page The 610 Garrell. As you can see the cotyledons have gotten fried up pretty quickly - probably a little too much nitrogen too quickly. They will recover though, this is par for the course for me! Wednesday, June 9 View Page Here is my 505 McCracken 2 evenings ago inside the now covered "Pumpkin Dome". The row covering suffered a little damage over the weekend as we had some high winds, and I now know a few flaws in the structure that caused a few holes in the cover. Tiny holes I'm not worried about - I learned last year that insects are very unlikely to find their way through a small hole. Two larger holes developed at the peak of the structure at each end, which has prompted me to learn how to sew! Using a needle and fishing line, I was able to patch one hole last night with a new piece of row cover and I will fix the other hole today. Wednesday, June 9 View Page The 1142 Vankooten. I have seen a handful of striped cucumber beetles on the outside of the covering, but so far nothing inside other than a couple of 3-lined beetles and Colorado potato beetles, now deceased. Just my opinion, but I'd rather be on a 12 foot high ladder learning how to sew on the fly than spraying chemicals! Wednesday, June 9 View Page The 610 Garrell. It's the only plant up against an end of my hoop houses and it got a little whipped by the cover when it got loosened by the wind. Still, all my plants look great and I am seriously looking forward to seeing how they perform under there all year. My belief is that the slight reduction in sunlight reaching the plants will be more than made up for by the elimination of insect damage and total prevention of the diseases that they carry. I am hoping to not have to spray at all this year. Wednesday, June 9 View Page The 992 Glasier, still in its small enclosure. It will be in Dome #2 which I hope to be covering by Friday. I tried taking pictures of the inside and outside of Dome #1 the other evening but it was already getting dark and the photos didn't come out well. Soon though, I promise! Saturday, June 19 View Page Had a meeting today with two other eastern PA growers, Jim Gerhardt and Tim Rosa, and it was great to finally meet them and talk pumpkins. I told them I would get my diary updated very soon, so here is a picture of my two "Pumpkin Domes" as my wife has dubbed them. The one on the left houses the 505 McCracken, 1142 Vankooten and 610 Garrell. The one on the right houses the 992 Glasier and 18 hills of all of the various pumpkins and squashes that I like to grow. I swear when I was building these things that I wasn't thinking at all of the female anatomy, but I am now! LOL! Tomorrow I will put up pictures of the insides of the domes and the plants, all of which are doing excellent! Monday, June 21 View Page Here is my 610 Garrell plant yesterday. It is getting dry here again quickly and my plants had a bit of heat wilt yesterday afternoon. This plant just had a little, my bigger plants were suffering a little more. Monday, June 21 View Page The 610 has the darkest green leaves of any of my plants. The stump area on this plant needed some pruning as it was getting pretty rangey. Monday, June 21 View Page The first female just starting to appear on the 610. It will be about 10 feet out probably and is still a good 10 days away from being ready. Monday, June 21 View Page My two biggest plants with the 1142 Vankooten in the foreground. This year I am not burying vines quite as much, just taking a little of our own homemade compost and hilling it around the nodes a bit to cover up the emerging taproots. The compost gets some mycorrhizae and rock phosphate mixed into it before application. All my plants have also been getting watered with a seaweed solution once a week - not doing any foliar feeding this year, I'm a little more wary of foliar disease under the row cover due to the decreased air circulation. I'm trying to keep the foliage dry as much as possible. Monday, June 21 View Page A better close-up of the 1142. Monday, June 21 View Page The first female on the 1142, just touching down. I was hoping to have a pollination to do by my birthday this year (the 29th) and it looks like this one may beat my goal by a few days! Looking back at last year's diary, my plants are about 10 days ahead of this time last year. Monday, June 21 View Page This is a close-up of some of the older 505 McCracken leaves - this is sun damage done last Sunday (the 13th) when we had several torrential downpours followed by blazing sun about 3 minutes after the rain would stop. That was a brutally humid day that felt like southern Florida weather. Monday, June 21 View Page And here is some of yesterday's heat wilt on the 505 main. This is my largest plant and the combo of hot dry weather yesterday along with the growth stage of the plant was just a little too much for it. Right now the plants are exploding with growth in every direction and there just isn't enough root mass yet to keep up with the plant's water needs. Set up soaker hoses yesterday and the 505 got watered for 60 minutes, the 1142 for 50 minutes and the 610 for 40 minutes. Hopefully they'll be good to go for a few days at least. Monday, June 21 View Page A full plant picture of the 505 McCracken. Main now nearing 14 feet. Monday, June 21 View Page The first female on the 505, pretty far out for the first one, around the 12 foot mark. I just might be keeping a couple of my first pollinations this year due to the distance that they are out on the main. In the past my first ones have been closer to the stump. Perhaps this is a recipe for success this year? I like the idea of keeping the early pollinations, especially when the plant is already a good size. They will get a little more time to reach my goal of 1,000 lbs! Friday, June 25 View Page Just did my first pollination of the season this morning on the 505 McCracken plant. Looks like a beautifully symmetrical 5 lober at 12.5 feet out. The bizarre thing was that I wanted to cross this girl with the 610 Garrell but there was no males open on that plant this morning. So I went to the 1142 Vankooten - no males there either! I had to go to my smallest plant, the 992 Glasier to find one male flower open. I'd still like to cross the McCracken with the Garrell, so maybe the 2nd female will be the one I'll be keeping - that one should be ready to pollinate in about 3 days. Friday, June 25 View Page A full flower view. Nice shape, long stem. The next 505 female is only two nodes down. Friday, June 25 View Page Post-pollination protection. I am still covering the flowers even though there are no bees in the dome, just to be safe. There was, however, a squash vine borer in there 2 days ago, must have flown in through a hole at the peak of the structure. It landed up high on one of the metal hoops so I invented a new game - throw a rock at the vine borer. It took me about 30 or 40 throws to knock it down then I was able to smash it. Looks like I'll be doing some more sewing today....... Monday, June 28 View Page Here are the first two females on the 505 McCracken. The first one, at 12.5 feet out, is looking good after Friday's pollination. Monday, June 28 View Page Here is most of the 505 plant now. It's to the point where I can't get the whole plant in one picture since I can only back up so far before I hit the side-walls of the dome! Monday, June 28 View Page The first female on the 1142 Vankooten, at 10.5 feet out, now is obviously aborting. Not sure why, but hey these things will happen. Monday, June 28 View Page The second female on the 1142, also showing the typical 1142 elongated shape. I hope this one flowers, it's at a good distance and should be ready for pollination in about 5 days. Monday, June 28 View Page A wide view of both the 505 and 1142 plants, which are planted back to back. The 1142 is in the foreground. Monday, June 28 View Page The first two females coming on the 610 Garrell, on consecutive nodes. Interestingly, the first one also has a male flower with it at the node, and the second female looks like it will open first! Monday, June 28 View Page Here is the second 610 Garrell female, at 13.5 feet out, which will open tomorrow, which happens to be the day I turn 40 years old. A magical day in the pumpkin patch? Only time will tell......... Monday, June 28 View Page The entire Garrell plant. I can still get this one all in one photo! Monday, June 28 View Page The Garrell's leaves are the darkest green of any of my plants, truly beautiful. Making it even more beautiful is the lack of any insect damage anywhere - well almost, there is the occasional slug and grasshopper in there. Thank you, dome! Monday, June 28 View Page Here is the 992 Glasier, my smallest plant, now at 11.5 feet long. It's taking off now though! Monday, June 28 View Page The first female on the 992, at 7.5 feet out. The Glasier is also my most neglected plant, being the only giant pumpkin in Dome #2. It got some much needed pruning and vine-burying yesterday, but I still have not watered it in a long time. It seems to be coping just fine though, it's the only one of my 4 plants that has not suffered any heat wilt damage. Monday, June 28 View Page The second female on the 505 McCracken, pollinated this morning with the 610 Garrell, at 14 feet 10 inches on the main. A very nice looking 4 lobed flower. I loved the shape of the 505, so my hope is to inject some good color into it this year which the 610 should bring. Monday, June 28 View Page A side shot of the 505's second female. A few notes here about life inside the domes - on a sunny day you can feel the sun's intensity drop as soon as you walk in. Which makes sense of course since the row cover blocks 15% of the sunlight. I'm thinking this means I won't have to give the pumpkins any additional shade. It is still quite hot in there, however, since the cover also blocks about 50% of any breeze there is outside. So far there have been 5 squash vine borer moths inside Dome #1. I suddenly realized the other day that they are most likely not getting in through a hole in the roof, they are probably emerging from the soil as they do this time of year. There were cucurbits in this spot last year and at least a few vine borers, so this makes sense too. Another great thing about the dome - they cannot escape very far once you spot them. I was able to track down and kill 4 of them, the most recent one has gone MIA on me since yesterday. As long as they don't mate there will be no problems. One squash bug got in to Dome #1 and I've seen one cuke beetle in each dome so far, all now dead. My goal here is to keep populations as close to zero as possible for as long as possible. There are some small grasshoppers which may turn out to be an issue later if they multiply. Also, the spider population inside both domes is astounding. For some reason they are loving it in there, and I am loving having them as my helpers! Tuesday, June 29 View Page This morning pollinated two females on the 610 Garrell, on consecutive nodes both opening on the same day! Never seen that before. Here is the first one at 12.5 feet out. Tuesday, June 29 View Page Here is a shot of the inside of the flower, not even sure how many lobes it is. At least 4, with a smaller one tucked in there I think too. I'll call it 4 1/2. Tuesday, June 29 View Page Here is Garrell female #2 at 13.5 feet. I like the shape of this one a little better so it will be my keeper if all goes well. Both of these Garrells were pollinated with the 505 McCracken. Tuesday, June 29 View Page Here is the inside of Garrell #2, a little more normal looking 4-lobed flower. Tuesday, June 29 View Page Here is a shot of the 505 McCracken's female #2, pollinated yesterday, and it is already the same size as the 505 flower pollinated 3 days earlier! This one should be a keeper for sure, and look at that stem! It is a full 3 inches long, the longest stem I've ever seen at this stage. Wednesday, June 30 View Page This morning pollinated the first 1142 Vankooten female at 15.5 feet with the 992 Glasier. Wednesday, June 30 View Page 1142 Vankooten, 3 lober. I will wait to see if the next female is a 4 or 5-lober to decide on what my keeper will be on this plant. Wednesday, June 30 View Page Also pollinated the third female on the 505 McCracken with the 610 Garrell. This one is a back-up pumpkin to be culled later if all goes according to plan. Wednesday, June 30 View Page 505 McCracken female #3, also a 3-lober. Wednesday, June 30 View Page Here is the 505 McCracken female #2 at 2 days old. Pollination definitely took, it has doubled in size in 2 days. I don't know why some growers cut off the tendrils, yes they can be a pain sometimes, but they are also so photogenic and entertaining! Sunday, July 4 View Page Happy Independence Day everyone! Here is a current picture of the sea of green inside Dome #1. 505 McCracken in the foreground, 1142 Vankooten in the middle, 610 Garrell in the distance. Sunday, July 4 View Page Terminated the main today on the 505 McCracken at 22 feet, as it has reached the corner of the Dome. Side vine termination is now going into full swing also. I will train a side vine after the fruit on the 505 to run along the endwall of the Dome for a while until it runs out of room too, probably by the end of July. Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is what I hope to be my chosen pumpkin on the 505. Look at that looooong stem, now a full 4.5 inches! I'm hoping that a long stem equals a stress-free stem. The fruit is now 6 days old. As you can see from the last photo, heat wilt is a problem once again, we are heading into the mid to upper 90s for several days, and in the last 20 days we've gotten exactly .35 inches of rain. None in the forecast for the next week either. Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is my back-up fruit on the 505, 4 days old, at 17 feet 4 inches out on the main. Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is pollination #1 on the 1142 Vankooten, now 4 days old. Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is 1142 female #2, still a couple of days away from opening, hopefully this one will have at least 4 lobes and be the chosen fruit. Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is the 610 Garrell female #2, my chosen fruit on this plant if all goes well. Again, a nice long stem, I crossed this plant with the 505 and vice versa, so hopefully really long stems will be in the offspring! Sunday, July 4 View Page Female #1 on the 610 Garrell, a back-up fruit. Sunday, July 4 View Page This is female #3 coming on the 610, should be ready in a day or two. Sunday, July 4 View Page Shots like this one remind me of the start of the Kentucky Derby. And they're off! Tuesday, July 6 View Page Well, not everything is rosy in Domeville. The 992 Glasier plant quickly developed a bad case of stump rot. Strange, given the extrememly dry weather, although it is in virtually the same spot as the 522 Ceja was last summer that had the same problem. This must've come from the soil, I don't think there's any other explanation. I have removed the stump and essentially split this plant up into three plants - the original main vine, and the two biggest side vines are all now seperated from one another and hanging on for dear life in this heat. I really just want some more pollen from this plant tomorrow, after that whatever will be will be. I will continue trying to save it, even if just for knowledge's sake. Tuesday, July 6 View Page Here is how the 992 looks this morning, not bad considering all the circumstnaces. Tuesday, July 6 View Page 5 day old fruit on the 992, probably will abort under all the stress. Tuesday, July 6 View Page Even did a pollination on the 992 this morning, a 4-lober at 12 feet, 2 inches from the original stump. Tuesday, July 6 View Page 1142 Vankooten fruit #1, 6 days old. Tuesday, July 6 View Page The next 2 females on the 1142, looks like they will both be ready tomorrow! Will pollinate with the 992, hopefully the pollen on that plant is still fine. Tuesday, July 6 View Page Also this morning pollinated female #3 on the 610 Garrell with the 505 McCracken. Nice 4-lober, forgot to measure the distance. Tuesday, July 6 View Page The Garrell twins, now 7 days old. Tuesday, July 6 View Page Now I am going to have a tough decision on my hands. This is the last female on the 505 McCracken main, one node away from where I terminated the main two days ago. This was pollinated this morning with the 610 Garrell - I almost didn't even plan to pollinate this one because I thought I already had my keeper on this plant, plus it's in a tight spot, right in the corner of the dome. But when it opened this morning........ Tuesday, July 6 View Page It's a beautiful 5-lobed flower, my first one of the season. Going to have to see how it looks over the next 10 days and figure out my space issue, because it's going to be hard to cull a 5-lober, 21 feet out on the main, pollinated on July 6th. This one has big potential written all over it! Tuesday, July 6 View Page This is my oldest pumpkin, the first one on the 505 McCracken at 8 days old. Has a stem split already, but it looks fine. Not measuring any pumpkins yet but might start at day 10 so I can compare it the one I pollinated this morning when it reaches day 10. Saturday, July 10 View Page Yesterday in the Dome, it is truly a sea of green. Starting to be difficult to find room to walk around in there! I did find 4 squash bugs yesterday, all near the 505 McCracken stump. Once I found the first one, the other three sort of flocked to me like they were begging to be killed. It was pretty weird, but of course after that I did a thorough search and didn't find any more. I am on red alert now, can't let them live in there for more than 5 seconds if possible! Saturday, July 10 View Page The twins on the 610 Garrell, both reached 10 days old yesterday but I forgot to take the measuring tape with me to the patch, so I'll have to take day 11 measurments today. Saturday, July 10 View Page The first one on the 610, beautiful shape, excellent position, a little bigger than the second one, this will almost certainly be a keeper. Saturday, July 10 View Page The second one on the 610, not bad at all, just not as perfect as the first one! Saturday, July 10 View Page The first fruit on the 1142 Vankooten, at 9 days old yesterday. Saturday, July 10 View Page Fruit #2 on the 1142, 2 days old. Saturday, July 10 View Page Fruit #3 on the 1142, also 2 days old and the one I am hoping will be the keeper. It is 5 lobes, 21 feet out. Huge amount of plant behind this pumpkin, I want to keep it to see for myself just how much of a difference that makes. Saturday, July 10 View Page A ground shot through the forest looking at the first two pumpkins on my 505 McCracken. Saturday, July 10 View Page The first fruit on the 505 McCracken. I thought my stems were long until I read a discussion about stem length on the message board. Other growers' stems are blowing me away! This fruit was 27" in circumference on day 10, which was Thursday. It has tilted back a bit so that the blossom end is sticking up in the air a little. This one may get culled, still mulling that one over. Saturday, July 10 View Page This is fruit #2 on the 505, reaching day 10 today. This one will almost certainly be culled, it has two long stem splits and is growing slower than #1. Saturday, July 10 View Page So before I make any big decisions on the 505, I'm going to wait and see what's behind door #3. This is another 5 lober at 21 feet out, and as you can see the main is terminated just past the pumpkin. It should have big potential with a relatively stress-free existence. It was 3 days old yesterday, I have about one week to make my decision! Saturday, July 10 View Page All the stumps are now set up to be covered whenever rainy weather moves in, which thankfully is today! I will try to uncover them on days when there is no chance of rain. Saturday, July 10 View Page Yesterday found a slightly suspicious looking spot near the 505 McCracken stump where I had trimmed off a leaf a few days earlier. Nothing bad, just a slightly wet and possibly starting to get mushy spot. It just made me a little nervous with my past issues with rot, so I took a sharp knife, sliced it down to healthy tissue, cleaned it with peroxide and put a small fan on it. Also did some trimming around the stump, including taking off a later-forming side vine that was twisting and splitting open. Never should have let that one grow in the first place but at least it is gone now. As Barney Fife would say, "Gotta nip it in the bud!" Tuesday, July 13 View Page Culled this one today on the 610 Garrell, it was the second of the twins. It was growing slower than the first and didn't have nearly as great of a position. The third one on the 610 has aborted due to the heat last week, so my decision has been made on the 610. Tuesday, July 13 View Page I'm going with this one as the keeper on the 610. It is 12.5 feet out, 610 Garrell x 505 McCracken. Here it is at day 14. Tuesday, July 13 View Page Here is the earliest pollination on the 1142 Vankooten at day 13. It really looks like it is taking off, and since the 2nd pollination on this plant also aborted from the heat (and the third doesn't look good either), this is looking like the probable keeper as well. It is at 15.5 feet out, 1142 Vankooten x 992 Glasier. Tuesday, July 13 View Page And I've also decided that this one will be the keeper on the 505 McCracken after all. So I won't be keeping any of my sets at 21 feet out after all, earlier pollinations it is! This one is 505 McCracken x 610 Garrell at 14 feet inches out, 49 inches circumference on day 15. Here we go! Tuesday, July 13 View Page Da Dome. Haven't seen a squash bug in there since Sunday but I found 8 from Friday to Sunday so I had a mini-invasion there that I hope is over. Also, striped cucumber beetles have suddenly taken up residence right outside of the dome on a Speckled Swan gourd plant, so I have now made a back entrance that is far away from it. The fan on the 505 stump worked beautifully, and now we have had nearly 2 inches of rain in the last six days. All the plants are very close to having all vine growth completely terminated. Oh, it's on. Sunday, July 18 View Page Here is the 610 Garrell pumpkin on day 18 yesterday. It is my slowest grower to date, at 55.5" circumference, gaining an average of 4 inches per day over the last three days. It is also the smallest of my plants at approximately 400 sq. ft. Sunday, July 18 View Page Here is the 505 McCracken fruit yesterday on day 19. Its' day 18 measurement was 63.5 inches circumference, gaining nearly 5 inches per day over the previous three days. It's not looking as yellow as the Garrell fruit and is on a bigger plant, approx. 525 sq. ft. Sunday, July 18 View Page Here is the early winner as far as growth rate goes - the 1142 Vankooten fruit. Here it is on day 17 yesterday, the day 15 measurement was 55.5 inches circumference. It went from 27.5 to 55.5 inches in 5 days! This one will be very interesting for me to follow because it came from a 3-lobed flower. The general consensus seems to be that you don't want to grow a 3-lobed pumpkin, but others have said there is no proof that they are destined to be smaller. This one should test the theory well - a large plant (575 sq, ft.), fairly early pollination, strong genetics. It has a lot going for it, so hopefully we will see how much of an influence the lobes has on its' final size. Day 18 measurement comes this evening - stay tuned! Sunday, July 18 View Page A current dome shot with the 505 fruit in the lower right. Things still looking great, although the insects are ramping up the pressure. I have sprayed neem oil on the Speckled Swan gourd just outside the dome that has several hundred cucumber beetles on it. It has broken up the party a bit but needs to be sprayed again. A handful of cuke beetles are getting in to the dome as well as the occasional squash bug, but I am up to the task. I am the most voracious predator my enemies have ever seen, if I do say so myself! I imagine in their insect homes and communities they hang pictures of me warning of the danger of crossing my path. They tell stories to their larvae about the huge and hideous two-legged creature that comes from out of nowhere to indiscriminately kill everything in its path. BEWARE, YOU BASTARDS, I AM COMING FOR YOU!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Tuesday, July 20 View Page The 505 McCracken fruit today on day 22. Measured yesterday on day 21 at 78" circ., 187" OTT for an estimated weight of 149 lbs. Also decided on this year's names for my pumpkins; this one is Greta. Tuesday, July 20 View Page Here is the 610 Garrell fruit today on day 21 at 73" circ., 183" OTT for an estimated weight of 140 lbs. Starting to yellow up a bit more, this one is now known as Reba. Tuesday, July 20 View Page Reba's developing quite the funny blossom end! Tuesday, July 20 View Page And here is Bertha, the queen blob of the patch, on day 20 she is the youngest of my pumkins and yet also the largest. I will take a day 21 OTT measurement tomorrow, but I can say that I was astonised on day 18 when the circumference was 75.5 inches. Bertha gained 20 inches from day 15 to 18, over 6.5 inches a day! I'm not sure they can grow much faster than that without splitting, so I'm holding my breath! Thursday, July 22 View Page Today's Bertha update (on the 1142 Vankooten) - last night at day 21 she was at 92.5" circ., with a total OTT of 217.5". That gives her an estimated weight of 227 lbs. She is now almost as wide as she is long after starting off football shaped. Using the circumference chart she gained approx. 95 lbs. in the last 3 days, which means she is already gaining over 30 lbs. a day at day 21! Sweet! Thursday, July 22 View Page But there is also a potentially serious problem developing on Greta on the 505 McCracken. When moving her slightly last night I thought I heard a faint cracking sound, so I looked at her stem and found a mighty crack extending to the shoulders of the pumpkin. I guess I made it a little worse but it was clearly already pretty big. I don't know how deep it goes yet and I guess I will suspend watering for several days to see if it will stop or what. There's still like 79 days to the weigh-off and it's going to be tough keeping her going that long with such a big split. I need to get it to heal and keep it from going all the way through to the cavity, otherwise it will be curtains for Greta! Friday, July 23 View Page An update on Greta: day 24 measurements last night were 88.5" circ., 62.5" end to end and 61" side to side. Total OTT 212" for an estimated weight of 211 lbs. Growth is on the slower side now, only gained 10.5" in circ. (approx. 62 lbs.) over the last 3 days which is fine with me right now. The stem & shoulder split doesn't appear any bigger but I noticed a smaller one on the underside of the stem that I didn't see yesterday (it was probably there and I just didn't see it). The soil is getting kind of dry in the dome and I will keep it that way a few more days (unless it rains!) to try to avoid any blowouts. I know my soil is jam-packed with nutrients so I don't know if I can slow them down a bit or not! Reba is also showing a few minor stretch marks and Bertha looks fantastic! Saturday, July 24 View Page Reba update: yesterday's day 24 measurements were 86.5" circ., 63.5" end to end and 67" side to side. Total OTT of 217" for an estimated weight of 225 lbs. She has really picked up her growth rate, gaining about 85 lbs. in the last 3 days. And as a result...... Saturday, July 24 View Page Reba is showing the same type of stem/shoulder split that Greta has. They are my two tallest pumpkins and I believe that is a contributing factor. I'm doing my best to elevate the vine as quickly as possible but they have split anyway. I think it is their height in combination with their growth spurts. The soil is not at all wet, but the heat and all the nutrients in the soil has them taking off anyway. I am still going to avoid watering as long as I can to see if I can get these to heal up. The good news on Greta's split is that it is not any worse and I am now sure that it doesn't go into the cavity, so she still has a chance. This is what happens when you are pushing them to the max! Sunday, July 25 View Page Day 24 Bertha update: 106" circ., 72" end to end, 70" side to side. Total OTT of 248" for an estimated weight of 329 lbs. Gained 102 lbs. over the last 3 days for an average of 34 lbs. per day. Still looking very solid! Sunday, July 25 View Page This is Bertha's blossom end, so far she looks like she is built like a tank! There's a very good chance of storms this afternoon so I'll be holding my breath for the next day or two. I have been withholding water to try to keep all my pumpkins from splitting any more than they already have but Mother Nature is gonna do what she's gonna do! Monday, July 26 View Page It's time for a Greta update, and it's not looking good for her. Her growth has now slowed substantially, she has an OTT of 221". That's at estimated weight of 237 lbs., only a 26 lb. gain in 3 days. Her split doesn't look any bigger and it looks like it is actually healing pretty well so I'm not sure what she is doing right now. We just got .6 inches of rain yesterday so when I take my next measurement she'll either be picking it up again or stopped completely. I have a bad feeling I know which it will be. Monday, July 26 View Page Here is her split, like I said it looks good, no signs of any rot or further splitting. The pumpkin is still solid so unless there is something going on internally it is a bit of a mystery. I don't think the split alone would cause her to slow down so much, there must be something else going on. The plant itself is the worst looking of my plants but still not too bad at all, some tattered leaves from the heat wilt, some older leaves yellowing. There was a wicked storm nearby yesterday, we escaped the worst of it but still the row cover at the end of the Dome whipped some of the leaves of this plant as well. I am certain that the cover blocked much of the wind and saved me from a lot more damage in the rest of the patch. Reason #42 I love the Dome! Tuesday, July 27 View Page Quick update on Reba - she is still growing well despite her shoulder split, which seems to have stopped getting bigger. I have a fan blowing on it to try to get it to heal well. Her day 27 measurements - 97" circ., 71" end to end, 73.5" side to side. Total OTT of 241.5" for an estimated weight of 305 lbs, an 80 lb. gain over the last 3 days. Tuesday, July 27 View Page Reba's shoulder split. Wednesday, July 28 View Page Today's Bertha update, day 27 measurements: 118" circ., 77.5" end to end, 75.5" side to side. Total OTT of 271" for an estimated weight of 425 lbs, a 96 lb. gain over the last 3 days. Looking great, this is my new favorite pumpkin picture of 2010. Thursday, July 29 View Page I think this is my first ever diary entry without a picture. The reason is that Greta, the fruit on my 505 McCracken, has stopped growing completely. Still not sure why but she looks like she is done for. The split in the shoulders still looks like it is healing and she still feels solid so there is something else going on that is not readily visible. The dozen or so squash bugs that got into my dome were almost all on this plant, so are they the culprit? Some of the old leaves on the plant are yellowing - it could have yellow vine disease I guess but it doesn't look like my diseased plants have looked in the past. For now I will leave her alone and if she starts getting soft I will do an autopsy and see what I can find. Never a dull moment! Friday, July 30 View Page A day 30 update on Reba (610 Garrell x 505 McCracken): 105.5" circ., 75" end to end, 78" side to side. Total OTT of 258.5" for an estimated weight of 371 lbs. A gain of 66 lbs. over the last 3 days, the dry conditions continue to slow her down a fair amount now. Her shoulder split is looking excellent, it has stopped getting larger and is healing nicely. I think it is time to begin watering again, so I'll run the soaker hose on her tonight for a while to see if I can increase her weight gains again without causing more splitting. The more I think about it, I believe I put the stress on the stem area by trying to turn her too much. She started out with a perfect 90 degree angle to the main vine, but I still tried to turn her away from a side vine that was very close to her. As a result the stem is still at 90 degrees to the main vine, but the pumpkin turns to the left where the stem is attached to it. I simply should have left the pumpkin alone and moved the vine out of the way, which I am now in the process of doing. There is more to learn in the patch every day! Saturday, July 31 View Page Day 30 update on Bertha: last night's measurements came in at 127" circ., 84.5" end to end, 81" side to side. Total OTT of 292.5" for an estimated weight of 530 lbs. She put on 105 lbs. in the last 3 days, a 35 lb. per day average. All this with the ground being dry. I am watering her tonight to see if I can push her up to 40 lbs. per day. She is primed and ready for it, I am sure that she can handle it. I feel like I've been sitting on a racehorse that wants to win the Kentucky Derby and I've been holding back on the reins a bit. It's time to let her go and see what she can do - "put the coals to her" as Don Young might say! Saturday, July 31 View Page Here is the side view of Bertha, the stem end is to the right of the photo. Long and low, she's creeping across the land like that mighty wind a blowin'. Yes a mighty wind's a blowin', cross the land and cross the sea! It's blowin' giant pumpkins, it's blowin' you and me! Saturday, July 31 View Page Here is a leaf on the now fruitless 505 McCracken, 34" across. Monday, August 2 View Page Day 33 update on Reba: last night's measurements came in at 113.5" circ., 80" end to end and 82" side to side. Total OTT of 275.5" for an estimated weight of 446 lbs. Since watering this plant, the gains have increased from 22 to 25 lbs. a day. Monday, August 2 View Page A side view of Reba, looking very nice! Monday, August 2 View Page Here's a close-up of Reba's shoulder splits, which after 6 days with a fan blowing on them look well healed and scarring over. I haven't sliced the stem yet to relieve the pressure on the shoulders like is usually recommended, but if I ever see any signs of further splitting I will definitely be doing that. The whole area is pretty gnarly-looking with all those scars, but she is still chugging along! Monday, August 2 View Page Time for a day 33 update for Bertha: 135.5" circ., 88" end to end, 85.5" side to side. Total OTT of 309" and an estimated weight of 623 lbs. My personal best continues to get better to the tune of 31 lbs. per day. My watering didn't increase the gains, but even so this beast has been doing 30 lbs. a day for two weeks straight. More watering to come tomorrow, it is still pretty dry. Monday, August 2 View Page The side view of Bertha. You can barely see it in this photo but at the bottom right edge of the pumpkin is the main vine as it passes the pumpkin. The shoulder of the fruit is pushing on it a bit but I don't think it will become a problem. I have pulled up some roots from the sidevines so that the main vine can be pushed by the pumpkin a little if it needs to. I stopped moving the pumpkin at one point because it was making a crease in the main vine before the pumpkin, and that was potentially a much bigger issue. If any problems do develop with the main being pushed on, I can always just cut it off at the pumpkin. Many growers routinely do this anyway to avoid problems just like the ones I've been having this year! Wednesday, August 4 View Page Here's today's update on Reba, day 36: 118" circ., 82.5" end to end, 85" side to side. Total OTT of 285.5" for an estimated weight of 495 lbs. Only a 49 lb. gain over the last 3 days. I had to measure earlier than normal today so that may have a small impact of her size, plus she is getting lumpy and harder to get an accurate measurement. Still pretty dry around here too, chance of storms every day, and every day they miss us. Wednesday, August 4 View Page Another view of Reba. Took a few leaves off today around the pumpkin for better air circulation and work space. Wednesday, August 4 View Page These funky looking things are popping up along the main of both of my plants. They are growing where the top tap roots would be so I can only assume they are growths of root cells. Why they look like little mushrooms though is beyond me. Maybe I should eat one and see what they taste like! Wednesday, August 4 View Page Reba's split was showing some more sap leaking out from the deepest part of the split, indicating that she is still slowly splitting. So I took a sharp knife today and did a relief cut down the stem on both the top and bottom as an extension of the split. That should relieve the pressure on the shoulders of the pumpkin and hopefully the split in the shoulders will be able to heal over once and for all. Thursday, August 5 View Page Day 36 update for Big Bertha: 143" circ., 92.5" end to end, 89" side to side. Total OTT of 324.5" for an estimated weight of 720 lbs. Picked up 97 more lbs. over the last 3 days, extending the streak of 30+ lb. days to 18. She doesn't seem to want to go to 40 lbs. a day - whatever! If she continues at 30 for another 10 days I'll be doing cartwheels! Thursday, August 5 View Page Blossom end looking just about perfect. She does have a low spot near the blossom on the right in this photo but I don't think it's anything to worry about. Thursday, August 5 View Page Another long view. I just want to reiterate right here that it is now August 5th and I have not sprayed anything at all on any of my plants. Not for insects and not for foliar diseases. All of my fertilizing as well this year has been on the soil, I have not put any water on my leaves at all for any reason. I believe that that, in conjunction with the overall dry weather, has helped me avoid any foliar problems this year. I was worried coming into the year about poor air circulation under the row cover, and we have had our fair share of heat and humidity. Still my two remaining plants are quite healthy - I have only removed a handful of leaves from each at this point. A few spots of powdery mildew have appeared recently but I don't anticipate it becoming a real problem. I hope that I am fostering a nice environment of beneficial organisms in the pumpkin patch that are working to keep problems in check. It sure appears that way on the surface. :) Sunday, August 8 View Page It's time for a day 40 update on Reba and it is not looking good: 119 3/4" circ., 84" end to end and 86" side to side. Total OTT of 289 3/4" for an estimated weight of 516 lbs. She only gained 21 lbs. in 4 days, that says to me that she is stopping or has already stopped. Not sure why yet, the plant looks healthy enough, but it appears I will be down to one pumpkin pretty soon. Sunday, August 8 View Page This weirdness showed up on Reba about 3-4 days ago - it all appeared at once, seemingly overnight. They are tiny cracks and spots where weird brownish sap leaked out and ran down the pumpkin. It all dried up and stopped leaking very quickly and it's all on one quarter of the pumpkin. This pumpkin has thrown me a few curveballs this year so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised by anything but I'm not sure what it has to do with her growth stopping, if anything. Sunday, August 8 View Page A close up of a few of the drippy cracks, as well as a couple of other discolored spots. Sunday, August 8 View Page And that spot on Reba doesn't look very good either. Sunday, August 8 View Page So now it is time for some good news, the day 39 update on Bertha: 150" circ., 96" end to end, 92" side to side. Total OTT of 338" for an estimated weight of 811 lbs. She continues at 30 lbs. a day with a 91 lb. gain over the last 3 days. Go Bertha, go! Sunday, August 8 View Page The long view of Bertha the Bomb. You can see that she has developed a bit of a dill ring down towards the blossom end but not too deep of one, so I'm telling myself not to worry. I am trying to stay calm! Sunday, August 8 View Page Here you can see it more pronounced, it is more of a ski-slope shape than an actual indentation. Sunday, August 8 View Page And here you can get a good feel for her girth with a view of the stem end. The powdery mildew in the dome is still creeping along slowly but I still think I will have to break my streak of not spraying anything all year. Since Bertha might be my last hope for the season now, I am going to try the milk spray to see what effect that has. I've been wanting to try it out anyway and I have to give Bertha the best conditions possible so she keeps on going! Wednesday, August 11 View Page Day 42 update on Bertha: 154.5" circ., 98" end to end, 94.5" side to side. Total OTT of 347" for an estimated weight of 877 lbs. She has lost her streak of 30 lb. days with a 66 lb. gain over the last 3 days, a 22 lb. per day average. A little more of a drop down than I was expecting with hot weather still hanging around but the days are now noticably shorter and this plant has a little mildew and has lost a few leaves. Wednesday, August 11 View Page Dill ring not looking any worse, a few spots of sap dripping from a couple of tiny cracks on her surface, other than that still solid as a rock. I guess I mean boulder! Wednesday, August 11 View Page Here is an shot of the entire plant Bertha is on, the 1142 Vankooten. Not too shabby for not spraying anything until August 9th. Monday I tried the milk spray for mildew control and so far so good. The visible areas of mildew that I sprayed it on now look more grey than white and do not seem to be producing spores. Wednesday, August 11 View Page Bertha's plant's stump, not a very large one. My leaves are so tall that, as big as she is, Bertha still barely sticks up above them. Wednesday, August 11 View Page Another shot of the leaves on the left side of the plant. They still should have a lot of life left in them to keep pumping Bertha up. I sure hope so! She's my last hope for this season, as my second biggest pumpkin Reba has officially stopped growing. I have sent a soil sample in to see where my nutrient levels are going into the final 50 days of the season. There's no more margin for error, ahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!..............:) Sunday, August 15 View Page There is no question that now Bertha has a problem and has stopped growing. There has got to be something wrong in the soil or water, but if that is the case why would the plant look so great and the pumpkin grow like gangbusters for 42 days? My answer may come in the soil test results that I am expecting this week but I may have to send a piece of the plant or pumpkin in for tissue analysis also. I would think a nutrient deficiency would cause a slow down or split, not a sudden and complete stoppage from 30+ lbs. per day to 0 in just a few days time. At this size too, it just doesn't make much sense to me. Final measurements are 155.5" circ., 98.75" end to end, 95" side to side. Total OTT 349.25" for an estimated weight of 894 lbs. I will keep the pumpkin hooked up to the plant for as long as possible and look for signs of decay, which there currently are none. In fact, it is ridiculous how healthy all the vines and leaves look for this to be happening. I am baffled and feeling cursed right now. :( Sunday, August 15 View Page Some of the oldest leaves look like this, maybe some minor fungal disease and looking a little ragged. Nothing to cause growth stoppage however. Sunday, August 15 View Page This is what the older leaves look like when they start to pick up the yellow to brownish color. Again there is just a handful of leaves around the stump looking like this and it is spreading very slowly. The white on this leaf is the milk I sprayed earlier in the week. There is also a little bit of powdery mildew on the plant and I found 4-5 leaves yesterday with squash bug larvae on them, but again normal late summer stuff that would not cause a pumpkin to abort at nearly 900 lbs. Sunday, August 15 View Page This is a close-up of the side of Bertha that looks the worst, the side that faces the stump. Those sunken areas have increased in size over the last 24 hours, a sure sign of growth stoppage and probably cell death. I will figure out what caused this no matter what I have to do. Sunday, August 15 View Page A close-up shot of the blueish colored spots that appeared a day or so after the brownish sap dripped out of tiny cracks in the surface. Exactly the same sequence of events that happened to Reba. Sunday, August 15 View Page The other side of Bertha doesn't look nearly as bad. Sunday, August 15 View Page And the blossom end still looks great. Sunday, August 15 View Page Here is Reba, she still looks quite good except for her stem, which has begun to rot inside of the crack where I made an extra cut to try to relieve the pressure. If she was still growing I think this area would have healed OK, but without any growth happening I don't think there's any chance to stop the rot. Sunday, August 15 View Page Reba's surface cracks have dried up and the spots that she had have sunken a bit more but are not soft or moldy at all. She is still quite solid all around except for the stem so maybe there is hope that I can keep Bertha in good condition for a long time. Wishful thinking? I don't know, time will tell. Sunday, August 15 View Page Back to Bertha now, here is her stem end, everything here still looks great. The fan is on her and I will just keep an eye on her every day. At the very least, if I start to see any signs of decay, I am going to throw her onto the truck and get her weighed somewhere. I want an official weight on this one, there is a good chance it will go heavy due to the genetics and even an outside chance that its actual weight is 1,000 lbs. There should also be mature seeds in it by now, I hope, and I will be growing them next year without question. 1142 Vankooten '04 x 992 Glasier '05. Sunday, August 15 View Page Bertha's stem, close-up. Sunday, August 15 View Page Bertha's stump, it never got very big but size obviously isn't everything! Still very healthy, no new cracks or softness or dripping going on anywhere, solid as could be. Sunday, August 15 View Page And one more overall shot of the plant. Still lots and lots of healthy salad there to feed the pumpkin as you can see. I know growing these things is difficult and a lot can go wrong, but come on, it just seems like I have to keep jumping one hurdle after another. After the dissapointment passes a bit, you know I will be back for more next year. I've gotta catch a break one of these years. Sunday, August 15 View Page One more picture with Greta in the background. She stopped growing 20 days ago and is also still quite solid except for a rotting stem. And she was only 27 days old when she stopped. It's amazing how quickly they grow into an almost immovable object with the ability to fight off the organisms that cause decay. Monday, August 23 View Page Got Bertha up onto our truck yesterday in the rain thanks to our good friend Daryl Derstine and his skid loader. Piece of cake really, we used a lifting strap I bought last year and Bertha held up beautifully. The bottom is solid as I expected and now she will tour Bucks County with me this week on a Monster Pumpkin Madness promotional tour! I'm planning on chopping her up to get the seeds out this coming Sunday after an appearance at the Del Val Farm Market Saturday, the site of our new weigh-off October 9th. There is still a lot of great PA growers out there with pumpkins still growing - I hope to see you all October 9th going for that $1500 top prize! Wednesday, August 25 View Page Here is Bertha getting weighed at Histand's Landscape Supply store in Wycombe on Tuesday. I drove the truck onto the scale first to get the total weight and then the forklift driver just lifted her off the truck for a moment so we could get the empty weight. The difference would be Bertha's weight, plus the pallet of course! Wednesday, August 25 View Page That's a cool old store, it has been there literally forever and they have literally everything, lol! Not exactly, but they are always very friendly and helpful and this day was no exception. They told me Bertha plus the pallet weighed exactly 1,000 lbs. So I figure around 960 for Bertha, but I will weigh the pallet exactly after Bertha gets chopped up in a few days. Then I will have her official unofficial weight! Looks like she is about 7% heavy, right in line with most of the 1142 Vankooten offspring. Wednesday, August 25 View Page Figured I would give an update on Reba now that she is the largest one left in the patch. Still is the same size of course, but is really looking very solid. None of the sunken areas that took Bertha down, no soft spots, the stem rot that she was getting has been all cleaned out and has dried nicely. I'm thinking she still has a shot to last until October. Even slowly getting some color. Wednesday, August 25 View Page Here is Reba's stem, now opened up nice and wide so the fan can blow air into there. To the right of the stem is where I had to dig out some rotting flesh last week. It has healed beautifully though - peroxide is a miracle worker! While the pumpkin is putting up a great fight, I wish I could say the same for the plant! Aphids have exploded all over the place and I had to clean up a least 6 mushy spots along side vines today where leaves had been pruned off. I've been doing a lot of pruning lately just to maximize air flow and keep an eye on all the vines. With the pumpkin no longer growing, I think a healthy vine is way more important than a lot of leaves. Sunday, August 29 View Page Today Bertha got the ax, quite literally! The stem rot was beginning to reach the cavity and it was time to see how many good seeds were in there...... Sunday, August 29 View Page Her flesh was 10 inches thick on the bottom of the pumkpin. Sunday, August 29 View Page The walls were 8.5 to 9 inches thick almost everywhere else on the pumpkin except in a few spots where there were internal cracks. Sunday, August 29 View Page Here's one of the internal cracks running the length of the pumpkin along the bottom. Sunday, August 29 View Page Here's the internal crack where the dill ring was, from left to right. The perpendicular crack to the far right is the one in the previous picture. Sunday, August 29 View Page Even the blossom end was 9 inches thick! Sunday, August 29 View Page There were a lot of immature seeds in there, but a decent amount of mature looking ones too. And everything in between - quite a few seeds with incomplete seed coats, most of which were hollow but some have at least have a partially formed embryo inside. I'm going to separate those out and do some experimentation to see if they are viable. Sunday, August 29 View Page Here's a close up of the seeds - the ones that are white on one end have an incomplete seed coat. They could still germinate if they are stored properly and given some TLC at planting time. There are probably over 100 fully mature seeds and another 50-75 that are borderline mature. I am just happy to get some good seeds from a planned cross that I think has big potential for next year. Saturday, September 25 View Page Haven't updated in a while - Reba still sits in the patch having not grown for a month and a half now. She is hanging in there very well, much better than I expected actually. I still have to remove a little bit of stem occasionally as it slowly rots but the fruit itself looks very sound and I think it will make it to the October 9th weigh-off. Amazing really, and I'm sure all the dry weather has helped her survive this long. There is one little shriveled spot on her side where she has dehydrated a bit, but there has been very little change in it for weeks now. Two weeks to go, she can do it! Saturday, September 25 View Page Had to scoop some goop out of this hole last evening and rub some peroxide in there. We got a .8 inch downpour on Wednesday evening followed by 90 degrees yesterday which has accelerated the activity of decay organisms for sure. Trying to stay one step ahead of them so Reba reaches the scale! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Finally getting a chance to post some pictures from Monster Pumpkin Madness! Here I am with Reba, the whitest pumpkin this side of the North Pole, right before she heads to the scale. Wednesday, October 13 View Page It barely survived the rigorous inspection done by Jim, but the hole in her stem area didn't quite go through to the cavity! Hooray! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Keep that foot on the scale Tim! Even without the extra help, Reba weighed 509.5 lbs. The 509.5 McCracken still sits at the Market on display for at least a few more days, or until it starts to smell bad. It might not take too long for that to happen with the hole in it. Wednesday, October 13 View Page Here I am with Dave Fleming, one of the owners of Shady Brook Farms. Apparantly I am putting some kind of a voodoo curse on someone off to the side, but I am not at liberty to discuss who the recipient of the curse is, LOL! Wednesday, October 13 View Page My wife Jenn stole the show as the best emcee this side of Jon Stewart! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Jim was a pumpkin-probing machine, lol! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Michael Locke, the winner of the largest Bucks County grown pumpkin seeing the weight of his 540.5. Nice job, but that prize is mine next year! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Here is Jon Rauch sitting on the edge of the stage obviously having a good time! Wednesday, October 13 View Page Here is the winner being presented with the giant novelty check! From left to right: Dave Fleming, co-owner of Shady Brook Farms, Kevin Snyder, grower of the 1,418 pound winner, Dr. Brosnan, the President of Delaware Valley College, and Jenn McCracken, the event's emcee. What an awesome day!