Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 216 Entries. Wednesday, February 2 View Page Groundhog Day seems like as good a day as any to start my 2011 diary! This is what it looks like around here today - that is one stressed out deer fence right there. Wednesday, February 2 View Page I think this is my favorite picture from today's ice storm. Wednesday, February 2 View Page The fence is sagging to half its' normal height in places, but it's amazing how well it bounces back after the ice melts. Wednesday, February 2 View Page OK Punxatawny Phil, you are on the hook now. Your prediction better be correct or into the crock pot you go! Friday, April 8 View Page Here is my chicken tractor with our 4 hens. It's a bottomless pen that gets moved around so they can eat the weeds, scatch up and fertilize the soil. I've been using it all winter to create an extra 600 square feet of pumpkin patch space so I can expand to 5 plants this year. Friday, April 8 View Page The uncovered pumpkin domes with our main garden in the background, the bamboo teepee sits in the middle. Friday, April 8 View Page The winter rye is looking good. It will start to grow rapidly with 80 degrees coming on Monday! Friday, April 8 View Page The opposite view of the pumpkin patch, this time with the chicken tractor in the background. Gotta love it when you can get animals to do some of the work for you! Thursday, April 28 View Page Here is my lineup for 2011!!!! All of these seeds were started on Easter Sunday, which seems appropriate for some reason........ First up, the 1193 Snyder which is the MAGPG seed of the year! Thursday, April 28 View Page Next up, the 766.5 Gerhardt Squash! This is the first of my seeds to germinate, 3 days and it is blasting out of the soil like an erupting volcano! Thursday, April 28 View Page Next, my second chance at the 1142 Vankooten!!!! I am praying very hard that this one comes up! Thursday, April 28 View Page My other proven seed for this season, the 1524.5 Liggett! I'm excited to finally give one of the Doctor's seeds a try! Thursday, April 28 View Page And of course, I must grow my own seed, the 937 McCracken!!! This is the second one to germinate, in four days. I started a bunch of these for backups as well in case something from my starting lineup doesn't make it. All seeds were started Sunday, April 24th in a 3-to-1 mix of Pro Mix and composted bagged cow manure and mycorrhizae. I don't do all of that fancy filing and soaking of seeds that it seems like everyone does. They go in the soil, get watered and put on heat mats, that is it. They are seeds, if they are meant to germinate they will! Friday, April 29 View Page Just a note here about the weather. It has been wet, much like it has a lot of places. Another quick inch of hard rain yesterday puts us at 7.2 inches now for April. This is a picture of our main garden yesterday right after the rain stopped - the pumpkin patch is slightly better but it will still take a solid week of no rain before I can do any work in it. Friday, April 29 View Page This creek has appeared about 4 times in the last six weeks, cutting right through the cover crop. At least the straw at the edge of the garden catches the soil. Friday, April 29 View Page Even the watercress doesn't look like it's enjoying this! Friday, April 29 View Page The 766.5 Gerhardt Squash, 5 days after planting. Friday, April 29 View Page A couple of 937 McCrackens are up! Friday, April 29 View Page It's tough to see in this picture, but the 1142 Vankooten is pushing up the soil! Friday, April 29 View Page I found these this evening in......an.........undisclosed location. 32 of them, a new personal best - and it's not even May yet! Friday, May 6 View Page The 766.5 Gerhardt Squash, all ready to go in the ground Sunday! Friday, May 6 View Page Two 937 McCrackens holding hands, aren't they cute! Unfortunately, my 1193 Snyder seed did not germinate, so both of these plants are now going in the patch. Friday, May 6 View Page The 1142 Vankooten, a 7-year old seed that germinated as strong as any of my younger seeds. It doesn't look a day over 5! Friday, May 6 View Page This one has snuck into my lineup as well because of my 1524 Liggett seed not germinating either. The 810 Kuhn which has produced a couple of 1,000 pounders, so not a bad backup. Thursday, May 26 View Page The pumpkin patch is starting to shape up nicely. The cover crop is all cut down, plants are under their mini-hoops, and I just need to make a few more modifications to the domes before the huge sheets of row cover go on. Thursday, May 26 View Page Larry better keep those rodents out of there this year! Thursday, May 26 View Page Even got some tilling done last evening. Corn and my purple peanuts are going next to the domes this year. Thursday, May 26 View Page The 1142 Vankooten. My plants are finally starting to move with warmer, drier weather finally arriving! 9 out of 10 days were cool and rainy from May 14th to the 23rd. Thursday, May 26 View Page The first 937 McCracken. Thursday, May 26 View Page My biggest dome modification this year was to create this sloping hoop on the end of the houses that get battered by the wind. Hopefully this end of the domes will now be more aerodynamic and resist tearing better. Thursday, May 26 View Page The center of these hoops is supported by a 2-by-4 to keep it from falling over. Thursday, May 26 View Page The other 937 McCracken. Thursday, May 26 View Page The 810 Kuhn. Thursday, May 26 View Page The 766.5 Gerhardt Squash. This one has a leaf that is a little crispy, not sure if it just didn't like the weather or if it got a little manure burn but it seems to be fine now. Thursday, May 26 View Page Once again, spiders are ruling the pumpkin patch. They are all over the place. Wednesday, June 1 View Page 1142 Vankooten. It looks like I am behind the other eastern PA growers at this point as far as plant size goes. My pumpkin is the same size as theirs, though! Wednesday, June 1 View Page The first of my 937s. Wednesday, June 1 View Page The other 937 after I whipped it around to point it in the right direction. Wednesday, June 1 View Page The 810 Kuhn needed some redirecting as well. This weekend the giant piece of row cover will go on and then I won't have to crouch down to pull weeds and take pictures, woo hoo! Wednesday, June 1 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt Squash. All plants looking good, nary a cucumber beetle or squash bug to be seen in or out of the hoops yet. My hope is that last year's efforts will pay off with a much smaller number of overwintering adults. There should be much less insect pressure so it should be easier to keep them out of the houses. So far, so good. Saturday, June 11 View Page Well this has been a rough week for us. On Tuesday we had to say goodbye to Ella after nearly a two year battle with bone cancer. She was born in our bedroom on December 22, 2002. We were there when she took her first breaths and we were there for her last. I knew it was going to be hard, but God we are going to miss this dog for a long, long time. Saturday, June 11 View Page I hold the flower there - doesn't know she's beautiful She wakes every morning seeing all the other things are beautiful Well she's free Oh, companion to the wind Time plays a roller coaster - not afraid to ride itself Never takes adventure lightly Always stops enough to let us on for a ride From the song "Gradle", Widespread Panic Friday, June 17 View Page OK, back to some happy pumpkin plant commentary! Here is the 766.5 Gerhardt Squash. It suffered a little leaf damage when I left it inside the small enclosure for too long. When I uncovered it, the leaves were liberated and they kind of flopped all over the place. A couple broke, but the plant is still in good shape - as usual, the squash is the plant getting neglected! Friday, June 17 View Page The first of my 937s. The biggest leaves of any of my plants so far. Friday, June 17 View Page The 1142 Vankooten. This has been the problem child plant thus far. It had a wierd ribboned side vine that grew straight up in the air and then broke, and now it has an oozing area on the stump right at the base. I know what that means - trouble - so surgery and a fan set-up are scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning. Friday, June 17 View Page My other 937. My biggest plant so far. Friday, June 17 View Page The 810 Kuhn, very healthy-looking. Monday, June 20 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt Squash, my smallest plant. Monday, June 20 View Page The first 937 McCracken, it has a female ready to open either Wednesday or Thursday. Haven't measured the distance of it yet, I have to get into the habit of taking the tape measure to the patch again! Monday, June 20 View Page 1142 Vankooten. Surgery on the stump went great, it is dry now and healing perfectly. It just looks like a healed crack, you can barely tell it was cut. It feels good when you see a problem developing and know how to fix it early. Whoever invented hydrogen peroxide should be in the pumpkin hall of fame! Monday, June 20 View Page The other 937. It will also have a female to pollinate Wednesday or Thursday. The two 937s are like twins, fast growers too. Monday, June 20 View Page The 810 Kuhn, the only plant to suffer any heat wilt damage so far but it's only just a little. Monday, June 20 View Page Hot air balloon from inside the dome this evening. Monday, June 20 View Page There it is! Monday, June 20 View Page A current shot of dome town. For those of you who might be new to my diary, the reason for the domes is to keep out squash vine borers, cucumber beetles and squash bugs. The last two carry diseases that will end your season if they spread it to your plants. Other organic controls just don't work good enough, and this is 100% effective as long as the row cover doesn't get holes in it. That is the biggest challenge with it, but this year the domes are as insect-proof as ever. The time is near, the mission's clear......... Saturday, June 25 View Page This flower opened yesterday morning on the 937A McCracken. I sibbed it with the other 937. Saturday, June 25 View Page Goofy node on the 1142 Vankooten. Saturday, June 25 View Page That goofy node is immediately followed by back-to-back females on the 1142, showing the typical longer shape for this seed. The second one in particular looks extra elongated. Saturday, June 25 View Page Yesterday morning I also pollinated this female on the 937B, crossed it with the 810 Kuhn. It's about 8 feet 9 inches out. Forgot to mention the pollination on the 937A is only at 7 feet 3 inches. Saturday, June 25 View Page Here's the 937B female #1. We finally got hammered by storms yesterday, nothing too damaging, almost an inch and a half of rain though which we needed. Sunday, June 26 View Page Here's the 937B McCracken x 810 Kuhn at 2 days old. Looking good, definitely growing. The 937A that I also pollinated on Friday doesn't look like it took, which is fine - it is too close to the stump anyway. Sunday, June 26 View Page This one got pollinated this morning on the 810 Kuhn with the 1142 Vankooten. Didn't measure the distance yet. Sunday, June 26 View Page Here's the 810 Kuhn flower, 4 lobes. Catching up big time this weekend on hoeing the patch, some trimming and spreading myco + compost at the nodes. Looking great out there, what a fun time of year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wednesday, June 29 View Page Pollinated two back-to-back females on the 937B McCracken today, both with the 810 Kuhn. Here is the first one at almost 14 feet. Wednesday, June 29 View Page 5 lobes, nice flower. Wednesday, June 29 View Page Here's the second one, at almost 15 feet. Wednesday, June 29 View Page This is the first pollination on the 937B, now 4 days old. This one will get the ax soon, I now want to shoot for a late pollination on this plant. The reason is I had to yank the 1142 Vankooten yesterday due to vine rot and now there is a big hole in the patch. I am super bummed about the Vankooten, but I figure I might as well let the 937B use the space and get huge. Set a later fruit on it and let the massive plant pump it up. July 15th is still 92 days away from the weigh-off, plenty of time! Wednesday, June 29 View Page This one opened this morning on the 810 Kuhn, at almost 14 feet. Pollinated with the 1142 Vankooten - I am keeping two side vines alive from it for now just for the pollen. Only had one male to use this morning, but it looked good and had a lot of pollen in it. I'd love to keep this pumpkin on this plant, it is by far the hugest female flower I've seen in 4 years of growing. Wednesday, June 29 View Page Massive, 5 lobes. I swear I could stick my entire head in there! Sunday, July 3 View Page Pollinated the 3rd female on the 810 Kuhn this morning x 1142 Vankooten at 18 and a half feet. Sunday, July 3 View Page 4 day old fruit on the 810 Kuhn, my keeper if all goes well. 13 feet, 10 inches. Sunday, July 3 View Page This is the 4th female on the 937B McCracken, at 19 and a half feet, pollinated with the 810 Kuhn. Culled the first pollination on this plant yesterday, as I have my eye on the next female to open. It'll be at about 20 and a half feet and this plant will be 800 sq. feet when it's filled in its' space. She should have some firepower! Sunday, July 3 View Page And also pollinated this one this morning, the 3rd female on the 937A McCracken x sib at 18 feet 8 inches. It's the first female to open normally - the first 2 on this plant strangely began opening in the evening. I want this one to be the keeper on this plant. Thursday, July 7 View Page Finally today pollinated the first female on the 766.5 green squash. There was one a couple of days ago that shriveled up one day before it was going to open. This one is 19 feet out, self pollinated and I'm sure I'll keep it as long as it grows. Thursday, July 7 View Page 937A McCracken, 4 days old. Thursday, July 7 View Page 810 Kuhn, 8 days old. Tonight removed an 11 day old fruit on this plant that was 30 inches in circumference. I still have younger back-ups on this plant for now, but I am keeping this one for sure. Thursday, July 7 View Page A trio of nice little ones on the 937B McCracken. The middle one is the target keeper, pollinated yesterday with the 810 Kuhn at 20 and a half feet. This is going to be my biggest plant ever, 850 square feet hopefully! Sunday, July 10 View Page The 810 Kuhn today, on day 11. The day 10 circumference was 29 inches, a new best for me. Even Bertha last year was only at 27.5 on day 10. Put the sand under it today, put in the first vine supports, pruned a crazy amount, buried a bunch of nodes w/ compost & myco and watered. This plant is running out of space and the vines will be 90% terminated in a week. Sunday, July 10 View Page Thousands of miles of ocean floor Under trillions of pounds of water Gave rise to life in sea, then land All springing from some grains of sand Thursday, July 14 View Page The keeper on the 937A McCracken today on day 11. Circumference on day 10 was 21.5 inches, so well behind the 810 Kuhn. I was worried about this one for a couple of days because it was growing so slow, but it is doing better now. Thursday, July 14 View Page The keeper on the 937B McCracken today, also 11 days old. Circumference on day 10 was 20.75 inches, the slowest grower of all my keepers. This is not the one I wanted to keep originally - that one has aborted - but this one was pollinated a few days earlier and will have a large portion of plant both before and after it. I have a feeling the 937 pumpkins are just slow starters.......... Thursday, July 14 View Page My first green squash update in a while - it looks like I've finally gotten a pollination to take on the 766.5 Gerhardt, 2 days ago. The problem with this one is the 9-foot long stem has already gotten lengthwise and crosswise splits in it. This plant has seemed very brittle in general with a lot of side vines getting small cracks as they grow. The plant also seems to have what I think is a bacterial infection, but it is only showing up on leaf edges. It is not at all the same thing that took down the 1142 Vankooten in a matter of days. This has been going on for a few weeks now, very slowly. The rest of the plant is exploding with growth like normal, so we'll see. I'll be happy with any green squash that I get this year, and 500 lbs. could take 2nd place at the weigh-off! Thursday, July 14 View Page I swear, that fly must've been following me around tonight! It's sitting on another pumpkin a few pictures back. This is the 810 Kuhn tonight, day 15, circumference of 58 inches. Now 2.5 inches ahead of Bertha's pace, but it's going to be tough to keep the pace from now on - this is when Bertha began to really take off. We'll see if this one can do it too - now I gotta come up with some good names for the girls............ Sunday, July 17 View Page The 810 Kuhn day 18, circumference of 74 inches. As I suspected, it is now behind Bertha's pace a little in circumference, but this one is quite a bit taller. I'll start OTT measurements on Wednesday and then we'll know exactly where she's at. Sunday, July 17 View Page The side view of the 810 Kuhn. I think it is already the most orange giant pumpkin I've ever grown! She's a little bit shy, hiding behind the leaves. Sunday, July 17 View Page A full dome view - 937A McCracken in the foreground, 937B in the middle and the 810 Kuhn at the far end. Not a single squash bug, vine borer or cucumber beetle in sight. A few holes in the dome, but many less than last year. Overall looking good, though starting to get pretty dry like last year. 7 straight days of 90s in the forecast, it's gonna be hard to keep up with the watering if it doesn't rain......... Tuesday, July 19 View Page The fruit on the 937A McCracken on day 16. Yesterday the circumference was 44 inches, the brick is for size reference. And for banging myself in the head when I accidentally kick the side of the pumpkin and leave a mark on the side. This one has great vine position and little stem stress so far! Tuesday, July 19 View Page The 937B McCracken also on day 16. True twins, pollinated on the same day from seeds that came from the same pumpkin, they even look alike. Day 15 circumference was 43", they even grew the exact same number of inches over the last 3 days. A few stem cracks on this one that have healed, I have been aggressively raising the vines this year and it seems to be paying off with no gigantic splits like last year. Put a nice scratch in it with my fingernail though. Grrrrrrrrrrr Thursday, July 21 View Page The 937A McCracken, day 18, circumference of 63 inches. Grew 19 inches in 3 days despite the dry and hot conditions. I water deeply every 3 days so there is still moisture down below even when the surface looks desert-like. Once the plants reach full-size they never seem to suffer with this method. There is the kick-mark front and center - maybe I should kick it again if it makes it grow like that! Thursday, July 21 View Page The 937B McCracken, also 63 inches around on day 18 - a 20 inch gain in 3 days! The McCrackens got off to a slow start but they are on the move now. The only difference between the two right now is this one has her butt in the air more. Thursday, July 21 View Page And here is the 810 Kuhn on day 22 - sorry for the slightly blurry picture, my digital camera is a bit old. It's a miracle it still works. Anyway, this pumpkin is hence forth to be heretofor known as Rosie. There is no question it is going to be the most orange one I've ever grown if it makes it to the finish. Circumference on day 21 was 89.5 inches, total OTT 215 inches. Estimated weight of 219 lbs. Thursday, July 21 View Page Ahhhhhhhh, a much nicer shot of Rosie. Beautiful, perfect stem end. Saturday, July 23 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt Green Squash on day 11. This plant continues to battle with some vine rot and it had to have the stump removed 4 days ago. Despite losing the stump on day 7, this fruit still measured 32.75 inches in circumference on day 10, smashing my previous best by 3.75 inches. A green squash without a stump putting the pumpkins to shame! This plant has been very resilient so far with the vine rot and if I can get rid of it I think this plant will reward me. Saturday, July 23 View Page Here's an indication of how humid it was here today, my camera fogged up in the dome. Rosie on day 24 at the end of a 3-day streak of 100 degree weather. 103 inch circumference, total OTT of 242.5 inches. Estimated weight 308 lbs. Watering as much as I can, it's now been 15 days without measurable rain. Saturday, July 23 View Page Took a few leaves away from Rosie today that were starting to scratch the sides. Generally airing out the stump areas also, too much clutter and old leaves causing stagnant air around there. That's one negative about the domes, it is usually very still in there unless the wind is blowing pretty good outside. The fan is always blowing on one stump or another. Saturday, July 23 View Page Peek-a-Boo! Sunday, July 24 View Page Another steamer inside the domes today. I went in there right after we got our first rain in 16 days, a whopping .05 inches, and there was fog inside. We are supposed to have a couple of low humidity days soon which will help a lot in keeing any rot from starting anywhere. This is the 937A McCracken, day 21, 80 inch circ., 197" OTT. Estimated weight 172 lbs. Sunday, July 24 View Page Another angle of the fog pumpkin, very ghostly and round. Calling this one Sandy. Sunday, July 24 View Page The 937B McCracken, day 21, circ. of 81.5 inches, total OTT 201.5 inches. Estimated weight 182 lbs. This plant still has some side vines growing into open space, and that growth has slowed down a lot. Main was terminated yesterday at at least 35 feet. Sunday, July 24 View Page This one wants to be called Kitty. Just don't scratch her or she will bite you - trust me. Tuesday, July 26 View Page Well here it is, my first official foaming stump. This was caused by a lot of heat and humidity, then 1.7 inches of rain yesterday. The water pressure inside the plant last night basically caused the stump to blow a gasket. It looked worse this morning when I first discovered it, but today was finally less humid so that should help a lot in clearing it up. I scraped away the foam and it didn't look bad under there, so I just cut a little hole around the affected area, peroxided it and brought the ol' fan over. This is on Rosie's plant, which is easily the biggest stump of all my plants. Tuesday, July 26 View Page Rosie doesn't seem to notice much that her stump is foaming, at least yet. Day 27, circumference of 112.5 inches, total OTT of 264 inches. Estimated weight of 394 lbs., an 86 lb. gain in 3 days. Tuesday, July 26 View Page I can still move her but not for much longer............ Thursday, July 28 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt green squash, day 15 yesterday. Circumference of 59.5 inches, weird indented bottom on it completely in line with a crosswise crack in the stem from its early days. No stump, still fighting the vine rot a bit - long-term prognosis maybe 50/50. Thursday, July 28 View Page Sandy, day 24 yesterday. Circumference of 93.75 inches, OTT of 226.75 inches. Estimated weight 255 lbs., an 83 lb. gain in 3 days. Stump looking pretty good, had a couple mushy spots in the last 2 weeks but seems well recovered. Humidity is back though and everything is damp in the domes........ Thursday, July 28 View Page Kitty the leaner, day 24 yesterday. Circumference of 94.5 inches, total OTT of 232.5 inches. Estimated weight 273 lbs., a 91 lb. gain in 3 days. Biggest of my plants, smallest of my stumps, and the least troublesome stump as well. I'm not so sure that's a coincidence, big stumps seem to lead to big problems around here. My money's on this one to end up as my biggest pumpkin this year. We shall see, shalln't we? Saturday, July 30 View Page Having camera issues again and can't get pictures to load onto my computer. Rosie is at day 30 yesterday, 120 inch circumference, total OTT of 282 inches. Estimated weight 477 lbs., an 83 lb. gain in the last 3 days. This morning removed half the diameter of the main vine near the stump due to rot. Will probably lose the stump and that section of vine before too long. The stump itself is still leaking water but doesn't look worse on the outside. Who knows what is going on inside however. Saturday, July 30 View Page OK, after a bit of smacking around I got my camera to load the pictures. Here is Rosie, day 30. Saturday, July 30 View Page The other side of Rosie. I have to lay on top to take the measurements now, that is when the fun really starts! Saturday, July 30 View Page Here is Kitty, day 27. 106 inch circumference, OTT of 257 inches. Estimated weight of 365 lbs., a 92 lb. gain in the last 3 days. Best gainer so far, as I was hoping. Now has a crack where the stem meets the vine which I also was expecting - I never positioned the vine correctly because this was supposed to be a back-up fruit. Turning the pumpkin will split it more, so I'm moving the vine the best I can to take off the pressure. Saturday, July 30 View Page The can for size reference wasn't nearby today, so I used another object that I had on me. By the way, has anybody seen my pen? It was in my pocket before........... Saturday, July 30 View Page Sandy, day 27. Circumference of 104.5 inches, OTT of 251.5 inches. Estimated weight of 343 lbs., a 3-day gain of 88 lbs. Just got a soil test result back so I can adjust feedings going into the big-cranking days. Potassium getting low so I'm glad I checked it. Saturday, July 30 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt Greenie, day 18, circumference of 72.5 inches. I'm still chopping away at this plant's main vine trying to end the rot problem but it has been very persistant. It seems to have affected the growth rate of the fruit finally. Still lots of plant here so even if I have to cut off a few more secondaries it should continue to grow. Still 77 days to the weigh-off, you know. Wednesday, August 3 View Page Starting to fall behind on the updates! Here is Rosie on day 33, Monday. 126.5 inch circumference, total OTT of 296 inches. Estimated weight 550 lbs., a 73 lb. gain in the last 3 days. The plant's stump was starting to rot from the foaming area that never stopped leaking water, so I cut it off along with the first 3 secondary vines on Monday. It was obviously starting to slow the pumpkin down from the decrease in weight gain, and I'm sure I got all of the rot cut off, so now hopefully the plant will grow more roots to compensate and the pumpkin will keep going! Wednesday, August 3 View Page And here is the situation with Kitty's vine crack at the pumpkin. It was starting to rot and move down the vine a bit (past the pumpkin), so in my aggressive surgical mood Monday I carved out everything that looked bad and then some, just to be safe. I split the vine all the way through a little bit and left this small paring knife sticking in there to sort of act as a drain to help fluid fall out of the vine. It seems to have worked very well - this picture is 24 hours after surgery and it all looks dry and good. Also had to slice off 2 sections from the stump, also starting to rot. This one is getting it at both ends right now, but all areas look good 24 hours after surgery. Like I said, I went very aggressive with removing bad spots this time, I don't want to be farting around with it for much longer. Let's get these ponies healthy so I can ride 'em hard! Wednesday, August 3 View Page Despite the small rotten spots and the surgery, Kitty still slapped on 90 lbs. in 3 days. This is a day 30 shot, circumference of 115.5 inches, OTT of 277.5 inches. Estimated weight 455 lbs. Wednesday, August 3 View Page Here is Sandy, day 30 yesterday. Right now, the healthiest plant of all. I was worried about the stump a week ago when it was leaking water on and off for a few days. Not really foaming, just dribbling down it but it seems to have stopped now and still looks solid. Sandy is in catch-up mode for sure.....circumference of 115.25 inches, OTT of 274.75 inches. Estimated weight of 442 lbs. a 99 lb. gain in 3 days. Oh, it's on. Wednesday, August 3 View Page Snout-nosed green squash update, 766.5 Gerhardt day 21 yesterday. Circumference 84.5 inches, OTT of 198.5 inches. Estimated weight 175 lbs. Chopped off what should be the final piece of rotting main vine last night. Should now be a clean and healthy plant and the squash has grown quite well so far considering how much trouble this plant has had. Wednesday, August 3 View Page Of course since it was my last chance to pollinate one on the main, it is right in the corner of the dome. Worst spot for it, I am going to have to turn myself into a leprechaun to be able to measure it soon. Saturday, August 6 View Page Here is Rosie on day 36 which was Thursday. 130 inch circumference, OTT of 304.5 inches. She has slowed down now with the stump removal several days behind us, and we have had some cloudy weather lately too. Estimated weight of 597 lbs., only a 47 lb. gain in the last 3 days. She still looks great though and I have no reason to expect her to stop, in fact she should step it up again when it gets sunnier and the plant recovers more and replaces some of the lost roots and leaves. Saturday, August 6 View Page Rosie is becoming quite a wide load, you can see that a lot of the growth lately has been those humps on top. So much for Rosie being a pretty pumpkin, now she is starting to look like one of mine! Saturday, August 6 View Page Here is Kitty's stem situation as of last night - no more rot apparant, but it looks like the vine continues to split lengthwise away from the pumpkin. You can see that the shoulders are pushing on the vine on both sides of the stem as the pumpkin grows. I actually lowered the vine the other day since raising it would just put more pressure on it, and I've loosened up as many side vines as I can past the pumpkin to try to put some slack in the vine. The stem connection to the vine is so low to the ground that I might have raised it too much initially. I'm not sure what else I can do at this point but try to keep everything rot-free and pray. So far, praying is working pretty well because............ Saturday, August 6 View Page Kitty's day 33 measurements yesterday - 124.5 inch circumference, 296 inch OTT. Estimated weight of 550 lbs., a 95 lb. gain over the last 3 days. She's not letting Sandy pass her that easily. Saturday, August 6 View Page Sandy day 33, yesterday. Circumference of 122.25 inches, OTT of 289.75 inches. Estimated weight of 516 lbs., a 3-day gain of 74 lbs. Not nearly the big jump she had last time, but definitely the nicest shape of all my pumpkins. With this being my 3rd largest pumpkin right now, I certainly can't complain. :) Saturday, August 6 View Page Day 24 green squash update: 93 inch circumference, OTT of 216.5 inches. Estimated weight of 223 lbs., a 48 lb. gain in 3 days. My two stumpless plants are growing the slowest which is no surprise. It's getting a neat darker green mottling on the surface, almost psychedelic, man. I guess I need a name for this one, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Monday, August 8 View Page This, my friends, is a picture of the fickle finger of fate. Rosie has split at the blossom end right through to the cavity. She was obviously not very thick there which I hear is usually a genetic thing. I don't believe any nutrient problems caused this, I just got a soil test back and everything is pretty good. Had all super-thick blossom ends last year, this is my first ever split like this. Monday, August 8 View Page I think Rosie might have split partly because she started growing faster again. Day 39 yesterday - 135.5 inch circumference, OTT of 315 inches. Estimated weight of 659 lbs., she gained 62 lbs. in the last 3 days. Rosie is now disqualified from any competitions but she might still grow more, so I plugged up the split and will treat her like any of my other pumpkins until she stops growing. You never know what might happen next........... Monday, August 8 View Page Kitty, day 36 today. 134 inch circumference, OTT of 312.5 inches. Estimated weight of 644 lbs., a 94 lb. gain in 3 days. Got caught in a sudden downpour while I was measuring her tonight, we got a quick two-thirds of an inch in like 30 minutes. While I was watering, of course. None of the stumps were covered, or Kitty's split stem or anything. That's not going to help me keep things dry and rot-free now, is it? Monday, August 8 View Page The vine just to the left of the stem is now split open completely from the stem all the way down to the next node. It seemed pretty good before it got rained on, so I'm sure it will look bad tomorrow. The pumpkin cranks along though, and I'm pretty sure there is no rot anywhere near the stem. Notice how I threw the word "pretty" in there - that's how confident I am. I know this will have to be cut off at the pumpkin eventually, it's just a question of when. Monday, August 8 View Page 766.5 Gerhardt green squash, day 27 today. Circumference of 101.75 inches, OTT of 234 inches. Estimated weight of 279 lbs., a 56 lb, gain in 3 days. Coloration getting very awesome with stripes on the blossom end - there's a new girl in town, and her name is............ Monday, August 8 View Page Sandy dancing in the dark on day 36. Circumference of 129.5 inches, OTT of 305 inches. Estimated weight of 600 lbs., an 84 lb. gain in 3 days. This one has had quite the up and downs and is surface-cracking all around the stem and now at the blossom end as well. Stump is again having issues with the return of the rains. I'm jumping through hoops as fast as I can here, you pumpkins, now give me a freakin' break! Monday, August 8 View Page Dome after dark.....Kitty is calling you......... Wednesday, August 10 View Page Rosie's blossom end split is still sealed up pretty well with no signs of deterioration anywhere yet. She only has to hold together like this for 66 more days, piece of cake! Wednesday, August 10 View Page Otherwise, Rosie is as solid as a rock and the plant 100% healthy now. On Day 42 today, circumference of 138.75 inches, OTT of 322.25 inches. Estimated weight of 704 lbs., a 45 lb. gain in the last 3 days. It rained all 3 of those days with very little sun - will Rosie speed up again with sunny weather returning? And if so, will she split more?????? Friday, August 12 View Page Kitty Day 39 was yesterday, circumference of 137.75 inches, OTT of 320.75 inches. Estimated weight of 695 lbs., a gain of 51 lbs. over the last 3 days. I had to terminate the vine at the pumpkin a couple of days ago due to rot and I'm not sure this pumpkin has much left in it. Found more rot in the stump too, this plant appears to be self-destructing. Friday, August 12 View Page Kitty is rather impressive. Friday, August 12 View Page Sandy, on the other hand, doesn't look nearly as big sitting in the patch for some reason. Day 39 measurements were 136 inch circumference, OTT of 318 inches. Estimated weight 678 lbs., still doing 26 lbs. a day. Friday, August 12 View Page Sandy has more sap running out of her than I've ever seen before and most of it is near the ground, making me slightly nervous. None of it looks rotten or anything and now the fan is blowing on there. Just a bunch of stretchmarks that are weeping as she grows. Friday, August 12 View Page Some of them have already healed all dark and gnarly. Friday, August 12 View Page Rosie is the orange speck in the distance, Kitty in the middle of the dome and Sandy in the foreground. Friday, August 12 View Page And the green squash, Mary is the name, the contrary one. Day 30 yesterday, circumference of 108.25 inches, OTT of 247.5 inches. Estimated weight of 327 lbs., a 3-day gain of 48 lbs. Estimated color of awesome. Sunday, August 14 View Page Rosie Day 45 was yesterday, the day of the MAGPG patch tour. The tour didn't come to my place this year, we went to see John Rauch's **** pounder instead! It's an incredible beast, the same age as Rosie but about *** pounds bigger. Rosie's circumference is now 141.75 inches, OTT of 328.25 inches. Estimated weight of 744 lbs., only doing about 13 pounds a day lately. It just rained 3 inches this weekend so there won't be any watering for a while, hopefully no more splitting either. Sunday, August 14 View Page Looks like a rock. Monday, August 15 View Page Kitty's Day 42 was yesterday, circumference of 143.5 inches, OTT of 331 inches. Estimated weight of 763 lbs., a 68 lb. gain in the last 3 days. Not bad for all the problems going on with this plant. It lost its stump a couple of days ago now too to go along with losing all of the plant after the pumpkin. Some more rain today making it 7 out of the last 10 days. Wednesday, August 17 View Page Rosie day 48 yesterday, circumference of 144.5 inches, OTT of 332.75 inches. Estimated weight of 775 lbs., a 31 lb. gain in the last 3 days. There hasn't been much sun lately so all the pumpkins have been gaining on the slow side. Rosie looks like a complete midget next to that one growing in Alaska, that is truly amazing stuff. Wednesday, August 17 View Page Kitty's Day 45 today, 145.5 inch circumference, 335 inch OTT. Estimated weight of 790 lbs., a 95 lb. gain in the last 6 days. Her stem area now looks pretty darn good considering all the rain we've had lately. This plant lost the stump 4 or 5 days ago now too, now I have just a single stump left. Wednesday, August 17 View Page A 37 inch wide leaf on Sandy's plant. Wednesday, August 17 View Page Sandy day 45 today, circumference of 144.75 inches, 335.75 inch OTT. Estimated weight of 795 lbs., a 117 lb. gain in the last 6 days. Now my biggest pumpkin, although that is really splitting hairs. As of tonight, all 3 of them are taping within 10 lbs. of each other, that's pretty remarkable. Wednesday, August 17 View Page Wiped off most of the leaking goop from Sandy and hosed it down with peroxide. You can see the cracks that were underneath are healing well. No signs of any rot or new leakage. She's gonna be fine, I do believe. Wednesday, August 17 View Page Mary day 36 today, circumference of 116.75 inches, OTT of 264 inches. Estimated weight of 394 lbs., been doing about 11 lbs. a day all week on a constantly evolving plant. I chop off some rot, some new vines grow, over and over again. It'll be interesting to see how long this one can drag out the slow gains, because I don't think it's speeding up much again. Saturday, August 20 View Page Rosie's Day 51 was yesterday, and she is still growing slowly. Circumference of 145.5 inches, OTT of 335.5 inches. Estimated weight of 793 lbs. The blossom end split area still looks good from what I can see, but Rosie has now developed some rot where the stem and vine meet. Cleaned it out this morning, and I need to do some serious pruning to the plant later today. I don't know if it will have any effect on Rosie's gains or not, but the plant has been putting a lot of energy into new vines and foliage lately. It is worth a shot to see if she can get any bigger. Saturday, August 20 View Page I am just psyched that I have a pumpkin continuing to grow at day 50, that is a first for me! As my pumpkins pass day 50 I will start to measure a little less frequently. Still going to keep up with feeding and watering though if the rain ever stops. We've now had measurable rain 10 out of the last 14 days. Saturday, August 20 View Page Kitty day 48 today, circumference of 147.25 inches, OTT of 339.25 inches. Estimated weight of 820 lbs. Still doing 10 pounds a day, stem area and vine looks remarkably well. Did some more pruning today and I'm feeding tomorrow, it is time to push hard for those last couple hundered pounds. They made it this far, can't let them stop now! Saturday, August 20 View Page Sandy Day 48, circumference of 148 inches, OTT of 342.75 inches. Estimated weight of 845 lbs., a 50 lb. gain in the last 3 days. In 3 to 4 days it should be the largest OTT pumpkin I've ever grown. It's amazing how the shape is perfect but the surface is just nasty looking with all those cracks. It's also starting to show the bluish-green stripes in the rib valleys that the 992.5 Glasier offspring had. Saturday, August 20 View Page Those scars ain't winning her no beauty contests! Saturday, August 20 View Page Mary Day 39 today, circumference of 120.25 inches, OTT of 271.25 inches. Estimated weight of 426 lbs., steady as she goes at 10-11 lbs. per day. Saturday, August 20 View Page Poor can is tired and needs to take a nap. Zzzzzzzzzzz Wednesday, August 24 View Page Rosie's day 55 was yesterday and she continues to creep along. Circumference of 147 inches, OTT of 338.25 inches. Estimated weight of 813 lbs. Healthiest leaves of all my plants, being at the end of the dome farthest from the entrance. Next year I need to have entrances at both ends so I don't beat up the same plant walking through it all the time. Wednesday, August 24 View Page A never-before-seen side of Mary. The row cover over this dome tore a big hole in it today, so it will certainly be ripping off competely this weekend thanks to Irene. Mary's day 42 was yesterday, circumference of 123.5 inches, OTT of 277 inches. Estimated weight of 453 lbs., another steady creeper. Wednesday, August 24 View Page Kitty is still chugging against all odds on day 51. 151 inch circumference, OTT of 345.25 inches. Estimated weight of 863 lbs., a 43 lb. gain over the last 3 days. Picked it up again after a 6-day slowdown, unbelievable! Wednesday, August 24 View Page Sandy's day 51 yesterday, 151 inch circumference, OTT of 349 inches. Estimated weight of 892 lbs., she is now equal to Bertha's final OTT last year. Still steady in the 15-16 lbs. per day range. We got poured on again on Sunday bringing the total to 5.4 inches in an 8-day period. There has been very little new leaking on Sandy though, so I think she is past that messy phase in her life. Hurricane might be coming this weekend so just when you start to feel comfortable......Kablam! Wednesday, August 24 View Page Another shot of Sandy. Lots of powdery mildew now taking over this plant so I'm using empty space in the dome to let this plant grow new leaves. It will need them for sure, and it hasn't helped that I have to walk through this plant to get anywhere inside the dome. Friday, August 26 View Page Mary Day 45 today, circumference of 127 inches, OTT of 283 inches. Estimated weight of 482 lbs., still growing at the same pace. The dome over this plant has torn wide open at one end and will definitely be ripped off the rest of the way by Irene this weekend. I spent this evening throwing ropes over the other dome, which contains the 3 giant pumpkins, to tie down the row cover so it doesn't flap around in the wind. The looser the row cover is, the more susceptible it is to ripping, and by this point in the year it has stretched and is not as tight as it was in the beginning. If I can get it to survive tropical storm force winds, that will be a major accomplishment and will save my plants' leaves. We're going to get a lot of rain, but it's the wind that can really do damage. Fingers and toes will all be crossed for this one. Saturday, August 27 View Page Well, the giant pumpkin dome is as ready as it can be. I have six ropes criss-crossing diagonally over the top of the dome to try to keep it in place. One more at each end to keep the ends from flapping around too much. The fan is covered and I'll keep it blowing on Kitty's stem for the duration of the storm. My patch is well-drained and at the top of the hill so no matter how much rain we get the excess water will be gone by Monday. Good luck to everyone else out there! Saturday, August 27 View Page The giant green squash and my other winter squashes are in the torn open dome on the right. The one on the left is the one I'm trying to save from Irene. We have already received 8.7 inches of rain in August, this storm will create a lot of new records around here. Saturday, September 3 View Page It's about time for a post hurricane update. Actually, Irene gave us tropical storm force winds for most of the day last Sunday, which tore the cover off of the domes. We got at least 6.5 inches of rain, not sure exactly because the rain gauge overflowed during Saturday night. All the plants' older leaves got beat up quite a bit, but they have a good amount of young foliage too that stood up well to the wind. Here is Sandy this morning, I last took a measurement on Thursday which was day 60 for her. Circumference was 157 inches, OTT was 360.5 inches. Estimated weight of 982 lbs., still growing about 7 lbs. per day since the storm. Saturday, September 3 View Page The stem side of Sandy. Despite all the rain and not having power for more than 3 days to run a fan, there are no rot problems here at all. Saturday, September 3 View Page Kitty shown here this morning. Thursday's day 60 measurements were 157 inch circumference, OTT of 355.5 inches. Estimated weight of 942 lbs., also still doing 7-8 lbs. per day. It's very hard to take an accurate circumference measurement now on this pumpkin, it seems I could do it 9 times and get 9 different numbers. Just amazing that there is no more rot around the stem area after all the early problems and all the rain we've had lately. She wants to live sooooooooo bad! Saturday, September 3 View Page Kitty may end up at an earlier weigh-off in September if she stops growing at some point, but I'm just not sure yet if that will happen............stay tuned............ Saturday, September 3 View Page Rosie has finally stopped growing at an estimated 813 lbs. There is a soft spot emerging right at the blossom area that goes through to the cavity. The last time I detected any growth was actually August 23rd, so she has held up amazingly well for a long time with the blossom-end split. After much thought, I decided I will save the seeds from her because the split may or may not be genetic. With her awesome color and the pollinator being the 1142 Vankooten, it's a seed I just might want to grow next year. Saturday, September 3 View Page Rosie's sure got the color that MAGPG members demand! Saturday, September 3 View Page Mary this morning. Her day 51 measurements on Thursday were 130 inch circumference, OTT of 289.5 inches. Estimated weight of 515 lbs., adding only 3-4 lbs. per day now since the storm. When you see the leaves on this plant, you'll know why. Saturday, September 3 View Page The wicked knob that developed on Mary's stem due to a big split at a young age. It effectively cut off the flow of water and nutrients to the bottom side of the squash, giving it a severly indented bottom. I hope it makes it to the end so I can see what it looks like under there when it gets lifted. Saturday, September 3 View Page Mary's plant, 99% leveled by the storm. Saturday, September 3 View Page The ripping off of the dome covers makes this shot possible. They were in two separate domes, with an awesome contrast in colors. Saturday, September 3 View Page Here is Sandy's plant, with all of the new growth in the foreground being around the stump area. There's a significant amount of new leaves there, which will hopefully push her into 4-digit territory! Thursday, September 8 View Page Just wanted to give an update from mudville. Didn't take the camera to the patch last night due to the constant threat of downpours from hell. We are approaching 7 more inches of rain this week, which puts us over 22 inches since August 3rd. That is not a typo. I have never seen anything like this - I'm not sure anyone around here ever has. I'm pretty sure Sandy is my only pumpkin still growing, although Kitty and Mary are holding solid. Sandy is now estimating over 1,000, my first ever, but like my others she is sitting in water right now. There is a frog living under the side of Kitty, and I saw an earthworm climbing the side of Sandy last night to try to avoid drowning. It won't be long before there are fish in the patch............... Saturday, September 10 View Page Sandy is coloring up and still growing a little bit in the swamplands of Southeast PA. Saturday, September 10 View Page There were many puddles in the patch this week, lasting for days. 7 inches of rain from Monday to Thursday with at least 1.4 inches each day. The excess water is slowly draining away but more storms are possible over the weekend. At least a dozen old leaves are rotting daily on each plant. It will be a battle to keep Sandy in one piece for 5 more weeks. Saturday, September 10 View Page Kitty seems to be just about done growing and hasn't colored up as much even though she is exactly the same age as Sandy. Kitty will hopefully be going to a weigh-off next weekend in the Scranton area and has a shot to be my first official 1,000 pounder. You need an engineering degree at this point to take an accurate measurement of her circumference, so I will let the officials at the weigh-off sort that out next weekend. She should be estimating in the high 900s though. Saturday, September 10 View Page The reptiles and amphibians are moving in. Time to build the ark. Saturday, September 10 View Page Uh-oh. There's something about Mary that doesn't look right............ Saturday, September 10 View Page Apparantly 22.25 inches of rain in 37 days was too much for this green squash. Quite a sudden and spectacular self-destruction, a new personal best! Monday, September 12 View Page Rosie met her fate on Saturday after I noticed a giant hornet and some yellowjackets flying around her base. A hole had opened up and it became obvious it was time to get the seeds. Monday, September 12 View Page Crap, it looks like the ax is leaning up against the metal hoop behind it! It is not, that is one free-standing ax right there. Monday, September 12 View Page Yaaaaaaaaaay! 800 pounds of rotting pumpkin flesh, my favorite! That was the grossest seed expedition of my life, I hope a good number of seeds turn out OK. Friday, September 16 View Page Kitty is loaded up and ready for tomorrow's weigh-off just north of Scranton. Might try to stop by Dunder-Mifflin while I'm in the area. She is estimating somewhere just shy of 1,000 lbs. so I will probably have to wait at least a few weeks to get my first 4-digit pumpkin, but you never know. Friday, September 16 View Page Like the sun, we'll be risin' early tomorrow. Sunday, September 18 View Page Some of the impressive lineup at the Roba Farms Weigh-Off yesterday. Kitty is 4th from the left. Will she or won't she be my first 1,000 pounder? Sunday, September 18 View Page Kitty is second from the right in this photo. I was really hoping to make the top ten at this weigh-off but obviously the competition came out in full force yesterday! Sunday, September 18 View Page John Rauch standing between the beauty and the beast that John and his wife grew, giving all his secrets to MAGPG president Jim Gerhardt. Sunday, September 18 View Page MAGPG member Andy Box with a nice big one that unfortunately had some rib splits, disqualifying it from winning a prize. Kind of looks like one I still have sitting in my patch..... Sunday, September 18 View Page Getting John Rauch's monstrosity ready to go to the scale. Sunday, September 18 View Page The judges place their noggins underneath to make sure the bottom is solid. You gotta trust the guys putting the harness on to be willing to stick your coconut under there! Sunday, September 18 View Page And the winner of the competition is............... Sunday, September 18 View Page MAGPG member John Rauch with his 1469.5 pound pumpkin! I couldn't be happier for John, he is the most deserving winner and the nicest guy. Grown off the 1418 Snyder '10, another champion MAGPG member's seed that every member received in this winter's seed pack. Look out giant pumpkin world, the MAGPG and their members are rising to the occasion to take the pumpkin world by storm! Sunday, September 18 View Page Oh yeah, almost forgot to mention...........Kitty is now known as the 1014.5 McCracken '11! I reached my 1,000 pound goal, and grown off of my own seed no less! Only good enough for 11th place though at this weigh-off. It doesn't happen very often that you show up with a 4-digit pumpkin and miss the top 10, but that shows you just how competitive it is getting out there. Major congratulations also goes out to Jim Gerhardt for his first official 1,000 pounder as well, a 1039.5 that went way over the chart, and his first-place green squash. Join the MAGPG or risk defeat!!!!!! Sunday, September 18 View Page Went up to check in on Sandy today and she is looking fine. 26 more days until it's time to harvest her and beat my personal best again! Sunday, September 18 View Page Side view of Sandy. Sunday, September 18 View Page Sandy was a little bit bigger today when I measured (which surprised me), so it motivated me to feed her one more time at least. That's a good sign with recent nights in the 40s and barely any old leaves left. Barring any catastrophes, I think she's a lock to be heavier than Kitty was. Sunday, September 18 View Page Sandy's plant does have some still-decent looking newer foliage. That has got to be helping her keep going. Sunday, September 18 View Page Yes, that is a very snug comforter that keeps Sandy warm at night. My awesome wife makes many sacrifices living with me and my giant pumpkin obsession, and this was one of them. Thanks honey! Sunday, September 25 View Page Checked in on Sandy today and measured her for the first time in a week. It has been a pretty warm week with some sun but not a lot. The numbers were again a little bigger than last week, so I fed her again. :) Sunday, September 25 View Page 84 days old, 19 days to harvest. 20 days to the scale, 210 days until next year's seeds go in. Sunday, September 25 View Page It was a nice day for a drive to Mount Sandy. Sunday, September 25 View Page It's a good thing my AMG 500SEC has 4-wheel drive! Sunday, September 25 View Page While I was up there I decided to do some fishing off the side of the mountain. Here I am catching a 682 pound tuna. Sunday, September 25 View Page Another successful trip to Mount Sandy, time to head home with dinner. Sunday, September 25 View Page Join us next time for another episode of Pumpkintop Theater. Good night! Thursday, October 20 View Page The Monster Pumpkin Madness line up from last Saturday. Not as many entries as last year, but still a colorful group! Thursday, October 20 View Page Another perspective of the contestants. It was a beautiful day, making them all look like 1,000 pounders! Thursday, October 20 View Page Kitty on the left, my 1,014.5 from the Roba Family Farms Weigh-Off and Sandy on the right, now known as the 1,136 McCracken! Woo Hoo, two personal bests in one season! Thursday, October 20 View Page Sandy's weight of 1,136 pounds was good enough to take 2nd place in the competition! My first 1,100 pounder and my first GPC ribbon, needless to say I was psyched. And the cherry on top is that Sandy is now going to be on display at JG Domestic, a Philadelphia restaurant owned by Iron Chef Jose Garces. She will be there starting this Saturday. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the Cira Center, so Sandy might be the first giant pumpkin ever to be inside a skyscraper! Well, in Philadelphia anyway. Saturday, October 29 View Page A friend of ours carved up Kitty the other day for a Halloween display at the local firehouse. Not a lot of seeds inside, the cavity was apparantly pretty small because of the way the blossom end was so indented. Meredith did a great job though creating a carving to fit the shape of the pumpkin! Saturday, October 29 View Page And yes, it's freaking snowing here today! Friday, November 4 View Page Here's a link to an article about my 1,136 (Sandy) on display at JGDomestic in Philadelphia, a restaurant owned by Iron Chef Jose Garces: http://philadelphia.foobooz.com/2011/10/31/jg-and-the-great-pumpkin/