Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 28 Entries. Wednesday, April 21 View Page Ok, heres a picture of us tilling in the first half of our cover crop at our rental house in Olympia. We moved here in early July (new job with state capitol) and immediately began tilling up the back yard and adding LOTS of compost from our farm in Cheney WA(trucked over the Cascades 300 miles). Being the good punkin farmers we are I immediatly made friends with local ranchers and farmers and added about 2 yards of composted horse manure in august. Planted cover crop and took soil sample in January, I was suprised how well balanced the lab results came back! Only had to add Gypsum and a bit on Nitrogen! Only room for one plant this year, but which one.... Thursday, April 29 View Page Heres a pic of our post germination/pre seedling method of seedling starting. Oven with a heating mat, regulate temp to a perfect 83 degrees using a dish towel in the door... Works better than anything we have tried in the past! babies should be up in a day or two. We mix our own seed starting mix using equal parts of Perlite, Peat Moss and Vermiculite with 1/3 cup of EndoMico fungi mixed in per cubic foot of "soil". Germinated these Gadberry 909's (seven total) 4-26-10 they sprouted in 29 hours. Thursday, April 29 View Page This part of punkin hut building is allways baffeling to me so I just go with instinct & past failures... Setting the depth of soil heating cables, and trying to keep the proper distance between coils... Joel seams pretty secretive when I ask, thats probably why he whoops everyone in this area. PS this pic is a weekend old, we now have the planting site backfilled and clotch plastic up. Monday, May 3 View Page Hooray! All #909's are up and running (1502 Wallace X 1112.5 Gadberry). Not all seedlings are created the same the #1 909 was up 1 full day ahead of the other six! Thursday, May 6 View Page Here's a picture of our seven 909 Gadberry seedlins getting "Hardened Off" in the warm morning sunshine this morning. #1 still looks the best of the seven. Thursday, May 6 View Page Quick pic of our mini greenhouse with Mojo the black patch cat patroling the back half of the patches winter rye. Thursday, May 6 View Page Not finding anythin to catch in the patch Mojo decides to wait under the tree for a baby bird to fall in his mouth... He's not the "brains" of the patch patrol gang... Thursday, May 6 View Page Better get back to business Mojo here comes Boss Bootsie to check on your work! Thursday, May 6 View Page Max the Beagle says "wake me up if you find anything to eat"... Friday, May 7 View Page Beautiful day here in Olympia, took the opportunity to plant our one and only pumpkin (2008 #909 Gadberry. Here's the planting check list: Soil heating cables working (78 degrees at 8"): Hoop house with built in misting system: Lots of Myco in planting hole: Anti Cutworm ring: Weed block material around seedling: Seedling planted opposite direction of first true leaf and at 45 degree angle todards desired direction: Watered in with seaweed solution: Looks like we are off and running for 2010, now I just hope the 909 has what it takes to reach a new personal best! Friday, May 7 View Page Time to mow down and till in the second half of the cover crop! winter rye, hairy vetch, austrian peas and some buckwheat. You know its time when you start having edible peas on the cover crop! Saturday, May 22 View Page Yea! Finally sold the farm in Cheney, Here's a pic of the lovely & talented Dani Gadberry direcing me where the truck load of compost we took from the ex-farm (306 miles away) will be deposited. Thanks honey... PS the #909 Gadberry punkin in the duct-taped hut is "Crankin" its by far my best start in 12+ years of punkin growing. Poor little 4-mill plastic punkin hut was pummeled by 40 + MPH winds the last week and is still standing! Gerry Gadberry Tuesday, June 1 View Page Slow and Steady... Been cold and rainy here in Olympia the last week or so of May. Not too worried the mighty 909 keeps pumping out the growth. May have to extened the hoop house a bit as the forcast calls for nasties this Wednesday the 2nd of June! Thursday, June 3 View Page Had to remove the east "door" of the 909's 6' x 6' Hoop House as the vine was knocking on it... Been a bit cool and alot rainy over here but the plant is still chugging along and has about a 6' main. I planted our back up 909 at the opposite end of the patch to use as a sibb pollinator if necessary. Come on warm weather! Tuesday, June 8 View Page Humm, Hummm, De, Hummmm; Weather is starting to turn, plants are now out in the open and BOOMING. We are contimplating waiting to post pics until some of our fellow homes post a few... Jack, Brett, Starr, Sherwood, Holland,Pugh, ECT........ Thursday, June 10 View Page Well it sure rains alot over here on the west side of the state! Had to break the hoop house down this last weekend for the main and side vines. Growth has slowed a bit and the dang aphids are causing me to adjust my spray program a lot from the "High Plains Desert" regimen! Tuesday, June 15 View Page Holy cow! the sun came out and I swear the 909 doubled in size in 4 days! Will try to post a pic tomorrow or so. Love to watch these plants take off this time of year, no other plant in the world like them. PS.. All organic from soil prep to fert applications. Thursday, June 17 View Page Plants are doing great; heres a pic of our first baby in the womb at 11'. High def camera shows the aura that annuals must generate for their life to continue. Thursday, June 17 View Page Hello! My peers are saying it's been "cold and rainy" here in the PNW, but we are transplants from the east side of Washingtons high plains high plains desert and are having the best start ever! Hay Sherwood & LaRue post up and show your stuff! Love ya anyway, Gerry & Dani Saturday, June 19 View Page Thought I would shere this cool picture. There is a nesting pair of American Bald Eagles in a green belt direcly behind our patch. I will try and get a better pic of both of them hunting for their babies. We know where the nest is by a large pond but dont want to disturb them. Saturday, June 19 View Page And with the attachment, Sorry bout that.... Sunday, June 27 View Page Here are some of the locals hanging out in our pool. My dad made the bird bath using a giant pumpkon leaf as a mold. Its pretty cool! Sunday, June 27 View Page Future giant at about 14' out. Sunday, June 27 View Page Just an update on our 909, the Bald Eagles nest is directly behind the churches spire, cant really see it from this angle, the babies are squakie lil things!).... Tuesday, June 29 View Page Whew that was Awesome! 12' out and five hot males, looses something in the translation when you self yourself... ;) Tuesday, June 29 View Page We believe in safe selfing... Friday, July 9 View Page Hot, Hot , Hot record heat here in little Olympia for the past two days 96 and 97 respectivly... Burnt a few leaves on the new growth due to an imunox fungicide I applied three days earlier when it was below average cold and rainy. Dang weather is the hardest variable to contend with we had a a 30+ day time high change in three days. The weathermen have a pud job, look out the window and say what you see. Usless for long range forcasting when you live on the edge of the Pacific ocean I guess... Thursday, August 5 View Page Well POOP! So it goes with a new patch in a rental, unknown hard pan conditions and too much "punkin love". We blew our Mighty 909 at 395# OTT today. She was was our one and only. Dani & I are activly looking for a new home on the wet side of WA: advantage = (Time + farm sale money+ shit home sale market) hoping for a real patch in 2011. Good luck my friends we look forward to seeing your accomplishments at the finish line!