Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 119 Entries. Sunday, January 11 View Page Hallo to all growers for 2009! The season begins in April but I`d like to post one first greeting for the coming season! Winter is cold this year in germany: Wednesday night we had -7°F = -20°C A pic of my patch now. Sunday, January 11 View Page My patch asleep.. Sunday, January 11 View Page Pic from yesterday evening in the fields near my home village. Nights and days are very cold. Sunday, January 11 View Page winter evening impression Sunday, January 11 View Page the grower`s car in the fields Sunday, January 11 View Page the village the grower lives in Sunday, January 11 View Page another view Sunday, January 11 View Page last pic for today and this winter (sorry that I postet so much winter pictures which has not really so much to do with pumpkins but I just wanted to post something this new year) See you in spring when the new season begins! Wednesday, March 4 View Page Finally snow has melt and early spring has come Wednesday, March 4 View Page looks like in less than one moth we can begin patch prep Wednesday, March 4 View Page another nice garden pic Sunday, March 29 View Page My patch today. The nextdays I will start my patch prep because there`s some nice weather announced. Monday, March 30 View Page Started patch prep today: First crumbeld the layer of manure and rotten leaves that I put on the patch last fall... Monday, March 30 View Page almost finished with that Monday, March 30 View Page done! Monday, March 30 View Page After that I started to dig the patch the first time this year Wednesday, April 1 View Page Now I`m finished with digging the patch the 1st time. Thursday, April 2 View Page Compost day starts: After putting sand on the patch I fetched compost and delivered it on the patch. I will finsh this job on Friday: Putting more compost on the patch and digging the 2nd time Monday, April 6 View Page Went on with the patch prep this weekend Monday, April 6 View Page Now the compost is spread Monday, April 6 View Page Some of the igredients for a good patch! Monday, April 6 View Page spread some fish meal mixed with bone meal on the patch on the layer of compost Now we have to digg it! Monday, April 6 View Page Now the patch has been dug a second time. The end of this week I will begin with the last part of the preparations: Digging in a mix of compost peat humus and manure and ammending: fishmeal, bonemeal, kelp meal and stone meal. Tuesday, April 14 View Page Spend the last days in the patch:diggin in and amending a mix of compost, cow manure and peat humus. Also ammending:kelp meal,fish meal, bone meal and stone meal. Tomorrow I will finish the digging and preparing of my patch: The patch will be ready tomorrow evening. Starting seeds on April 16th. Wednesday, April 15 View Page Today I finally compelted my work on the patch! This pic shows the patch after the final dig. Wednesday, April 15 View Page Now the patch is really ready! Tomorrow I ll start my seeds. Thursday, April 16 View Page Today I started my seeds. My line up: 1357 Ghaye 08 (1248 Ford x 1502 Wallace) and 959 Helbock 08 (1450 Wallace 06 x 1446,5 Werner 06) Thursday, April 16 View Page My two back-ups: 1286 Würsching (1092 Martin x 985 Werner) and the second seeds of the 985 Helbock Thursday, April 16 View Page The seeds before soaking Thursday, April 16 View Page soaking seeds this morning Thursday, April 16 View Page From left to right: 959 Helbock 2 (Backup), 1286 Würsching (Backup) 959 Helbock, 1357 Ghaye Thursday, April 16 View Page Finally the seeds are planted: They are in the same order as in the last pic: On the left the two Back-Ups: 959 Helbock and 1286 Würsching and on the right the two main seeds: 959 Helbock and 1357 Ghaye Wednesday, April 22 View Page This morning all seedlings came out of the dirt...exept the Ghaye! here the pots of 959 Helbock and 1357 Ghaye Wednesday, April 22 View Page The two backups also sprouted: The 2nd 959 Helbock and the 1286 Würsching Wednesday, April 22 View Page This afternoon all plants came out of the dirt. Main plants: 1357 Ghaye Thursday, April 23 View Page 959 Helbock Thursday, April 23 View Page Now the backups: 1286 Würsching Thursday, April 23 View Page and the other 959 Helbock I took as backup Saturday, April 25 View Page At the beginning of the next week I will let the pots with the plants outside overnight so that they can get used to it: They will be planted out in the first days of may. Saturday, April 25 View Page My plants today. 1357 Ghaye Saturday, April 25 View Page 959 Helbock Saturday, April 25 View Page 959 Helbock 2 (Backup) Saturday, April 25 View Page 1286 Würsching (Backup) Sunday, April 26 View Page sorry I mixed up two pics: The pic 1286 Würsching is the 959 Helbock backup and the pic of 959 Helbock backup is the 1286 Würsching Tuesday, April 28 View Page Yesterday I put my plants outside in the small grenhouse so that they get use to be outside. Tomorrow I will buy a second small greenhouse: Two pumpkins will go in the patch on may 2nd. Tomorrow and Friday I will subsoil the patch one last time and make a soil test Friday evening. Thursday, April 30 View Page My plants today..doing quite well Thursday, April 30 View Page 1357 Ghaye Thursday, April 30 View Page 959 Helbock Thursday, April 30 View Page and the 959 Helbock backup Friday, May 1 View Page 1286 Würsching (backup) Saturday, May 2 View Page Planted out my two plants today. I chose like planned the 1357 Ghaye and the 959 Helbock 2 which was planned as a backup, but it developed better than the other Helbock plant! Here the plants before planted out this evening: 1357 Ghaye Saturday, May 2 View Page Plants after being planted 1357 Ghaye Saturday, May 2 View Page The two plants were planted in May 2 Monday, May 4 View Page 959 Helbock Monday, May 4 View Page 959 Helbock Friday, May 8 View Page Tody I watered the plants with some green plant fertilizer and my nettle slurry the first time. The last days the weather were bad, but now it becomes warmer and the plants start to take off. Saturday, May 9 View Page Plants doing ok. 1357 Ghaye Saturday, May 9 View Page 959 Helbock Monday, May 11 View Page Brewed the first compost tea this season. I will bring it out wednesday morning probably. Saturday, May 16 View Page 1357 Ghaye today...starts to take off Saturday, May 16 View Page 959 Helbock Wednesday, May 20 View Page My patch today...nice sunny weather the last time Wednesday, May 20 View Page 959 Helbock Wednesday, May 20 View Page 1357 Ghaye Saturday, May 23 View Page Around May 25 I will put away the mini-greenhouses because it s now warm enought for the plants to grow without a mini greenhouse and the plants become too big... Summer is coming Sunday, May 24 View Page Took away the mini-greenhouses today...very nice weather, the plants grow well and they re too big for the houses and it s warm enough now without them. Wednesday, May 27 View Page Plants develop quite well and survived the storm last night. 1357 Ghaye Wednesday, May 27 View Page 959 Helbock Tuesday, June 2 View Page Plants are looking good. 1357 Ghaye Tuesday, June 2 View Page And the 959 Helbock The wind damaged the first developing sidevine of my 1357 Ghaye...I will repair it tomorrow and it will grow on! Friday, June 5 View Page Plants today 1357 Ghaye Sunday, June 7 View Page 959 Helbock Saturday, June 13 View Page Weaher becomes better and plants doing well. Hope to have big enough plants in the end of june to pollinate between June 26 and July 3rd. Saturday, June 13 View Page 1357 Ghaye side view Saturday, June 13 View Page front view of the 1357 Ghaye Saturday, June 13 View Page side view of the 959 Helbock Saturday, June 13 View Page front view of the 959 Helbock Friday, June 19 View Page My plants today. Growing ok and hope to be ready to be pollinated around June 30. Sunday, June 21 View Page 1357 Ghaye Sunday, June 21 View Page 959 Helbock Sunday, June 21 View Page Photos were taken on June 19th! Monday, June 22 View Page June 19th and June 20th the first male flowers appeared. Here the male on the 1357 Ghaye Monday, June 22 View Page And the male flower of the 959 Helbock today Wednesday, June 24 View Page Today the first female flowers appeared on the 1357 Ghaye and on the 959 Helbock. First Female on the 1357 Ghaye Wednesday, June 24 View Page And the female on the 959 Helbock Saturday, June 27 View Page Patch view this evening. At the beginning of the new weak the first female flowers will be ready for pollination. Weather is nice warm but cloudy. Monday, June 29 View Page First pollination this morning: 959 Helbock x 1357 Ghaye The male flower of the 1357 Ghaye Monday, June 29 View Page Pollinated 959 Helbock flower... first pollination of the season Around thursday the first flower of the 1357 Ghaye will open. Tuesday, June 30 View Page Open flower on the 959 Helbock Thursday, July 2 View Page sorry for wrong pic order: The open flower below is the pollinated flower beneath! Next pollination will be tomorrow: The 1357 Ghaye flower will open tomorrow. Friday, July 3 View Page Pollination on the 1357 Ghaye: 1357 Ghaye x 959 Helbock Here the 959 Helbock males i used to pollinate Friday, July 3 View Page 1357 Female before pollination Sunday, July 5 View Page Next pollination on the 959 Helbock this morning: 959 Helbock x 1357 Ghaye. Female 959 ghaye flower Wednesday, July 8 View Page Tomorrow I will make the last pollination: It will be on the 1357 Ghaye. Wednesday, July 8 View Page Started to terminated tertiar vines and fruits on the sidevines today...also started cutting sidevines ends and burrying them Wednesday, July 8 View Page The supposed-to-be keepers today. possible keeper on the 1357 Ghaye: 1357 Ghaye x 959 Helbock, pollinated June 3rd Wednesday, July 8 View Page possible keeper on the 959 Helbock today: 959 Helbock x 1357 Ghaye, pollinated June 29th. (pic above: sorry gHaye keeper were pollinated July 3rd!) Sunday, July 12 View Page Today I finished the vine cutting and burrying work: Now the plant can concetrate on putting all its power to the fruit. Tomorrow or Tuesday I will cut the other pumpkins on each plant so that there s only one keeper remaining pn each plant. I also put sand under the keepers today Now the growth rates begin, so soon the measurements can start! Tuesday, July 14 View Page Now the pumpkins really start to grow... 959 Helbock this afternoon Tuesday, July 14 View Page The 1357 Ghaye. Today seadweed drench arrived which I watered and sprayed this morning Saturday, July 18 View Page Pumpkins growing ok. 959 Helbock is at 25 lbs = 11,5 kg Monday, July 20 View Page Tody measurements 1357 Ghaye: 22 lbs = 10 kg 959 Helbock: 32 lbs = 14, 5 kg Friday, July 31 View Page When I came back from my 8-day-journey I saw the 959 Helbock fruit totally rotten because of a stem split and many soft spots because of the wet weather when I was away. The 1357 Ghaye has also a big rotten spot because of the same reason. Friday, July 31 View Page no good pumpkin season this year... But I decided to rely on one last pumpkin: Another pumpkin at the 1357 Ghaye, pollinated July 23, 26 feet out. Late pollination but the best I have!! Hope he makes at least 500 lbs till october!! Monday, August 3 View Page 1357 Ghaye today: 24, 25 lbs = 11 kg Tuesday, August 4 View Page 1357 Ghaye today Wednesday, August 5 View Page 1357 Ghaye: 333 lbs = 15 kg Friday, August 7 View Page another pic Friday, August 7 View Page 1357 Ghaye: 48 lbs = 21, 6 kg Sunday, August 9 View Page After a strong rainshower the fruit really takes off! Today it has 73 lbs = 33 kg Tuesday, August 11 View Page 1357 Ghaye: 92 lbs = 41, 5 kg Thursday, August 13 View Page 1357 Ghaye: 114 lbs = 51, 7 kg Monday, August 17 View Page Today the pumpkin has 152 lbs = 69 kg Friday, August 21 View Page 1357 Ghaye: 189 lbs = 85 kg Sunday, August 23 View Page Today the fruit has 201 lbs = 91 kg Wednesday, August 26 View Page 1357 Ghaye today: 223 lbs = 101 kg Thursday, September 24 View Page 1357 Ghaye today...didn t measure long time...will see the weight at harvest. Will be over 500 I hope! Thursday, September 24 View Page Patch view Monday, October 5 View Page Harvest is coming soon...nights become cold, autumn is coming and most leaves of the plant died. Harvest will be on october 13. On the right you see a small pumpkin on the 959 Helbock plant...the July pollinated has rotten in August, but this new will be about 100 lbs to use as halloween decoration the 1357 on the left can be A 500 pounder I hope!