Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 61 Entries. Sunday, January 4 View Page I would say happy new year for all growers of Bp.com and the others, have lot of good time, and lot of works in the garden.... LOL 2009 SEASON IS COMING.......... stéphane. Sunday, January 4 View Page Another 100 lbs of old horse compost per plant has come in the patch. Waiting for another 500 lbs next week, stéphane. Sunday, January 11 View Page Well, after a long reflexion, first choice for line up is 687,2 Duchezeau 06 (891 Northrup 05 x 1446 Eaton) This pumpkin has a pretty orange color and has good genetic for a big one, stéphane. Wednesday, January 21 View Page Nice choice, put a pile of 300 lbs of horse manure for the 687 Duchezeau and wait now for my test soil, Stéphane. Saturday, January 31 View Page Temperatures in France are cold ( under 0°c ) so i can't work a lot in the patch but i have put some bags of leaves (200 lbs) and add it with the compost pile, time is nearly to have my soil test but not find any Gypsum in France to bring up my calcium level so, i still wait.... Wednesday, February 11 View Page Found what i can call a great thing !!! a 5 kgs bag of Gypsum for my 60 m² patch, all is possible now... Sunday, February 15 View Page Well, i have to change home so we don't have any computer for 1 month...... see you soon all .... I will be back !!! Stéphane Thursday, February 19 View Page hé hé hé !!! Patch is on the way........... i am waiting for a 1200 lbs of old horse manure.......hummm....nice..... NOT TO EAT Thursday, February 26 View Page No picture for the moment, just the silent of the patch... and just add 10 lbs of gypsum and till it, i am on the way ! Monday, March 16 View Page Well, time has gone to work the soil with a tilling engine, my " STAUB 5000 " , a good worker, slow but deeper! LOL Monday, March 16 View Page Do you see my father ???? A great Dady, super papa ! Monday, March 16 View Page So let's see him work! Monday, March 16 View Page Let's see that will be place for 2 plants here, wich plant will have a little more than 30 M² ( 340 sqft per plant ). All plants are in the sun and are protected to the wind, GOOD LUCK to me ! Monday, March 16 View Page Oh, just a thing, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO IN THE PATCH Monday, March 16 View Page Seeds to be planting for 2009 ( Thanks Jean Louis and Egvga with Dan Bowles ) Monday, March 16 View Page Just in case of some problems, i want to be sure to have something to plant ! Thursday, March 26 View Page What a surprise in my letter Box (hé Frank, it's you?) , line up will change these days and my mind is on the way now, it is the orange's year..... Tuesday, April 7 View Page I will go for only 2 plants this year , patch is ready but need a tilling soon with last fertilizers ( not to much ) and will add 3 lbs of Gypsum for a little calcium . Line up is : 998 Bowles 08 and 1290 Poirier 07 Still waiting some days to plant..... Thursday, April 16 View Page Today, just tilling my fertilizers ( Bloodmeal and Bone meal ) and some horse manure pellets ! Yes, i have found some.......... And a little calcium too... Sunday, April 19 View Page In a few days, something is going to happen, seeds are ready, patch is ready, and i am ready...... let's talk about pumpkins Stéphane FINAL LINE UP : 998 Bowles, 1290 Poirier Tuesday, April 21 View Page Well, all products are waiting for the competition season, some mycco, foliar fertilizer and organic acid foliar, i am ready to start..... AH AH AH ( lol ) Sunday, April 26 View Page Seeds are ready, good luck Tuesday, April 28 View Page Temperature is about 26°C and we will see what happen in a few days... Wednesday, April 29 View Page Today, i have made small home pumpkin house, two different size, to start earlier, good luck! Wednesday, April 29 View Page My LITTLE BEAR, in front of my small houses, he wanted to give me some help with his elephant..... LOL Sunday, May 3 View Page I am afraid to have lost two plants of my hard choice this year.... goodbye 1290 Poirier.... goodbye 687,2 Duchezeau.... and...... Sunday, May 3 View Page Welcome to the 1357 Ghaye seed, hey Jos, we can do it now! Monday, May 4 View Page This is the 998 Bowles today, which go to the patch this week if there isn't any problems..... LOL Good luck !!! Wednesday, May 6 View Page The 1357 Ghaye is the slowest plant to germinate , i have put in the same time a 1058 Ghaye in the germination chamber and the roots is the double size of the 1357, think i will go with this crazy 1058 !!! Hope a nice travel to patch for the 998 Bowles, it's today! (Dan, does the 998 love french weather?) :D Thursday, May 7 View Page I would like to thank "Extreme Pumpkins" ( Tom ) for the very good quality of his products, "Extreme blend" came today, thanks again Tom P !!!! "Extreme Blend" is humic acid, fulvic acid, seaweed, and amino acids, do you think patch will burn ? LOL Thursday, May 7 View Page 1058 Ghaye broke the groung last night, i will go with this one... Sunday, May 17 View Page Plants are growing very slowly, we had some cold wind and heavy rain, just coming the second leaf on the 998 Bowles and the 1058 Ghaye, those two plants are in the patch since a couple of days. Still waiting for some good temps ! :D (Thanks Paul from Ohio for the nice seeds i was surprised to have !) Monday, May 18 View Page This is the 998 Bowles at 22 days after germination. Thinking have some problems on the leaf...... look at the next picture !!! Monday, May 18 View Page I have found some little yellow colour on the first true leaf, what does it mean ? Doesn't like french weather ? LOL Monday, May 18 View Page The 1058 Ghaye is near the wall, it give some warm and some sun, but all two plants are not growing as i would like Each plant have about 2 liters of water per day (3/4 of 1 gallon), if they won't grow in one week i'll start a Extrem blend programme. Sunday, May 24 View Page The 998 Bowles in the sun, temp up to 30°C... (30 days after germination) Monday, May 25 View Page We have some hot days, watering in family, with my little bear, he loves plants as me ! Friday, May 29 View Page Well, the patch story today: first, the 998 Bowles is taking some leaves and starting to vine, watered a gallon of water with Aminosol* ( amino acids and a little 9% of N ) it is the strongest plant but also the oldest..... :D second, the 1058 Ghaye has been eaten one of his leaves, just start to grow now with the nice temps, so, the time will tell ............ The two plants have one more month to grow before polination, hope it will be good ! Monday, June 8 View Page Today, i am starting back up in case of.... with a bad start of season, lost about 3 seeds and don't know why and how ? Back up are: - 965,7 De Swert 08 ( 1297 Ghaye x 1470 Wallace ) - 830 BERRENS 08 ( 1041 Mckie x 1446 Eaton ) - 949 Zoellner 08 ( 1290 Poirier x 907 Van Hook Sunday, June 14 View Page This is the 998 Bowles today on the 14 th of June , seems to grow a bit more than the other days, would like to have a some good seconderies before polinating something !!! I would like to have the main at 9/10 ft if possible because i must polinate early July, the time is on my shoulders... Monday, June 15 View Page This is the 1058 Ghaye, think it have a problem to grow, some yellow leaves, something is wrong, perahps the place, i have removed it on another place, we will see..... it's not the best solution but...... Tuesday, June 16 View Page Nice good temps today, start a drench and a foliar fert on the 998 Bowles with "Extrem Blend" , nearly at 4 ft, thinking at a self polination because 1058 Ghaye is not very healthy... In a few days, will have nice seconderies on this plant to put into the soil (to burry ?) ok ok frenchy boy ( Oh Tom, my tomatoes would thank you very much for the extrem growth of this "extrem" product !!! LOL ) Sunday, June 28 View Page Well, the 998 Bowles has a new main vine, approx 7 ft , and about 8 ft wide, the plant start to grow fast with the nice temps in France and polination will be in 1/2 weeks, good luck steph. I have made a foliar spray and a drench of Extrem Blend* today for about 8 liters, plant look healthy. No sign of life for the 1058 Ghaye, take time to grow, longer, longer..........., very longer......... Monday, July 6 View Page Today, 6th of July : Best plant so far is the 998 Bowles, the wide plant !!! ( 11 ft long x 19 ft wide ),the first seconderies vines are terminated. Have two baby to come at 10 and 11 ft on this plant and hope a polination with 1058 Ghaye if i found some male flowers or a open polination in a few days. 1058 Ghaye is at 5 ft and now it's the children plant for halloween ( don't know the no-grow !!!! ) Good luck all .... !!! we can do it !!! LOL Thursday, July 23 View Page I have see that my keeper has a split on the stem, so i cut it and take now my other keeper at about 1 ft more than the first one, hope it take some gains now.... The baby has a perfect round shape. Dan, we can do it....... Thursday, July 23 View Page OHHH, the new keeper is on the 998 Bowles plant at about 11 ft. I will go for a new foliar spray in a few days (EB by Extrem Pumpkins.... LOL ) Wednesday, July 29 View Page News of the patch: The 998 Bowles fruit is going to be a football size at 13/14 day ( ???? don't remember exactly ). The "talc" (Kaarina, Jos) is working nicely for the stem splits i have on this pumpkin. The 1058 Ghaye fruit is a nice shape pumpkin with no sidevines on the plant, the fruit is at about 8 ft, starting to gain some lbs..... Godd luck !!!!!!!!!! ;))))) Wednesday, August 5 View Page 998 Bowles fruit : Day 20 Est 60 lbs last day : 10lbs a day More water will come to this pumpkin, my watering system is not enough for the size of the plant. Sunday, August 16 View Page My 118 lbs PB is broken, ouhhhh ouhhhh !!!! Day 29 for the 998 Bowles and after stem split it tape over 200 lbs est. Still growing 12 lbs/day (very enjoy!) Hope it 'll stay in one piece till the end, just would like to continue theses gains for more than 15 days !!!! Good luck to everyone here, stéphane. Oh pics are from my phone camera... Sunday, August 16 View Page Another pic of the 998 Bowles day 29....... Sunday, August 16 View Page and the best for the end.......... the stem split..... Monday, August 17 View Page PUMPKIN ALERT : END OF SEASON Monday, August 17 View Page Time for me to announce all the growers that the stem split went into the cavity and i can do nothing ( Dan, many thanks again with this seed, lot of fun )at day 31 only. I would like to pass the 300 but.... life is life! The 998 Bowles has a great potential !!! Just try a 1313 next year !!! This week, i'll cut the vine and take it to at a farm weigh to see how heavy really it is ( + 200 lbs est ). Thanks egvga too and misssss kaarina! I'll send you the result of course ! Good luck for all the end of season and for all ! Tuesday, August 18 View Page After reflexion, i have decided not to cut the pumpkin and have a limited watering for the cavity stem split. Still gaining 10 lbs a day and is now 233 lbs est. Sunday, August 23 View Page The 998 Bowles is up to 270 lbs est (dmg), it is in good way to broke slowly the 300's, slow and steady..... Monday, August 24 View Page This is the nice stem split i have cut with a knife and some alcohol Monday, August 24 View Page Isn't it beautiful, look, it's laughing.... (not me) :))) Monday, August 24 View Page Here it is, the 998 Bowles at day 38 ( yesterday ) Saturday, August 29 View Page All good things have one "end" , this is the end of my season of Giants Pumpkins, many thanks to all who gave me good advices ! My pumpkin (998 Bowles) has stopped growing at day 43, due to the cavity stem split, still on the mainvine and wait for some friends to take it (est 290 lbs) I have to do some small adjustments for my watering system next year ! Cold 'n hot is not good for pumpkins...ahahah New Pb (dmg) for me, waiting for the final weight.... Best, stéphane. Friday, September 11 View Page Ahhhh, this is the end, what a year i would like to say !!! The 998 Bowles , est 300 lbs, no mature seeds in it and some liquid inside, a pumpkin cocktail ? Hummmmm LOL Would like to thank everyone who help me and this season which gave me some fun, see you soon on BP.com. Dan, can i try another 998 and a 1313 for next year, let me know !!!! Best, stéphane. Thursday, December 31 View Page All the best for 2010 for all growers.... Stéphane I am looking for how growing a new european record....... See you next year !!!