Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 132 Entries. Sunday, April 26 View Page Maybe its time to start a new diary. I started growing pumpkins 2007, and my very first pumpkin, Uljas (the biggest ever pumpkin in Finland) had a house like this... Sunday, April 26 View Page Last few weeks we (well, mostly my husband) have been doing new home for pumpkin(s). Here you can see one end of it. Sunday, April 26 View Page And here is the (allmost) ready door. We needed to buy a little more plastic for the ends and doors. The local greenhouseplasticseller took two times the price that we payed for the side plastic. It's the same plastic (EVA). Sunday, April 26 View Page Here you can see the side of the pumpkinhouse. Sunday, April 26 View Page and the other end of it. Sunday, April 26 View Page maybe you can see the size of the house little better from this picture. It is 6x25m and maybe something about 2,5m high. Temperature is allmost +35 (celsius) allready! :O Sunday, April 26 View Page April 22nd i soaked my pumpkin seeds -741 Brunst -1159 Richards -946,5 Carkson/Petersen sq -978,6 Cuypers sq -1065,5 Timm sq (12hrs later than the others) -1528 Starr -1269 Hunt dmg -1187,5 Hunt (12hrs later soaked than the others) -1343,5 Lyons -1085 Bowles After 36hrs Lyons, Richard and Cuypers had germed with papertowel method, and Bowles after 48hrs. 12 hours later and Starr, both Hunts and Timm had germed. There will be two orange and one green pumpkin in the pumpkinhouse. Do not know if there is enough room for three.. We'll see :D Sunday, April 26 View Page One thing i need to correct. Uljas was Finnish champ in 2007, last year, 2008, mrs Osmala grew new Finnish record. Friday, May 1 View Page My dear husband doing all the "hard" work! lol Sunday, May 3 View Page I took a little horsepower to pumpkins, and other plants. Do you think this is enough for this spring?! Sunday, May 3 View Page our littlest one is looking at "the killerwomrs" that we found from the horsepoo. YYYYH! Sunday, May 3 View Page One step closer... Do not know to what this is going to change. Well, these ones is not going to grow anymore, our dogs took care of that.. Sunday, May 3 View Page Maybe its warm enough to plant in pumpkins! Sunday, May 3 View Page And here are the first two ones. At least somewhere there.. lol Sunday, May 3 View Page Maybe I need to show the first plants little closer? Here is Bowles. It is the "back up" for the other one.. Sunday, May 3 View Page And here is my favourite one, Lyons. I hardly got the plant in ground before I needed to take a picture. :) Maybe I need to add little sand or something like that under the first leaves. Still need to pick up two plants. Its haaaaard! Too HARD! Yes, I have chaged the plan, I am going to grow only two pumpkins in this greenhouse. Two Big Ones! (And one or two big tomato!) :lol: Sunday, May 3 View Page I germed two marrowseeds too, just wondering if they like to rgow outdoors or in the greenhouse, and how much room does a marrow take? As much as a "normal" giant pumpkin? Sunday, May 3 View Page What's wrong with this?! Hunt 1187,5 Tuesday, May 5 View Page 1343,5 Lyons today. Started to grow! Tuesday, May 5 View Page 1159 Richards in the greenhouse. Planted yesterday. Today I planted the last pumpkin, it is the back up for Richards, or otherwise, lol, it is 1528 Starr. Tuesday, May 5 View Page 1528 Starr today. Tuesday, May 5 View Page Lyons Tuesday, May 5 View Page Richards Tuesday, May 5 View Page Bowles Tuesday, May 5 View Page Starr Friday, May 8 View Page Osanotot Miikalle ja koko perheelle! -A perheineen Tuesday, May 12 View Page Starr Tuesday, May 12 View Page Richards Tuesday, May 12 View Page Bowles Tuesday, May 12 View Page Lyons Wednesday, May 20 View Page APUA! HJÄLP! HELP! What's happening?! Maybe I need to start from the beginning.. About two weeks ago (maybe I told about this in chat?) there were nearly plus 50 degrees celsius in greenhouse when I ran open the doors. Plants looked still quite fine, little "relaxed" but nothing bad, and I thought that it was the table under the thermometer that had warmed. Well I put plants "in shower" and they all looked fine after a while. Few days later after a sunny day the biggest leaves from Starr and Lyons got white and like paper. I thougt it was because of the heat there were before and the damage was coming now. All the other leaves looked fine. Plants didn't grow as much as before, and I decided to cut off the bad leaves. Plant started to grow again with healthy leaves. But today! Again after very sunny day the biggest leaves of Lyons and Starr are going to paper again! What is wrong with the plants?! Is it the sun? They have nothing else there but the greenhouse plastic, never had (some cold nigths they have been covered with greenhouseplastic). Can it be the poison I used to ants? I don't think so, but what do you say? But why the other (Richards and Bowles) plants are fine and others in their own pots are turning paper, and I haven't poisoned any pots! All the four in soil had the poison. Or is it the fertile I gave them abut two weeks ago? But still, why the other ones are fine and others are not? All four pumpkins that are planted in the greenhouse had the fertile, but the ones in pots didn't.. and some in pots they are also turning to paper. What sould I do?! Please e-mail me if you have some ideas and advices what should I do. Thanks! (I'll send few photos too) armi.lindell (@) kolumbus.fi Wednesday, May 20 View Page Lyons. One big leave is cut off because it turned white and "papery". Wednesday, May 20 View Page Starr turning into paper.. Wednesday, May 20 View Page Richards growing nicely at left and not so nice Starr at right. Wednesday, May 20 View Page One pumpkin in own pot, i am not good at killing plants, but someone or something is doing it now.. Wednesday, May 20 View Page Richards, planted 16 days ago in the greenhouse. Wednesday, May 20 View Page All four plants. Starr and Lyons at right (in the middle is my one and only marrow in its own pot also turning to paper) and Richards and Bowles at left. Thursday, May 21 View Page Situation today.. well, after heavy watering there came out some kind of foam with water. Salts? Chlorine? Something else? Thursday, May 21 View Page Starr today. Not big changes compaired to last night. Thursday, May 21 View Page Lyons today. Thursday, May 21 View Page Lyons leaf little closer. It doesn't shine irl, cameras flashlight does that "effect" in picture. Thursday, May 21 View Page Richards and mysteriously suffering Starr. Nobody seems to know whats really happening here.. One guess was that it may be too much salts in soil and poor ventilation. Other guess was that there could be some insects. Thursday, May 21 View Page I have seen there only flies, yellow ants (poisoned) and today this one. Thursday, May 21 View Page Bowles is not turning into paper, but growing quite slowly if compaired to Lyons and Richards. Thursday, May 21 View Page She was on her round to check everything is right before coming indoors for goodnightsleep. Thursday, May 21 View Page Nothing big changes today, we'll see what tomorrow brings along. Few pics of plants posted again few minutes ago. If someone has some ideas what to do, please email me. Thank you Dan B and Jos for sharing your knowledge. Friday, May 22 View Page In Lees diary, pic 187, looks some leaves, that are not completely burt, quite same as my pumpkin leaves. Today we are not home at the middle of the day so I covered all other pumpkins in greenhouses soil but not Starr. It will be cutted off anyway, so I can use that as a "testpumpkin". Now all we need is sunshine. A looooots of SunShine! Then I'll know if it is the reason here. Ealier I have not covered them towards sunshine. Other Finnish greenhouse grower told me that her pumpkins looks the same if they have too much sun in the middle of the day (even in greenhouse!), when the sun is most burning here (leaves turn to white "paper" in the middle and veins stays green). And now the "spring sun" is much more burning than sun at summer. Friday, May 22 View Page Well I covered pumpkins (Richards, Lyons and Bowles) with gauze, not buried them in greenhouse soil.. lol Friday, May 22 View Page And one thing more, the white foam is outside of the greenhouse. The soil is little upper than field around, so when very heavy watered, the water will come out to the field. That happened yesterday. Still don't know what the foam was.. Cutted and dry grass from last summer there is about 2-3cm on the ground around pumpkins and under grass there is much worms doing their job to make soil fluffy. There is no fresh manure. Horsemanure (in peat) I used is about 2 to 3 years old and well composted, that we put about 5kg per square meter. I called to the "Metsäpirtin multa" where the soil is from and they don't think that salt can be the reason. ("Johtoluku" ~70mS/m that tells the saltsituation is higher than in common fields, and it is because of ironsalts in soil. There is no chlorine. If "johtoluku" is over 100mS/m it is too much, but I know one who grows pumpkins in that kind of soil too, so...) And why they in "Metsäpirtin multa" thought the reason for suffering leaves can't be in soil? Thats because of two plants are fine, and two are not. The soil is tested and "homogenous", so if there is too much something it is allover and all plants will suffer. He wished me the best luck to figure out what is the problem (he thought it could be the sun) and to grow the biggest possible pumpkin here in Finland. :) Sunday, May 24 View Page Game is not over... Starr today. Sunday, May 24 View Page Lyons Sunday, May 24 View Page Bowles, not bad at all. (Lyons and Bowles are pair, one must go, but I don't need to decide yet, lucky me :) Sunday, May 24 View Page Richards. Sunday, May 24 View Page Starr at another point of view, lol Monday, May 25 View Page Miike: Tuijas pumpkins are looking great! They are 3 weeks older than mine.. (seliseli lol ) Monday, June 1 View Page Maybe I need to update.. I think nothing is happening, but maybe there are a little growth that even I can see if I compair to last weeks photos. Lyons Monday, June 1 View Page And Lyons again, its main vine or haw do you say it.. Monday, June 1 View Page Richards Monday, June 1 View Page And Richards "main vine". I think it is quite fat. My thumb there in the picture too, lol. Tuesday, June 9 View Page Lyons 9th June Tuesday, June 9 View Page Bowles Thursday, June 11 View Page Bowles today. It has started to grow! Thursday, June 11 View Page Lyons Thursday, June 11 View Page Did I write Bowles? It was Richards, lol. Bowles is gone with the "wind".. There are only Richards and Lyons in the greenhuose anymore. Hope they will grow fast enough.. Sunday, June 14 View Page Richards today, main vine just reaching 1,5m (5ft?). Making nicely sidevines too. Sunday, June 14 View Page Richards from side and back Sunday, June 14 View Page Richards' sideview today. Sunday, June 14 View Page Lyons is coming! Sunday, June 14 View Page Lyons sideview.. Sunday, June 14 View Page And sidevines are growing too. Mainvine is about 180cm (6ft). Miika, today my plants are as old as Tuijas pumpkins in your diary 3 weeks ago.. Sunday, June 14 View Page And that last Richards pic is the same that I posted 11th June. Wrong picture..well.. *sigh* (I don't like that i can't edit what i have posted!) You need to have that patience that I am failing. Lol. Monday, June 22 View Page This morning i took a few pics to update..here you are: Lyons Monday, June 22 View Page Lyons front side Monday, June 22 View Page and the first flower coming in main vine (i have taken off two from secondaries yesterday and day before) Monday, June 22 View Page Richards today. And yes, the firs FEMALEflower in Lyons in the last pic. Monday, June 22 View Page One girlie growing here too to the mainvine, one I have cutted off from sidevine few days ago. I'm afraid this is coming too near the stem.. but we'll see. Friday, June 26 View Page Two days ago I started to really get worried about pumpkins. Something was not right. There was mushrooms and moss growing on soil under leaves. I thought that pH is way too low and bought a test for it.. http://shop.kivikangas.fi/PublishedService?file=page&pageID=9&itemcode=ph258 And that test showed pH is ~4,5! No wonder why plants grow so slowly and Richards is suffering... Friday, June 26 View Page Richards.. Friday, June 26 View Page ..and again... Friday, June 26 View Page ..and again.. Friday, June 26 View Page ..and the whole plant. Today just and just passed 10feet mark. Sunday, June 28 View Page Me and youngest child (if the baby in my tummy is not counted) looking at pumpkins today. :D Sunday, June 28 View Page Tomorrow I'll have something to do... Sunday, June 28 View Page Richards today. Started to grow again. Sunday, June 28 View Page I put "a little" lime to the ground, lol.. Sunday, June 28 View Page Lyons is about 3,90m (13ft) long, Richards is about 3,45m (11,5ft). I still hope they will start to grow faster, but nothing more to do, just wait. And wait.. and WAIT!!! (Why oh why I ever started to gow giant pumpkins?! Miika, it is YOUR fault!) Monday, June 29 View Page 1343,5 Lyons x 1159 Richards Male was yesterdays flower, petals little shrunken allready. There would have been fresh male flower, but it was Lyons self, so I let it be. Female is in 10 feet. Next female flower coming and I hope it will be the keeper. Then my "plan" could work and I can pollinate the keeper before 10th July. Monday, June 29 View Page Thanks Hottis for advices! Need to go and shut the doors and take the fabric away. Maybe I'll put heater on? Just in case... lol Monday, June 29 View Page I try to write about lime, how and why it is used here in the land of Father Christmas. Finlands is a sour country. Forestlands, groundwater, fields, swamps, everything is more or less acid soil and water. For example groundwater has pH 5 on average. Lakes have higher, pH average is between 6-7. Peak from swamps pH is 3-4, forests pH is around 3,6-4,3 fields are normally under 6 (if not spreaded lime). So if you want to cultivate something, you are better to lime the soil before you do anything else... lol. Yep, I have learned The Lesson. In fresh pigmanure, or chickenmanure, burnt lime [Ca(OH)2] is used to kill salmonellabacteria, if manure is not composted. There must be used burnt lime, so much that pH rises up till 10 and salmonella dies. Quite quick pH comes down to around 7 and manure can be used in fields. If the manure is composted, then it is in piles, gets hot when it is "burning" and salmonella dies because of the heat. Pile is covered with burnt lime, so the salmonella won't infect birds or anything else who touches the manure. Burnt lime is not the same as "normal" lime (CaO) what is used in gardening. Burnt lime takes pH as up as much you put it, but "normal" gardenlime does not rise pH over 7. "Normal" lime also includes some magnesium (Mg). Monday, June 29 View Page Fresh manure has ammoniumnitrates, which oxidizes to nitrates. If manure is spreaded on surface of soil it reacts with air so that ammoniumnitrates transforms to ammoniacgases. That's why if use manure, it is recommended here to cover with some other layer of dirt, or tilled deep into the ground. At the same time you should not spread fresh manure and lime, but if you do it at different times, it should not do any harm. (Anyhow it is recommended to use composted manure, so there is no problems with any bacteria or with ammoniacgases.) When ammoniumnitrates are turning that kind of nitrates that plants use, they create acids, that makes soil sour, pH goes down. One kilo ammoniumnitrate needs two kilos lime to neutralise the acidification of soil. Also when plants are taking fertz from soil, they changes hydrogen ions to nutrient-cations, then the amount of hydrogen-ions in soil rises, and pH goes down. If you want to prevent that, you need to add lime at time to time. Here are different kinds of lime to use in garden. "Dolomite" and "kalsiitti" and limestonepowder including magnesium. Dolomite has more than 7% Mg in it and kalsiitti has less than 2% Mg. If the amount of Mg is between 2 and 7% it is called limestonepowder that includes magnesium. Dolomite takes the longest time before it affects (best affect after 2 years) in soil, but the effect is also prolonged than kalsiitti. Kalsiitti affects fast, but it won't last until 2 years. Dolomitelimeparticles are also bigger than in those other limes. The smaller particles the lime is, the faster is the affect. Monday, June 29 View Page Lime I used, 2x25kg Biolanin Puutarhakalkki, includes 3% magnesium (Mg) and 31% kalsium (Ca). Neutralizationcapacity is 38% and rapid neutralizationcapacity is 30%. 84% of particles are smaller than 0,15mm. I applied also another lime from Nordkalk, I am not sure what kind of lime that was. Old leftover form fields. If pH really is as low as 4,5 there should be added 1-3kg/square meter lime to raise it up to 6,5. Amount of lime depends on soil (and who makes the recommendation). I still have a large area where is no extralime added, so all work is still not done. Maybe here is everything I know for now, if something is, or sounds, totally bullshit, please send me e-mail and correct. Hope you'll catch the point and ignore the misspellings, lol. Saturday, July 4 View Page First pollination didn't work. But no worries, tomorrow I'll have another change to see (and help a little in it) pumpkinsex with both Lyons and Richards. Can't wait 'till that... lol Sunday, July 5 View Page Today is The Day. Getting ready for some morning-action! Sunday, July 5 View Page This beautiful Girl is ready... Sunday, July 5 View Page Uuu, what do I see...? Sunday, July 5 View Page BUSTED! Sunday, July 5 View Page That was quite hard action i think, three males in one girl.. o-ou. (Lyons x Richards) Sunday, July 5 View Page Then there is Richards Female left, ready and open.. but there is something wrong with it.. Sunday, July 5 View Page A closer look and you can see.. seeds. Well. Who cares if female is not a perfect from There?! At least I don't, lol.. so, BOOOYYYYYS, where are youuuuuu?! Sunday, July 5 View Page Here they come! Two bous from Lyons has the honour. Sunday, July 5 View Page Poor boys, they are just made for one thing.. as you all know. Here what is left of them. Sunday, July 5 View Page Here is next opening female from Richards, if that first one is not going to be the keeper. This is in 13ft, so maybe it is better than 10ft from stub. We'll see how it looks like when it opens. Sunday, July 5 View Page Richards pollinated. I scratched those seeds.. don't know if that was right thing to do though. Sunday, July 5 View Page Tired and happy. My job for today is done. Nice to have you with me this morning. If you have something to say what i should know about that Richards female, send me some e-mail. Thanks. See you! Friday, July 10 View Page Perfect 5-lobe female pollinated today. 1159 Richards x 1343,5 Lyons Now just to wonder should I keep the first or this one. well, if this starts to grow, maybe it is better to keep it than the first where were seeds in flower... oh well. few days time to decide... Monday, July 13 View Page Pollinated Lyons x Richards. 8 days old pumpkinbaby in Lyons is not growing. So I need a new one. Monday, July 13 View Page I've been, and maybe will be, more quiet still few days. A week ago hubby made a somersault and got under ATV, so I have had little "extra heart beats" here (and nearly strangled him when I got there and saw him in the ambulance). After all everything went fine and all he got was three damaged fingers. Those are going to be operated on Wednesday, so I am still busy for a while. Thursday, July 16 View Page Richards 11 days 62cm ~24,2 inches. Not growing as good as I was hoping.. maybe I need to wait 4 days, then I'll see if the one that is now 6 days old (both on mainvine) is growing better... Monday, July 20 View Page Richard 10days old, only 50cm around. Monday, July 20 View Page Richards first, today 15 days old ~104cm around. 10 days old it was 51-52cm. This is growing from deformed female flower and quite bad position to mainvine. Monday, July 20 View Page Made my choice, hope it is the right one... Cut 15 days old fruit off and now all fingers crossed that the younger starts to grow faster, or at least as fast as the older did (10-11cm/24h). Lyons does not want to grow any fruit. :/ Sunday, July 26 View Page Day 15, pumpkin on the left is cutted away 5 days ago. Here they are at the same age. Don't know if the decision which one to keep was right... Sunday, July 26 View Page This is how the pumpkin looked inside. Deformed female flower made this kind of pumpkin.. 15 days old, but quite big seeds in. They are still very soft though. Tuesday, July 28 View Page Äijä, the keeper, has now his own house. Curtains down for night. Good night, sweet dreams and GROW BIG! Thursday, July 30 View Page Richards keeper is named "Äijä". Äijä is 20 days old today, and CC is 159cm, 62 inches. I try to post some pics later... Thursday, July 30 View Page Here he are. Äijä, 20 days old, CC 159cm, OTT ~388cm (151,3 inches). Is that good or not-so-good, I don't know... I hope he keeps growing the same speed as now for a week.. or two... lol. Lyons has one fruit growing, only 99cm at day 18. Lilliputti. My "going to grow a big one"-plant. *rolling eyes* Tuesday, August 4 View Page Äijä 25 days and CC 205cm (~80in.) Lilliputti (Lyons fruit) 23 days and sad 137cm (~53in.) Sunday, August 9 View Page Äijä is 30 days today, here you can see its ass Sunday, August 9 View Page here is Äijäs "napa" Sunday, August 9 View Page Äijä 30 days and OTT 247cm+166cm+160cm=573cm=223,5inches, around 245lbs ~112,7kg. Only 200kg left to grow untill I begin to be somehow satisfied, lol. Friday, August 14 View Page Äijä 35vrk 283+185+194=668cm=260,5" - 377lbs - 173kg Sunday, August 16 View Page Lilliputti (Lyons) 35vrk 238+168+170cm=576cm = 224" - 246lbs = 113kg Sunday, August 16 View Page Äh, wrong.. Äijä was 35days old and 283+181+189=653cm, 254,6" - 355lbs = 163kg Wednesday, August 19 View Page Äijä today, 40days old (309+196+208=713cm) 458lbs Monday, August 24 View Page Äijä today 45 days old. 329cm+222cm+206,5cm= 757,5cm ~250kg (~550lbs) Monday, August 24 View Page A little closer.. Monday, August 24 View Page Side Monday, August 24 View Page Here he are, my baby, lol. About 50 kg more weight, then it is new record in Finland! (I have started to hope over 800pound pumpkin.. lol) 34 days untill weigh off. Sunday, August 30 View Page Äijä today est 300kg (~660lbs)! Wuhuu! 28 days untill weight off.. Thursday, September 3 View Page Äijä 55 days old and 716lbs ~325kg. Sunday, September 13 View Page Äijä 65 days today, gains about 3kg/day, est over 800lbs, wuhuu! 14 days till weigh off.. Sunday, October 11 View Page Haven't have time to update, but all that is worth seen, you can look from here: http://www.videoraportti.com/loviisansanomat/video.php?id=249 Äijäs weight was 361,5kg. Less than I was hoping, but more than I hoped at spring. So, happy end, lol. :D