Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 68 Entries. Thursday, February 11 View Page Got a truck load of partially composted horse manure on 10/10/09 and spead it on the patch. Thursday, February 11 View Page Took my 200 pound pumpkin and the melons in this pic an busted them up where they stood.10/10/09 Thursday, February 11 View Page Layed down the truckload of horse manure. Thursday, February 11 View Page Added this entire bag to the patch and planted perrinial rye grass. Thursday, February 11 View Page One month later on 11/09/09. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass on 11/29/09. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass on 12/13/09. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass on 12/31/09. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass trimmed back on 01/23/10. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass today, pre cut. Thursday, February 11 View Page Rye grass today, post cut. Thursday, February 11 View Page And I started turning the grass into the patch. I had good worm growth and good root growth on the grass and collard greens. Most of the manure I put down last October has composted. Thursday, February 11 View Page Found these little nasties in the dirt while I was turning it. They appear to be Japanese Beetle larvae. I am going to use an organic pesticide called Milky Spore to get rid of them. I am not sure if they will even feed on the roots of AG's but I don't want to chance it. Thursday, February 11 View Page This is my little helper. His name is Doc. If I grow it, he will eat it. Here is eating a carrot I gave him from the winter veggy garden. Saturday, February 13 View Page Now is your chance to win a $200.00 Gift card! The gift card will be to the store or business of your choice. Here is how it works: 1. You must become a member of the Midnight Gardener forum, no exceptions. 2. You must procure from me, at no cost outside of postage, my giant pumpkin seed. 3. You must plant and grow my giant pumpkin seed. 4. You must post a weekly diary entry on this site regarding the progress of your giant pumpkin (grown from my seed). 5. You must weigh your giant pumpkin, grown from my seed, at one of the sites listed in this link http://greatpumpkincommonwealth.com/Weigh-offamat.php?site=0. 6. The person that grows the biggest pumpkin from my seed (as determined by a GPC weigh off site) AND posts a weekly diary entry on the Midnight Gardener forum regarding the growth progress wins. 7. Unofficial weights, pumpkins not weighed at a GPC site on the above list, damaged weights and estimated weights will NOT count. www.midnightgardenerblog.com/forum Saturday, February 13 View Page Entry number four of last post should read; You must post a weekly update of your growing progress of my seed on the Midnight Gardener site (www.midnightgardenerblog.com/forum) - NOT this site (bigpumpkins.com) Saturday, February 13 View Page This is what the root structure of the rye grass looked like today when I examined a plug. When I planted it last fall I addeda fertilizer that had Endo Mycorrhizae in it. Saturday, February 13 View Page Here is a comparison picture of the rye grass root structure. Notice the very fine root structure on the left sample. The right sample is from a small area were I did not put any Mycorrhizae, you can clearly see that the root structure is nowhere near as defined or extensive. This stuff definetly works. Saturday, February 13 View Page finished turning the rye grass in today. Afterwards i added 10 bags of this. Saturday, February 13 View Page Then all of this. Saturday, February 13 View Page Then tilled everything in. Saturday, February 13 View Page This is going to be the wifes patch this year. Right now it has carrots, snow peas, radishes and collard greens in it. We will be preping it at the end of the month. I have been putting all of the organic table scraps and coffee grounds in here all winter. I plan on turning into the dirt everything that is growing in here. Sunday, February 21 View Page First, i would like to say a very big thank yoo to all of the growers that gave me seeds this year; Alan Gibson, Nick and Christy Harp, Joe Jutras, Pete Mohr, Matt Teeter and The Finders. You guys are number one in my book. With so many good choices it was hard to decide on what to plant as I only have room for two plants. These were my "finalists". Sunday, February 21 View Page I got it down to three choices, the 1187 Jutras, 1209 Jutras and the 1166 Mohr. Because of the minster genetics, I will probably make my final two the 1209 Jutras and the 1166 Mohr. if all goes as planned I wil then cross the 1209 with the 1166 and then cross the 1166 with the 1209. Sunday, February 21 View Page Grow my seed and win $200.00. Get all the details here. http://www.midnightgardenerblog.com/forum/m-1266077270/ Sunday, February 28 View Page Started working on the other patch today. This is radish, collards, snow pea , cabbage and carrots. Sunday, February 28 View Page Pulled all of it up and chopped the snow peas and collards up and turned some of them into the dirt. Sunday, February 28 View Page I kept the carrots and radishes, dug a hole in the other patch where the pumpkin will go and buried them in there. This is one big a$% radish! I tried to weigh it on a bathroom scale but it would not register. Sunday, February 28 View Page Another radish pic. Sunday, March 7 View Page Well, I learned a good lesson about manure today. I found a place on craigslist that is real close to me. I decided to get manure (horse) from them this morning. I drive out and get a truckload full. I discover as I start unloading it that it is really dirt and rocks mixed with some manure! Well I ended up putting it on the wifes patch but I have a lot of work ahead of my to get all of the rocks out. Sunday, March 7 View Page So after I got done cussing I went to my normal place and got some decent stuff. You can see the difference between the previous picture and this one. Sunday, March 7 View Page After I got my good manure I went home and spread 40 pounds of gypsum on my patch and 10 pounds of bone meal. Sunday, March 7 View Page After I spread the bone meal and gypsum I added my manure. I had a little accident going up my ramp with the wheelbarrow and ended up in the manure. You can see in this pic where the board is on the ground, well it gave way when I was going up it. I did invent a new dance though, it's called the manure twist! Sunday, March 7 View Page For all of you that follow my diary on my blog, I will be psting the majority of my entries from here on in high definiton video with dolby 5.1 sound. http://www.midnightgardenerblog.com/forum/m-1255821675/s-all/ Sunday, March 14 View Page Her's to all of you in 2010. may all your pumpkins be big ones! And remember, don't give up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CC2tqpmYdM Monday, April 5 View Page For all of you in the Sacramento area; I recently got my state heating and air conditioning contractors license. If your air conditioner breaks this summer please call me. If you mention you heard about me on bigpumpkins.com I'll give you a 10% discount on your repairs. Also, I am having a killer deal on an air conditioner tuneup right now. http://www.clarkshvac.com Sunday, April 18 View Page Got my main patch tilled today... Sunday, April 18 View Page Got the wifes patch tilled today... Sunday, April 18 View Page Started my seed for the main patch...1209 Jutras 09 Sunday, April 18 View Page Started the seed for the wifes patch...1302 teeter 09 Sunday, April 18 View Page Wifes soil sample... Sunday, April 18 View Page My soil sample...I have since done some tweaking to it as I salted the hell out of it trying to raise the magnanese levels. Sunday, April 18 View Page Two secret weapons as backups in case my main seds do not sprout... Sunday, April 18 View Page Almost forgot, I'll also be using this at planting time and then each time I bury the vines. Sunday, April 25 View Page 1209 Jutras 09 on the left, 1302 Teeter on the right. Seeds were planted in 4 inch pots on 4/18/10 and then placed on an 85 degree heat mat for three days. The next four days the pots were placed outside in average highs of mid 70's and average lows of mid 40's. Seeds came up on 4/24/10. High Def youtube video link - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u0R9IH3EYM Saturday, May 1 View Page Planted both pumpkins in the garden today... Saturday, May 1 View Page 1209 jutras 09 - day 7. Saturday, May 1 View Page 1302 Teeter 09 - day 7. Saturday, May 1 View Page Hi def video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwXgcdU3xaw Sunday, May 9 View Page http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_D_9G-LLSew Sunday, July 18 View Page Matt contacted me this morning about the 1302 Teeter I am growing. I have not had one minute of time this year for gardening it seems like. I started my own heating and air business this spring and have been just crazy busy. This is the 1302 teeter as of 7/18/10. I have not done anything to the plant except water it and thin it to one pumpkin. The pumpkin that is on there tapes at 45 pounds. Sunday, July 18 View Page This is the one pumpkin on the plant. Sunday, July 18 View Page My other pumpkin was the jutras 1209. I pulled it in may because the soil sample for that spot was too salty. I planted corn, tomatoes, beans, squash and cucumbers in the spot instead. All of it is doing great, which makes me wonder if I really got a representative soil sample. Oh well, there is always next year. Sunday, August 8 View Page Teeter 1302, tapes at 180 pounds. Sunday, August 8 View Page 1302 Teeter plant infected with downy mildew. Last year my Gibson 1462 got hit hard by downy mildew. Looks like the spores over wintered as the Teeter got hit with it. I sprayed it today with Ortho Garden Disease Conrol, the active ingredient in it is chlorothalonil. I hope I acted soon enough. Last years plant got hit about the same time and I never applied any fungicide to it and it was dead by Sep 1st but I still got a 300 pounder and a 200 pounder off of the same plant. Sunday, August 8 View Page Teeter 1302. Sunday, August 8 View Page Teeter 1302. Monday, September 13 View Page Teeter 1302 OTT=246 Pumpkin doing well despite downey mildew attack. Leaves are still dying, but not as bad as last year because I used a fungicide and it seems to be keeping the disease somewhat in check. Monday, September 13 View Page Teeter 1302. OTT=246 Monday, September 13 View Page Stem split on Teeter 1302. Monday, September 13 View Page Nice deep ridges. Teeter 1302. Friday, October 1 View Page Little dog, big pumpkin? Friday, October 1 View Page Ready for Elk Grove. Pumpkin Tapes at 320#, Probably is going to go heavy based on cantalouping of the skin. Friday, October 1 View Page Plant still throwing flowers. Saturday, October 2 View Page Clark 332.5, did better than last year so I am happy! Saturday, October 2 View Page New California record - 1645.5 Saturday, October 2 View Page New California record 1645.5 Saturday, October 2 View Page New California record 1645.5, did not get growers name in all the excitement...DOH!!!!