Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 17 Entries. Tuesday, April 21 View Page This is my first season with the Dill's Atlantic pumpkins, but I've been reading all of the great information on this web site and other sources to learn how to give the plants a good chance of producing an impressive fruit! I started the seeds on March 1st and they are already vining in the house; it reminds me of "Little Shop of Horrors," so I named the largest plant Audrey II. To share the fun and interest I'm running a contest for a free pumpkin vine, so if you're in the Cleveland/Medina/Akron area, check it out. Entries must be submitted by April 26, 2009. This is an easy way to get a jump start on the '09 season :-) http://www.thegardenhound.com Wednesday, April 22 View Page Taking a step back to planting day... I purchased seeds from Lowe's and Hirt's Gardens and planted them in two different starter seed setups: a Burpee and Jiffy (with heating mat) system. Wednesday, April 22 View Page Since these seeds don't have a documented lineage, I'm not sure of their growth potential, but 100% of the seeds germinated. Note: The most recent seed germinated around April 15th--that's six weeks in the medium! The Burpee setup is at room temperatures, which is 59-60 degrees. The Jiffy style setup has a warming mat, so it's probably at 70 degrees or so. Wednesday, April 22 View Page The first seed sprouted on March 7th, in the heat map setup. Tuesday, April 28 View Page I planted the first pumpkin plants on April 27th. This is definitely on the early side, so I added a heating coil and built a greenhouse around the plant. The first plant to go in has been named Audrey II because she is such a vigorous grower; she's already about 5 feet long! Tuesday, April 28 View Page Thank you Chris (aka Giant Pumpkin Peep)for sharing experience about using the Lowe's version of the Dill's Atlantic seeds. It sounds like I'll need a "real" seed to get any results out of my efforts (I have a mini-greenhouse constructed and ready for a new transplant.) If anyone reading this entry has a seed with lineage to share, I'd be much obliged! My e-mail is [email protected] Temps are in the 40s tonight, so I've plugged in the heating wires and added a clear plastic cover to Audrey II. Soil temp is in the low 60s. Thursday, April 30 View Page Audrey II is maturing quickly, first male flower is starting to open on April 30. Thursday, April 30 View Page Vines are also developing female flowers. Tuesday, May 5 View Page A number of male flowers have bloomed so far, but May 5th was the day for the first female flower. Friday, May 15 View Page About 2 weeks ago the vines began growing beyond the 5 foot mini-greenhouse so I added a pvc "awning" for protection. Tuesday, May 19 View Page Fertilizer Lineup for '09 Phosphate and Nitrogen per the soil test. Seaweed for occasional foliar feeding. Miracle grow for general foliar feeding. Dr Earth with micorrhizae for promoting root growth on stems. Friday, May 29 View Page Ooops, Ouch, the tip of Audry IIs main vine snapped today. **This is a painful reminder that the vines are VERY brittle**. I was using a wire wicket to guide the main vine tip towards the ground, since it was pointing straight up. I've been doing this everyday, but we had 2" of rain over the last two days and the vine had grown a good 6" and had become extra brittle. I buried the end of the vine--it's about 10 feet long. The second vine, Mr B, is still growing fast and the main vine is looking good at about 12 feet. Monday, June 1 View Page Pumpkin in a Bucket: This was one of the reject seedlings that I tossed into a bucket outside about 6 weeks ago. I haven't provided any water and we've had two nights with frost, but the seedling keeps on going. Not exactly a poster child, but it did start to bloom in the bucket! These plants can be pretty durable! Thursday, June 4 View Page First Pumpkin Set The little tike is about 2.5" in diameter. The vine leaves are about 17" long; the plants have reached 13' 9". Sunday, June 7 View Page The first pumpkin is growing fast. On June 9th it measured about 4" long. Tuesday, June 9 View Page First pumpkin set is coming along nicely. Tuesday, June 16 View Page The pumpkin on Audrey II is about the size of a volleyball. So far I've had to cut and bury two side vines that reached their length limit (each vine only has about 500 sq ft.)