Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 39 Entries. Wednesday, January 13 View Page Happy New Year everyone! Here's hoping everyone has a great growing season in 2016. January is a great month to do some test germinations. Very happy to see the 1018 seeds are very healthy and germinated very quickly! Excited for Spring! Saturday, April 9 View Page We've been having some great weather here in the Vancouver area the past couple of weeks. The winter rye cover crop was about chest high so time to cut it, mulch it and work it back into the soil. Saturday, April 9 View Page Then it was time to mix in some amendments... Boost compost and some perlite... Saturday, April 9 View Page ...along with a big load of "black magic" from Stephen at Artisan Landscaping. Great stuff! Sunday, April 17 View Page Mixing in the perlite.. Love this stuff. Sunday, April 17 View Page After laying the soil heating cables and mixing everything in, the patch (or should say patches as I'm doing a second patch for a giant squash) are ready. Hoping to get them into the ground in the next couple of weeks! Tuesday, April 19 View Page Here's my lineup for the 2016 season: 1018 Pelletier 2015 1641 Clementz 2014 2032 x 2009 Langevin 2014 2009 x 2009 Langevin 2012 I'll grow the best prospects to cross with the 1018 Pelletier. Good luck to all this year! Wednesday, April 20 View Page Waiting for them to poke up through! Friday, April 29 View Page 1018 Pelletier 2015 germinated in 3 days... Getting ready to transplant. Friday, April 29 View Page Have decided to cross the 1018 Pelletier 2015 with the 2009 x 2032 Langevin. Hardening them off before planting outside. Saturday, April 30 View Page Was raining cats and dogs on the 29th, so had to wait until the 30th. Here's the lineup for this year: Grawp (son of Fridwulfa) aka 1018 Pelletier 2015 Sserpo (a vintage Marvel Comics villain that was subtitled "The creature that crushed the earth!") How apropos! Aka 1374 Engel and Hulk aka 457 Pelletier 2016 Saturday, June 4 View Page The Pelletier 1018 (aka Hagrid) is showing some real vigor. Displaying lots of the genetics from his mother, which is great. Looking forward to seeing what kind of pumpkin will come from this. The vine stalk is huge already. Saturday, July 9 View Page Been a while since I posted a pic... Patch looks great in terms of vine growth/vigor... However, the cold wet weather hasn't been so great for big pumpkin prospects. Have a few pollinated and am keeping a watchful eye for the final 2 that will be the lucky ones. Tuesday, July 12 View Page Looks like we have a good candidate! Now we just need some sun and heat! Thursday, July 14 View Page 13 DAP... Looking good so far. Just need some more sun and heat! Sunday, July 17 View Page Pelletier 1018 x self growing well with the bit if warmth we had! Looking forward to a more 'normal' summer weather pattern! Tuesday, July 19 View Page Pelletier 1018 topping 40lbs now... Still rainy and cool here in Vancouver. However, long term forecast is looking brighter and warmer... Can't come quick enough! Friday, July 22 View Page Pelletier 1018 - 20 DAP... 51" circumference... Behind last year's, but very steady growth now that the weather is improving. And it's a nice shape! Monday, July 25 View Page Day 23 - Pelletier 1018 sitting at 61" circumference Wednesday, July 27 View Page DAP 25 - 67" circumference. Looking pretty. Nice 12 lb gain last night. Thursday, August 4 View Page So the Pelletier 1018 started to slow down and, upon investigation, revealed a pretty bad case of foaming stump. I quickly performed surgery and got a fan on it asap. The stump has stopped leaking and growth is picking up again, but not where it should be for any records to be broken this season. It's looking mighty fine though. Day 32 and 187 OTT. Thursday, August 4 View Page My backup pumpkin had some difficulties with pollination, but now have a nice one growing about 15 feet out on the main. This is DAP 14 and 82 OTT. It has a cool shape! Thursday, August 4 View Page And my first time trying a giant squash. Love the color! I shall name her "Sasquash." Day 30 and she's at 200 OTT. Friday, August 12 View Page It's been a while since posting. My Pelletier 1018 had a pretty bad bout with foaming stump disease. Here's the foamy stump before surgery... Friday, August 12 View Page Here's after surgery, dusted with sulphur and fan. Also put a piece of plexiglass attached to a peony ring to protect it from moisture yet still get a bit of sun. Seems to have worked. No rotting and growth seems to have picked up Friday, August 12 View Page And the Pelletier 1018.. Still looking good! Wednesday, August 17 View Page ...meanwhile, have a pretty darn good looking Squash growing... Friday, August 19 View Page ....and my backup pumpkin went down today! Split right open with this heat wave we are having! Luckily, my larger pumpkin and squash continue to do well. Tuesday, August 23 View Page Pelletier 1018 on Saturday. Not as big as I'd like, but sure is pretty! Thursday, August 25 View Page 1124 Wursten at 265 OTT... Steady gains and hopefully continues through September! Saturday, September 3 View Page Getting lots of rain here now.. The Pelletier 1018 is snug as a bug in a rug and finally starting to go orange! Sunday, September 11 View Page Getting a week of summer sun in North Vancouver and hoping it equates to some good gains for both the 1018 Pelletier and this perrrrrty squash Sasquash (1124 Wursten). Hoping she goes over 600 lbs! Sunday, October 2 View Page Super happy with how my squash finished the season. Such a great looking fruit considering the poor growing season we had (cold and damp) Sunday, October 2 View Page Yesterday was our weigh off at Krause Berry Farms in Langley and Sasquash ended up taking heaviest at 457lbs. It went light (thought it would go over 500lbs) . So happy! Looking forward to next season. Sunday, October 2 View Page Here she is on the scale after the official weight was announced Sunday, October 2 View Page And amongst some of the other pumpkins at the competition. True to the season, the weather was cool and damp but luckily the rain held off until after we were all finished. Sunday, October 2 View Page Here's my pumpkin... Also finished the season strongly. Nowhere close to my personal best of 1018lbs, but I'll take it as this season was fraught with challenges (including dreaded foaming stump disease). It ended up placing 7th at 410lbs Sunday, October 2 View Page I also co-emceed the event with fellow North Shore grower and one of my pumpkin heroes Glenn (NorthShoreBoyz). Glenn and his wife brought two amazing fruit to the competition and it was the sixth year in a row their patch produced pumpkins over 1000lbs. A huge feat, especially this year. I still have lots to learn! Sunday, October 2 View Page Stay tuned to see how these specimen will be transformed! They are now at Artisan Nursery in Burnaby, British Columbia awaiting some professional carvers to work their magic. Here we have my 410, squash and Richmond Dave's (another grower of whom I have sooooooo much respect) oddly shaped beast!