Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 86 Entries. Thursday, January 31 View Page Gold medal sculpture from the Greenbier in West Virginia Thursday, January 31 View Page Unicorn sculpture from the greenbeir, had 2.5 hours to carve this, then deliver to another location on the resort Thursday, January 31 View Page The beginning. 5 loads of manure. Went back to the farm where I got manure from in 2011, 4-5 year old stuff!! It's like whiskey, it gets better with age. Monday, February 25 View Page Starting to look like something! Wednesday, April 10 View Page Cables and lines first Wednesday, April 10 View Page Then cheap fabric Wednesday, April 10 View Page Then plants, I have 2 beds planted, and each one has a traditional and a graft plant. Thanks Nathon, they look great, and are doing well. These are for a early August weigh in, and I hope to cull to 1 tradional, and 1 graft and compare how they do for early season. Will do the same for later plants, half of both, and go from there. Wednesday, April 10 View Page Then pinestarw, and hoop house's Wednesday, April 10 View Page Then the strange nightly glow, everyone slows down as they past, wondering if I have lost my mind. Sunday, April 21 View Page Got rid of all chickens, and convert the hen house into a chemical room. Sunday, April 21 View Page Now that the chicken pen is gone, I added a shelter, with flood lights so I can work in the patch at night Sunday, April 21 View Page 232 williams Graft Monday, April 22 View Page 256 Mudd Traditional Thursday, May 23 View Page 232 Williams... graft/peargourd Thursday, May 23 View Page 232 Williams Graft/Peargourd Thursday, May 23 View Page 251 Dawson Traditional Thursday, May 23 View Page 233 Kent. Graft/Rampart Gourd Thursday, May 23 View Page 233 Kent graft/Rampart Gourd Thursday, May 23 View Page a road shot of the patch Tuesday, May 28 View Page 232 williams Tuesday, May 28 View Page 252 Neptune. This was a spare plant, that I couldn't let go of. So I made a new bed and planted yesterday. Trying something aliitle different with this one. It's basically in a pile of horse manure. Tuesday, May 28 View Page 282 Dawson traditional Tuesday, May 28 View Page 102 Dawson Graft/Rampart Gourd Wednesday, May 29 View Page Got nailed by fire ants watering last night. This cluster was on my knee, also got hit on the wrist and feet. Sucks! Friday, May 31 View Page 232 Williams Friday, June 7 View Page 251 Dawson Friday, June 7 View Page 232 Williams graft plant Friday, June 7 View Page Pollinated on Sunday...232 Williams Friday, June 7 View Page 255 Mitchell Friday, June 7 View Page 282 graft, 102 traditional, then 102 graft Friday, June 7 View Page 233 Kent graft Friday, June 7 View Page 282 Dawson, planted in the same location the 282 was grown in 2011. Friday, June 7 View Page sweet corn loving this rain! Tuesday, June 11 View Page Amazing what 10 inch's of rain, and some 34-0-0 will do to corn in 4 days! Tuesday, June 11 View Page My raised beds have worked great so far. This was taken yesterday, 3 hours after another 2 inch down pour. Tuesday, June 11 View Page Patch shot after big rain yesterday. Looks like were in the clear until Thursday night. Yea' 2 whole days to dry out! lol Tuesday, June 11 View Page 232 Williams graft, melon is 8 days, despite the clouds and rain is doing ok. Would love to set one more fruit in about 10 days, and try to grow 2 fruit on the plant. The first one will have to be harvested on August 1st. Tuesday, June 11 View Page 232 Williams graft, melon is 8 days, despite the clouds and rain is doing ok. Would love to set one more fruit in about 10 days, and try to grow 2 fruit on the plant. The first one will have to be harvested on August 1st. Thursday, June 13 View Page This is the sunset after a line of thunderstorms packing 70 mph winds rolled through. lots of damage, had to play doctor, time will tell. Friday, June 14 View Page Cracked stem due to wind storm on the 232 Williams, seems every year something happens to the plant, or melon for the farmers market. I'm 0-4 growing for that event. Saturday, June 22 View Page 232 Williams... Melon around 19 days or so. Stem was snapped almost in half last week in the wind storm. Gains are not the best, but it's still kick'n. Have 2 more melons set on plant, and will cull one of those next week. Thursday, June 27 View Page recent patch veiw Thursday, June 27 View Page Been a great year with all the rain for corn, maybe I should have grown giant corn instead of melons this year. Thursday, June 27 View Page Ole broke stem, surpisingly still growing, will treat stem tonight with sulfer, never thought this melon would live, now I wondering what it would be doing with a good stem. Friday, June 28 View Page Checked the youth garden at church last night....lets see why the squash plants are dying. oh I know! it's a squash bug pep rally!! Monday, July 1 View Page 282 Dawson Monday, July 1 View Page Small melon on the 102 Dawson graft plant Monday, July 1 View Page 251 Dawson Tuesday, July 2 View Page New video diary of the patch from June 30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPhvXE9amPM Wednesday, July 3 View Page Was talking to Chris last night about melons, and he mentioned his bunny problem. Not 1 hour later, while spraying plants, this fellow jumped out the middle of the 255 Mithchell, sorry buddy, but Grady had your number! Monday, July 8 View Page Patch update, all plants have melons except 2. The 282 graft and the 252 Neptune. So far with 4 grafts, and 5 traditional, really can't tell much difference in melon growth. Time will tell. Thursday, July 11 View Page This has been the normal radar for like.... FOREVER! Friday, July 12 View Page 255 Mitchell. Next world record longest, skinnyish melon,lol Friday, July 12 View Page 251 Dawson, slowly filling out Friday, July 12 View Page 102 Dawson graft, may end up being grithy. 102 Dawson traditional is keeping pace, so far not a lot of difference in graft/traditional. Time will tell, still a long ways to go. Friday, July 12 View Page pretty cool. I might have to try carving a melon! Wednesday, July 24 View Page 233 Kent Wednesday, July 24 View Page 232 Williams early plant....this is the one that had a broke stem at about 20 lbs. never thought it would have lived. It has not done the best, but considering how the stem has looks, I'm surprised at how tough they are. Wednesday, July 24 View Page 232 Williams stem. Pretty much been like this for a long time. Wednesday, July 24 View Page Started with 8 plants, and now I'm down to about 3 or maybe 4 plants with melons that are ok. 282 and 102 graft both lost melons, 251 melon is not gaining,232 is limping along, and 282 graft has a really bad stump. This is the melon off the 102 graft,37-46-68...151 ott for estimated 103.8lbs final weight was 117lbs. 32 days old, and quit growing at day 28.... I have heard a lot of water early will help the hollowness...well we could not of had more water in June, and early July, so not sure what to think. Wednesday, July 24 View Page sorry, wrong picture above, Friday, July 26 View Page Almost done with the barn roof. Talk about a hot job! Tuesday, July 30 View Page 233Kent Tuesday, July 30 View Page 255 Mitchel Day 33 or 34(can't remember) and already 33inches long Tuesday, July 30 View Page 102 Dawson Friday, August 2 View Page 233 Kent graft stump...Rampart gourd. Melon was by far the best. 6.3lbs/day over a 10 day period, then slowed to 2.5lbs/day Friday, August 2 View Page 282 graft, also a Rampart gourd, mushy, foaming, leaking, and everything else. Also lost the 102 graft, also a rampart gourd. Not sure they like this much rain. I will have to say the 233, and the 102 were really packing on the weight until they could handle anymore rain. Not sure grafts are the way to go with 20= inches of rain per month. Now the 255, and 102 traditional stumps look great, but the growth is not at all where it should be. Friday, August 2 View Page 232 graft...PEARGOURD. Now this stump has looked great all year. Had two melons growing on this plant, and culled one yesterday, so we'll see if it picks up Wednesday, August 7 View Page 232 Williams..peargourd rootstock. slow...slow, and slower growth, stays right steady, thought when the 179.5 was picked, it might pick up, but no, still slow Wednesday, August 7 View Page 251 Dawson, it must be kin to the 232, cause it's slower than mud! Wednesday, August 7 View Page 102 Dawson, melon alright, but vines look horrible!!! Wednesday, August 7 View Page 255...well, it ain't setting any records, but it's long.lol Found notebook from 2011, and I'm about 60lbs off where I should be, or about 100lbs off to get close to Chris Kent! Wednesday, August 7 View Page 179.5 weighed in at the farmers market. All the melons weighed in were a lot smaller than the past. Seems everyone in NC has been hit with the soggy weather. Monday, August 12 View Page It's August for crying out loud, and we have highs in the 70's!! oh yea, not to mention rain just about every day Monday, August 12 View Page Picked up Wrenn's turkey Friday. Guy did a amazing job! Now it seems I will have to quit growing watermelons in order to pay all the taxidermy bills, dropped off Grady's deer when I picked up the turkey. lol Monday, August 12 View Page Now I'm down to only 2 plants! I guess I'm hoping for the "only the strongest survive" method! LOL Monday, August 12 View Page A GIANT air bubble!!!!! LOL Monday, August 19 View Page Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly Will it ever stop? Yo � I don't know............?? Tuesday, August 20 View Page 102 Dawson Tuesday, August 20 View Page 255 Mitchel Tuesday, August 27 View Page This is about the only that that's grown big this year. Is the a official record for worlds largest pigweed. I have let this beauty grow, seems the cuke beetles love pigweed, so this is a decoy plant. treat it weekly with talstar and merit, and its worked pretty good so far. I'm guessing there's like 300 million seeds about to spread, so I'll harvest this week, if anyone is interested in some seeds, just send me a bubble, LOL Wednesday, September 4 View Page 255 Mitchel, really the only plant I have left, stem starting turning brown, then to make things worse, I think Chris sent his varmints to me. Found a bunch of vines that have been chewed. Wednesday, September 4 View Page stem view. Thursday, September 5 View Page Bow season starts Sat. Can't figure to hunt this stand or... Thursday, September 5 View Page this stand. neither are huge, but would make for a great opening to bow season! Thursday, September 26 View Page Loaded the air bubbles tonight, looking forward to seeing everyone in Elkin!