Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 37 Entries. Sunday, June 2 View Page Got sticks? I removed my huts today. Since it's a bit windy and a chance of rain tonight, I decided to stake each leaf for a few days to try and protect it from wind damage. This is the 668.9 Kr�ger. It has been a carefree, easy going plant. Sunday, June 2 View Page Here is the 786 Marshall. Not as easy going as the other plant and it wants to twist around whenever it can. It may require many sticks LoL. If it doesn't rain tonight, I'll definitely need to water in the morning. Both plants were put in ground 5-14. Sunday, June 9 View Page Here is the 668.9 Kr�ger today. What a difference a week makes when you have nice weather. Always amazed at how fast these things can grow. Sunday, June 9 View Page Here is today's shot of the 786 Marshall. Sunday, June 16 View Page Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! I got rained out while working in the patch today so only one photo. After the last rain, the plants started growing really fast. So did the weeds! I was able to get wind fence moved, the weeds hoed, and started a curve on the main for a pumpkin coming up on the 668.9 Kr�ger. The 786 is squinched up in its wind fence and the photo will have to wait on that one. Monday, June 17 View Page Not enough rain yesterday to stop me from working this morning so I was able to move wind fences and do some much needed hoeing on the 786 Marshall. There are 2 females to be pollinated this week and a 3rd in the tip. All 3 are bright yellow so I'm hoping it will go orange. Wednesday, June 19 View Page Pollination today on the 786 Marshall. 786 Marshall(944 Bowles x 1634 Werner) x 668.9 Kruger(1059 Vincent McGill x 1634 Werner. 4 lobes @ 15ish ft. Here we go :) Friday, June 21 View Page Pollination on 668.9 Kr�ger x 786 Marshall. 4 lobes @ 16 ft. Monday, June 24 View Page Pollination today @ 17 ft 786 Marshall x 668.9 Kr�ger. 4 lobes Monday, June 24 View Page This week, instead of plant photos, I thought you might like to see my whole pumpkin patch. I am pollinating right now, so there's not a whole lot to see except shade tarps and cups and coolers. While you can't see everything due to wind breaks, you can get an idea of what it looks like. If I ever get some spare time, I'm going to dress it up a little with some flowers. Monday, June 24 View Page I have cut way back on heirloom tomatoes since I started growing pumpkins. Just not enough hours in the day to grow everything I'd like to. Here you go Kaarina, a shot of the tomato patch :) Monday, June 24 View Page This is my all time favorite toy. As you can see, I load it with everything I think I can possibly need for the day and off we go to work. Tuesday, June 25 View Page Pollination #2 on 668.9 Kr�ger @ 18 ft. 668.9 x self. 5 lobes. First pollinations on watermelons this morning. I really struggle to pollinate them so hoping a bit of luck is on my side today. 199.5 Mudd x 272 Edwards Bright cross(267 x 157F) x 199.5 Mudd 272 Edwards x Bright cross Wish me luck! Thursday, June 27 View Page Pollination #3 on 786 Marshall (x self). 4 lobes @ 18 ft. Note* Pollination 1 did not take. Thursday, June 27 View Page The Stihlbilly. New and improved model that I can just push or pull all around the patch. Thursday, June 27 View Page Texas Tomato Cages for my heirloom plants. Sunday, June 30 View Page A shot of the Lloyd Bright melon. Really an aggressive plant. Sunday, June 30 View Page The 199.5 Mudd. Real nice plant to grow. Thursday, July 11 View Page Happy Birthday Nub! Day 20 circumference 88" Thursday, July 11 View Page Introducing Weinermelon. Weenie for short. Thursday, July 11 View Page Here's Miss Thelma Thursday, July 11 View Page And her partner in melon crimes, Geez Louise Sunday, July 21 View Page The beautiful Nub. Day 30. Circumference 119" Saturday, July 27 View Page Time for an update. On day 32, the beautiful Nub stopped growing. By day 33 he was done. Plant looks fine, still growing nice, Nothing seems out of the ordinary. It just quit growing. This happens to me right around this same time every year and is very frustrating. Now at Day 36, I went out and saw this split at the blossum end. Not sure how a pumpkin that is not growing can start to split, but here it is. I am hoping to find time this week to pull the fruit and inspect it. Saturday, July 27 View Page On the bright side, the melons are doing well. Here is Geez Louise. Standard 1 gallon nursery pot for scale. Saturday, July 27 View Page Here is Thelma. Saturday, July 27 View Page And last but not least, Weenie melon. Friday, August 16 View Page I had not picked tomatoes since before I left for New England. Here is today's offerings. You will notice all stages of ripeness. I dry farm my tomatoes which means no supplental water is provided by me. I try to pick at first blush to prevent cracking when it rains. As you can see, I missed first blush stage on several. This is 16 plants worth. Friday, August 16 View Page Supplemental! Here is my pickings today on my Wes tomato plant. All these tomatoes came off one plant today. If you are on the fence about using the Dunkel's, you might rethink things. My plants look like crap this year due to disease but they are loaded with fruit. I will be using the Dunkel's again! Friday, August 16 View Page The biggest one weighed in at 1.7 lbs with most in the just under a lb range. Not too shabby. Friday, August 16 View Page I took these photos of my house a couple of weeks ago for Jules and never got around to posting them. Here is coming up our lane to the house. Friday, August 16 View Page Other side of the lane with the big barn/man cave. Wednesday, October 2 View Page Time for an update: Took Geez Louise to Bear Wallow. She weighed 206.5 lbs. Yay! a personal best for me and finally broke that 200 lb barrier! Now known as Geez Louise 206.5 Barber Cross is 199.5 Mudd x 272 Edwards Harvested on Day 87 93" circumference 43.5" side to side 59.5" end to end 196" OTT EST 211 lbs -2% Wednesday, October 2 View Page Now for the bad news: Poor Thelma went down yesterday morning. After inspecting her again this morning and finding the rotten spot on her blossum end had gotten bigger, I decided to go ahead and cut her from the vine and weigh her, rather than take to Hamilton this Saturday for an official dmg weight. The scale shows her weighing 207.9 lbs and my tarp weighs 1.5 lbs. That comes to 206.4 lbs. Yay again! Another melon for me over that 200 lb barrier! Now known as Poor Thelma 206.4 Barber dmg 99 days old 90.5" circumference 44.5" side to side 57" end to end 192" OTT estimated weight 199 lbs My first heavy melon! Wednesday, October 2 View Page The cross on Poor Thelma is the 272 Edwards x one of Lloyd Bright's genetic melons (267 Edwards x 157F Bright). Here is the blossum damage. I thought it was just a scar but after pushing on it, its very soft and mushy. The entire butt of the melon is bright yellow and rotten. When we lifted her she was sloshy too, so this will be a fun melon to harvest seeds from (gag) Wednesday, October 2 View Page The bottom looks great! Wednesday, October 2 View Page I will harvest her outside in the grass :) As you can see, a very nice looking melon. One melon left to weigh. Stay tuned!