Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 11 Entries. Monday, March 29 View Page Much has been done prior to today but I thought I'd start the diary. Dill's Atlantic seedlings are approximately 6" and have 3-5 true leaves as of today. Of 15 seeds planted in peat pots, 13 germinated. Lost 2 seedlings within a few hours 2 days ago, unsure why. They just looked a little withered around noon, and by 4PM they had rooled up and fallen over, dead as a hammer. Completed 6th day of hardening off today with temps a little lower than preferred (high 50's). Temps forecast to be mid-60's tomorrow and mid-70's afterward, so looking forward to having the first round in the ground in a few days. Thursday, April 1 View Page Today we got all the graves (that's what the wife said it looked like) layered with composted maple mulch and regular compost, then a layer of 2-year old horse manure, all separated by a layer of topsoil. This is just a picture from last year. Saturday, April 10 View Page First round of AGs were commercial seed from Lowes. They have been placed in the field and side-dressed with composted horse manure. We saved the mounds for seeds obtained from Tim Pennington, three 1238's and two 1094.5's. One of each of those are up, cots spread, and moved into 1-gallon pots today. Three other Pennington seeds are in the pots and have germinated but not broke the soil yet. Thursday, April 29 View Page Pennington 1238 as of today, 4/29. Planted 4/6, germinated 4/9. That is the shoe of a 12-year-old! All our Pennington's are growing like kudzu, but we lost 4 of 5 Van Hooks. They germinated but just never broke the surface. Not sure why but I suspect I let them get too dry. The 1145.5 Van Hook that survived is doing very well however. Saturday, May 1 View Page got home at 8:30 AM yesterday after an 11-hour shift and forgot to take the glass covers off the boxes. Remembered them when I woke up in the evening and ran out to the field expecting to see wilted and burned-up plants. They looked great, and the one that was pictured in the last post was visbly larger than the day before! Bad storms last night but no damage, raining cats and dogs today. Friday, May 7 View Page rain tried to drown them, wind trying to shred them, sun trying to burn them, now frost forecast for Sunday morning! Good lord! So far so good. The Pennington 1238 pictured earlier has now started running and has almost outgrown it's enclosure. All the other Penningtons and surviving Van Hook doing very well also. Sunday, May 9 View Page Rachel with her Pennington 1238 at one month old, germinated 4/9 Sunday, May 9 View Page first female bloom of the year on a plant grown from commercial AG seed from Lowes. Tuesday, May 25 View Page Well, the Pennington 1238's are doing great! Survived a vicous onslaught of cucumber beetles and squash bugs thanks to the Merit 75. They flew in and had their last meal, now I could pick up a coffee can full of beetles around the 7 plants (all dead of course). This plant is the one that we have been picturing previously. It now has a 13' main vine and a 10' secondary growing in the opposite direction and several 3-5' secondaries perpendicular to the main vine. In the background is another Penningtone 1238 that has just taken off in the past week. Tuesday, May 25 View Page Starting to vine! Several of the CC's and Black Diamonds have went from puny little plants to this size in the past 3 days. Finally getting the West Ky heat and these melons are eating it up! Tuesday, May 25 View Page Second Pennington 1238, germinated 4/11