Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 37 Entries. Monday, March 15 View Page Planted 4 Big Dill's from Vermont Seed Co. (Had no Idea that I needed a Juratas 1652, Garcia 1252.., etc. Not making fun I swear!) Friday, April 2 View Page Here's my hoops in the front yard. Another hilarious not know yet start! Thursday, April 15 View Page Went to the local seed bank and found Don Langevin's book. Felt like an idiot with my 8x8ft raised bed in the front yard. The only thing I did right/wrong was plant winter rye in it. (Even though it was planted in Feb.) Monday, May 10 View Page Dill # 2 thriving in the backyard with no help but a screen and tea. Dill #1 is yellowing despite the hoops, soil, rye, tea...???? Friday, May 21 View Page Sorry for lack of pic's. Having problems. Dill #1 is now thriving in my mushroom compost. Dill #4 is dead in the hoops. Soaker hose sprung leak and shot it to death! Starting Dill #5 on my windowsill. Whole neighborhood thinks I am crazy or growing pot. Which is worse??? I do have a plan for the vine. Have already tilled front lawn and have a trough plan for driveway. May have to build a bridge to front door though.... Thursday, May 27 View Page Said in Chat. Thunder, Lightning, evrybody is Kung Foo Fighting! I'll get there. I may jump off a cliff to get there but it will happen. Not dissing you professionals, just documenting my trials. Thursday, May 27 View Page Okay, I did submit pic's with all entries??? Will show later! Tuesday, June 1 View Page Dill # 2 in the back. Doing well. Thanks Chad and Don for advice on why it keeps giving me pumpkins and so small. Stressed. Refertilized, gave tea, watered more, ordered some long awaited sunshine and gave it a back rub. Doing well now. Just have to chase it because this was the "unattended experiment." Tuesday, June 1 View Page Dill # 4 in the compost pile. Looking crappy so tea and water. If Dill #2 was and experiment, # 4 is the neglected child. I just couldn't get rid of it. The first one to not make it in a pampered environment. Have pulled 2 pumpkins off so far. Talk about stress transplanted 3x and in a compost pile and have the nieghbors 2 German Shepards barking at it 24/7. Maybe i'll pull out the violins. Might help the dogs too.. Tuesday, June 1 View Page New round of Dill's. 5,6,7 &8. End of seed packet and very late start. Someone will make it to the front yard hoops. Who will be the next giant pumpkin star of Cloverdale? Taking beer bets! Maybe one of you all will take pitty on my pathetic seeds and send me some decent ones this winter...Shhhhh...don't tell the Dill's I said that! Tuesday, June 1 View Page This is my # 3 Carolina Cross. Yes indeed I did purchase the seed from a seed co. Don't have an #whatever. Again do diss to you all professionals. I didn't get the memo till March and I ordered in January. Can't tell if she's happy. Carolina #2 is also in a compost pile, # 4 is in my "lab" cursing me. #1 just offed herself before I could do it for her...Chicken. Tuesday, June 1 View Page I ment no diss to all professionals....Sorry! Tuesday, June 1 View Page I call myself a rookie but I started last year with a Big Max. Hadn't heard of Dill yet or the famous pumpkin growing community and their seeds. Killed it at me 40th B-day Party when I smaked the pinata candy into the main vine and the kids trampled it! Thursday, June 3 View Page Talk about a bridge to nowhere...Here is Dill # 2. The space he has is between the fence and bed. Going on Vacation next week and making sure babysitters don't trample. Moving Dill #4 out of compost and back to front yard. Made an amazing recovery. Tuesday, June 8 View Page Here is the cast and crew of pumpkin juice. Joey is my right hand man. Tuesday, June 8 View Page Dill # 2 finally taking off in heat. Growing fast, not stressed and producing pumpkins anymore. Hopefully I'll get one at 12 ft. Going on vacation for a week, freaking out just a little. Pumpkin babysitter got training yesterday.. Kind of a joke since I have know idea what I am doing....Aloha Tuesday, June 8 View Page Carolina, also taking off in the heat. Sunday, July 4 View Page Okay folks, I have the true secret to growing a giant pumpkin in a small space environment. First, plant 5000 sq ft of winter rye in 8x8 raise bed in Jan. start your generic Dill's Atlantic Giant #1-4 in your livingroom on Feb. 15th. Trasfer pots 2x. Buy "How to grow a Giant Pumkin" at feed store and feel like a total idiot! Give away Dill #3&4 beacuse apparently you are still to cocky. Plant #1 in the backyard with just a windscreen and #2 under the hoops in the 8x8 raised bed with lights, heater and fan. (According to the book!) Wait till it turns yellow and throw it in the mushroom compost heap because you are too chicken to kill it outright after all that. Face Dill #1 the wrong way so it's vining area is 2 feet wide and plant cucumbers next to it. Decide there is nothing really special about the x-mas tree method, the anaconda is where it's at. Beg friend for Dill#4 back. (Dill # 3 was given to nieces school, getting that back would have just been WRONG!) Spring a leak in soaker hose and Kill Dill#4 with fan on under the hoops. Try not to get electrocuted turning the whole system off. Take Dill #2 out of compost since it made a miraculous recovery and put back in 8x8 bed with no protection. Leave it with babysitter for 2 weeks and pray for the best. Come home and find and awesome recovery on Dill#2. Dill #1 is still an anaconda but doing well. Trough Dill #2 into the driveway. Will go down in history as first giant pumpkin grower to grow a pumpkin in a driveway. More news to come. Ps...don't forget to install survaillance cam's for the small town local, bored teenagers and jelouse nieghbors! Pss...The tea, advice from everyone and fertilizer didn't hurt eather. Thanks you all! Sunday, July 4 View Page Here is anaconda Dill#1 Tuesday, July 13 View Page Okay party people in the place...It IS time to get down! The pumpkin is here! After 5 months it is about dang time! Woohoo! Next up, pumpkin sex in the driveway to get it pollinated. I promise more pic's and some serious Bow Chica Bow Bow for all you pumpkin perverts! Her name is Lucille after Brian's late grandma who funded this expensive sport and Fire House Farms. Catch our Farmstand at Friday Night Live in Cloverdale. 23 different heirloom tomato types, Mini Bells, Large Bells, Poblano, Anahiem, Mucho Nacho, Marconi's, Pittypan, Eightball, Rhonde de Nice, and Papaya Squash. Coming Soon, Tigger and Chantrice Melon as well as Red Sweet Corn. Tuesday, July 13 View Page The big picture...I am thinking of actually growing the pumpkin in the garage to protect it. Believe it or not but my nieghboor had a mountain lion in his backyard for 2 days and I had to chase a racoon out of my dining room and down the street in my night gown. As if the niehbors didn't already think I was nut's! It got in through the garage cat door! Weird but true but our suburban house does border wilderness! Tuesday, July 13 View Page The security Cameras... Thursday, July 15 View Page 106 here today. Didn't realize it till I walked out 12:30p.. Decided to have a beach party. Good thing my 40th was a beach theme! Misters going, shade for almost all but still lost three leaves by pumpkin! Thursday, July 15 View Page The last creep who messed with my pumpkin.... Thursday, July 15 View Page This is how I caught him... Saturday, July 17 View Page Got home last night from daughter softball tournie..they won! Everyone was ready to get down. So I passed out the dixie cups and went for it this morning. A liittle more real than I thought but definatelt Bow Chica Bow WOW!!! X Fingers! Or stems! Saturday, July 17 View Page Yeah that's the stuff!! Now I am a pumpkin pimp. A quickie since I had to get back to softball. On a more serious note....I have purchased shade cloth and will put up a more respectable cover for my pumpkin. The umbrellas were a quick fix. If you couldn't see the ingenuity in that then, well there would never have been a giant pumpkin grower in the first place! LOL! Monday, July 19 View Page Here's Lucille. Condolance is that Hydro Pacific is at the same size. Local Hydroponoc store I have personally funded! (Ha!) If you think i'm nuts for growing in driveway, they are growing in4x4 container. Their plant is awesome and very healthy. Starting to think that maybe you don't need a 25x30ft area. They also spent $12 on a famous seed that did not sprout and are relying in a Dill...More news later. Monday, July 19 View Page PS.. That is fireman Bill (not Dill!) Wednesday, July 21 View Page Anaconda in back. Shoulds be ready to pollinate by Sat. Wednesday, July 21 View Page Here's my problem. Blemish on skin. 8 1/2 inches day 4. Trying to decide if I should get rid of this one 16 feet out on main vine or keep the fast growing, blemish free pumpkin 4 ft on side vine 13 ft off of main vine. It is in a really weird spot. Wednesday, July 21 View Page Not that growing anywhere in your driveway isn't a weird spot... Sunday, July 25 View Page I think I am getting a pumpkin sized ulcer! Had to cull pumpkin on main vine and go with pumpkin on side vine. Growing a lot faster! 18in. at day 7. Also got pumpkin onto a pallet and into the sand pit. Yes, that is a kiddie pool and a pair of tube socks! Since you all think i'm nuts anyway, I figured I would just keep entertaining you. I have another pumpkin on this plant but it isn't even fetilized yet, just a back up in case. Thursday, July 29 View Page Alright pumpkin people..just put up ez-up from neighbor. will put up shade cloth and re adjust misters tommarow! Growing fast. Is this better than umbrellas? Wednesday, August 18 View Page Well, Dill Blew today..I am mouring the loss....I calked the hole, took my aggression out ripping up vines, (man the are heavy!) and waiting for the compost garbage man. Kids moved it to the porch for me. Adios amigos! Ya'all can make fun later of growing in driveway! Tuesday, August 24 View Page Okay!!!!!!!76 degrees and foggy Sunday....110degrees as of 3pm and rising on Tues. I have way more problems than bad seeds and growing in driveway. &^%$#@!!!!!~! Sunday, October 3 View Page Went to my first weigh off today. Was very exciting. Sonoma County Harvest Fest. I didn't take a pumpkin and was a good thing. Would have been totally embarassed going up against the winner. Mario Lopez weighed in at 1473. With a 2006 Urena Seed. Don't know weight because sound system was crappy. Topped last years record by 300 lbs +. I guess people are getting serious in Nor Cal.