Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 122 Entries. Sunday, April 15 View Page 1634 werner is what ill be growing this year.i started 2 of them and a 901 wolf 1488 marsh x sib as a back up. Sunday, April 15 View Page here is where the 1634 will live in a couple weeks.ive been working hard on building it all spring.im going from three plants to just one this year in this space. Sunday, April 15 View Page here is what the patch looked like last year.i expanded it four feet longer this year.hopfully the 1634 will throw a nice orange one!if not thats ok to. Sunday, April 15 View Page here is what the patch looked like last year.i expanded it four feet longer this year.hopfully the 1634 will throw a nice orange one!if not thats ok to. Sunday, April 15 View Page here is a look on the inside of the greenhouse.it was 50 degrees and rain outside,on the inside it was 60 and dry. sure was fun tilling in the rain today!i added 7 lbs of blood meal and 10 lbs of kelp meal.spose to get up to five inches of snow tonight! Monday, April 16 View Page this pic was taken this morning about 20 hours after the last pic of the greenhouse and the 50 degree temps.very wet and heavy snow! was up most of the nite clearing snow off it.would of been leveled if i didnt clear the snow off of it.its about 32 degrees and cloudy today,but i was very suprised to see inside the greenhouse was 55 degrees! Wednesday, April 18 View Page all three seeds have germed in three days! Sunday, April 22 View Page i laid the soil heating cables today!i didnt use them last year and my plants got off to a slow start.hopfully this should help. Sunday, April 22 View Page cables buried over.i left the stakes in on the corners for now so i would know where they were.last thing i want is to stick a shovel down into them. Sunday, April 22 View Page this is a little cold frame i put up in like ten minutes over the soil cables.not fancy but i just need it for about two weeks,mainly just at night as temps can be in the 20's.the soil is at sixty degrees today,im looking to get it up into the mid 70's by next weekend with the soil cables and a heat lamp. Sunday, April 22 View Page the plants 7 days after i put the seeds in the pots.doing very good and hanging out in the greenhouse for the day,then back inside for the night.im trying to get them used to natural light. Saturday, April 28 View Page I put the best looking 1634 werner in the ground today.it is 13 days old today and looking good.i will keep the other backup 1634 werner in the 3 gallon pot for a while longer. Friday, May 4 View Page i put the other 1634 in the ground today.whatever one looks the best in a couple weeks ill keep.the other one gets the knife.i hate to do this but i want a backup in the ground just in case somthing happens to the other plant.i will also be growing one of my 290 maccoy seeds 1059 vincent-mcgill x self in a very small plot for my orange one.i will start a few of them in about a week. Sunday, May 6 View Page 1634 werner A 21 days old and seven days in the ground.its really beefed up in a week.i expect alot of growth this comming week as temps are looking good. Monday, May 14 View Page I made roll up sides for one side of the greenhouse because it was getting well into the 90s.it works really slick!i will do the same thing to the other side in a couple weeks.this will also be great for accessing my secondary vines when i dead head them and also for spraying. Friday, May 18 View Page high of 86 degrees today...wow very warm for this neck of the woods.there was a fire at the edge of town and we almost had to evacuate.its spose to be in the low 60's tonight. Sunday, May 20 View Page off to the races!day 35 for the 1634 werner A.its closing in on 4'feet long.i see a big difference in growth this year with the soil heating cables.the soil is always at least 74 degrees.not to mention the greenhouse keeps it nice and warm in there also. Sunday, May 20 View Page another shot of the 1634 A.as you can see it out grew its little heated cold frame.this one got the five star treatment. Sunday, May 20 View Page day 35 for the 1634 werner B.this one got the 3 star treatment and it shows.no soil cables or heated cold frame.ill leave it in for 1 more week just incase. Sunday, May 27 View Page this is a pic of the 1634 werner A stump.i cut off the first set of secondary vines and extra small leaves close to the stump.this will reduce stress on the stump and allow air and sun to hit the stump.then i put some sulfer powder and a fan on the cuts to help it heal. Sunday, May 27 View Page 1634 werner A. day 42 from seed.the vine is sitting at 6 feet 3 inches.this week has been very cloudy rainy and cold.with temps in the 50's for high temps. Sunday, May 27 View Page 901 wolf.i have it growing in a 10 gallon tub.the vine is around two feet long.ill probly grow this one on the grass.see if i can get a 100 lb pumpkin from it. Sunday, May 27 View Page 1634 werner B.ill keep this in the ground for a couple more days,then ill pull it. Monday, May 28 View Page about time we seen some sun!got about 8 hours worth today anyway.the high was 70 deegrees today but in the greenhouse it was 90. Saturday, June 2 View Page day 48 for the 1634 werner A.its sitting at about nine feet.it has a female in the vine tip,so it will be around 11 feet when it gets pollinated. Saturday, June 2 View Page here is the 1634 werner B.i dug it up and put it in the compost pile in hopes i could grow it out there.it doesnt look very good,but we will see. Saturday, June 2 View Page day 48 for the 901 wolf.its looking very good growing in its ten gallon tub.ill have to move it soon to its final resting space where i will put another ten gallon tub down and let a tap root grow into it. Friday, June 8 View Page first male flower off the 1634 werner! Sunday, June 10 View Page day 56 for the 1634 werner.it is now at 14 feet!crazy growth for this week as temps were in the 80's and nothing but sun. Sunday, June 10 View Page day 56 for the 1634 werner.its sitting at 14 feet.thats almost a gain of 5 feet for the week.crazy growth as temps were in the 80's all week,and nothing but sun. Sunday, June 10 View Page yep,its about that time.this female is around 11 feet out,and should open in three days!but i dont plan on this one as my keeper.just for insurance incase anything should happen.also there are females like crazy on all the secondary vine tips.but i did pick alot of them off. Sunday, June 10 View Page this female is the one i plan on keeping.it will be around 16 feet out when pollinated. Sunday, June 10 View Page day 56 for the 901 wolf.its about 5 feet long and does have a couple females on it. Tuesday, June 12 View Page pollinated a little deformed 4 lobe female on the 1634 werner 11 feet out on the main vine,with 1 one day old male and 1 that opened this morning on the 1634. Tuesday, June 12 View Page the deal is sealed! Monday, June 18 View Page i used 6 males from the 1634 werner to self a four lobed female Monday, June 18 View Page i pollinated this four lobed female at 7 a.m. monday not perfect but it'll do Monday, June 18 View Page the deal is sealed! this one is sitting at fifteen feet down the main vine Saturday, June 23 View Page 1634 werner,its been a great plant so far.now its pumpkin growing time! Saturday, June 23 View Page 901 wolf at around ten feet.im just growing the main vine on this one due to space.there has been females but i will pick them off untill the vine is at 15 feet. Saturday, June 23 View Page i cut this one that was at the 11 foot mark today.it was to close to the stump and didnt have very good vine position.it was 11 days old today and had a circumference of 24 inches. Saturday, June 23 View Page i have high hopes for this little girl.this one is at 15 feet on the main.it is 5 days old today. Sunday, June 24 View Page well here is the setup for the 1634 pumpkin.its two pieces of 1/4 inch by 4x4 plywood with just a light dusting of sand between the to pieces. Sunday, June 24 View Page this is the next just incase pumpkin around the 19 foot mark.should open mid week.i will pollinate it but wont keep it for long if the one at 15 feet looks good. Sunday, June 24 View Page here is my 290 maccoy 1059 x self in a secret location...lol.hoping to get a nice orange one for display. Friday, June 29 View Page pollinated this one on the 1634 thursday morning with two of its own males.its at 19 feet down the main. Friday, June 29 View Page here is a shot of the stump on the 1634 werner.its getting pretty big. Friday, June 29 View Page 1634 pumpkin at 15 feet on day 10 on thursday was 29 1/2 inches.today is day 11 and it is at 34 1/2! Saturday, June 30 View Page i pollinated one on the 901 wolf this morning with four males off the 1634 werner. Sunday, July 1 View Page i pollinated one more four lobe on the 1634 A 20 feet out on the main this morning.i used three males from the 1634 B.if the one at 15 feet looks good on day 20 i will cull the other two off. Sunday, July 1 View Page 1634 pumpkin is at 47 inches today on day 13.its been growing just over 6 inches a day the past two days. Tuesday, July 3 View Page i pollinated one yesterday,monday on the 1634 B compost plant with two of its own males.i pollinated one today on the 901 wolf plant with two 290 maccoy males.should be the last pollinations for the year besides the 290 maccoy.and that will probly be the end of july. Sunday, July 8 View Page here are some of the culls off the 1634 werner.the two small ones were on the main past the 15 foot set.they actually aborted cause the 15 foot set wants the whole plant to himself. Sunday, July 8 View Page outside view of the 1634 werner pumpkin lurking in the foliage! Sunday, July 8 View Page say hello to chance.i named it that for the chance to grow the 1634 and the chance at a big pumpkin.measurements on day 20 are...84"cc 58"ss 55"ee = 197 ott.est 179 lbs! grow chance grow! Sunday, July 8 View Page another view of the 1634 pumpkin. Sunday, July 15 View Page chance off the 1634 werner day 27.im very happy with the pace this pumpkin is growing.its doing 25 to 30 lbs a day.its starting to show a little color and getting stretch marks.the numbers for the week are....110"cc 75"ss 69"ee = 254 ott.for an est weight of 372 lbs!thats a gain of 193 lbs for the week.that beats my personal best from last year of 350 lbs.but we still have a long way to go to the weighoff,i hope it holds together. Sunday, July 15 View Page outside view of chance!i hope i left enough room for him in the greenhouse. Sunday, July 15 View Page 1634 werner plant.i spotted a few aphids under the leaves,time to spray some organacide.i havent fed the plant anything in over a month cause it was growing so good with out supplement fertalizing.but i will start giving it light doses of goodies! Sunday, July 15 View Page we have ornamental gourds growing this year.fun little plants! Wednesday, July 18 View Page day 30 today for chance off the 1634 werner.the numbers are....119"cc 81"ss 74"ee = 274 ott.est 463 lbs! Thursday, July 19 View Page just for my records i pollinated one on the 1634 b compost plant about 7 days ago with a couple of its own males.on tuesday i pollinated one on the 290 maccoy with 5 males from the 1634 b compost plant.today i pollinated one on the 901 wolf with 2 males from the 290 maccoy.all the pumpkins have aborted on the 901 and 1634 b compost plant,so hopfully these will stick. Sunday, July 22 View Page these are my tall sunflowers.well not so tall yet.i got a late start on them. Sunday, July 22 View Page cool looking gourd.looks like we will have a ton of them for our fall decor! Sunday, July 22 View Page 1634 werner b compost plant pumpkin.very small plant.about 10x3 feet.but the pumpkin is moving right along for the size of the plant. Sunday, July 22 View Page day 34 for chance on the 1634 werner.the numbers for the week are......130"cc 78"ee 87"ss = 295 ott.est 574 lbs.thats a gain of 202 lbs for the week. Sunday, July 22 View Page 1634 outside view! Sunday, July 29 View Page day 41 for chance off the 1634 werner.im getting very excited about this guy!my goal for the year was to try to get double the weight from last year which was 350.well i already past that!we will see what happens,but its sure looking like a beast! the numbers for the week are.....142"cc 85"ee 94"ss =321 ott.est 732 lbs! for a gain of 158 lbs for the week. Sunday, July 29 View Page side view of chance! Sunday, July 29 View Page blossom end view! Sunday, July 29 View Page 1634 werner b compost pumpkin.very impressed with the growth of this one for such a small plant.55"cc est around 70 lbs Sunday, July 29 View Page a look down the main vine on the 1634 werner.the little fan to the right has ran all summer around the clock to keep my stump nice and dry. Sunday, July 29 View Page another one of are gourds we are growing Sunday, August 12 View Page day 55 for chance off the 1634 werner.just an amazing seed in my book.ive heard of some big ones being grown off this seed this year.chance is hovering around 1,000 lbs today!im very happy with that on day 55 and not to mention only 300 sq feet. Sunday, August 12 View Page a roof top view of the home of the 1634 werner! Sunday, August 12 View Page side view of chance! Sunday, August 12 View Page blossom end view!notice the heaters in this pic.they have been running at night lately, with temps in the 40's some of the nights.i heat the pumpkin part of the greenhouse separate from the other part.i try to keep it in the 70's in the pumpkin part and between 60 and 70 in the plant part.thanks alot to Jd for his very detailed diary.its been helping me out a ton.or in my case a half ton.lol Sunday, August 12 View Page stem end view!no signs of stem stress. Sunday, August 12 View Page growz em big with..... Saturday, August 18 View Page its spose to be 38 degrees tonight.its a little early for those kind of temps.i also found a mouse hole in the soil next to the main vine,so i got some traps and moth balls! Sunday, August 19 View Page 36 degrees this morning wow!the good news is i got the hole digger last night!you come into my greenhouse looking for warmth,its not going to be pretty....lol Friday, August 24 View Page its spose to be 65 tonight! wow!thats very warm for this time of year.its been a great summer here for growing,besides the lack of rain.i water every morning for 6 minutes witch is about 35 gallons.but i started cutting back on the water a little during the cooler days. Sunday, August 26 View Page day 69 for chance off the 1634 werner.the wife made me lift the plastic up so we could get a pick of the stem end and im glad i did.ive never seen it from this view until today.i was amazed of how much bigger it looks from the stem end.all i will say is that its still growing. Sunday, August 26 View Page here is a pumpkin growing on my nothing of a plant 290 maccoy 1059 vm x self.around 150 lbs and it should make a nice jack o lantern. Sunday, August 26 View Page this is the 1634 b compost plant pumpkin sitting around 225 lbs.i thought this plant was going to die after i yanked it out of the greenhouse and threw it in our small compost pile.it took a couple weeks but it came back to life and has a nice pumpkin for a plant with around 30 leaves or less.i just hate to kill my backup plants!lol Sunday, August 26 View Page here is my wife's pumpkin she is growing.it is a 220 maccoy 923 gerhardt x self.its 21 days old and should be a nice barrel shape orange pumpkin.this one is crossed with the 1634 compost plant and should be a nice big and orange cross. Sunday, August 26 View Page sugar pie kins should make some yummy pie! Sunday, August 26 View Page another view of the 1634 pumpkin! Sunday, September 2 View Page day 76 for chance of the 1634 werner and it continues to amaze me.i have been drenching around the stump and main vine with 0-0-25 this past week and it shows in the numbers.it actually gained more weight this week than the past week!i find that adding it to the soil works alot better.also chance and i made it on the front cover of the ely echo news paper, so that was pretty cool. Sunday, September 2 View Page side view of the 1634 x self pumpkin! Wednesday, September 5 View Page Planted these in a small space I had to work with and I didn't give them much attention. The tallest one grew to about 12 ft. tall. Thanks a lot Jim Gerhardt for the seeds! We finally got some rain last night, but there was also a considerable amount of hail that shredded some leaves. The green house plant was safe and sound. I'm really loving this green house growing! Saturday, September 8 View Page highs in the low 50's with wind and rain the last few days.with lows in the low 40,s means i have not opened the doors in the greenhouse in two days wich is not the best to control high humidity.spose to be sunny on sunday so that will give me a chance to vent all the moisture that built up over the last couple days.the 1634 does not know that it feels like it could snow at anytime!it feels like i should be sipping cocktails everytime i go in there.lol 85 with 100 percent humidity fells pretty good when its in the 40,s outside.heaters are on full blast!i also use a gas turbo heater once and a while to help the electric heaters out,its hard for them to keep up when temps are so low. Saturday, September 8 View Page There was a rainbow over the green house tonight, hopefully that is a good sign! Sunday, September 9 View Page day 83 for chance off the 1634.i thought id see alot higher numbers cause of all the sapping and cracking i saw this week.its still growing but it has to be beefing up on the inside im thinking?its really showing its true character as of lately.the skin is getting nice and rough and ugly!im kinda diggin it. Saturday, September 15 View Page day 90 on sunday for chance off the 1634 werner.i pulled the plastic back today so he could get some air and also for some pics!it was 32 degrees the last two mornings.looks like it will be in the 30's at night from here on out.i even seen a couple mornings they say it will be in the 20's.ouch!chance is still growing but very slow.im trying to get everything i can out of him for 275 sq foot of plant and chance takes up a 5x5 space in the greenhouse.i havent taped him in a week and i dont plan to untill the weigh off. Saturday, September 15 View Page my wife's 220 maccoy Saturday, September 15 View Page 1634 werner compost plant Sunday, September 16 View Page we harvested some gourds tonight! Friday, September 21 View Page it is 9:00 pm and its in the 30's outside with snow flurries!but that dont stop chance.he's all tucked away for the night with fleece blankets and his own heater!he is still growing out and cracking all over.every little bit of weight he has left to give me ill take.with just 7 days from harvest, im sure he will still be growing when i cut the cord.must be the 1421 in him..lol Saturday, September 22 View Page my first pumpkin harvest of the year.here is the 1634 werner compost/backup plant pumpkin.now known as the 250 Maccoy.it felt more like 300.lol.it was crossed with itself. Saturday, September 22 View Page side view of the 2012 250 est Maccoy. Sunday, September 23 View Page the northlands news center KBJR channel 6 came out tonight to do a story on my pumpkins.awsome!5 days till lift off.i cant wait! Tuesday, September 25 View Page 25 degrees out this morning!all the outside plants are done for.stayed in the 40's in the greenhouse. Wednesday, September 26 View Page day 100 for chance off the 1634 werner and i can tell he is still growing slow!and i thought i pollinated to early!he just wont stop!2 days till harvest. Thursday, September 27 View Page bitter sweet last watering of the year.27 degrees this morning. Sunday, September 30 View Page my wife and i made the four and a half hour drive to the delano mn weigh off.1197 lbs! good enough for second place.i cant complain. Sunday, September 30 View Page 1197 MacCoy Sunday, September 30 View Page chance on the scale.the nerves were pretty high at this point as i had the biggest ott measurment there. Sunday, September 30 View Page the three of us standing next to the 1197.can you guess where the third person is?i will give you a clue,its not the guy on the bench.lol Sunday, September 30 View Page i grew the small ones to make my big one look bigger!lol Tuesday, October 2 View Page http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/news/iron-range/Ely-Man-Grows-Pumpkin-Estimated-at-1200-Pounds-171869871.html here is a link to the interview that channel 6 did Saturday, October 13 View Page cut the cord!that was hard to do but i was more than ready to get it weighed. Saturday, October 13 View Page we have lift off! Saturday, October 13 View Page sitting on the pallet with no tention on the straps.all my fears and worries just flew right out the greenhouse.lol Saturday, October 13 View Page cant forget the 117 maccoy we brought to delano crossed with the orange 1634 i grew. Saturday, October 13 View Page i feel very blessed from the lord this year.i had a great season of pumpkin growing now its time to shift my focus on my baby girl who will be born around thanksgiving.so we have alot to be thankful for.also a big thanks to Tom p from extreme pumpkin store for reading my soil test.i wouldnt have got this far without his knowledge.and a big thanks to Quinn werner for the 1634 werner seed! Saturday, October 20 View Page seed harvesting time for the 1197 Maccoy! Saturday, October 20 View Page a look into the 1197! Saturday, October 20 View Page i just had to....lol Sunday, December 30 View Page this is not as cool as Dale's moose!but i do get deer in my compost pile! Sunday, December 30 View Page another shot of the whitetail! Monday, December 31 View Page HAPPY NEW YEAR!may all your pumpkin dreams come true. grow em big in 2013!