Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 73 Entries. Saturday, May 20 View Page I was finally going to post today, but then we got 70 mph winds with hale, not sure if I will have anything to post about this year at all.   Saturday, June 3 View Page Not much happening in the pumpkin patch so I thought I would show what a very good friend of Martina's made for us. It is a quilt with a big orange pumpkin. I guess this shows just how big pumpkin crazy we really are.   Sunday, June 4 View Page Early April, done tilling.   Sunday, June 4 View Page Mid April, got everything setup, trying to heat the ground under the mini greenhouses.   Sunday, June 4 View Page End of May, got the final lineup in the ground. The 523 Olsen 05.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 670 Daigle.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 792.9 olsen 05*   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 845 Bobier, slow start, but we know what it can do.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 848 MacKenzie*, starting off double/flat, I am sure it will correct itself, if not, I will help it.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 1233.5 Reiss 05, that makes 3 seeds from last year I am growing, all from Germany.   Sunday, June 4 View Page A couple of Andrews long gourds. These are growing in a big pot, they are doing great. I have 2 more growing in the ground, I am interested in seeing the difference.   Sunday, June 11 View Page The weather has finally decided to cooperate, but I am not sure if it will be enough for all of the plants to recover for prime pollinating time. We will see.   Sunday, June 11 View Page Go green!   Sunday, June 18 View Page The 848 * has a double main vine. I cut half of it off at the tip.   Sunday, June 18 View Page Hard to believe that I will be pollinating in 2-3 weeks. I need a lot more growth.   Sunday, June 18 View Page These two are doing well, should be ready in 2 weeks.   Saturday, June 24 View Page Some more plants pics, not real exciting, but it is important for me to see where I am at during the growing season for historical reference. The 845 Bobier and 670 Daigle are a good week behind the rest.   Saturday, June 24 View Page The 792.9 olsen* has the first females on it, they are green :-). I was able to correct the 848 Mackenzie* double vine with the surgery from a week ago :-).   Saturday, June 24 View Page The 1233.5 Reiss and the 523 olsen EST are my best plants:-)   Saturday, July 1 View Page We're having fun now. The 523 olsen EST:   Saturday, July 1 View Page 1233.5 Reiss 05   Saturday, July 1 View Page 670 Daigle, nice long stem.   Sunday, July 16 View Page Turning into a very average year, nothing spectacular happening, and nothing very bad either. Here is my 845 Bobier, I've had a hard time getting one to set on this plant, hopefully this one made it.   Sunday, July 16 View Page The 792.9 olsen 05 *, day 14, 40.5 circ, strange shape   Sunday, July 16 View Page The 523 olsen 05 EST, day 18, 56 circ   Sunday, July 16 View Page If slow and steady really is a good thing, then maybe I will get lucky with these next 2 plants. Though, to be quite honest it would be nice to have just one plant be aggressive. Maybe next year..... 670 Daigle, day 22, cc 69.25 - ss 42.75 - ee 43.75 - ott 155.75, 90 lbs est   Sunday, July 16 View Page The 1233.5 Reiss 05, probably the most controversial seed to have ever been grown, I am rather enjoying this one, easy to care for plant, big leaves, we'll see how she does. Day 23, cc 73.75 - ss 51 - ee 49.25 - ott 174, 122 lbs est   Sunday, July 23 View Page Has not been a very good squash year for me. Still do not have one set on the 848 Mackenzie*, and the 792.9 olsen* is throwing ugly shaped fruit. The squash on the left has been culled today and the one on the right doesn't look much better.   Sunday, July 23 View Page Finally have one set on the 845 Bobier. Day 14, 45.25 circ.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 670 Daigle, day 29, 196.5 OTT, EST 170 lbs. Slow, but steady growing pumpkin. Averaging 10-12 lbs a day for last 10 days.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 1233.5 Reiss 05, day 30, 211 OTT, EST 208 lbs. Another slow but steady pumpkin, averaging 13-15 lbs per day last 10 days. You can already see that this one is going to be a beautiful orange when it matures.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 523 olsen 05 EST, day 25, 207 OTT, EST 197 lbs. This is my fastest grower right now, averaging 21.8 lbs per day the last 5 days. This is going to be my last diary update till after the patch tour on 12 August.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page Welcome sign and door prize table for the First European Pumpkin Patch Tour.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page We started out talking about long gourds. This one is from a seed from LIpumpkin.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page We moved down toward my first patch. Here I am showing my 845 bobier, a young fruit, soemwhere aroung 400 pounds.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page Here are Heino and Michael talking pumpkins. This was a special time to meet people and talk AG's.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page Down by my squash patch, that is Theo on the far right. This year I am having a very difficult squash year. Also a learning experience for the newer growers that every year can not be a record one.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page I am showing my pride of the patch in this pic. It is the 523 olsen 05 EST. The cross is 707 Toftness x 628 olsen and as of today estimated about 660 pounds.....give or take a few...LOL   Tuesday, August 15 View Page Here is a typical picture of how the evening went, enjoyng the company, building groups and talking AG's and oh yeah, what would a BBQ at my house be without a beer...or 2....   Tuesday, August 15 View Page Here is a random photo of just how AG crazy we are becoming in Europe, Silver AG Seeds as earrings.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page And a cake in AG form as desert, what a day. Thanks again to everyone for your help, cooperation and support.   Thursday, August 17 View Page The patch tour made it into the newspaper.   Thursday, August 17 View Page 845 Bobier stem split. I know this feeling.   Tuesday, August 22 View Page My 523 olsen 05 EST with a garden angel.   Sunday, August 27 View Page 748 Koch * ott = 238, 293 lbs 848 Mackenzie * ott = 258, 369 lbs 845 Bobier ott = 294.5, 541 lbs (has a stem split, not through yet, but close) 523 olsen 05 EST ott = 333, 777 lbs (new PB pumpkin for me)   Sunday, September 3 View Page The pumpkin God's have reared their ugly heads in my patch this year, and at the same time given me some hope. Here is the balance. Three AG's have gone down to rot and stem splits, two squash plants would not set for me, so the bees did it, and I am measuring a new PB on my own 523 from last year. 560 olsen 06 EST (845 Bobier x self) 373 olsen 06 EST (670 Daigle x 523 olsen 05 EST) 329 olsen 06 EST (1233.5 Reiss x 523 olsen 05 EST) 848 MacKenzie * estimated at 367 lbs (open pollinated) 748 Koch * estimated at 327 lbs (open pollinated) 523 olsen 05 EST estimated over 800 lbs and still growing Here is a final picture of the 845 with stem split.   Friday, September 8 View Page I am only measuring every 3-4 days now, but I was very pleased today. 523 olsen 05 EST (523 olsen 05 EST x 1233.5 Reiss 05) 158 - 94.5 - 91 = 343.5 ott, estimated 851 lbs.   Sunday, September 10 View Page The 523 is slowing down to about 5 lbs a day now, probably less then that. OTT 345 = 862 lbs.   Friday, September 15 View Page 748 Koch * blossom end   Friday, September 15 View Page 848 Mackenzie * stem end   Saturday, September 16 View Page AG from my 523 olsen 05 EST   Saturday, September 16 View Page It won't fit on the trailer I have always used, to wide.   Saturday, September 16 View Page Good thing I got the pupmkin lifting ring from the PGPGA.   Friday, September 22 View Page The 523 is still growing, very slowly, but every pound cuonts. Here is some of my measuring data, I like to compare from one year to the next how I am doing: Pollinated 28 Jun 06 523 olsen 05 EST x 1233.5 Reiss 05 Day – Circ – SS - EE 10 - 20.75 20 – 66 – 43 - 45 25 - 90.5 – 58 - 58.5 30 - 111.5 – 69 - 68.5 35 - 123.5 – 76 - 75 40 – 134 - 81.5 - 81 45 - did not measure 47 – 143 – 86 - 84 50 - 146.5 – 88 - 85 55 - 150.5 – 90 - 86.5 60 – 153 - 91.5 - 88.5 65 – 155 – 93 - 89.5 70 - 156.75 - 93.5 - 90.5 79 – 159 - 95.5 - 93.5 81 - 159.5 - 95.75 - 93.5 86 – 160 - 96.5 - 94   Wednesday, September 27 View Page i have removed all dead leaves and left only the healthy ones   Wednesday, September 27 View Page i have removed all dead leaves and left only the healthy ones part 2   Wednesday, September 27 View Page part 3, you get the idea   Wednesday, September 27 View Page part 4, ok last part...   Friday, September 29 View Page tomorrow we pic this girl. today we had a nice visit from our patch tour friends from Saarland. Thanks for stopping by Alex and Carsten!   Sunday, October 1 View Page Just a quick note that I have a new PB of 895 lbs today off my 523 olsen 05 EST.   Sunday, October 1 View Page Oh yeah, I also came in first place.   Monday, October 2 View Page A picture of the lineup in Germany.   Monday, October 2 View Page Some nice looking AGs were there.   Monday, October 2 View Page 895 olsen 06 (523 olsen 05 EST x 1233.5 Reiss 05)   Monday, October 9 View Page Anders and I with his 1192. This thing was big, I am 6'4" so that gives you some idea. A shame it went light.   Monday, October 9 View Page Here are 4 pics of Jantje's green monster. 1046.3 lbs and a new European squash record. One interesting fact here, he grew the new record using last years records seeds, the 792.9 olsen 05, wow.   Monday, October 9 View Page pic 2   Monday, October 9 View Page pic 3   Monday, October 9 View Page And last picture of Jantje's 1046.3 European Record Squash. Not the prettiest squash I have ever seen, but this ain't no beauty contest, congrats Jan!   Monday, October 9 View Page A picture of Joachim Hammerl and his new Austrian record pumpkin, congrats Joachim!   Monday, October 9 View Page Ewald Helboch also set a new Austrian squash, congrats Ewald!   Monday, October 9 View Page Blossom end of Ewald's squash.   Monday, October 9 View Page My last diary entry for this year. Heino (Steel) grew a 523 EST this year, I grew a 523 EST last year. So we have decided to do a challenge next year, 523 vs 523. The genetics are great. 523 Helbock 06 EST = 897 Davis 04 (845 Bobier 00 x 1260.4 Weir 01) x 1173 Macari 04 (500 Wallace 03 x 1058 Houghton 02) 523 olsen 05 EST = 707 Toftness 01 (846 Calai 99 x 723 Bobier 99) x 628 olsen 03 (707 Toftness 01 x 805 Pukos 00) A picture of Heino giving me my challenge Helbock seeds. I hope that all had a great year, I know that I did, and my dreams from next year have already started. Have Fun! Grow em big! Go heavy! owen