Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 19 Entries. Friday, March 20 View Page Started My #50 and 846 for fair. 846 is the chosen one if everything goes right.   Sunday, March 22 View Page Started my 155 for fair because I lost the bag of seeds that I intended to use for the second spot. Could not find the seeds, so this will have to do.   Sunday, March 29 View Page Set my fair plants out....we'll see if it gets to warm out they will bake because nobody will be able to open the greenhouse if my Neighbor Jim isnt home or available. We are going to try and make this competitive, but the logistics arent the best with me still living in the city and driving out. This should not be a problem for the fall plants. Best case scenario, a nice fair fruit Worst case scenario, a not so nice fair fruit Rather try and give it a go than not give it a go at all.   Thursday, April 2 View Page Went to check on the plant on the way home from work and it had not been opened up. 70 and sunny outside, aweful warm inside at probably around 120. It was humid from watering the plants in and washing in the Subdue and Clearys. No aparent wilt on the cotys so this may work out OK   Friday, April 3 View Page We do things a little different here. The next time the plants get water will be no sooner than 2 weeks, maybe 4 weeks depending on how hot the greenhouse gets. I like my initial roots to go deep and learn to get their own moisture. Over the next month this will slow them down a week from other growers started at the same time.   Monday, April 20 View Page Started all the seeds for competition for my father and I.   Wednesday, April 22 View Page Everything has germinated except for 1 mostly hollow seed. I still expect it to pop.   Monday, April 27 View Page Magically got 14 competition plants in today for dad and I. Somehow in the morning we were going to have a total of 16 competition plants, and by evening it was up to 22...LOL Known seeds that are in the ground. 1385 Jutras 985 Werner 1413 Werner 1381 Swarts 1310 Pitura The rest of the seeds currently in are dad and I's seeds from years past.   Sunday, May 3 View Page The remaining 6 competition plants were set out in their makeshift huts today.   Tuesday, June 16 View Page No signs of virus yet. Found out that we have a Manganese deficiency, but I do think it is manageable. This is primarily due to a soil pH of 7.8. A couple ways to fix this include an application of sulfuric acid, or hydrochloric acid. I am not to keen on the hydrochloric option. Does anyone know if this will harm plants, and if so, how much? Fair plants are doing average. I should have a fruit set on each plant at this point. Hopefully no aborts at this stage in the game. I cannot remember any of the day 5-20 aborts that I have heard about. Just past that stage now. Hopefully I can give this a good shot this year. It would be very disappointing to have 2 acres of pumpkins and really not much to show for it again. I think one of my main keys is to keep the virus fought off for another 4 weeks to allow the plants to get more size. The best way to do this is insect control and prevention.   Tuesday, June 23 View Page applied subdue and clearys   Wednesday, July 1 View Page Well, a month we would like to forget. Cool temps and rain, followed by record scorching heat. I am disappointed that all the preparation to get an early start proved fairly unfruitful because of the slow growth in both May and June, but the good news is that I do not feel we are behind. Behind to where we should be..yes but behind to a normal year in the past no.   Thursday, July 9 View Page Trying to catch up on spraying today. No bugs this year for some reason, and I would say that I am at least 1 week to long for a regular spraying schedule. Sprayed Clearys, Manzate, Merit, Bifefthrin on everything, and also Nova on the main competition plants.   Saturday, August 1 View Page Better record this somewhere before I forget. Lost one of the fair fruit weighed 638.5 lbs 312 ott Split 7-18 Drenched Clearys, Subdue Aug 1   Friday, September 4 View Page My big one is 89 days old today, seems like a LOOOOOONG time until a contest..LOL   Saturday, September 12 View Page my pumpkin is old.......and very little compared to what you will see next   Saturday, September 12 View Page So if any of you know Kurt Loos, you know he is 6' something For everyone's curiosity, this is an un-doctored photo of a really big pumpkin in Ohio. Sorry for not getting a better picture, the screen on my camera was to small to see in the light to know that Kurt's face was covered up...LOL   Tuesday, September 15 View Page Day 100 on the formerly known as state fair pumpkin.....looking old grow baby grow! and come soon contest come soon!   Thursday, September 24 View Page Pictures to come. My largest buyer needs his squash this weekend, so I guess its not going to go to contest. What a bummer. 1310 Pitura x 1385 Jutras 317.5 OTT Estimate 675 Actual Weight 722.5 +7% heavy My old state fair pumpkin is now 109 days old..LOL