Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 29 Entries. Thursday, January 20 View Page Heres is our biggest this year . It looks awesomely rough . Great grower the whole way till the end 15% heavy. Should have pushed it alot more but we are happy. Looking for the start of another season but with only one or two plants.   Monday, February 28 View Page If I had the room these are the seeds I would have planted but my worst fear has happened. I have to move to a different place to grow this upcoimng year. Really stinks and not enough room for more than one or two plants at the new site. The season hasn`t even started yet and I`m already getting kicked in the guts.   Monday, April 4 View Page Well after a very long couple days of work , the new 25 x 40 pumpkin patch is done for this season . Put amendments in according to soil sample recommendations . I hope this helps for a new PB since I can only do two plants.   Tuesday, April 19 View Page Well Brooks , this is what we have to deal with in southcentral PA. This is the first I have seen this much hail . It is thick on the ground every where.   Saturday, May 14 View Page Well , I finally got two plants in the ground. They are 1566 Rodonis and 1059 Vincent/McGill . Also put a couple field pumpkin plants along the far edge of the patch .   Sunday, May 29 View Page Its hard to beleive but I am further behind than last year . Just got plants in the ground last week between the rain showers here. But as grower once told me "This is a marathon not a sprint its a long season" . I hope he`s not telling me a bad joke. Oh but the weeds are growing great.   Monday, May 30 View Page Weeded today for a hour this morning and gave the freshly planted field pumpkin plants a dose of seaweed. The 1566 and 1059 are growing very slow but they are growing . I wish that them guys up northeast Pa were not so far ahead already. I forgot to say that two seeds did not germinate for me this year they were a 1385 Jutras and 218 Sandercock . Next year trying a different way of starting seeds.   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Well here is my daughters plant this year . She said that she wanted to try one by herself . It is a 921 Rosa , should give a very nice orange I hope if them guys down east aren`t telling orange stories (Jim) . Started very very late ...The rest of the plants are just a little bigger than this one . None are laying down yet. Still trying to catch up to those guys up in Honesdale and Williamsport.   Saturday, June 11 View Page Last week we had very strong winds here in our area , just ask Mossyoak . The 939 Cuypers squash plant was ripped right out of the ground but still have the 1059 and 1566 just starting to lay down . Things are looking good for a pollination the second or third week of July. Haven`t heard anything from those guys up in northern PA . When they are not talking , something big is going on ( sandbagging).   Sunday, July 3 View Page Has one seen this before ? The secondary/stem fused together . It is the only one I have pollinated on this plant and no other female in sight on the main. Should I keep it and let it GROW or cut her off ?   Monday, July 4 View Page Here is the pumpkin on the 145 McInnis . I know it won`t last till the weighoff but this is my first good try at field pumpkins and would like to see how fast and when they stop growing .   Saturday, July 16 View Page Here is the 1059 Vincent/McGill . Since we have not had inch of rain in two months, my plants have went on a diet pepsi fert. feeding program .   Saturday, July 16 View Page Here is the 1566 Rodonis , it is also on the diet pepsi fert program . We need rain badly here, Plants are suffering . I will not post measurements due to slow growth. I`ll just be happy to get one to a weighoff this year.   Monday, July 18 View Page After reading about all the big pumpkins out there for day 30 measurements I`m a little depressed . I`m not at day 30 yet but will be this week and am not near the numbers I have been seeing here on BP. I thought the plants might push the pumpkins since the patch is getting filled in but, I`m hopeing for growth like the 1678 Hunt in the last half of the season .   Thursday, July 21 View Page No rain since last post(9/10th of a inch of rain since June 1). I`m spending a fortune on hauling water into the patch . My wife is getting worried that I`m working to hard in the garden during this heat wave . Told her that plants are not going to water themselves . Jim Gerhardt, no sandbagging needed where I live it is tooooo dry for that.Pumpkins are growing very slow but they are at least growing . Its only 73 days till Altoona weighoff .   Saturday, July 23 View Page Well my season continues to get worse everytime I walk into the patch . The 1059 has not grown for several days , probably aborted on me at 90inches . There goes my shot at a Howard Dill award . The rest of the plants are struggling to keep growing with very limited water. The creek is going to be dry soon where I get my water . The only good news is that the 1566 is still growing very slowly but growing but over it butt. Not much growth since last post but I`ll take whatever it gives . Plus it looks orange for now.   Saturday, July 30 View Page 1566 Rodonis picture here is still on the diet pepsi fert program . Maybe thats why there has not been much growth since last post but we did receive two rains in the last week which made for little watering . The 1059 aborted on me , glad I pollinated one on the side vine last week .   Saturday, August 6 View Page Well it is time for my weekly update . The only pumpkin that is going to be of any size this year is the 1566 and I still don`t knwo if it will even make it the way my season has gone so far. As you can see in picture since last week there has not been alot of growth ( but still growing) . Ned your 218 looks great I am orange with envy ,no HD contender over in my part. All 1059`s and 921 Rosa`s have aborted on me . Huge plants but can not get one to set. You and Andy still have me covered in weight also (sandbaggers).   Sunday, August 7 View Page Today is the start of the longest week there is this pumpkin growing season. Tomorrow I leave for a week at a church youth camp as a leader . I hope we receive some rain so that growth does not stop with no water being put on . I trust no one to water or spray in my patch besides my daughter and she is going to camp as well . This is when I usually my patch goes down hill fast. Them guys up north will really pull away from me now.   Wednesday, August 10 View Page Well I got a call today from my wife while at church youth camp . The 1566 Rodonis split...YES it split. The biggest pumpkin that I have ever grown to date at this time of year. Lets just say that it was over 800 and growing steady each day till we received a couple of inches of rain this week while I was away. I am done tending to the rest of the little pumpkins in the patch . The only way they are getting anything the rest of the year is from Mother nature. I know that many have went through a BIG pumpkin spliting on them but next season is up in the air for me . I love this hobby but this whole season has been a nightmare . I will not be attending any weigh offs so good luck to my fellow PA growers. Very heartbroken and can`t stand to see a grown man cry but I am very down...   Saturday, August 13 View Page Today I finally made it home from church youth camp. Yes I did stop and see my wife for alittle bit . Then it was off to see the damage . She was right a big split on the bottom , up underneath . It is still growing really good like 20 pounds a day .Yes I know it is just a matter of time till she is mush . I`ll just let ride until that day comes. Still depressed but am taking it alot better than I thought . It would have been a attenion getter at Altoona but you ain`t grow`em if you ain`t blow`em .   Wednesday, August 17 View Page Well today was the day we cut the 1566 from the vine. Still growing but wanted to take it to the local farmers market before it turned to mush ( I hate splits) . The market helps me out when I need it . So you want to guess the weight ???? The biggest I have ever grown or taken to a weigh off was 926 lbs ...now remember this is August 17th . The weigh off is in October.   Wednesday, August 17 View Page The excitement is building !!!!!!!   Wednesday, August 17 View Page It finally stops on 901 lbs and yes the scale was zeroed . Not to bad for a stupid country hick from the middle of PA. I`m a slow learned but having fun doing it .   Wednesday, August 17 View Page My nephew`s boy saying uncle this is a big pumpkin . It makes you feel good .   Monday, September 12 View Page Well here it goes , every time I post something about the patch bad things happen. There isn`t to much left in the patch besides this little squash I found when starting cleanup for next year it was buried in the weeds . It was grown in a very, very small area and is off the 800 Neily . I hope it meets the GPC guideline for squash , if its ruled a pumpkin I`m going to be very confused.   Thursday, September 29 View Page Well we loaded our little squash (250-300 lbs)along with our alot smaller AG and field pumpkin for Altoona. It kind of feels like you let yourself down when you can use a tarp to load the trailer .Even though the pumpkin is very small gotta get a certified weight on it for the SNGPG virtual weigh off . Good luck to all and hope for some sunshine on weigh off day.   Monday, October 10 View Page Well this is the first really good thing to happen to us this year . We got first at Altoona with our little squash . It weighed something like 447lbs. Got lucky the big squash growers (Any Box , Ned Sandercock and the Hilstolsky`s )did not show up this year. Already have the patch almost all cleaned out and am already trying to expand for next season.   Monday, October 10 View Page Well this is the first really good thing to happen to us this year . We got first at Altoona with our little squash . It weighed something like 447lbs. Got lucky the big squash growers (Andy Box , Ned Sandercock and the Hilstolsky`s )did not show up this year. Already have the patch almost all cleaned out and am already trying to expand for next season.