Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 82 Entries. Saturday, January 22 View Page Patch is well insulated...the fence in the background is 4 ft tall, so I figure there is 3ft of snow covering the patch.   Monday, April 25 View Page Well the year has started. I built a longer hoop house to grow 2 plants. This years winners are 1161 Rodonis and 1421 Stelst. I will start them tomorrow..Mark   Tuesday, April 26 View Page Well...Finally got my own Pumpkin Shack.. Nice to have a place to store everything.   Tuesday, April 26 View Page Seeds in the baggies..nice and toasty..90 degrees..I'll plant them in 5 inch peat pots Thursday. In the background are some different products I am using this year..Aerify, Natures Magic(50% Humic Acid/Seaweed)and Therm-X(Yucca Sticker)   Saturday, April 30 View Page 1421 Stelts and 1161 Rodonis germinated..Plus 2-1248 Lombardi's and 1119 McMullen...Good start.. the others are also showing signs of movement so it looks like I will have plenty of plants to give away. I have to say that if you keep temps @ 90 deg germination rates escalate ..   Sunday, May 1 View Page Seeds germinated Friday-Saturday..I am giving them indirect sunlight under my porch table..I've done this for the last 3 years and they seem to stay stockier using this method..At night I will just bring them in but no heat..Mark   Sunday, May 1 View Page 7.33 Hunt..This is a monster..Started seeds same day as all my other tomatoes..It is 3 times the size..I will try to wait 2 weeks to transplant..BUT..no likely..Mark   Monday, May 2 View Page Starting my Green Squash seeds tonight..871 Hester, 881 Beauchemin, 1003 Mackenzie, 811 Vincent McGill...all true green..should make a nice dark offspring..Mark   Wednesday, May 4 View Page Seedlings up and look good..Gave them a dose of natural rain today..Weather permitting I plan on transplanting Friday..Mark   Wednesday, May 4 View Page Ghost Chili Plants looking good..I am still not sure what I am going to do with them..Hottest Pepper on the planet..   Thursday, May 5 View Page Tomorrow is transplant day..I am cooling the seedlings tonight to keep the short..day 4 after germination and they want to grow..I will plant 1421 Stelt with a back-up 1248 Lombardi in my second spot I will plant 1161 Rodonis with my 769 as the back-up. Worst case I end up with 1421 x 769..Orange..or 1161 x 1248 Aggressive and big. If all goes well I will end up with 1421 x 1161 and 1161 x 1421. Mark   Thursday, May 19 View Page 1161 Rodonis..Healthy..5 leaves..tilting forward..So far so good..   Thursday, May 19 View Page 1421 Stelts..aggressive..5 leaves..Considering it has been cloudy.cold and rainy for 4 days the plants look good.. As long as they lay down next week I am happy with the progress.   Sunday, May 22 View Page Hit the plants with a foliar spray today..I don't want to jinx my self but so far everything going well. Plants are as healthy as I've ever had and there are no issues yet..This week they should lay down right on schedule. Leaves are nice color green and there doesn't appear to be any nutrient deficiencies.. Also..transplanted 2 - squash seedlings into my buddies place..both are 811 Vincent Mcgill Figured I'd give that a shot this year..Mark   Wednesday, May 25 View Page Did some pruning today to help the mains lay down..removed the kick-stand leaf ,1st secondaries and any random leaves around the base. My hope is to push the growth forward and to let the main fall as naturally as possible. So far looks like it was the right decision..Mark   Saturday, May 28 View Page The plants have touched down..very anxious time..Once they are down..stage 2 of worries begins..I am a little worried because the 1161 and 1421 both started with double vine tendencies but the main vine seems to be single...tie will tell!! Mark   Monday, May 30 View Page 1421 and 1161 are on the ground..Today the temps in my hoops got close to 100 deg wide open..I was worried about leaf burn but they stood up well to the heat..Mark   Friday, June 10 View Page 7:00 pm last night..Storm was so strong it looked like it was midnight..Luckily the plants survived fine..   Sunday, June 12 View Page 1421 Stelts and 1161 Rodonis are out 10 ft on the main. Secondaries are beginning to run 3-4 ft out. Strange year though..I have females on both plants at 10 ft..1st male hasn't opened yet..this is the first time for me that the females and males appeared at the same time?   Monday, June 13 View Page A mountain lion was killed 2 miles from my house..I had seen strange tracks over the winter and I think I know nowwhat they were. The Cat weighed 140 lbs...   Thursday, June 16 View Page 1421 Stelts..12 ft out..female will be ready in about 10 days..so far good looking plant   Thursday, June 16 View Page 1161 Rodonis..11 ft out..plant is a little thin on secondaries but is starting to kick into gear..healthy..   Friday, June 17 View Page took off the cover over the stumps..I'll leave the hoops in case I decide I need to keep that area dryer. Sprayed the plants with Merit, Serenade, Yucca Extract, epsom salts and Garlic Barrier..they look so you and fresh..Then got a nice downpour to deliver the goods to the soil..ML   Sunday, June 19 View Page Set up my drip tape and timer today..16 inches apart..seems to be good coverage.Every side vine has a tape between them..It has been so wet that it hasn't been necessary to water. Next week I'm having some surgery and need the patch to be as much as possible on auto-pilot for a few weeks. God Bless my wife ..she has agreed to finish burying and pollinating..Mark   Tuesday, June 21 View Page Pollinated 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis this morning..10 ft out   Sunday, June 26 View Page I liked Don Young's Sky view of his patch so I decided to take this. 1161 Rodonis on the left...1421 Stelts on the right. Spotted some SVB's at my friends patch so I sprayed some Talstar/seaweed/fish/Humic Acid and Yucca..I also racked out the weeds and loosened the top layer. The rain the last few days created a crust..The soil seemes to be drying up much faster. Plants greened up nicely after the 4 inches of rain the last 3 days   Thursday, July 7 View Page Hard decision time!!!I have 2 pollinated on each plant (1161 Rodonis and 1421 Stelts)..reverse-crossed. I am thinking of keeping the 1st 1421 and the 2nd 1161..I am basing it on shape and aggressiveness...I like footballs....Mark   Saturday, July 9 View Page 1161 Rodonis..1st one is day 9...2nd is day 4..I am going with the pitchfork pattern this year so the main is terminated after the 2nd fruit. If the 1st ends up the keeper I'll trim back the main to it. Sprayed Talstar and Mancozeb today..by sticking to a 7-10 day schedule the leaves look much better this year.   Saturday, July 9 View Page 1421 Stelts..this is the chosen one...the only one I got to pollinate..It is at day 11..the main is terminated and the tertiaries are growing forward off the secondaries behind the fruit. The fruit is set at 17 ft .   Friday, July 15 View Page 1421 Stelts Day 17...growth is starting to climb daily..so far so good.   Friday, July 15 View Page 1161 Rodonis..Day 15..This one is going to have the typical sucked in blossom end that many 1161 Rodonis have..Keeping pace with the 1421..   Monday, July 18 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..Day 20..81-54-55=190"...155 lbs So far it looks like it is going to be a nice fruit/color/shape   Monday, July 18 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..side view   Wednesday, July 20 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts...Day 20.. 87-57-55= 199" 176 lbs. Nice Orange already showing. Fruit has a forward tilt but I think It will be manageable..   Wednesday, July 20 View Page Another view of the 1161 x 1421   Monday, July 25 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..Day 27..108-72-71= 251" 341 lbs..doing 26.5 lbs per day now.   Monday, July 25 View Page Side view..1421 Stelts   Monday, July 25 View Page 1st rain in 2 weeks coming tonight..just sprayed Biota-Max and Hydro-sol..hopefully its a good rain and everything gets watered in..Biologicals seem to be working..tough to prove but so far no root disease at all..when I have pulled 3rd growth the roots are prolific and bright white with hundreds of mini root branches..Mark   Wednesday, July 27 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts...Day 27..starting to pick up on daily weight gains...   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Side View...1161 Rodonis   Wednesday, July 27 View Page These are Craven Variety Giant Sunflowers...I have been growing the same bag of seeds for 4 years..Biggest yet was 17 ft tall...The fence behind the Sunflowers is 6ft Tall so I figure they are about 12 ft tall..   Thursday, July 28 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..Day 30..430 lbs   Saturday, July 30 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Day 30..hasn't taken off like the 1421 yet.. doing in the mid 20 lbs per day.   Saturday, August 6 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Day 37..doing 25 lbs a day   Saturday, August 6 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..day 39..doing 35 lbs a day   Monday, August 8 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..Day 41..still doing @ 30 lbs /Day Had some heavy rains followed by humid hot sun..sprayed Agrifos last night..hopefully keep the leaves and roots healthy..so far plants are looking great.   Monday, August 8 View Page Front view ..1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis   Wednesday, August 10 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Day 41..@ 600 lbs   Wednesday, August 10 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Side View   Thursday, August 11 View Page I gave one of my friends a 7.33 Hunt plant to grow on his farm...he shows up today and hands me this..it is 19 inches in circumference..I believe it is over 3 lbs...I am going to try to get it weighed at the supermarket.   Thursday, August 11 View Page Another view...   Thursday, August 11 View Page Congrats to Paul Marino..2.91 lbs..close but no cigar! Still a really nice fruit...   Monday, August 15 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts...Day 48..slow week ..rain for 3 day..@ 8 inches of rain.. Just under 800 lbs   Wednesday, August 17 View Page 1161 Rodonis..@ 700 lbs..Healthy fruit snd plant..hopefully picks up some this week..   Wednesday, August 17 View Page 1161 Rodonis..side view..   Monday, August 22 View Page 1421 Stelts..day 55..growth has slowed but still chugging..did 15 lbs a day last week. Some PM started to show ...sprayed Eagle 20..seems to have halted it...   Tuesday, August 30 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..Day 62..getting close to 1000 lbs..no splits yet..stem and blossom are in excellent shape..   Tuesday, August 30 View Page View from the roof of the 1421 Stelts..plant held up well during Irene..minimal damage..   Tuesday, August 30 View Page 1161 Rodanis...nice and orange..some splits developing around the stem end on the shoulders but they seem to be OK so far   Tuesday, August 30 View Page Roof view of the whole patch..you can see the area around the 2 stumps lost some leaves but they were old anyway..1161 Rodonis to the left....1421 Stelts to the right..   Thursday, September 1 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Day 63..@ 825 lbs..still doing @ 10 lbs a day   Thursday, September 1 View Page 1161 Rodonis...side view..I'm liking the color....   Monday, September 5 View Page 1421 Stelts..Day 69..Very slow growth going on..had some Downey Mildew developing..sprayed Agrifos and Mancozeb..seems to have stopped the spread..otherwise fruit look good..hopefully I can keep some growth going for the next 4 weeks..   Saturday, September 10 View Page Was beginning to lose faith that the fruit could finish with a few hundred pounds in September due to rain and cold..Thanks to Mother nature it seems like things are turning for the better..80's and sunny..lows at night over 60 deg...   Sunday, September 11 View Page 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts..Still growing..Hope the weather stays nice for the next few weeks..this one still has some growing left..   Sunday, September 11 View Page 1161 Rodonis from the side...   Monday, September 12 View Page 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..It's that time of year..hoping for every inch of growth..Still growing though..did 7 lbs a day this week..   Thursday, September 22 View Page Harvested some of my Ghost Chili's..put them in the food dehydrator...the did a taste test ..a few flakes in tomato sauce over ziti. The Burn went from my lips all the way to the exit..These peppers are "Crazy" hot!!!!   Sunday, September 25 View Page Weather has been warm with periods of showers and Sun..many micro-splits..must be still growing..nothing too bad..shouldn't be a problem..1 week to Penfield..2 weeks til Frerichs...   Sunday, October 2 View Page Fairfield Weigh_Off...My wife Siobhan weighed her pumpkin..158-97-97=352 "...914.8 lbs estimated..weighed 1027.5...12.3 % heavy..Good for 4th place..I had a hip replacement on June 28th so she did all the patch work...I set up the spray programs and helped her with pruning...By mid July I was able to take care of 1 plant(1421 Stelst x 1161 Rodonis), she kept taking care of the 1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts.   Sunday, October 2 View Page Dick Wallace won the Steve Jepsen Award..This award goes to the grower who demonstrates exemplary dedication and stewardship in the sport of giant pumkin growing. I can't think of another more deserving..Congratulations Dick!!!   Sunday, October 2 View Page My good friend Paul Labosky weighed in at 944 lbs on his 1566 Rodonis x 1663 Zoellner..went way heavy..I believe it was only taping about 770 lbs.   Sunday, October 2 View Page Fairfield Weigh-Off pumpkins..Dick Wallace's 1st place winner is the one in the front.   Saturday, October 8 View Page Lifted the 1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodanis..Taped 160-104-101= 365 "...Estimated weight 1018 lbs...Going to Frerichs Farm Weigh in Rhode Island Saturday   Saturday, October 8 View Page 1421 Stelts being loaded for the scale...   Saturday, October 8 View Page Weight 1176 lbs..I had my hand on the pumpkin so the weight on the read out is a couple pounds heavier... 15.5 % heavy..   Saturday, October 8 View Page After 30 pumpkins were weighed ...I am in 1st place....BUT....   Saturday, October 8 View Page I ended up in 11th place out of 40 pumpkins...very satisfied with this years pumpkins...Congrats go out to the RI boys for such an awesome weigh off..Everything was so well run and I love the hand made plaques.....Mark   Sunday, October 9 View Page Guess I tape loose...pumpkin was taped at the weigh off at 360 inches =974..so it went 21 % heavy..1176 lbs..   Sunday, October 9 View Page Put the patch to rest today...tilled...new cover crop...mustard, fava bean, bell bean, wheat, rye and hairy vetch..see how it does..   Wednesday, October 12 View Page 1176 Lombardi 2011...1421 Stelts x 1161 Rodonis..estimated 974...weighed 1176 lbs...21 % heavy..walls were 12" thick evenly...Think this one might have to get planted next year..Mark   Thursday, October 20 View Page 1027 Lombardi (1161 Rodonis x 1421 Stelts) 90 % immature seeds so seed count is very low..I'll send out as many seeds as possible..I'll only be keeping a few for myself..