Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 82 Entries. Monday, January 3 View Page Since 2005   Friday, January 7 View Page I finally got the pictures from 2010 off my camera, I was using my girlfriend's camera most of the year. I noticed there aren't very many good pics of the 921.5 Gerhardt on my 2010 diary so I figured I'd show some now. The combination of my stupid camera and new computer is making this extremely difficult. Hopefully these come through.   Friday, January 7 View Page Grown from the 923 Gerhardt and crossed with 603.5 Muller.   Friday, January 7 View Page The 921.5 Gerhardt lost the Howard Dill contest at Doylestown to a very formidable opponent, it's twin the 921.5 Rosa. Next year I'll have to bring my pretty one to a weighoff where Tim doesn't show up.   Friday, January 7 View Page Hopefully I can reproduce this pumpkin again in 2011, only 300 pounds larger.   Friday, January 7 View Page With the sun behind the camera you can see the true color of the 921.5 Gerhardt.   Friday, January 7 View Page This picture was taken on New Year's Day 2011. This pumpkin survived an amazing number of freeze/ thaws without going down. The walls were increadibly thick and I really regret not having it weighed. I wasn't going to save any seeds from this pumpkin but after I chopped it open I changed my mind and yanked about 40 good seeds. The cross is 729 Rosa x 923 Gerhardt and will be available to the members of the MAGPG.   Friday, January 7 View Page The 921.5 Gerhardt will be included in each member seed pack for the MAGPG. I encourage anyone interested to email midatlanticgpg@gmail.com for signup and information. I wish everyone the best of luck in 2011. May your big ones grow big and your orange ones grow orange.   Sunday, March 20 View Page Dave Bednarski and I got this new toy. Drainage has been getting worse and worse over the last 4 years. This ripped the hardpan down real deep.   Sunday, March 20 View Page After Subsoiler   Monday, April 18 View Page 467.2 Gerhardt was started Sat April 9, germinated Monday April 11. Backup 467.2 was started Wed. April 13, germinated Friday April 15. Started the following seeds Sunday April 17: 1332 Wolf (2), 1193.7 Snyder (2), 923 Gerhardt (2), 921.5 Rosa (2), 766.5* Gerhardt (4).   Wednesday, April 20 View Page Both 1332 Wolf, both 921.5 Rosa, both 1193 Snyder, all four 766.5* Gerhardt and 1 of 2 923 Gerhardts germinated on Tuesday and were moved into pots. The pots are filled with Promix mixed with pumpkin pro myco and were watered with 1 TBSP Neptune's fish/ seaweed mixed into 2 liters of water. The 467.2 Gerhardt will be ready to transplant into its hoop house around Sunday or so.   Monday, April 25 View Page On Saturday we colored easter eggs with my neice. Guess which one is mine?   Monday, May 2 View Page 1332 Wolf (A) set out April 30   Monday, May 2 View Page 923 Gerhardt set out April 30; only hoop with soil cables   Monday, May 2 View Page 921.5 Rosa double planted. Both plants are far behind the others.   Monday, May 2 View Page 1332 Wolf (B) set out April 30. This hoop is shorter and longer than the others.   Monday, May 2 View Page 766.5* Gerhardt double planted April 30. These are way ahead of any of the other plants.   Monday, May 2 View Page 1193.7 Snyder double planted April 30.   Monday, May 2 View Page NOT soda. 2 liters water, 1/4 teaspoon Merit, 1/4 Tablespoon Bifen IT, 1 Tablespoon Neptunes fish/seaweed, and 1 Tablespoon Humic Acid. I got nervous after hearing about the seed corn maggots and this is the first time I've watered in with pesticide. Each plant or in the case of double planting got 1 2-liter bottle.   Monday, May 2 View Page View from the guest bedroom window this morning.   Monday, May 16 View Page Saturday May 14: 923 Gerhardt   Tuesday, June 14 View Page On Saturday, 921.5 Rosa and 766.5 Gerhardt   Tuesday, June 14 View Page On Sunday, 923 Gerhardt   Monday, June 20 View Page 1332 Wolf. Maybe last pics of any plants other than 923 Gerhardt. Time to start the sandbagging.   Monday, June 20 View Page 1193 Snyder. I hit the patch with roundup yesterday.   Monday, June 20 View Page 923 Gerhardt. There is one pollinated at around 12 feet last Tuesday with the 1332 Wolf. All the other plants, I decided to let get really big first. Now I am ready and all mainvine females are open season.   Monday, June 20 View Page 766.5* Gerhardt   Monday, June 20 View Page 921.5 Rosa. This plant has a stump in new soil where I expanded the patch. After around 6-7 feet it enters the older soil.   Monday, June 20 View Page 1332 Wolf #2. Not nearly as nice as #1.   Tuesday, June 21 View Page This morning I pollinated the 923 Gerhardt with the 1332 Wolf and reverse. Both were somewhere in the 12-14 foot optimal range. 3 males uses for each. I think the 923 was 5 lobes and the 1332 4 lobes but it was pouring rain and quite frankly I don't give a damn. It means nothing anyways.   Wednesday, June 22 View Page I pollinated the 921.5 Rosa x 923 Gerhardt today, 5 lobes around 10ft out.   Thursday, June 23 View Page 766.5* Gerhardt had 2 open on the mainvine same day today. I selfed both of them. They are around 10 and 12 feet. I have never seen a deformed blossom like this and they both looked like this. Will it take and grow a regular fruit??? Also, 1332 Wolf (plant #2) x 921.5 Rosa today. 10 feet or so.   Friday, June 24 View Page Today I pollinated the 1193 Snyder with the 1332 Wolf, around 12-14ft 5 lobes. I now have pollinations on all 6 of my main plants, hopefully they take.   Saturday, June 25 View Page Today I pollinated the 1332 (plant 1) with the 923, about 3 feet further than the first pollination, which is growing nice. 4 lobes.   Monday, June 27 View Page Today I pollinated the second female on the 1193 with the 1332 Wolf, the third female on the 923 with the 1332 Wolf, and the second female on the 1332 (plant #2) with the 921.5 Rosa. I spent the weekend weeding and burying vines.   Thursday, June 30 View Page Vine burying mix: 1/2 patch soil, 1/2 aged mushroom soil, 1 cup pumpkin pro myco. Some loads also had coffee grounds.   Monday, July 18 View Page July 17, day 26 for the 1332 Wolf: 107" circ.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page This year's sunflowers   Thursday, July 21 View Page I sure wish us eastern growers could learn how to sandbag as good as them guys down in Southeastern PA.   Thursday, July 21 View Page Southwestern PA. Them guys are getting in my head with all that rainfall and cool temps.   Thursday, July 21 View Page My 923 Gerhardt looking very nice 98" circ day 30.   Thursday, July 21 View Page My 1332 Wolf on day 30. I think I might pull the plant its just not getting it done.   Tuesday, July 26 View Page Sunday July 24: 1193 Snyder day 30 = 112" circ. Crossed with 1332 Wolf.   Monday, August 8 View Page 1332 Wolf day 47.   Monday, August 8 View Page 923 Gerhardt Day 47.   Tuesday, August 9 View Page Vacation took its toll on my patch. I am overcome with cucumber beetles, squash bug eggs, PM and ghost vines a mile long. I got the crap vines all cleared out of 1 1/2 of my remaining main plants and sprayed hard on the bugs and disease. Sprayed 8 Tbs Daconil, 8 Tbs Eagle 20 and 6 Tbs Bifen in 4 gallons to the entire patch. I should have plenty of weeds to show off for the MAGPG patch tour this Saturday. And a few big pumpkins too.   Sunday, August 21 View Page 1332 Wolf day 60. I crossed this one with the 923 Gerhardt that just so happens to be growing one of the most perfectly round and orange specimens I have ever seen.   Sunday, August 21 View Page 766.5* Gerhardt squash. Day 58 and taping 805 lbs.   Sunday, August 21 View Page One of many off the 7.33 Hunt.   Friday, August 26 View Page I realized that I did not make an important announcement. I asked Missy to marry me and she said yes! She demanded that we have a giant pumpkin at the wedding. Just one of the reasons why I love her.   Tuesday, August 30 View Page Shane and I successfully protected the big patch from the creek during Irene, which is only about 30 yards from our lowest plant. Shane has a real nice 766.5* Gerhardt going on that plant.   Tuesday, September 6 View Page Last shot of me and the 1332 pumpkin. Irene was just too much for it and it developed a soft spot in a bottom rib. I could not hang onto this one for Roba farms so it was time to weigh it. Final measurements are 165.5-108-104.5 for estimated weight of 1,130 lbs.   Tuesday, September 6 View Page The best thing about this hobby is the great friends you make along the way. Kevin Snyder and Vanessa made the long trip to help me, Shane and Dave construct a new tripod and weigh the pumpkin.   Tuesday, September 6 View Page Bittersweet victory: actual weight 1,217 lbs.   Monday, September 12 View Page Another .5 inches of rain last night puts us 22 inches over normal. It was dry enough during the day to open up the 1217 Gerhardt and move it out of the patch. Unfortunately there was only a handful of good seeds.   Wednesday, September 21 View Page Well, after the first major week of weighoffs I am still in first place for GPC squash, with my 871 pounder weighed at Roba Farms and grown from the 766.5* Gerhardt. I don't think I will last thru the weekend though. I also collected a 9th place award for my 1,039.5 pounder grown from the 1193 Snyder. The 871 went 16% heavy and the 1039.5 went 22% heavy.   Wednesday, September 21 View Page When in doubt, plant a 923. Then cross it with the 1332 Wolf that ended up producing my 1,217 pounder!   Thursday, September 22 View Page No wonder the 1039.5 went +22%   Thursday, September 22 View Page Look at the walls vs. my tiny hands. Sorry, if you want one of these you will need an actual 1193 Snyder. I got skunked on seeds from this one. Tough year for seeds.   Friday, September 23 View Page Shane and I inspect the 921.5 Rosa prior to loading. Yep, it's good!   Friday, September 23 View Page Cooperstown, here we come!   Monday, September 26 View Page 635.5 Gerhardt 2011- 921.5 Rosa x 1332 Wolf. Estimated weight was 605.   Monday, October 3 View Page 635.5 Gerhardt delivered to the Interops IT convention in NYC. Hope to see the seeds back in a couple of days. 921.5 Rosa x 1332 Wolf.   Monday, October 3 View Page Shane Miller and I harvested our pumpkins for sale today. The one in the front and the one in the back left are 923 Gerhardt.   Monday, October 3 View Page More pumpkins for sale. Most of these are 467.2 Gerhardt.   Monday, October 3 View Page More pumpkins for sale. Both off the 923 Gerhardt between 4-500 lbs. each.   Monday, October 3 View Page Welcome home!   Monday, October 10 View Page Shane and Sharlen held their annual Halloween party in conjunction with the parade. We took a small 923 and made a beer cooler!   Monday, October 10 View Page Shane grew this one off the 467.2 Gerhardt. After he removed the smaller one up on the deck, his main pumpkin blew up. Then he set this one as a late backup. The one on the deck turned orange and never got soft.   Tuesday, October 11 View Page Correction required: I posted the wrong cross twice for the 635.3 Gerhardt. It is actually 921.5 Rosa x 923 Gerhardt (back crossed). Not sure if that adds or removes value. It probably doesn't matter since there were only about 20 good seeds in this pumpkin also. Tough year for pumpkins, even tougher year for seeds :(   Monday, October 17 View Page 811 Gerhardt 2011. 923 Gerhardt x 1332 Wolf. 1332 pollinator produced my orange 1217. Went 13% heavy not bad for an orange one like this.   Monday, October 17 View Page 811 Gerhardt 2011   Monday, October 17 View Page 811 Gerhardt 2011   Monday, October 17 View Page 760* Miller grown from the 766.5* Gerhardt won top squash. What a great first year for Shane Miller.   Wednesday, November 9 View Page A couple more pics of my 811. I eyeballed about 150 seeds in this one which are almost ready(923 Gerhardt x 1332 Wolf). Anyone who had asked for a seed already I can take care of. Any new requests after this posting will need to go thru the MAGPG membership seed package route. They will be in there. midatlanticgpg@gmail.com for membership info. There will also be some big weight seeds in this year's packs too!   Wednesday, November 9 View Page Another of the 811. Pollinator 1332 produced my 1217.   Thursday, November 17 View Page Here are some pics of the 635.3 Carved by Farmer Mike.   Thursday, November 17 View Page Step 1   Thursday, November 17 View Page Next..   Thursday, November 17 View Page Almost done..   Thursday, November 17 View Page Here is the 811 Carved by Hugh mcMahon. This is the charactor Catrina which is assocaited with the theme, Mexican Day of the Dead.