Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 66 Entries. Saturday, January 1 View Page Annual New Years Day Overhead Patch Shot: Taking many different approaches this year starting with a Shortened Diary, only a few updates here and there.   Tuesday, February 1 View Page 1st of the month update. Haven't officially decided what to grow this season, but will probably decide on 2 of these 6.   Saturday, March 5 View Page I have given up on soaker hoses so I will try a different watering system this year. Not cheap, but should last for years and years. Parts, parts, and still more parts to collect.   Saturday, April 2 View Page Finished half of my Thad Starr Sprinkler System today minus the Sprinklers which will be ordered soon. Each half will exist of 16 Micros.   Sunday, April 10 View Page Finally mailed out my soil sample yesterday and finished the other half of the sprinkler system. Cut down the winter rye the other day and threw a pile in the compost bin, all the rest got tilled in today.   Friday, April 22 View Page Soil test Results came back last night. I honestly have no clue what to think of my results....any advice would be appreciated.   Friday, April 22 View Page Gotta work around the weather this spring....Much more rain in the coming week, so figured it would be best to start working on my planting sites on this cool dry day and try to keep them somewhat dry in the next week or 2. Not digging down as far this year, maybe just 8" to lay the heating cables out next week and then backfill with the current and some Town compost I will pickup next week.   Saturday, April 30 View Page Same Patch.....Different Layout. Hoops are prepped and heating cables have been fired up. I have decided my germination skills are terrible so I am having another local grower start them for me tomorrow. I am hoping for a May 8th transplanting.   Sunday, May 8 View Page Planting Day: Left Hoop....1506 Hopkins (1421 Stelts x 1140 Stevens)Right Hoop....1566 Rodonis (1450 Wallace x 1231 Pukos) 1st Proven seed ever to see my patch. Backups in 3 gallon pots: 1040.4 Wolf (985 Werner x 1544 Revier) and 1536 Marsh (1180 Pukos x 1161 Rodonis) Anything less than 1000 pounds out of my patch this year will be failure.... Best Of Luck To You All, Let The Games Begin !   Monday, May 30 View Page Shortened diary = only a few updates here and there. 1506 Hopkins - The main is growing straight up on this plant and has me worried. I already removed the 2nd true leaf this morning and may need to remove the Large leaf on the top of picture to get the main to fall down west.   Monday, May 30 View Page 1566 Rodonis - I would say my best growing plant ever this early in the game. Looks like she will fall in somewhat of the right direction.   Saturday, June 4 View Page Last year, they were down and stunting. They're down now, lets see what they decide to do this year?   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Vine burrying season has begun here. After a year like last year, I forgot how much time and effort goes into pruning, training, and burrying. Man, I have to find a new hobby.   Thursday, June 16 View Page First mistake of the season Wednesday night :( Should be an interesting next day or two.   Friday, June 17 View Page Mains out about 10' now.....still shooting for minimum 13' out pollinations this year. Pitchfork or xmas tree? Still not sure yet. Note to Jeremy: NO MORE FERTILIZER UNTIL AFTER POLLINATION !!!!!   Monday, June 20 View Page This Sprinkler System is pretty cool!!!! Here is Bills 1566.....under ALOT of stress the last few days, wilted and sunburnt leaves on a few vines. Main out 12'.....I will pollinate the next female that show up :)   Thursday, June 23 View Page Put out my SVB Traps today....Gonna try to keep them from destroying my "Salad"   Friday, June 24 View Page Bought this in the spring of 2010, but unfortunately didnt have any real use for it last year. My replacement gas cap arrived today, and plants are getting too big to use a small 1 gallon tank sprayer with so almost time to fire up this toy. This will be the first year I terminate side vines before I pollinate.....they have reached their 11' boundarys. Should have something to pollinate next week sometime, even if they are not in the best locations.   Saturday, June 25 View Page Attention WNY....If you havent seen them yet, they're here....found these 2 in my trap today.   Sunday, June 26 View Page Overhead as of Sunday What started off as a good season has recently been nothing but one cluster**** after another.   Thursday, June 30 View Page First OPEN pollination today on the 1566. Unfortunately she was not 1 of the 11 I had seen as I notice her flower open at 5pm today. Looks like she was burried. I am sure she wont take, so I will keep an eye on the other 11 females before I start culling.....Maybe I can reach 100 pounds in my salad patch, lol. What a year!!!!!!!   Thursday, June 30 View Page Gonna hopefully have some fun tomorrow morning....even if I end up with nothing this year! Hopefully I grab some more pollen on my road trip tomorrow afternoon!   Friday, July 1 View Page Looks like 1 pollination on the 1506 Saturday morning, a possible a few more in the next few days after that.   Friday, July 1 View Page 3 pollinations Saturday morning, and plenty more to come throughout the week on the 1566.   Wednesday, July 6 View Page Something must have been hungry over the night :(   Wednesday, July 6 View Page This was empty less than 2 hours ago   Wednesday, July 6 View Page Will pollinate my first and only chance on the “Secondary Main” or whatever you all want to call it on the 1566 Thursday morning. About 17’ out from stump. 1’ in front of her is where the vine was chewed off Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Most of the 11’ sides behind her are terminated. If she takes, I will try some sort of pitchfork pattern…if she does not…there may be a repeat of last year ?   Thursday, July 7 View Page Vines really got out of control last night/today after the 1.5" of rain we had yesterday afternoon. If I had not lost my mains 2 weeks ago, The patch probably would have been filled in but I would say in another week or 2, all my soil should be covered in green.   Thursday, July 7 View Page Another view from the rear corner of my city backyard. Although these are not the healthiest plants I have ever grown......they are indeed the largest. Lower plant is the 1566. I finished pollinating her this morning, and unfortuantely only 1 of those 4 are on the secondary main, the others are all on sides atleast 8-12' out from stump. She is not the healthiest of the 2 plants here. Lots of LARGE crispy leaves and the older leaves are looking nasty. Upper plant is healthier, but only has 1 pollination so far. Her first 1 on her secondary main wont open for another 4-6 days I am guessing. I am guessing its alittle late to hit my 1000 pound goal.....   Monday, July 11 View Page Finally pollinated the 1st female on the 1506 secondary vine about 17' out this morning. Better late than never.   Thursday, July 14 View Page It amazes me how once you deadend side vines, these things pop up out of nowheres.....I swear this 2.5' sucker vine wasnt there there last night before I went to work.   Sunday, July 17 View Page Final Late pollination on the 1506 this morning....Final Late Pollination on the 1566 tomorrow morning.............Another tough year.   Saturday, July 23 View Page Here is the 1506 secondary main fruit at day 12 today 17' out. Wheel shaped, but I dont like the stem angle even after we repositioned her today. Her older side vine sister (who is also a wheel) is growing much faster at day 14. I've read stem stress with wheels is tough. I refuse to cull this main fruit but the other is growing too fast to cull. Looks like for the first time, I may leave both on to grow.   Sunday, July 24 View Page I'm running out of room here.......and terminating everything is of no option yet.   Monday, July 25 View Page Decisions Decisions Decisions......but I know the longer I wait, the harder it will be :(   Tuesday, July 26 View Page Have I mentioned it's been a tough year? Well it just got tougher this morning. That was the hardest thing I have ever done in this hobby since I started growing back in 2008 :(   Wednesday, July 27 View Page A few days too late for that Heaviest culling contest you talked about Andy....but how about a largest leaf contest? If this isnt big enough.....I got bigger also!   Wednesday, July 27 View Page I always try to pick off 3rd stage growth while burying, but finding these burried at leaf nodes where pop-ups have been seen. A few have had golf ball size females in them. No way would I have missed them.....   Sunday, July 31 View Page Day 20 today on my 1506. I thought my leaning wheel in 2009 was scary.....and the low short stem and vine curve here don't help. Yes Christine......This thing is "Worrying" me :)   Tuesday, August 2 View Page 1566 - Day 26. This is currently the larger of my 2, but the younger 1506 wheel, bird bath or whatever it's called is gaining ground very quick.   Friday, August 5 View Page 1506 Day 25   Friday, August 5 View Page Stem View..........Gotta love it! Gonna try to support her better today. More 2x4's and foam.   Saturday, August 6 View Page So my neighbor brings me over a water pump yesterday so I can finally start pumping whatever I want through my micro sprinklers from my barrel.... (something I should have been doing since May). Most vines pretty much deadended now....maybe 2 or 3 on each plant still left going. 1566 - Day 30 today   Monday, August 8 View Page Got one of the heaters back out today that I use to heat my hoops....only thing is this time it's on fan mode.....there's a first time for everything!   Wednesday, August 10 View Page 1506 - Day 30   Wednesday, August 10 View Page OTT = No clue, but one thing I do know........   Wednesday, August 10 View Page ......this is one Ugly Beyotch   Monday, August 15 View Page 1506 Day 35.....She's ribbing out !!!!!   Monday, August 15 View Page I've never grown a fruit with ribs.......she's filling out!!   Monday, August 15 View Page My 1566 - Day 39 today....she was the bigger one but seems to be slowing down. And yes.....I'm gonna have some shoulder/vine issues with this thing VERY soon.   Tuesday, August 16 View Page I planned on giving 40 day measurements today, but I was informed the other night that I had "Lost My Tape" ;) Until I come across it, let the long, stressful, crazy, wild ride continue.........   Friday, August 19 View Page 1506 Day 39 today......I'm gonna look for my tape tonight. If I can find it, Im gonna try to take a somewhat accurate OTT measurement on day 40 tomorrow.   Friday, August 19 View Page North End View   Sunday, August 21 View Page 1566 Day 45 - Alot of First Time things this year. She has developed a Dill Ring on 1 side of her blossom end. This is the most lopsided fruit I've ever seen. What scares me more are the vine/shoulder issues going on.....rubbing and no slack at all.   Thursday, August 25 View Page Sometimes, "First Time" things are good.....sometimes not....but when you have to grab something like this, its usually not :(   Thursday, August 25 View Page I did'nt want to be the next New Yorker to have to say "Bummer". This one hurts :(   Thursday, August 25 View Page Today was Day 49...She stopped growing on Day 46....Final OTT measurements....146.5 / 97 / 95 = 338.5 = Est 815#   Thursday, August 25 View Page On the other side.....I am having a very hard time consistently taping this thing in the same spot around her circumference....her side to side, and front to back measurements havent changed much in the last 5-6 days. Looks like she is getting more bumps and grooves only, but even that is hard to tell in the pictures I take of her every couple days now My point here is - I'm not really sure if she is still growing. I am guessing somewhere around 340 OTT on day 45.   Friday, August 26 View Page Up early to start cleaning up the patch....one last picture of me with my UOW DMG Est 815#   Friday, August 26 View Page Bye Bye Plant...   Friday, August 26 View Page Pulled the big stump, 11' of main vine and 6' of a secondary main vine i had to train in late June = 17' out.   Friday, August 26 View Page 1" wide from skin to internal Dill Ring crack....and the dill ring looks like it went along the whole bottom of fruit....I am guessing it would have cracked and started leaking eventually even if the blossom didnt decide to pop.   Friday, August 26 View Page My dad added up the weights while I was cutting and placing on scale....we figured about 847# Off to his backyard tomorrow to RIP.   Friday, September 2 View Page Yup, this is all I have left. Day 52 today and for some strange reason, I have a feeling she is still putting on about 16 a day......16 oz. that is :) One of the ugliest I've ever seen being over 4-1/2' wide, but one thought always comes to my mind as I read Pap mentioned before, "This aint no beauty contest". I feel I have a very good chance at beating my Personal Best from 2009 if she makes it another 4 weeks and is solid on the bottom. And if she goes a good 15% heavy or close, I may just reach my Goal.   Tuesday, September 13 View Page Two consecutive seasons with nothing going to Weighoffs. Here is what is left of my 1506 Hopkins. She blew her blossom open On Saturday the 3rd. She was fine at 8am but at Noon, was done for. We weighed her in this past weekend before I chopped her up. So did I beat my Personal Best from 2009? I would say Yes and No. 938 Robinson DMG   Thursday, November 10 View Page No matter how much bad luck I've had in this hobby, I refuse to give up. Ready to go Green in 2012