Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 389 Entries. Friday, February 25 View Page Strong winds, damp & turning colder as the day goes by today. Not a good day for working on the patch so I figured it would be a good time to get a 2011 diary started. I am doing a lot of work on my patch to improve my soil and also to expand the size as much as I can. I will control the size of my vines this year and should be able to fit 10 nice ones in this garden.This will allow each plant something over 300 sq ft. And no more plastic for me. This year my plant roots will be treated much better than that. I think I will have a lineup of some world class seeds and am looking forward to making some very nice crosses. Thanks to all who have helped me with seeds & if I am unable to grow the ones you sent me I am sorry. I have a lot more really good seeds than I have hills to plant them in. I just hope I have good germination rates this year. I think I will though as I have readjusted my incubator temperature and was 5 for 5 on a test germination. I have it set at 98 degrees.I am bidding on a lot with a single 239 Leonard. I hope I win and am able to grow this one.Springtime fun is on the way!   Monday, February 28 View Page The now famous 239 Leonard watermelon which grew the world record 291 Kent. I am hoping to grow a plant from this melon this year.   Wednesday, March 9 View Page Marvin Mitchell with his 255.I was very fortunate enough to get hold of a few seeds to grow from this very proven melon.   Wednesday, March 9 View Page Another picture of Marvin's 255.   Wednesday, March 9 View Page Me with the world record 291 Kent.This one has great genetics and should throw some heavy melons.   Wednesday, March 9 View Page Here is the 267 Pleasant, another seed I will be growing this 2011 season. Lots of potential here.   Friday, March 25 View Page My daughter hoeing some amendments into the soil. She is helping with the patch and will have a few plants of her own this year. Her $10.00 to join the GWG will be on the way soon.   Friday, March 25 View Page It has been a long hard process but my soil is starting to get how I want it.   Saturday, March 26 View Page Rained out again! How am I ever going to have the best soil for growing melons if the rain keeps driving me out of the garden?   Saturday, March 26 View Page The other side of my garden.Actually it is coming along pretty well. I added some compost, cow manure,coffee grounds and perlite today.   Sunday, March 27 View Page Soil amendments I have to add soon   Sunday, March 27 View Page secret ingredient   Sunday, March 27 View Page a closer look   Sunday, March 27 View Page secret ingredient :)   Wednesday, March 30 View Page Putting another layer of perlite down.   Wednesday, March 30 View Page New secret ingredient. Shhhhh.....LOL   Wednesday, March 30 View Page I purchased 200 pounds of kelp powder. I hope it works as well as some growers say it does.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Everything is starting to green up here in Tennessee. This is part of my front yard.   Thursday, March 31 View Page A beautiful Japanese maple in my front yard.   Thursday, March 31 View Page This pear tree is in full bloom. I just planted it two years ago and am looking forward to some tasty pears this fall.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Adding 600 pounds of cracked corn to my patch.   Thursday, March 31 View Page I empty the 50 pound sacks into a wheelbarrow and then scoop them into a bucket and spread the corn by hand.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Adding peat moss.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Lots of peat moss added. Now if I just had it worked into the soil.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Next item going in is 600 pounds of bone meal.I bought 30 of these 20 pound bags.   Thursday, March 31 View Page Bone meal has been added.   Friday, April 1 View Page I have added hundreds of bags of this amendment of humus and cow manure over the past few months.I put the last of it on the patch today.   Friday, April 1 View Page It snowed on my patch last night.   Friday, April 1 View Page Err... what I meant to say was "another layer of perlite going down". Today I applied 150 pounds of dried molasses.   Friday, April 1 View Page I also added 150 pounds of alfalfa meal along with 200 pounds of kelp meal and 150 pounds of potash and I am applying 150 pounds of cottonseed meal tomorrow. That should about wrap it up for soil amendments this year.   Sunday, April 3 View Page Oh yeah, I forgot to mention adding 400 pounds of dolomitic limestone.   Sunday, April 3 View Page I've spent the last 2 days turning my soil over and working all the added amendments into it. I hope to finish this Monday or Tuesday.   Thursday, April 7 View Page My front yard from my driveway.   Thursday, April 7 View Page My neighbors Sycamore tree.   Thursday, April 7 View Page Lined off and nearly ready to plant.   Thursday, April 7 View Page Middle view of patch.   Thursday, April 7 View Page Left hand side of patch.   Thursday, April 7 View Page Pam and I in the patch a few days ago,posing.   Thursday, April 7 View Page Pam & I with the 207 Masterson two years ago at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville.   Sunday, April 10 View Page This is a 100 Masterson. It has been growing since February. I got it too close too a grow light and burnt the cots a bit & after that I left it in cold temps a lot.As you can see it is very stunted just now. I think it is starting to come out of it though. My 207 plant was under similar stress early on and did fairly well. If this one takes off good in the next few weeks I may let it grow. :0)   Sunday, April 10 View Page A picture of my patch this afternoon.   Sunday, April 10 View Page East side of patch.   Sunday, April 10 View Page West side of patch.   Friday, April 15 View Page Right side of patch.   Friday, April 15 View Page Middle of patch.   Friday, April 15 View Page Left side of patch.   Friday, April 15 View Page 291 Kent.   Friday, April 15 View Page 211 Boyette.   Friday, April 15 View Page 35 Kent.   Friday, April 15 View Page 230 Edwards.   Friday, April 15 View Page 100 Masterson.   Friday, April 15 View Page 113 Kent.   Friday, April 15 View Page 239 Leonard.   Friday, April 15 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Friday, April 15 View Page 198 White.   Friday, April 15 View Page 157 Bright 1st generation offspring.   Friday, April 15 View Page 285 Edwards.   Friday, April 15 View Page 231 Mitchell.   Saturday, April 16 View Page 267 Edwards.This replaces the 157 Bright first generation offspring. It just seems like a better choice to me.   Saturday, April 16 View Page Earlier post of this picture should have read 193 White.   Monday, April 18 View Page My front yard early yesterday morning.   Monday, April 18 View Page My rhododendrons are starting to bloom.   Friday, April 22 View Page I have placed several bricks at the top and sides of my plants to keep heavy rains from washing the soil from around the base of the plants. I think this will work well.I have had no problem in the past due to using plastic but this year i am thinking of going bare dirt to let the soil breathe good. If weeds are too big of a problem I may have to turn to landscaping fabric.   Saturday, April 23 View Page Plants I currently have growing.   Monday, April 25 View Page A short but very hard rain this evening washed part of my soil away .... again. Let's see, no landscaping fabric equals dirty plants, washed away soil & a huge weed problem. Hmmmm .... call me lazy but I am now thinking more seriously about using something to cover the bare dirt with.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page The 291 Kent is healthy and growing slowly again after almost dying from stem rot.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page The 211 Boyette is still my best growing plant.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is the 209 Thornton which replaced the 35 Kent I lost to stem rot.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page My 113 Kent.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is a different 100 Masterson as I put in a fresher plant and moved the one I started in late February to the side of the patch.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 230 Edwards.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 239 Leonard looking good and growing nicely.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 255 Mitchell.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 197 Leonard which replaces the 193 White in my main patch.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 264 Kent is coming along.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 285 Edwards.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 267 Edwards. It had small cots and has been a slow grower. I plan on being very patient with this one.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is my 193 White, now relegated to the top of the patch.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 191 Holloway.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is the 211 Leonard I will use to pollinate the 197 Leonard with. I may also do the reverse cross.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 145 Bhaskaran.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 194 Brinkley.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 259.2 Kent.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 162 Holloway.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 191.5 Bhaskaran   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 120 Bhaskaran.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is the 120 Bhaskaran. The last one was actually the 191.5 Bhaskaran.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is the 100 Masterson I started in late February. I moved it to the side of the patch since it is an old plant. it is starting to grow well though.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page This is the 99 Gunter. It is a 239 Leonard x self.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page #1 Holloway. I don't know anything about this one's genetics.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 211 Dawson. This one was grown from the 211 Boyette.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 157 Bright 1st generation offspring. This seed came as part of a lot I won in an auction.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 221 Edwards.   Wednesday, April 27 View Page 149.5 White.   Monday, May 2 View Page Right side of patch. I have put down landscaping fabric.   Monday, May 2 View Page Left side of patch.I have replaced 7 of the 12 plants in my main patch.I did several things wrong and have had some die or become stunted. So I have put in healthier plants with may not be genetically as good. Let's see; I started plants too early. I put my plants in the garden too early. I failed to cover them up when it was too cold at night or when we had the hail storm. I guess I am lucky to have anything at all. I have lost or replaced my 239 Leonard, my 264 Kent, my 291 Kent, my 285 Edwards, my 267 Edwards, my 193 White and my 209 Thornton. I have replaced these with a 162 Holloway, a 99 Gunter, a 100 Masterson, a 120 Bhaskaran, a 194 Brinkley, a 197 Leonard and a 211 Leonard.The remaining plants that were not replaced are: 230 Edwards,211 Boyette, 100 masterson, 113 Kent, and 255 Mitchell.   Monday, May 2 View Page Here is one example of what I am doing. The small plant is the 291 Kent. It nearly died from too cold and too wet weather. Then a hail stone knocked off one of it's cots. So it is a very small and struggling plant at the moment. I know it is early and I could wait for this one to grow. However I choose to go with a healthier plant as I want to do early pollination on plants that already have some size to them. The replacement plant is the 162 Holloway.   Monday, May 2 View Page The 162 Holloway with the 230 Edwards on the other side of it.My top 2 rows will be growing back to back.   Monday, May 2 View Page My 211 Boyette is still my fastest growing plant. The 100 Masterson beside it is doing well also.   Monday, May 2 View Page Plant on the left is my 194 Brinkley and on the right is my 113 Kent.   Monday, May 2 View Page This is my 197 Leonard. I received my Leonard seeds just a few days ago and it looks very healthy and is growing well. This may make a late melon for me.   Monday, May 2 View Page My 255 Mitchell. I am very happy this plant is doing OK.   Monday, May 2 View Page 100 Masterson. This is the plant I started in late February. I have moved it several times. It has made it's second appearance into the main patch as it seems to be growing well and seems healthy.   Monday, May 2 View Page This is my 120 Bhaskaran. It has been a strong grower.   Monday, May 2 View Page This is my 211 Leonard which was the pollinator of the 197 Leonard that grew the 239 Leonard. I think I will be using this one plus the 113 Kent and the 255 Mitchell as pollinators this year.   Thursday, May 12 View Page My 193 White at the right side of the top of my garden.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 191 Holloway is next in the top row. I will list them in order. I may grow theses plants at the top for some hopefully good crosses. I don't think they physically will have what it takes to win contests due to where they are in my yard and the fact they will have to be very small plants.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 221 Edwards.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 145 Bhaskaran.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 209 Thornton.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 259.2 Kent.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 291 Kent.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 157 Bright x open.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 151 Leonard,this is the last CC that I have germinated this year.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 194 Brinkley, from here on these are pictures of the plants in the main part of the garden.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 113 Kent.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 211 Boyette.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 100 Masterson.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 285 Edwards.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 162 Holloway.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 230 Edwards.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 231 Mitchell and 99 Gunter growing together.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 197 Leonard.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 211 Leonard.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 267 Pleasant, I had 7 (267) seeds and used them all to get one healthy plant so this one is very late. Next year I will germinate in larger quantities and not worry about trying to conserve seeds.These 7 seeds were all germinated one seed at a time.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 120 Bhaskaran, this has been a very healthy plant for me so far.   Thursday, May 12 View Page 2nd 100 Masterson plant.   Thursday, May 12 View Page A view from above.   Thursday, May 12 View Page I have a few extra plants if anyone needs them.   Thursday, May 12 View Page A side view of the 211 Boyette. It's about ready to fall to the ground and take off.   Thursday, May 12 View Page This is the #2 100 Masterson.The fourth entry back is obviously a repeat picture of the 120 Bhaskaran.   Friday, May 13 View Page 149.5 White I transplanted into a big pot. Perhaps it will grow me something good to eat.   Friday, May 13 View Page I transplanted the 99 Gunter into a bigger pot and will save it for a while as a backup plant.   Friday, May 13 View Page 285 Edwards is looking a little better every day.   Friday, May 13 View Page 291 Kent one day after being transplanted back into the main garden.   Friday, May 13 View Page 194 Brinkley one day after being dug up and transplanted back to the side of the patch.   Friday, May 13 View Page 211 Boyette - my biggest plant at the moment.   Friday, May 13 View Page First 100 Masterson plant. This one is growing beside the Boyette and is my second largest plant. It seems like later plants sometimes grow the largest melons though. Perhaps it is a good thing that I am not as far along with my plants as I wanted to be at this time.   Friday, May 13 View Page After rereading an old post 2 pages back on the watermelon growers forum I have traded out my 267 Pleasant and my 221 Edwards.The post was "what are the most sought after watermelon seeds" and the 267 Pleasant wasn't mentioned at all. Marvin listed the 221 Edwards as one of the available seeds that is in demand and so I decided to make this change.This is a pict of the 221 in it's new location.   Friday, May 13 View Page And here is a picture of the 267 Pleasant in it's new location at the top side of the patch. If I keep chopping off roots to move plants around I'll be lucky to get a melon at all! Seriously though I hope I am now done with moving plants around and I think I am. I know it isn't a healthy practice for the plants; but, I always do it thinking I am doing a change to make an improvement.So far moving them around seems to not have effected the moved plants much.   Sunday, May 15 View Page 211 Boyette this morning. It's running in 3 directions already and I'm already pinching out new unwanted growth.   Sunday, May 15 View Page 255 Mitchel is starting to grow vertical and is gaining good health.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Patch view from ground level.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Right side of patch.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Middle of patch.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Left side of patch.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Pam spraying a foliar solution on our plants this morning.   Sunday, May 15 View Page Me in the patch doing a little watering.   Wednesday, May 18 View Page My patch today. It's been very cool and cloudy the past several days so growth has been slow.   Wednesday, May 18 View Page The other side of the patch.   Thursday, May 19 View Page One of my blueberry plants.   Saturday, May 21 View Page This is the first warm and sunny day in about a week. Plants have been stalled. The weather is supposed to be a lot better ahead so I think growth will start picking back up.   Monday, May 23 View Page 193 White. This plant is in a very shady spot in my garden. It gets no sunshine until almost noon.   Monday, May 23 View Page 191 Holloway is turning into a nice plant.   Monday, May 23 View Page 267 Pleasant was a very late start.   Monday, May 23 View Page 145 Bhaskaran has been a nice plant so far. I have done a lot of things wrong this year. The latest is spraying my leaves with chelated iron. This has stained and nearly ruined leaves on all of my plants.   Monday, May 23 View Page 209 Thornton. Besides the chelated iron problem I created; I have 1. started too early 2. failed to keep plants warm enough 3. had soil that was out of balance 4. failed to cover up plants when we had a terrible hail storm   Monday, May 23 View Page 259.2 Kent is starting to grow a little.   Monday, May 23 View Page 194 Brinkley has been a strong plant.   Monday, May 23 View Page 157 Bright x open is looking a little better.   Monday, May 23 View Page 151 Leonard was a late start; it just wasn't late enough to avoid being nearly ruined by chelated iron.   Monday, May 23 View Page 113 Kent at top & 291 Kent on the bottom. I am glad I got the 291 back into the main patch. Looks like it and some others will be late plants though.   Monday, May 23 View Page 211 Boyette on the right & 100 Masterson on the left.   Monday, May 23 View Page 285 Edwards. I really thought this one would never make it; but it is growing nicely now. I started spraying with some liquid kelp a few days ago and it is making a BIG difference for me. This is another plant I am very happy to have moved back into the main patch.   Monday, May 23 View Page 285 Edwards on the right,162 Holloway in the middle and 230 Edwards on the left. The 285 will take the upper spot, the 230 will take the lower spot and the 162 will grow into the yard if allowed to remain.   Monday, May 23 View Page 99 Gunter on the right and 231 Mitchell on the left.   Monday, May 23 View Page 255 Mitchell. This plant has been through a lot but is showing signs of improving health.   Monday, May 23 View Page 197 Leonard.   Monday, May 23 View Page 211 Leonard on the left and 211 Dawson on the right.   Monday, May 23 View Page 221 Edwards on the left and 120 Bhaskaran on the right.   Monday, May 23 View Page 100 Masterson. This is the plant i started in late February.   Monday, May 23 View Page 264 Kent. This is another plant I am very happy to have back in the main garden.   Monday, May 23 View Page My second 194 Brinkley. It will be run into the yard if allowed to grow.   Monday, May 23 View Page This is liquid kelp. I am amazed at the growth effect it is having on my plants. This stuff rocks! I have made a new friend for life.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 149.5 White.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 99 Gunter.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 267 Pleasant.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 151 Leonard.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 211 Dawson.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 259.2 Kent.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 157 Bright X open.   Tuesday, May 24 View Page 209 Thornton.   Thursday, May 26 View Page Right side of my patch.   Thursday, May 26 View Page Left side.   Monday, May 30 View Page 267 Edwards, this plant has been through a lot but has held on and beginning to grow.   Monday, May 30 View Page Potted 99 Gunter.   Monday, May 30 View Page 193 White.   Monday, May 30 View Page 191 Holloway,this one has a broken stump that is healing nicely.   Monday, May 30 View Page 267 Pleasant, a late start that is doing well.   Monday, May 30 View Page 145 Bhaskaran.   Monday, May 30 View Page 209 Thornton.   Monday, May 30 View Page 259.2 Kent.   Monday, May 30 View Page 194 Brinkley, this one is growing a new main after I broke the old one off.   Monday, May 30 View Page 157 Bright x open.   Monday, May 30 View Page 151 Leonard, this was the last plant I germinated.   Monday, May 30 View Page 291 Kent.   Monday, May 30 View Page 113 Kent.   Monday, May 30 View Page 211 Boyette.   Monday, May 30 View Page 100 Masterson.   Monday, May 30 View Page 285 Edwards.   Monday, May 30 View Page 162 Holloway.   Monday, May 30 View Page 230 Edwards, this one's main snapped while I was away from the plant so it could have been caused by anything.   Monday, May 30 View Page 99 Gunter, this one has a main snapped and is growing a new one.   Monday, May 30 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Monday, May 30 View Page 197 Leonard.   Monday, May 30 View Page 211 Leonard, a late start & a fast grower.   Monday, May 30 View Page 211 Dawson.   Monday, May 30 View Page 221 Edwards.   Monday, May 30 View Page 120 Bhaskaran.   Monday, May 30 View Page 194 Brinkley #2.   Monday, May 30 View Page 264 Kent.   Monday, May 30 View Page 100 Masterson, this is the one which has been growing since late February.   Monday, May 30 View Page Correction: entry 204 is a picture of my 231 Mitchell.   Tuesday, May 31 View Page 94 degrees out, full sun and high humidity. It was wilting me but not my watermelon plants. Bring on the heat baby.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 193 White. Probably in the worst spot in the garden. It gets no direct sunlight until into the afternoon.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 191 Holloway.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 267 Pleasant.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 145 Bhaskaran.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 209 Thornton.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 259.2 Kent.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 267 Edwards.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 157 Bright X open.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 151 Leonard.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 113 Kent on top & 291 Kent on the bottom.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 100 Masterson on top & 211 Boyette on bottom.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 162 Holloway on right, 230 Edwards in the middle & 285 Edwards on the left.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 99 Gunter on right & 231 Mitchell on the left.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 197 Leonard.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 211 Dawson on the right and badly broken 211 Leonard on the left.   Thursday, June 2 View Page 221 Edwards on the right & 120 Bhaskaran on the left.   Thursday, June 2 View Page Top right 194 Brinkley, middle 264 Kent & left 100 Masterson.   Thursday, June 2 View Page Look closely & you can see the stem break on the 191 Holloway.   Thursday, June 2 View Page I began spraying cactus given to me by my sister with liquid kelp & check out the new growth I am getting.   Sunday, June 5 View Page June 5th already and I just now have my first opened male flower.It is on my 162 Holloway.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 267 Edwards finally starting to look good. I gave it the place of my second 294 Brinkley.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 151 Leonard finally starting to show some growth.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 291 Kent is turning into a nice plant.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 113 Kent.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 100 Masterson & 211 Boyette.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 285 Edwards, 230 Edwards & 162 Holloway.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 231 Mitchell starting to look real nice.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 255 Mitchell starting to get a little size to it.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 197 Leonard looking good for a young plant.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 211 Leonard seems to be recovering from it's bad break.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 211 Dawson, too bad this one isn't in a better spot where it would get more sun.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 221 Edwards.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 264 Kent starting to take off.   Sunday, June 5 View Page Entry 237 should have read "194 Brinkley" instead of 294 ... sorry Chris.   Thursday, June 9 View Page I found these 4 guys dead in my garden this morning. I want to give credit to my rodent traps.   Thursday, June 9 View Page Meet my rodent traps. This is Lucky.   Thursday, June 9 View Page This is Kira.   Thursday, June 9 View Page And this is Smoky. They work for a meal and a little attention; have no days off and no holidays.   Thursday, June 9 View Page East side of my patch this morning.   Thursday, June 9 View Page West side of my patch this morning.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 291 & 113 Kent plants.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 211 Boyette & 100 Masterson plants.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 285 Edwards, 230 Edwards & 162 Holloway. The Holloway has the first female blossom of the season for me. The 211 Boyette also has a female blossom coming on.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 231 Mitchell.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 197 Leonard.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 211 Leonard & 211 Dawson.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 120 Bhaskaran.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 221 Edwards.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 264 Kent on right and 100 Masterson on left.   Thursday, June 9 View Page 194 Brinkley.   Thursday, June 9 View Page Row of 9 seed melon plants. These include 193 White, 191 Holloway, 267 Pleasant, 145 Bhaskaran, 209 Thornton, 259.2 Kent, 267 Edwards, 157 Bright x open, & 151 Leonard.   Thursday, June 9 View Page Some of the 20 tobacco plants I am growing. No, I'm not quite dumb enough to smoke after having recently having stage 4 cancer. My daughter Pam is a smoker and I am trying to save her some cash. She has already been rolling her own from store bought tobacco and likes the idea of having some "handy homegrown".   Saturday, June 11 View Page East side of patch.   Saturday, June 11 View Page West side of patch.   Wednesday, June 15 View Page East side.   Wednesday, June 15 View Page West side.   Tuesday, June 28 View Page The oak tree that crashed into my house June 21. Straight line winds must have been over 100 miles per hour. I have never seen anything like it. about 2/3 of Knox county was left without power making it our largest outage ever by a big margin. The blizzard of 1993 knocked out about 44,000 homes while the blow of June 21, 2011 knocked out about 3 times that many.   Tuesday, June 28 View Page Pam standing on the stump of the tree that hit my home. The power was out for 6 days and my cable and internet was out for 8 days. I feel fortunate no one was hurt and the damage was not worse.   Tuesday, June 28 View Page Me standing in front of the stump of the tree that hit my house. My patch was torn up (again). There are broken and fallen trees everywhere you look throughout Knox county. I had many broken melon vines, including main and finger vines. I refuse to give up though. I will post some new patch pictures soon.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 291 & 113 Kent plants.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 211 Boyette & 100 Masterson plants.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 285 & 230 Edwards plants.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 231 Mitchell.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 255 Mitchell.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 197 Leonard.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 211 Leonard & 211 Dawson.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 230 Edwards & 120 Bhaskaran.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page 264 Kent & 194 Brinkley.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page My first melon that appears it may not abort is this 194 Brinkley x open, pollinated on 6/26. It is just before the spot where the storm broke the main and is on a very small plant that doesn't get much sun.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page Here's a 113 Kent x 291 Kent pollinated on 6/26 that looks like it may grow.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page East side of my patch.   Wednesday, June 29 View Page West side of my patch.   Thursday, June 30 View Page This is pretty much how my whole patch looked after the big storm on June 21. After that we had another storm on June 22 that was almost as bad. A lot of growers like to have their Carolina Cross melons set by July 4 and I will not meet that goal with most of my plants.   Monday, July 4 View Page OK, July 4th is here and I have only this one growing melon. It is in the shadiest place in my garden and is also on the smallest plant in my main garden. It is 8 days post pollination and is only 6" long.I do have other plants producing some females but it's getting late. Well.... there's always next year I guess.   Tuesday, July 5 View Page I dead headed the main on my 285 Edwards hoping that will enhance one of these melons.   Tuesday, July 5 View Page If you will look at the vine where it crosses the coat hanger you will notice the point where my 211 Leonard has repaired the bad break it had on the main a few weeks ago. It is doing well at the moment. It is high and dry and I do not anticipate any future problems from it. We will see.   Tuesday, July 5 View Page If you will look at the small vine in the corner of the patch, you will notice my 194 Brinkley plant. It's still small in size 9 days post pollination.Both vine and melon are growing well and I think the end product may surprise a few people. The much larger vine next to it is my 231 Mitchell which now has a couple of freshly pollinated females on it. I crossed it with my 230 Edwards.I hope these pollinations take.   Saturday, July 9 View Page This may be my best hope for a descent melon. It's on my 211 Boyette & was open pollinated on July 2.At one week it is nearing 8" in length.   Sunday, July 10 View Page This is a new picture of my 211 Boyette. It's now a little over 9" long and doing much better than anything else I have. The 194 Brinkley has slowed way down. Will it stop as 40 pounds ?.... perhaps.   Friday, July 15 View Page The small melon in the picture is my 211 Boyette. At day 13 it is nearing 15" long and a girth of over 32". OTT is 90" so it should make the chart tomorrow. Some of my vines are starting to rot where I have been trying to root them. The stumps are fine but I have to figure out how to get this stopped if I am going to produce a good melon.   Monday, July 18 View Page A Siamese melon on my 100 Masterson.   Monday, July 18 View Page Mega bloom from my 291 Kent I used to pollinate the Siamese embryo on my 100 Masterson.   Monday, July 18 View Page 231 Mitchell pollinated on July 4th.   Monday, July 18 View Page 211 Boyette at 16 days.   Tuesday, July 19 View Page Patch shot today June 19. The 2 shaded melons are hopefuls. They are my 211 Boyette and my 231 Mitchell. The Boyette is at 17 days, 107 OTT and girth is over 33". The mitchell is just behind it at 16 days with a OTT of 102 and a girth of 33".I just need good weather and sound decision making. We'll see.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page Thus is my 231 Mitchell at 18 days. It's OTT = 108".   Wednesday, July 20 View Page 194 Brinkley. I will give it an Indian name and call this one Forty Pounds. OTT = 94". No competition melon here but slow and steady.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page Another view of the 194 Brinkley.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page My muscadines are doing well.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page This is one of my fig trees loading up with figs.   Thursday, July 21 View Page 211 Boyette x open is on day 19 and has a OTT of 116". It's gaining about 5 pounds a day.   Thursday, July 21 View Page Blossom end view of Botette melon.   Thursday, July 21 View Page I am hoping to grow this freak melon just to have an oddity. It's on my 100 Masterson and is pollinated by my 291 Kent.Have any of you other growers seen a melon or pumpkin like this that grew to maturity?   Thursday, July 21 View Page This is the 100 Masterson x 291 Kent Siamese female ovules around pollination time.   Thursday, July 21 View Page This is the freaky looking 291 Kent flower I used to pollinate the 100 Masterson Siamese twins.   Friday, July 22 View Page A pictures of Nuts this morning.   Friday, July 22 View Page I finally, finally had a nice looking set on my 100 Masterson. But I cut it off to give Nuts everything the plant can provide.   Friday, July 22 View Page My 231 Mitchell this morning. It's now 19 days old with a OTT of 116". It has a 2 day gain of 8.8 pounds so I'm not getting anywhere close to what I need to have a winner.   Friday, July 22 View Page Blossom end view of my 231 Mitchell.   Friday, July 22 View Page Forty Pounds is up to 96" OTT for estimate of 32.3 pounds.A 2 day gain of 1.7 pounds. Watch out Mark, at that rate it will pass 40 pounds in about 10 more days. lol   Friday, July 22 View Page Conjoined watermelons from China.   Friday, July 22 View Page Another Chinese conjoined watermelon. I have read these are extremely rare. Mine may be the first ever in a Carolina Cross or in the United States for that matter. Please let me know if you find other examples.   Saturday, July 23 View Page 231 Mitchell, OTT is 119 inches for a 2 day average of 3.5 pounds a day. This isn't at all good.   Saturday, July 23 View Page 231 Mitchell from the blossom end.   Saturday, July 23 View Page A picture of Nuts this morning, now day 4.   Saturday, July 23 View Page A blossom end view of Nuts. Does anyone think I would have a chance of growing this melon in it's present position? I think it would look a lot better if grown on it's edge as that would give the melon a symmetric look about it. Any suggestions would be appreciated.   Saturday, July 23 View Page There are 7 blooms here off the same leaf node. There are several similar examples of the same thing throughout my patch. The use of kelp causes strange things to happen to watermelon plants if you use a lot of it.   Monday, July 25 View Page Here is Nuts this morning. It's now day 6 post pollination and growth is good.   Monday, July 25 View Page Here is a view from the blossom end.   Monday, July 25 View Page One more shot.   Monday, July 25 View Page The tobacco I am growing for Pam is doing well.   Monday, July 25 View Page 100 Masterson at 6 days.   Monday, July 25 View Page My 231 Mitchell is still looking phat at 22 days.   Monday, July 25 View Page My 211 Boyette at 23 days is 128 OTT and doing pretty good.   Monday, July 25 View Page A front end view of this rare melon I am growing. I hope it grows huge but I have little idea what to expect out of it.But if I keep it healthy, I think over 200 pounds is not out of the question by the time for Allardt.   Tuesday, July 26 View Page 211 Boyette this morning. OTT is 130 and still growing slow and steady.   Tuesday, July 26 View Page Nuts (100 Masterson) at 7 days.It seems to be doing good.   Tuesday, July 26 View Page Another day 7 shot of Nuts.   Tuesday, July 26 View Page Another shot.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Will this be the tallest watermelon ever?   Wednesday, July 27 View Page I am still providing support for Nuts but it seems to be standing securely without it.   Thursday, July 28 View Page 100 Masterson, about 9" tall.   Thursday, July 28 View Page Nuts, at nine days post pollination and a little over 9" long.   Sunday, July 31 View Page 211 Boyette, day 29 and 143 OTT. 3 day average of 4.2 pounds.   Sunday, July 31 View Page 231 Mitchell, 141 OTT at 28 days. 3 day average of 3.6 pounds.   Sunday, July 31 View Page 230 Edwards, very late but growing nicely.   Sunday, July 31 View Page 197 Leonard, also very late but doing OK.   Sunday, July 31 View Page 285 Edwards, this will be a short fat & badly shaped melon.   Sunday, July 31 View Page The 285 Edwards is just now trying to set other melons. I will let is since this one has no hope of being competitive. My 291 Kent is just now setting melons. I will let it grow whatever melons it wants to since they will be too late to do any good.Obviously I have had problems which have to be corrected to do well next year.   Sunday, July 31 View Page "Nuts", this melon will probably be as tall as it is long. It won't amount to much but it will really be an eye catcher. It's growing pretty well and has developed a nice flat spot on the bottom so I think there is little chance of it falling over now.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page 211 Boyette now at 31 days is now 147 OTT and gaining about 3.5 pounds /day.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page First measurement on open pollinated 230 Edwards. OTT is 133 for 74.4 pounds.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page 231 Mitchell up to 145 OTT & adding about 3.5 pounds per day.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page 197 Leonard x 211 Leonard first measurement equals 133 OTT for about 75 pounds.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page My freak, Nuts at 14 days post pollination, growing slowly and looking stranger and stranger. I am hoping this one will last until Allardt.   Wednesday, August 3 View Page 230 Edwards should have read 129" OTT for a estimated weight of about 69 pounds.   Friday, August 5 View Page 211 Boyette at 34 days, 151 OTT for about 104 pounds. I am concerned as the average daily gain is dropping.   Friday, August 5 View Page 231 Mitchell at 33 days, 150 OTT for about 102 pounds. Average daily gain is slipping on this one also.   Friday, August 5 View Page 255 Mitchell, this one is hard to get to so there is no OTT. This is going to be a broad flat melon.Open pollinated and age unknown.   Friday, August 5 View Page 197 Leonard is growing well and reminds me a lot of my 207 from 2009 as it is long and slim.   Friday, August 5 View Page Nuts is doing fine for a melon with no expectations. ee = 30, ss = 29, cc = 35 for 94" OTT or 30.6 pounds. Actual weight is no where close to that as the very odd shape of this melon will make it go very light against the chart.   Friday, August 5 View Page 230 Edwards is growing well. OTT is 135 for 77.4 pounds and a 3 day avg gain of 2.8 pounds.   Monday, August 15 View Page 211 Boyette,165 OTT for a 7 day gain of just 9 pounds.   Monday, August 15 View Page 194 Brinkley, at about 70 pounds, it is ripe and ready to eat. I pushed down on the top of it the other day and I heard it pop inside. This is a sure sign of ripeness. I amy let it grow a bit more though.   Monday, August 15 View Page 231 Mitchell, this one has the same OTT as my 211 Boyette and is one day younger with a July 3 pollination. It's probably a tad bit heavier as it is the chunkier melon. It has a one week gain of 10 pounds so I don't expect much more out of it. Looks like I will be doing good to reach 150 pounds this year.   Monday, August 15 View Page This is my 255 Mitchell. It's still unmeasured and could possibly turn out to be my biggest.   Monday, August 15 View Page 197 Leonard at 147 OTT for a projected weight of 110 pounds. The bad news is it is gaining only a pound a day for the last week.   Thursday, September 8 View Page Me with my daughter with the 2009, 211 Boyette; now the 175 Masterson 2011. This melon is now at the Tennessee Valley Fair here in Knoxville.   Thursday, September 8 View Page Chris with his 225 winning entry at the Tennessee State Fair in Nashville.   Saturday, September 10 View Page My melon named 40 pounds due to a prediction that would be it's eventual limit. I picked it today. It's stem was still green, the plant still healthy and it's was still adding a fraction of a pound a day.It was 108 days post pollination. These melons can grow for a very long time for anyone who can keep the plant and fruit healthy.It weighed 85 pounds on my bathroom scale. OTT put it at 85.1, so it was right on.   Saturday, September 10 View Page I somehow added 30 extra days onto the age of 40 Pounds in the previous post. I added an extra 30 days for September, like it was the 10th of October instead of September 10th. The melon was only 78 days post pollination.I am sorry I added that up wrong.Vine and melon were still very healthy though.If I can keep my 231 Mitchell healthy until Allardt it will be only 88 days post pollination. It will be my best melon this year. I am still hoping I can get 200 pounds out of it. And I believe I can be competitive next year.   Saturday, September 10 View Page I somehow added 30 extra days onto the age of 40 Pounds in the previous post. I added an extra 30 days for September, like it was the 10th of October instead of September 10th. The melon was only 78 days post pollination.I am sorry I added that up wrong.Vine and melon were still very healthy though.If I can keep my 231 Mitchell healthy until Allardt it will be only 88 days post pollination. It will be my best melon this year. I am still hoping I can get 200 pounds out of it. And I believe I can be competitive next year.   Saturday, September 10 View Page This is a picture of the healed break I had on my 211 Leonard a few months ago. It was a severe break but I needed vine growth as I felt I was way behind the timeline I wanted to follow. So I let it grow and it produced a fairly nice melon and the break healed very nicely and still has some good vine coming from it. This was a bit of a experiment; and yes I would do it again under similar circumstances.   Sunday, September 25 View Page My best melon. It's the 231 Mitchell and my first 61" girth. The only problem is it's only 32" long. I am still hoping for around 200 pounds. This one will go to Allardt along with my 230 Edwards and my 100 Masterson (Nuts) will go for exhibition.   Sunday, September 25 View Page Nuts (100 Masterson x 291 Kent) has quit growing and is waiting for Allardt. It never grew much and I am guessing it may be around 80 pounds or so.I believe the cross should be good.   Thursday, September 29 View Page Last shot om me with my 231 Mitchell.   Thursday, September 29 View Page Last shot of me with my 231 Mitchell.   Thursday, September 29 View Page Well here is one more.   Thursday, September 29 View Page A picture of me with my conjoined watermelon.   Thursday, September 29 View Page Pam showing the bad place on "Nuts". It had very few seed in it; I think it was only about 1/4 the number of seeds as a normal melon.   Friday, September 30 View Page A picture of my conjoined melon from the front.   Saturday, October 1 View Page This is Chris discussing his 274 with Suzie.   Saturday, October 1 View Page Me with my 231 Mitchell. It is now the 204.5 Masterson 2011.   Saturday, October 1 View Page There were lots of pictures made today with Chris' 274 pound whopper.   Saturday, October 1 View Page Here is my 204.5 today at Allardt. I finished behind Chris and his sister Caroline who brought a very impressive 233 pound giant for second place..   Saturday, October 1 View Page Chris' melon was so large some folks seemed to think it was a park bench.   Saturday, October 1 View Page Chris and Janet Kent and John Wayne with their winning entries passing by in the parade that followed the weigh-offs.   Saturday, October 1 View Page A future giant watermelon grower sitting on top of my 204 at Allardt.   Saturday, October 1 View Page Suzie with her fourth place melon. I think it was 191 pounds.   Thursday, November 17 View Page A picture of the new water storage system I am putting together.   Monday, November 21 View Page My new to me 1997 Ford F-150 long-bed pickup truck. Sometimes you just have to keep up with the Cooks. lol Now I can haul mushroom compost from the Monterey mushroom farm in Loudon county and pick up some yards of sand at a close by business. I am trying hard to get competitive.   Saturday, December 31 View Page .