Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 81 Entries. Tuesday, April 17 View Page Finaly it's time to start getting the soil ready for this years pumpkins. Since I can't use a shovel to remove the soil, to install the soil heating cables. I used my 4 wheeler to push back the amended soil. It's a lot easier on the back and doesn't take very long.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Soil cables added, and ready to put the soil back!   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Soil is all pushed back, also I made a slight mound to it. Just in case we start getting lots of rain. The plant will stay dry instead of them getting drounded.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Looks real nice after having it raked off.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page The green house is in place and staked down, cause you never know if we are gona get any more hurricanes here. Maybe we won't get the high winds this year.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Here is my seed line up for this year. 1508 Breznick,1421 Boyce,and a toss up between the 1103 young and the 1498 Breznick. My son wanted to grow the 1103 young so it gets the 3rd spot. Also my wife wants to grow a long gourd this year 120.75 boyce"we all know who will do the work on that" and finaly some field kins. "WR 162 B Mackinnon, and my 91 stromback, a 75 stromback "142 Mcinnis X 91 stromback and a few of my 87 stromback= "81 wolf selfed"   Tuesday, April 17 View Page My second plant's home that I built out of some scrap lumber, that is now houseing the 1421 Boyce. Soil heating cables and a heater installed into it also.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Her is the 1508 Breznick in it's new home. The weather has been so nice here (this year)and hope it stays that way too. I have started my plants and got them into the ground 12 days earlier than last year. I'm hoping it pays off in the end.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Here is the 1421 Boyce in it's new home. Before putting the both plants in the soil, I dug down 6 " and I added half of a bag of Organic potting soil. Then sprinkled on some Mycorrhiza -Symbios Pumpkin Pro so the roots will be in direct contact with it. I also wet the area down with a mixture of Neptunes Harvest fish and seaweed. And a pinch of Azos . After putting the plants in the hole, I filled the rest of the hole with the Organic potting soil. Then added my soil over the top of that making a mound.Then watering it with the same mixture as what I put the plant into.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Here is a look at the ceramic heater I bought at Lowes for $20.00. 1500 watts with a thermostat. I just had to buy 2 of them for that price, and used it in the other green house.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page If it gets to warm on sunny days I can open the back cornor.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page So the plants can get FULL sun all day, I hired a guy to come and cut down all the brush and trees along the back side of the Pumpkin patches.   Tuesday, April 17 View Page Also trying to grow some giant maters that I got from sambo!.... a second time! there is a story behind it, but i'm not going to bore anyone with it.   Sunday, April 22 View Page IT SNOWED last night. Now I can tell where the soil heating cables are in the soil! The pumpkin plants are still nice and warm in thier house. I didn't expect the 2" of snow, but I was prepaired for it.   Sunday, April 22 View Page The second house, heating cables are working nice here too! It's a nice 80 deg. in the hoop house!   Sunday, April 22 View Page Dan Boyce's 1421 in the hoop house. It's a little smaller than the 1508 breznick, because the cable feeding the hoop and heating cables had a bad plug on it. That has been repaired and now it should catch up to the other plant.   Sunday, April 22 View Page The 1508 Breznick is growing nicely, Now we need some sun to get them moving. The temps outside this morning is 32 deg. Green house temp is 80 deg. I hope this is the last of the snow for this season. But around here anything is possable. If you don't like the weather! Wait 10 min. and it will change.   Sunday, April 22 View Page Here is what my back yard looks like this morning, it sux for this time of year!   Wednesday, April 25 View Page After watching my 1421 Boyce, it was laying flat on the ground. I thought it was due to being too hot! Wrong! It was suspected that It had Seed corn maggots. So this morning I carefully removed the plant. And upon close inspection, there they were! Dam maggots! So I was in a desperate search for what would kill these little buggers. So, thanks to the good people here @ Big pumpkins. And some research, the problem has been solved and the bugs killed. A big Thanks goes out to the guys that helped me solve the problem! Pictures to follow in the next additions to the diary!   Wednesday, April 25 View Page 1 little in the roots, I thought I would be able to save the plant, with just the 1 . Wrong!!!!!!   Wednesday, April 25 View Page I looked a little closer and found this little hole, kinda brown around it.   Wednesday, April 25 View Page OK! now one is coming out of the hole! Now this is NOT GOOD!   Wednesday, April 25 View Page So now what....time to operate! Useing my pocket knife, I slit the stem length ways down to the roots. Holy Crap!!!! this thing is full of them bugs!!!! Now i'm in a panic....I got to kill the bugs some how! My patch must be full of them, I'm thinking. What to do? What to do????? So I run in the house and get to BP. STAT! And I got lucky as to find someone to help!!!! "they know who they are" thanks!! So with info in hand ....I'm off like a heard of turtles!! "not realy" just sounded good! to Lowes and get the bug killer! And just so you know....the person at lowes had no idea what I was talking abouut! (seed corn maggots?) they never heard of them. So in a desperet measure I get howm and get this stuff on the patch. And wouldn't ya know it...just my luck!...It starts to pour down raining. So I'll have to wait to till it in. "but I got it spread". Any how...I found where they came from. 2 weeks ago I got some old chicken manure,and it is still on my trailer. As I am going to compost it for this fall. Well it was maybe 50 yards from the patch and I noticed a lot of flys around it.And that is where they came from. So now it has been moved as far away as I can get it. It has also been sprayed and saturated with (a heavy dose) of Merrit, and Ortho Max. and covered with sand.   Wednesday, April 25 View Page These are the maggots extracted from the plant! (I hear taps being played in the background) Also sprayed with merrit. Die! Die! Die! Another 1421 Has been started.   Tuesday, May 1 View Page 1508 Breznick....2 weeks old (in the dirt). It seems to be doing ok, weeds are growing well also. It's time to weed! The weather has been cold 20s and 30s at night, low 50s during the day. By the weekend it is supposed to be 75 deg. We could use more sun here.   Tuesday, May 1 View Page My second 1421 Boyce, the first one got hit with the seed corn maggots. That put me behind a week and half. Sprayed the soil with merrit and used Ortho Max to kill the little buggers. The Boyce plant will be going in the soil this weekend,right after the soil gets another dose of Merrit! Also Started the 1103 Young seed. And the 120.75 Boyce long gourd. Just soaking them today. Now I got to build a trellis for it!   Tuesday, May 1 View Page My new Pumpkin Hauler! Now all I need is some Nice BIG kins to haul!!!   Tuesday, May 1 View Page Same trailer, different angle!   Wednesday, May 16 View Page More Bad luck today.... It's just not meent for craig to grow the 1103 young. We had a bad hail storm and destroyed the plant. Along with my giant tomato's, Pepper plants, and long gourd. They were all out enjoying some sun. And in 5 min. we were hit by lightning and heavy hail. The only survivors were the 1508 breznick and the 1421 Boyce. The 1508 did get 1 leaf hit by hail. I had to run around in the house to unplug everything and by the time I got out to put the plants away ....too late they were destroyed. They were sitting on my porch with a roof over them, but the Hail was coming down sideways and got under the roof.   Wednesday, May 16 View Page Got water...AGAIN!!!   Wednesday, May 16 View Page If this keeps up....I'll need to shovel!   Wednesday, May 16 View Page More HAIL   Wednesday, May 16 View Page 1508 Breznick with leaf damage!   Wednesday, May 16 View Page 1421 Boyce ....made it through the storm!!!! Don't look at the weeds! they will be gone in a week.   Wednesday, May 16 View Page GOT HAIL????   Friday, May 25 View Page Planted the 777 Young today!.....we'll see what it brings this fall   Saturday, May 26 View Page The 1508 Breznick, after the hail damage. It has made a full recovery and now just about outgrown the green house. No more heat is needed, and has been removed from the green house. The main vine is now 9.5 ft. long with a pumpkin @ 5ft. out and 1 @ 9ft. out. I'm gona pull them both so I can get a pumpkin out a little further. Secondaries are coming fast now. they will soon have to be buried too.   Saturday, May 26 View Page Opposite view of the 1508 breznick. Some of the leves were getting so big that they bent over the stalks. I'll leave them untill they are gone bad. Man I hate weeds!!!   Saturday, May 26 View Page First pumpkin about 5ft. out on the 1508 breznick!   Saturday, May 26 View Page 2nd pumpkin at 9ft. out on the 1508 breznick   Saturday, May 26 View Page 1421 Boyce!...it's a week and a half younger than the 1508 Breznick plant. Starting to grow fast now. Soon it will be out of it's house too. Will be removeing Both houses by next weekend and adding the wind protection. Planted the 777 Young yesterday .....and broke off 1 of the cot leves....I hope it lives. Seems like I am destoned to only have 2 kin plants!   Saturday, May 26 View Page 1508 Breznick after buring the main with pumpkin pro.   Saturday, June 9 View Page Here is the 1508 Breznick. It has slowed on the growth because of the cool nights(low 40's) but should pick back up this week. Already removed 2 females that opened. they were to close to the stump. By next week there should be more ready,and I will pollinate them. I'm still 3 weeks ahead of last year.   Saturday, June 9 View Page Sprinkler system is installed and ready to sprinkle! Also expanded the wind protection.   Saturday, June 9 View Page Wind protection around the 1508 Breznick. Now I need to get some Hail netting and get that up. We have had a lot of hail already this year in the area. Finaly got every thing hooked up and tested today. Took me all day ....But ( I-got-r-Done) Next year I'll have to pay someone to do it for me. I think I spent more time laying down to rest the back than I did puting everthing up!!!!   Saturday, June 9 View Page Now the 1421 Boyce....(second plany) is growing nice now. Although it is a week and a half younger than the 1508 Breznice. Main is buried along with the secondaries and picking up speed. Should see females soon on this plant.   Saturday, June 9 View Page Installed the sprinkler system today, added unions and shut off valves. It will make it a lot easier to take down and put away after the season. Also put up wind protection for the rest of the patch. Also in this patch is a 1103 young "thanks to John Young"(finaly) after 3 tries to get a third Giant to grow. This will be Craig's pumpkin, hopeing anyway. And the rest of the patch is for field kins. The 162 Mackinnon.....91 stromback......75 stromback= 142 Mcinnis X 91 stromback. So far all my field kins have germed and waiting for them to get a first leaf before trans planting them.   Saturday, June 9 View Page Chillin on the back deck after installing sprinklers and wind protection. Worked most of the day on my hands and knees. I got to get someone else to do it for me next time. My back is telling me to never do that again!   Monday, June 25 View Page June 25th, 1508 Breznick pollination. 1508 X self   Monday, June 25 View Page Another 1508 Breznick pollination.....but this one is 1508 Breznick X 1421 Boyce   Monday, June 25 View Page !508 Breznick after adding the 1421 Boyce pollen!   Monday, June 25 View Page All tied up sitting on a pallet, hoping this is the keeper. An earlier pollination is not growing so fast, maybe to to the high temps we had earlier. Today is much cooler, and cool temps are for the next 3 days. lows in the 60's and highs in the low 70's. Time will tell. I have done 4 pollinations so far on this plant. The one is 9 days earlier than last year. Finaly got some much needed rain last night, everything was very dry.   Monday, June 25 View Page 1508 Breznick, was done 2 days ago. 1508 X 1421   Wednesday, August 1 View Page !421 Boyce pumpkin!   Wednesday, August 1 View Page Pumpkin on the 1508 Breznick plant   Friday, August 17 View Page Pumpkin on the 1508 Breznick   Friday, August 17 View Page 1508 breznick   Friday, August 17 View Page 1421 Boyce pumpkin   Friday, August 17 View Page got a sunken blossom end   Friday, August 17 View Page stem view   Friday, August 17 View Page Sure is pretty out on the lake in the morning!   Monday, September 3 View Page Pumpkin patch as of Sept. 2   Monday, September 3 View Page Giant sun flowers   Monday, September 3 View Page Field kins are turning orange   Monday, September 3 View Page Giant Mater on the 2.91 Lovelace plant   Monday, September 3 View Page 777 young kin!   Monday, September 3 View Page 1508 breznick kin!   Monday, September 3 View Page Stem view 1508 breznick   Monday, September 3 View Page Pumpkin patch....& weeds!   Tuesday, September 11 View Page My first giant tomato! grown from the 2.91 lovelace   Tuesday, September 11 View Page it's time to cut it!   Tuesday, September 11 View Page And the weight is! 2 lbs 11 1/2 oz.   Friday, September 14 View Page Now that the weeds are gone!   Friday, September 14 View Page 1508 brezniclk blossom end   Friday, September 14 View Page Now I can see the stem end of the 1421 boyce   Friday, September 14 View Page Sunken blossom end!   Friday, September 14 View Page one of my field pumpkins!   Friday, September 14 View Page looks like a top!   Friday, September 14 View Page And some giant sunflowers!   Sunday, September 23 View Page You know it's gona be big when he has to use a dump truck to haul it!   Sunday, September 23 View Page Yeper!....It was Pete Sweet that won with his 1509.5