Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 59 Entries. Friday, April 13 View Page Starting to prep the patch.Ten yards of cow manure to start   Friday, April 13 View Page Making new hoop houses. Cheap and easy/quick to build. Thinking of putting chicken wire around before the plastic to help protect from chuckies   Sunday, April 15 View Page My six foot disc makes prep work a little easier.   Sunday, April 15 View Page Power provided by my classic 1939 Ford 9N. Runs great!   Sunday, April 15 View Page And as a back up, heres little shiba. compact 4x4 diesel   Sunday, April 22 View Page not the chucky I was after but a pest non the less. He gets a pardon and a trip in the back of the truck to a nice farm field.   Sunday, April 22 View Page Patch is almost ready if my seeds ever pop. Today is day plus eight and not a one has come up yet. Using cooler with a heat pad under the peat pots. Getting a bit anxious.   Monday, April 23 View Page Only thing I hate as much as groundhogs is willow trees. Wish I could cut it all down but will settle to get some one of the main sun blocking sections down. Still waiting for one of my plants to pop out. Day plus nine on three of them. Not looking good. Have been staggering seed planting days.   Sunday, April 29 View Page Finally after starting seeds on staggered dates over the past 15 days I finally have a plant. In fact Three separate plants popped out yesterday on my daughters birthday. Sadly none of the canadian seeds I paid for have come up yet. Fortunaltely and unexpected I recieved a timely package of seeds from Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers! They saved the day! Thanks WGPG!   Sunday, April 29 View Page Finally after starting seeds on staggered dates over the past 15 days I finally have a plant. In fact Three separate plants popped out yesterday on my daughters birthday. Sadly none of the canadian seeds I paid for have come up yet. Fortunaltely and unexpected I recieved a timely package of seeds from Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers! They saved the day! Thanks WGPG!   Sunday, April 29 View Page Finally after starting seeds on staggered dates over the past 15 days I finally have a plant. In fact Three separate plants popped out yesterday on my daughters birthday. Sadly none of the canadian seeds I paid for have come up yet. Fortunaltely and unexpected I recieved a timely package of seeds from Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers! They saved the day! Thanks WGPG!   Sunday, April 29 View Page Under the growing lights 1315.5 Martin, 1345 Martin, and 1375 Williamson/Westphal left to right. On a sour note, Chucky iv has moved into the den vacated by the coon I trapped last week. Just yesterday he made a daring daylight raid on my aspargus patch. Got careless during my stalk and was busted. So far he has evaded live traps, snares gopher bombs and other methods. Bought electric fence and all the hardware today. He don't know who he's messing with!   Sunday, April 29 View Page Did my own soil test today.(better late than never). Surprised that ph was neutral at 7 and K was high. Phos low and nitrogen was a bit low also.   Tuesday, May 1 View Page "Come in to my Parlor" said the spider to the fly.   Tuesday, May 1 View Page Operation "Shock and Awe to go live in 24 hours! WoodChucks Beware!   Sunday, May 6 View Page Plants are going in the ground tomorow if my patch is not under water. I am going to use my BBQ thermometer to monitor the temps in the hoop houses. The maverick will send the temps via radio signal to the house or whereever. has high and low temp. alarms that are programable. Sooo If the temp at night goes below the limit I set it will send an alarm to my bedside.   Tuesday, May 8 View Page Pumpkins in the ground today. This is 1345 martin, next door is 1448 Barlow. Only one will stay   Tuesday, May 8 View Page 1345 williamson/Westpahl. Backed up by 118 Montgomery. Not shown is 1346 Elenbeck and 1315 Martin. Hoop houses heated up to over 100 within minutes. After cutting slits in sides and top they cooled some. Will monitor closely.   Monday, May 14 View Page Plants have been in the plot since 5/8. Slow growth since than, but looks like they are ready to take off. This is 1345 Martin.   Monday, May 14 View Page 1345 Williamson/Westphal. So far the pests have left my kin plants alone. Thanks mostly to electric fence and intense pressure on chucky. However something has gotten in to destroy giant watermelon and corn and cantelope plants. Suspect the rabbit thats been hanging around. Lots of birds always around too. Would a bird be doing it. Have to get a fake owl.   Friday, May 18 View Page Looks like this 1345 williamson/westphal is going down. Looks like something was eating on him. Saw what I believe to be spotted cucumber beetle on other side of garden yesterday on a squash plant. Treated all with sevin. Does this look like the works of cuc beetle or something else? dongorich@hotmail.com   Friday, May 18 View Page This 1118 montgomery is back up to above plant. He looks fine other than being behind. I do however have to turn the main 180 degrees. Thinking I should just slowly train him rather than digging up to turn?   Friday, May 18 View Page Meanwhile the four plants in hoop houses are faring much better. This 1345 Martin is a bit ahead of the others.   Friday, May 18 View Page "oh ya i forgot this picture... i was riding around and seen this... i think it might be a person called dabowhunter. only time will tell. i like spy pictures." Ever get the feeling your being watched? ;-)   Friday, May 25 View Page Continue with slow but steady progress. This is the 1345 martin that appears ready to go on a run. I am just happy I have four seemingly healthy plants. The two that were left without cold frames are way behind however and don't look too hot.   Friday, May 25 View Page Noticed yellow spots on the two outside plants. I did pour some water soluble fertilizer around them and I suppose on them a bit too. Could that be the cause?   Wednesday, June 6 View Page Sadly this is my best grower to date at just 6 ft. Gave all a good soak with seaweed on monday and fish today.   Wednesday, June 6 View Page Have to cull one of these soon as they are running into each other. 1315 martin on the left is a bit further along and laying down but main vine would have to be turned around 180 degrees. 1346 ellenbeck is on the right, appears maybe a bit healthier and heading in the right direction. Just is no laid down yet. Should I cull the martin and hope the Ellenbeck lays down ok?   Saturday, June 9 View Page Foilar sprayed and drenched with 15-35-15.   Sunday, June 17 View Page Storm came thru last night with heavy winds and reportedly some hail. Was relieved to not only find my plants in good shape but with a great growth spurt to boot! One main grew 18 inches overnight. Relief was short lived as I soon discovered swarms of striped cucumber beetles. Ran in shed and got the sevin, sprayed em good, watched em die! Saw a few spotted cucs last week. This is the first time ever that I have even seen a striped cuc. Just put svb traps out for first time yesterday. Coincidence? or did the pheromone scent attract them? Or did the storm bring them?   Friday, June 22 View Page females showing up on all three plants. 1345 martin has two on the main. One at 14 and one at 15 ft.   Monday, June 25 View Page Just pollenated the 1346 Ellenbeck using 1345 Martin. Flower is only at the 9 ft. mark. Have more females at eleven and twelve ft. So most likely this one will end up culled. It sure does have a lot of lobes though. I counted nine.   Monday, June 25 View Page Just pollenated the 1346 Ellenbeck using 1345 Martin. Flower is only at the 9 ft. mark. Have more females at eleven and twelve ft. So most likely this one will end up culled. It sure does have a lot of lobes though. I counted nine.   Monday, June 25 View Page 1345 Martin has females on the main at 13,14 and 15 feet. Looks like the first should open in a few days. I have lots of damaged leaves, looks like chemical burn?   Monday, June 25 View Page After further review, I guess its a five lobe.   Wednesday, June 27 View Page Polinated 1345 Martin by self. 13 ft out on main. Hoping the temps don't get as high as they predict   Saturday, June 30 View Page Just pollenated 1346 at 11 ft mark and 12 ft mark on main by 1345 martin.   Saturday, June 30 View Page This is the flower at 12 ft. Nice looking. Kin at 9ft is now day5 and looking nice and shiny, softball size. Kin on 1345 martin @ 12 ft is D3 and doing well as far as I can tell. First vine on this plant is 14 ft with tertiary vines intact. with a female at the end I am going to pollinate it in two days and see what happens. Fortunate that the worst of the heat wave is south of me. Temps in low nineties max this week. have been putting frozen milk jugs next to pollinations.   Sunday, July 1 View Page pollenated 1118 Montgomery with 1345 Martin this morning. Five lobe nine feet out on main.   Monday, July 2 View Page Pollenated 1345 Martin at 15ft with Ellenbeck. Five lobe. So far all pollenated kins look good.   Tuesday, July 3 View Page another pollenation on the 1346 this am. This is the fourth one, 14 feet on main. Other three still look good. Wonder if I should keep pollenating on this plant?   Thursday, July 5 View Page DAP10 on 1346 Ellenbeck 27.5 inch circ. At only 9 ft or so and two set beyond it, it may be culled.   Thursday, July 5 View Page So with a yellow vine am hoping for an orange kin?   Thursday, July 5 View Page Hotter than ever, 102 at noon.   Friday, July 6 View Page Pollenated 1118 Montgomery by 1346 Ellenbeck.   Sunday, July 8 View Page 1346 Ellenbeck still has one viable kin at 9ft. 42 inch circ. 13 dap. There is another at 13 ft that looks iffy.   Monday, July 16 View Page DAP 21 on Martin 1345. 62 inch cc. I am sure it would have been a bit bigger if I was'nt still filling in vines. should be able to terminate all vines by the end of week.   Tuesday, July 17 View Page I was actualy wrong on my dates last post. Martin is just DAP 20 today and is 65 inches cc.   Monday, July 23 View Page DAP 26 on Martin 1345. OTT 197" = 171 lb.s not very impressive but I have been letting secondaries and tertiary vines fill in the voids caused by secondaries that stopped on their own d/t sunburn? Started burying side vines yesterday, doing a few a day till thursday.Than all should be done cept main and a few past kin.   Wednesday, July 25 View Page DAP 28 and my 1345 martin had its best overnight gain to date at 24 lbs. Now 207 lb.s Time to go on a run!   Thursday, August 2 View Page "Lumpy" DAP 35 = 356 lbs   Monday, August 13 View Page DAP 47 = 493 lb.s   Thursday, August 16 View Page Anyone have any ideas about whats going on with leaves on my plant. Seems like most but not all of the newer growth has this blotchy yellow-green look. dongorich@hotmail.com   Thursday, August 16 View Page Disease, sun or chemical burn?   Friday, August 17 View Page Top pic looks like animal was chewing on leaf. This pic has the blotchy yellow-green look.   Friday, August 24 View Page After two days of zero growth I was concerned it was over. 1345 Martin bounced back today with 23 lb. gain. 300 OTT   Monday, August 27 View Page Took a leaf in to the horticulturist who ID'd Mosaic virus. Hoping it won't have too much of an effect on Lumpy. She said it would affect growth and possibly early maturation. Forgot to ask her if the virus would be in the seeds?   Wednesday, September 19 View Page Lumpy stopped growing two weeks ago. I believe the mosaic virus greatly affected growth. First year and will be satisfied to take him to weigh off.   Wednesday, September 19 View Page Heres what I am planning to use for lift off. 1 and 1/2 inch galvanized pipe tripod. Had to make some extensions to ensure I could raise pumpkin high enough and have room to pull trailer between the pipes. Any one out there use a similar tripod of pipe? I am no engineer but I believe the higher the angle of the legs, the more weight it will support. 1/4 inch cable is rated to 1400 lbs. Pulley is only rated for 850 but can get bigger if need be.