Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 55 Entries. Saturday, May 3 View Page direct started today. 800 neilly 1632 Wallace 13XX jarvis   Sunday, June 29 View Page pumpkin plant is only at 9' with next female 5 leaves into the head. should open on the 12th at 13'6". squash only at 8' no female in sight, not good but nothing I can do with a turrible garden location   Sunday, July 6 View Page hurricane Andrew kicked my plants ass. 95 % of leaves hanging by threads. Pumpkin main vine split vertical and bruised. lost a few side vines on both. squash leaves took a little more damage. no new personal bests in the maritimes this year likely   Wednesday, July 9 View Page well it's been 4 day's post Andrew and plants just starting to grow slowly again. the kicker though is that the shock my plants suffered has made the females I wanted to set abort before they even opened. next female on pumpkin will fall at 15' and squash one will fall at 12'. both should open close to the same day likely 10 days from now if my growth can pick up again   Wednesday, July 16 View Page well the shock from the last tropical storm (big wind with no rain) shocked plants so bad that a bunch of flowers fell off both plants including the one I wanted to set on the squash at 12' and then the next one on my squash looks like a bird landed on it and snapping it off along with adjoining leaf. the next one is 3 leaves in the head. on an upside, my female opened today at 15' on my Wallace. plain 4 lober that I crossed with 800 neily. So just another year where I experiment. I will be trying to get something 50% heavy. As no time for a real giant, also impossible to get a giant off a rocky mountain side with no sun.   Tuesday, July 22 View Page well hoping to inbreed this girl for future seeds. As to late for the poor thing. I do like that she is long looking (800 neily)   Tuesday, July 22 View Page oops! I'm dropping her on her head. nice and small day 6 for 1623 wallace.   Tuesday, July 22 View Page plant likely now 75% recovered from tropical storm.   Tuesday, July 22 View Page plant likely now 75% recovered from tropical storm.   Friday, July 25 View Page Finally a female opened on 800 neily. a nice 5 lober about 15' out. this plant has been throwing all long females with their 800 trade mark single dark green strip. I selfed her, as I would guess 800's are likely getting rare.   Saturday, July 26 View Page day for 800 neily   Saturday, July 26 View Page day 10 for Wallace. nice and small day 10 - 20" c. fruit should be smaller than bench marks for day 10 with the proper application of cppu \ Forchlorfenuron. as well as day 20. but come day 30 you should be ahead. then again your day 10 would be better to be on july 1st as apposed for today the 26th.   Monday, July 28 View Page I need a drink...   Monday, July 28 View Page day 3 for 800 neily. I hit this with cppu as well at the correct rate and time, but I used a different application method which I fear may have over did it. as i notice to much of an effect. pic does not show but there is 5 tap roots here (3 bottom 2 top, as well stock now looking like a doubled stock, and fruit skin shows slight signs of bubbling which is very bad, hope I'm wrong.   Thursday, July 31 View Page day 6. again a typical 800 neily. the stock has had an unexplainable blow out, thankfully only minor compared with others I've had.   Thursday, July 31 View Page day 15. I truly believe that slow and steady wins the race, as long as you start before everyone else. other wize your just going to lose.   Friday, August 1 View Page day 16 and Wallace just shifted into 3rd gear (hope she has 6 or more gears). was doing 3.5" c per day and jumped to 5" last night. now at 43" c. long way to go, but only aiming for 310" ott well that and +50% heavey   Monday, August 4 View Page day 10. 22" c personally I prefer 20" day 10 but this late I will live with it...   Tuesday, August 5 View Page day 15 63" c. I think this will be my last measurement as growing her like this makes it to hard to measure. I will only break something and get a bad measurement anyway.   Tuesday, August 5 View Page sorry last post day 20. squash now 25.5" c but now has two small white spot indentations that has me worried. hoping insect damage as had ants and a few small slugs all over it yesterday. but I fear the worst that they are developing soft spots although spill firm. or aborting signs.   Saturday, August 9 View Page day 15 now at 40.5" c 28" w 29" L = 97.5"   Sunday, August 10 View Page day 25   Tuesday, August 12 View Page Well I'm not happy with the growth on my squash. Granted, it is in the worst spot in a crappy garden. Also cell dividers do slow down initial growth, but still I should being doing more than 9" ott a day, I should be getting 12-15". So at day 18 with an ott of 53" c x 36" w x 36" L = 125". I will hit with my cell expander this evening as takes 8 hrs just to dissolve. Granted a live dog is better than a dead lion, but i'm going for a sick bear.   Thursday, August 14 View Page Day 20 40"L X 41"W X 61.5"C = 142.5" OTT. Cell expander has not kicked in quite yet but maybe a little.   Friday, August 15 View Page day 30. hope my attempts of making a heavy brick out of this one pays off, as obviously not big. as for squash I think the expander is kicking in. now at 44"fb x 45"ss x 66"c = 155"ott gain of 12.5" which I'm satisfied with for here. I cant compete with others or myself when I had a different gardens. I can only compete against this garden, which means I only hope to beat this gardens top weight of 841lbs on the better side and 592lbs on the worst side. This year no soil test or heating cables. But I did have better starter green houses and used steroids at the correct rate instead of overdoing them. And since a tropical storm ruined any jump my greenhouses gave me, I will have to conclude if I beat my old weights by 10% or more that my steroids worked. then again I cant conclude they did not work if they are only 10% smaller as no idea what is in my soil.   Sunday, August 17 View Page day 32 pumpkin ott 60"ss x 60"fb x 114"c = 234" ott = 289 lbs + 50% = 433.5lbs ;)   Tuesday, August 19 View Page Considering the cold rainy weather over the last 5 day's, I'm ok with this growth. nah nah nah expanders. If I can get 20 hot/warm days, this may turn out ok.   Tuesday, August 19 View Page sorry forgot to mention pic is day 20 ott 46.5"fb x 56"ss x 82.5"c = 193" ott = 166lbs. five days ago was only 68lbs. so in five days has increased by 2.44 times it size.   Tuesday, August 19 View Page damit I reaaly need to have my coffee before I do these. day 25   Tuesday, August 19 View Page fb is 54.5" again sorry to the one person who may look at this diary besides myself   Wednesday, August 20 View Page day 35 starting to cantaloupe. deceiving pic as this is the big side so small small, doubt it will make it to 312" ott now. But it will be 50% heavy or i'll kill it.   Sunday, August 24 View Page Day 30 62.5"fb x 65"ss x 99"c = 226.5"ott = 263lbs. this fruit is not photogenic. hard to get good angle on her. the beer bottle is dead center of fruit. slow going with cold nights by the ocean and cloudy cool day's. at least very consistent growth as past 10 day's have all been 20lbs. doubt I will get 20 more days of 20lbs. but that's what I would like ;)   Monday, August 25 View Page day 40. still growing nice and slow to make her heavy. 67.5" x 67.5" x 131" = 266" = 419lbs. it might make it to 312" ott. side note squash day 31 63.5" x 66" x 102.5" = 232" = 282lbs   Friday, August 29 View Page day 35 69"fb x 72"ss x 108"c = 249" ott = 346lbs   Friday, August 29 View Page day 44 71"ss x 71"fb x 137"c = 279" ott = 481lbs. Going on vacation so they will likely grow better with me gone. ;)   Monday, September 8 View Page I'mmmmm back and like I predicted they do better without me. day 45 83"fb x 83"ss x 134"c = 300" ott = 594lbs. I just saw the other day that I had a squash in 2012 of 655lbs, so that is what I have to beat. I must of had a stroke that year.   Monday, September 8 View Page day 54 now at 77"ss x 78"fb x 152"c = 307" ott = 635lbs. getting close to my goal of 612" ott. now if I also hit my goal of 50% heavy, well bob's your uncle ;)   Monday, September 8 View Page ok 25 days of growing left. best ott pumpkin for me 345" went 900lbs but that was Bahamas. Here best pumpkin was 335" and went 840lbs. as for squash best ott was 310" and heaviest was 655lbs   Wednesday, September 10 View Page ok was looking for the smallest pumpkin to go over 1000lbs and the only one that I slightly believe, is the 1162 midthun. it's ott was 336" which is about 41% heavy by today's chart. If you know of one that you can confirm that's not a typo or just a guesstemate or intentional low number ott please let me know.   Saturday, September 13 View Page day 59 still growing a little. but not likely to get much more. I will not post again now until I have a weight. ott is 81"fb x 81"ss x 156"c = 318" ott = 703lbs   Saturday, September 13 View Page day 50. 86"fb x 88"ss x 140"c = 314"ott = 677lbs. this is now my largest ott for squash. Will it ketch my pumpkin??? I was sure before but now it's a little iffy. As the pumpkin seems to want to till grow.   Friday, September 19 View Page everything still growing and looking good. squash only 1" behind pumpkin now. pumpkin day 65 ott 83"ss x 83"fb x 162"c = 328" = 769lbs squash day 56 ott 89"fb x 93"ss x 145"c = 327" = 762lbs 14 more day's to grow. can I inch them up to 800's??   Tuesday, September 23 View Page it is now neck and neck. both taping 332" = 796lbs. but the storm yesterday has me down to only 30% of plants left about 150'sq each. just one more inch. but of course i'm like an alcoholic I always will want just 1 more. day 69 pumpkin day 60 squash.   Sunday, September 28 View Page 5 more day's. 5 more pounds?   Sunday, September 28 View Page i'm hoping to take 10th, but likely 12th   Sunday, September 28 View Page be concerned!   Sunday, September 28 View Page be slightly concerned! hoping for 2nd, likely will take 3rd   Sunday, October 5 View Page I somehow with the help of friends got these little beauties to the weigh off.   Sunday, October 5 View Page considering all the storm damage this took early in the year, i'm happy with her. the final ott on a flat surface was 338"   Sunday, October 5 View Page this experiment on a face plant, plant. grew a lot the last 2 weeks. it ott out at 345" tying my biggest pumpkin in size.   Sunday, October 5 View Page well just shy of beating my Bahama 900lbs, but it is the best I did from this garden. Also JJ as you can see my skill at growing them on their head is just as good as you. I can't believe we tied at this competition.   Sunday, October 5 View Page good enough for 9th. which is 1 higher than I was hoping for, and 3 higher than I was expecting.   Sunday, October 5 View Page look at that, a fool and his hard fought award. I want to than mother nature who smote most of my competition this year. lol   Sunday, October 5 View Page now this was a good year considering that mother nature slapped me in the face a couple of times as well. I got to stop pinching bottoms. I was hoping for 2nd and expecting 3rd but I guess I can settle for 1st.   Sunday, October 5 View Page took the seeds out of fruit last night. lots of huge seeds in the pumpkin. But 3/4 of the seeds in the squash were immature. also was surprized that there was 5" of flesh were the rib was, that did not grow on top of the squash. I was scared it would break there and that it was only 2" thick there. so seeds up to any who want to try them 800 neily selfed and 1623 Wallace x 800 neily. now known as 795 turner and 874 turner