Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 73 Entries. Wednesday, January 8 View Page It is time to decide what to plant this year... 1048 Engel 2012 which is a 777 young times self. When you plant this the GPC calls and asks how to spell your last name for the Howard Dill Award 359 Foss 2013- 1048 Engel 2012 x 2009 Wallace 2012 lets hope it stays PRETTY and goes HUGE and HEAVY Giant Veggie Seed Exhchanges are being packaged, and will be ready to ship soon. Sorry for the delay we had a few stragglers   Saturday, January 11 View Page Here are all the seeds included in this years Giant Veggie Seed Exchange   Monday, January 13 View Page Here are all the seeds for the Giant Veggie Seed Exchange..Now to just get to the Post Office. Sure wish they had decent hours and were not closed during lunch and open more than two hours on Saturday morning   Monday, January 13 View Page Is one of these boxes yours :)   Monday, January 13 View Page As was announced on the seed exchange board. This will be the last year that I am hosting the Giant Veggie Seed Exchange. I started the exchange in 2002 as a way to get seeds from other odd and giant vegetables. Since that time I no longer have a Pumpkin Patch with acres of fields to fill. Now I have a bakery which keeps me busy year around, along with my full time position as a Quality Engineer for one of the largest towing product companies in the United States. If you have participated in the past thank you. It was fun opening your packages, going through the seeds, and packaging them. Good luck to whoever takes it over in the future. It sounds easy coordinating 40 people to send seeds to you.   Saturday, January 18 View Page The Giant Veggie Seed Exchanges are off...The Post Office was very happy to ship the packages.   Friday, January 24 View Page Woot Woot The 359 Foss's came today....I hope it is Orange Pretty and Huge 1048 Engel x 2009 Wallace...   Monday, January 27 View Page Woot Woot booked our room for the CWPG Spring Growers Seminar March 7 and 8th..   Tuesday, February 11 View Page -20°F without the wind chill this morning.....arggghhhh this winter crap is not fun anymore   Thursday, February 13 View Page Started (6) 75.2 Thomas Swedes, (3) 32.4 Glassford Beets, (3) Glazebrook Carrots, (3) Bangor Carrots, and (3) Picador Parsnips...I think I am going to hold off on Giant Cabbage and Onions in 2014   Saturday, February 15 View Page https://www.facebook.com/bakingmemories.net Check out some of the awesome cakes Jodi has been making in the bakery..   Wednesday, March 5 View Page Look at what my wife made me today...she is so talented. Remember the Great Pumpkin only comes to the most sincerest pumpkin patches...   Thursday, March 6 View Page Here is Jodi's Sweatshirt...I think the honeymoon is over   Saturday, April 19 View Page Here is why the Midwest has been so cold. Jodi has been making frozen cakes frequently this winter   Saturday, April 19 View Page Sugar Glass Accessories are one of new favorite things. Most of the cakes I don't get to do anything but make the Icings and Fillings. Some day we will be good enough to be on Halloween Wars.   Saturday, April 19 View Page Sugar Glass Accessories are one of new favorite things. Most of the cakes I don't get to do anything but make the Icings and Fillings. Some day we will be good enough to be on Halloween Wars.   Monday, April 21 View Page Removed 30 foot spruce tree that was providing afternoon sun from a corner of the patch today..Need to run the tiller through one more time. Some of last years cover crop of brassicas is poking up.   Thursday, April 24 View Page IT'S SEED STARTING DAY. 1048 Engel 2012(777 Young 2011 x self) and 359 Foss 2103 (1048 Engel 12 x 2009 Wallace). Taking a gamble that the 359 gives me big and orange.   Wednesday, April 30 View Page 6 for 6. It has been raining since like last Thursday. High temps low 40's. Soil in the hoop was 55. Plugged in the heat cables tonight...I really like the roof cable verses the old two wire cables. Tomorrow they go out in the hoop. Hopefully the sun comes out. Last years cover crop of radishes and rape did not break down as much as I expected   Sunday, May 4 View Page 1048 Engel 2012(777 Young 2011 x Self) and 359 Foss (1048 Engel x 2009 Wallace) are in the greenhouse. Watered in with more 5 Gallons of Root Riot.   Monday, May 26 View Page 1048 Engel is down and running. 359 Foss will be shortly   Monday, June 2 View Page 1048 with the hoop house off. Should have left it on a few more days, as we got a big wind storm tonight   Monday, June 2 View Page 359 Foss...if you look closely you can see the yellow vine :) She is going to throw orange baby...Big Ass Orange   Saturday, June 7 View Page We are getting a crap ton of rain and wind lately. The 1048 has a vine split. I will have to make a tent to keep this area dry, and treat it with a fungicide. I am getting close to a foot a day of growth.   Monday, June 9 View Page The split opened up more. Had to do some surgery and open the vine up on both sides so it will drain out properly, and releive stress. On a side note. There is something that gets triggered in these plants when they get the crap beat out of them. Both plants are growing a foot a day. I need to get more cheap hangers..I think Jodi is figuring out I have been stealing from the closet..   Wednesday, June 18 View Page Early Pollination on the 1048 today. The plant is not a big as I prefer to pollinate. Had to pollinate it times self as that was all that was available. I have another female that looks like early next week. The 359 Foss will be throwing males by then. I have learned in the past pollinated what you have and make decisions later. As sometimes this is your only oppurtunity.   Wednesday, June 18 View Page We have received on average about 3 inches of rain a week. I have yet to hook up the hose. Little worried all my nutrients are getting leaked out   Monday, June 23 View Page Pollinated a 1048 x 359 Foss this morning. The pumpkin is in a better position than the 1048 x self that is a week old. Someone come over and cut it off to make my decision for me easier :)   Wednesday, June 25 View Page 359 Foss is a beast of a plant. Leaves all over the place. Thick vines, Easy to train and Vigorous. I will be pollinating it with the 1048 tomorrow morning. Can wait to see what this plant does...PS it looks like it is going to throw orange and pretty   Thursday, June 26 View Page 359 Foss 13 x 1048 Engel 12 This plant has been perfect.   Wednesday, July 16 View Page "AGNES" 1048 X SELF 25 Days old. A little blockier that I like...but I am not complaining as long as she holds together   Wednesday, July 16 View Page "MARGO" 359 Foss x 1048 Engel 19 days old. If we get the right weather this pumpkin is going to rock. Perfect symmetry and shape..She is passing the 1048 fast...   Saturday, July 19 View Page Guess What Linus is standing in front of...This thing is going to be huge by the time the Stillwater Weigh Off Occurs. I am sure I will be the only one with one of these at the weigh off. As this trend is just not catching on with the rest of the United States, Minnesota or Wisconsin Growers   Saturday, July 19 View Page Guess What Linus is standing in front of...This thing is going to be huge by the time the Stillwater Weigh Off Occurs. I am sure I will be the only one with one of these at the weigh off. As this trend is just not catching on with the rest of the United States, Minnesota or Wisconsin Growers   Sunday, July 27 View Page Margo on the 1048 Engel   Sunday, July 27 View Page Agnes on the 359 Foss. Right on schedule for a new personal best   Wednesday, August 6 View Page Day 47 1048 x self slowly growing. I have started a couple of carvers on this plant   Wednesday, August 6 View Page 359 Foss on Day 39...packing on the pounds.   Wednesday, August 6 View Page 359 Foss13 on day 39 was 144" in C. I will take that...   Wednesday, August 27 View Page Well Margo is still growing. Here she is 60 days after pollination and I am happy to say over 14 feet in circumference. I wish I had started spraying sooner for the powdery mildew.   Saturday, September 6 View Page Margo on the 359 Foss is still growing. Cool nights and powdery Mildew are slowing her down.   Saturday, September 6 View Page Linus is looking a little small in this picture   Thursday, September 11 View Page Here is Margo today, I am sure after this cold snap she is done growing, or is she...muhahahaaa   Sunday, September 14 View Page Frost on Friday night has taken parts of the 359 plant, I could not protect. The 1048 plant is pretty much done. Now I have to figure out how to get Agnes out of there and some place for her to go.   Monday, September 22 View Page Well the low temps, with a few high temps in the 50's was not a good match for Agnes on the 1048 plant. She split open mid rib when the pumpkin started growing again. I though she could make it for a beautiful display pumpkin. Yesterday I saw the tell tale sign things were over. Fruit Flies. I will harvest the seeds and take a few pictures of her later. On a good note Margo, does not care for the cooler temps, but she is still putting on weight and is getting chunky. Only bad thing is the bigger this girl gets the lighter she gets in color. Time to break out the suntan oil :)   Monday, September 22 View Page Agnes on the 1048 Plant decided the season was over and she could not deal with the fluctuating temperatures. She split a rib   Monday, September 22 View Page She split right an a ribs and kept going into the cavity. The 359 pumpkin is still doing good, and putting on a few extra pounds :)   Sunday, October 5 View Page Hard Freeze this morning. "MARGO" says she is ready for the Stillwater Harvest Fest. My the Orange Pumpkin Gods be on my side and put another Howard Dill Award on my wall.   Tuesday, October 7 View Page Spent the evening digging up my rutabaga grown from the 75.2 Thomas. I was like an archeologist digging up a rare fossil. The more I dug the bigger it got. I also realized I live in a household of judgmental people. That just does not appreciate a huge rutabaga. Now I have to wait until Stillwater Harvest Fest to get it weighed. It is huge, and heave   Saturday, October 11 View Page Does this skid steer make my pumpkin looks small?   Saturday, October 11 View Page Stupid incline. Poor skid steer operator had two people giving him commands. Lift, Level, turn right. He did an awesome Job   Saturday, October 11 View Page For some reason she kept wanting to go to the right. I was imagining her running into that rail. They tell me we had plenty of room.   Saturday, October 11 View Page Touch Down...Break out the beer   Saturday, October 11 View Page Does this trailer make my pumpkin look big? Yeah it does   Saturday, October 11 View Page Drum Roll Please for the biggest Rutabaga in the Midwest, Possibly the United States excluding Alaska where Scott Robb is king. 59 pounds of rutabaga that only the grower could love. We got a lot of what the heck is that today.   Saturday, October 11 View Page MARGO weighed 1374 pounds and won the Howard Dill Award. It was an awesome weigh off as usual, with the greatest pumpkin growers in the world.   Saturday, October 11 View Page Here is Margo, she was the most photographed pumpkin at Stillwater.   Sunday, October 12 View Page Another one for the wall :) I am glad I had so much faith in this seed. The 359 Foss produced exactly what I thought it would. A beautiful symmetric pumpkin with brilliant orange color. The 359 was a 1048 Engel x 2009 Wallace. The 1048 was a 777 young x self. Which several growers got HDA in 2013. The 1374 was the 359 pollinated with 1048. Get your sunglasses and cameras ready for 2015.   Sunday, October 12 View Page I had to go get Jodi's pumpkin. Can't believe she forgot it yesterday for Stillwater. We will have to weigh it for an official weight for a mature pumpkin   Sunday, October 12 View Page Our annual family picture   Sunday, October 12 View Page MARGO no filters used, It did apply a protective Marine Finish after it was weighed to bring out the shine. The marine finish is a wax with fungicide.   Friday, October 17 View Page MARGO made the rounds today, this is why I try to protect my pumpkin on weigh off day. So others can enjoy the beauty of the pumpkin through out the season.   Monday, October 27 View Page It starts with a simple pumpkin   Monday, October 27 View Page A few good cuts with a saw, and some profiling with a carrot peeler   Monday, October 27 View Page Stack them on top of each other...and light them up. Watch for me tomorrow morning on WEAU 13 HELLO WISCONSIN show. Margo will be there, if you want to get one last look at her before she goes under the knife.   Monday, October 27 View Page Here is this years most popular Halloween Costume. Stop by our house on Halloween. We will be doing a shot for every Elsa we see. Good thing I do not have to work on Saturday   Friday, October 31 View Page http://www.weau.com/hellowisconsin/headlines/A-giant-1300-lb-pumpkin-and-carving-101-280680152.html It has been a busy week. Here is a couple of pumpkins I did for WEAU TV 13 Hello Wisconsin Morning Show. Margo made a Special appearance. Wish we would have had more light   Friday, October 31 View Page Nothing like wrapping up the season, with a final moment with your pumpkin. Before hacking her up and gutting her out. I say it all the time, I do this. I am never carving a pumpkin from the stem end. Never Ever Ever again. Until the next time   Saturday, November 1 View Page https://www.facebook.com/PumpkinMasters?sk=app_1478139035806591 Vote for Margo   Tuesday, November 18 View Page I forgot to post MARGO carved up.   Tuesday, November 18 View Page Here she was at one of her many stops this here. Check out that wrap on the Baking Memories delivery vehicle. I love the looks we get going down the highway   Saturday, December 6 View Page Here is our Family Picture taken with the 1374 Engel.   Saturday, December 6 View Page Collage of some of my favorites