Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 50 Entries. Thursday, January 2 View Page Here's a picture of the 1779 seeds. As of today I have none left to give. I'm already into my reserves. The rest will be saved for next year's auctions and personal use/trades. If you're still looking for a 1779 they're for sale on the st croix growers website and there will be a few more in the auctions this winter on bigpumpkins.com   Thursday, March 6 View Page The weather has been very cold this winter but the extended forecast looks great. It looks to be a way earlier spring than last year. Lots of 30s and 40s with sun.. I went log hunting with my dad for a garden project.   Saturday, March 8 View Page Here's the logs for my garden project. On the last tree (60' white oak 30" base) the tree butt kicked backward while falling and broadsided my dad on his hands and knees into the snow. He was very lucky and only broke his femur just above his knee. He spent 2 days in the hospital and got bolted back together. I farm crops and 400+ cow calf pairs with him and he won't be doing much for the next 8-10 weeks. My spring just got a lot busier. It's hard to say how much I'll be able to get done in the garden this spring   Monday, April 21 View Page It has started.... It'll be fun to see which ones come up first. All started at the same time the same way.   Friday, April 25 View Page Not that it means much but here's the order they came out of the ground. 1. 1874 mathison 2. 1779 3. 1779 4. 1623 5. 1779 6. 1779 7. 1305 8. 1734 9. 1305 10. 1734 11. 1305 12. 1305 13. 1874 14. 1676 daletas 15. 1305 16. 1476 Hopkins. I had to help this one a little. Anyway 100% germination, all came up between 2.5-3.5 days   Saturday, April 26 View Page It's fight night in the mid west. I have three college wrestling buddy's fighting tonight. Johnson, baker, and ulmer. Lucky I chose pumpkin growing since they don't hit back. Not physically anyway.   Sunday, April 27 View Page Here's me with the champ at the bar for a few after the fight. Results: ulmer won by rear naked choke, baker broke his hand practicing before fight, and Johnson won by ref stoppage due to strikes. All in all good night.   Friday, May 2 View Page My favorite plant so far 1874 mathison   Friday, May 9 View Page Here where I grew the 1305 last year after 1 inch of rain. Big time drainage problem. Solid clay subsoil. I'm planning to raise it up about 6 inches. It'll be a while before I'll be planting. 8" soil temp is not much over 40.   Friday, May 9 View Page Mud   Friday, May 9 View Page Mud   Thursday, May 15 View Page Clay   Saturday, May 17 View Page Here's the most current picture of my south garden. I had big plans for the year but won't be able to get things done in time. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Either take the year off or plant in the north patch. Anyway I'll have to unleash the beast in the south patch next year.   Saturday, May 17 View Page Adeline trying to help get things done in time. Part of he project is for a fruit and vegetable garden that'll have to wait. Now thinking of the 7 plants I have and what to do. I really only have one option and there's room for 4 and it needs a lot of work.   Saturday, May 17 View Page 60,000 lbs of stuck iron   Saturday, May 17 View Page 60,000 lbs of stuck iron   Saturday, May 24 View Page Finally got my 4 best plants in the ground. I'm about a week behind last year at this point.   Thursday, June 19 View Page It's been a muddy bumpy road to the garden this year. This is right before our last 2" of rain. I'm parked at the garden gate in the picture.   Sunday, June 22 View Page Ready or not here I come   Monday, June 23 View Page 545 am pollinated 1779 x sib 557 am arrived at hospital 700 am new baby boy   Wednesday, June 25 View Page Looking back on previous years. First year grew 423 lbs personal best Second year 877 lbs personal best Third year 940 personal best Fourth year 1779 personal best Fifth year.... Good luck. haha   Wednesday, June 25 View Page Ian Orville Werner   Wednesday, June 25 View Page 13 1/4 inches... New personal best. His mom didn't seem to excited though.   Wednesday, June 25 View Page Pulling sprayer out of the driest of the 10 remaining fields left to spray. Notice how nice the corn looks.   Wednesday, June 25 View Page At least I was on the pulling side with Bertha (the tractor) this time.   Tuesday, July 1 View Page Not what you want to see at 3 pm after not going to the patch for a couple days. It's an open female on my 1874 at 15 feet. My only shot at a pumpkin in the sweet spot on this plant. Next one is around 20 ft out and will open around the 10th. This is the first time I've missed one on he main. I felt pretty bad but then remembered the high temp for the day was only 56 so it probably wouldn't have taken anyway.   Friday, July 4 View Page This could be my only hope. 1623 Wallace x 1779 werner. Pollinated same distance and same day as my 1623 last year. 15ft on 6/30   Wednesday, July 16 View Page I've been growing giants for 5 years now and every year I've been setting new personal records. So far this year I have new 10 day and 20 day records. I'll post pics and weights in the next day or so.   Thursday, July 17 View Page 1874 x 1779a. Pollinated 6-25. Is a new personal record for smallest of day 10 of keepers at 14.25". It is an early set on a small plant. It's day 20 in the picture at about 55lbs.   Thursday, July 17 View Page 1874 x 1779a. Pollinated 6-25. Is a new personal record for smallest of day 10 of keepers at 14.25". It is an early set on a small plant. It's day 20 in the picture at about 55lbs.   Thursday, July 17 View Page Here's my new record for smallest day 20 at 127" ott. Pollinated 6-23 right before the trip to the hospital to get baby Ian. This is also an early set pumpkin on a small plant. Cross is 1779a x sibb. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to keep the early ones or not but only time will tell. Last year my big one was still growing at 103 days old. I'm betting the small pumpkins are from a combination of lack of gdus and cool soil temp.   Thursday, July 17 View Page Heres my 3rd and final pumpkin. this plant had my first day 10 of the year. I measured it (17") and said to myself not in my garden then cut it of without much thought. Then I ended up keeping the smaller early sets on my other two plants. It'll be interesting to see how the early and late sets compare in 30-40 days. Here's the next pollination on the plant. Cross is 1623x 1779a pollinated 6-30. It was 22.5 inches day 10 with some warmer weather.   Thursday, July 17 View Page Heres my 3rd and final pumpkin. this plant had my first day 10 of the year. I measured it (17") said to myself not in my garden, then cut it of without much thought. Then I ended up keeping the smaller early sets on my other two plants. It'll be interesting to see how the early and late sets compare in 30-40 days. Here's the next pollination on the plant. Cross is 1623x 1779a pollinated 6-30. It was 22.5 inches day 10 with some warmer weather.   Saturday, July 26 View Page This picture is from around July 4th. Last year this soil grew our best corn of any field and was over 5 ft tall the same day with the same late planting. My pumpkins are being grown in the same soil type and it doesn't like water.   Saturday, July 26 View Page This picture is from around July 4th. Last year this soil grew our best corn of any field and was over 5 ft tall at this time last year with the same late planting. My pumpkins are being grown in the same soil type and it doesn't like too much water.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Here's a June 20th picture of one of my three plants drowning in water saturated soil. All my plants looked like this   Saturday, July 26 View Page My 1779 looks crooked so I had the bright idea to straighten it out.   Saturday, July 26 View Page My 1779 looks crooked so I had the bright idea to straighten it out.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Here's what I came up with. After a half hour of deep thought mowing the lawn I decided a flat bottom is more important than a symmetrical looking pumpkin and left it how it was.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Here's what I came up with. After a half hour of deep thought while mowing the lawn I decided a flat bottom is more important than a symmetrical looking pumpkin and left it how it was.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Here's the 1779 x sib day 33. Good bye blossom   Monday, August 18 View Page Here's my father in law Dave hawes 1779 about day 40. Gained almost 400lbs last 10 days and was out pacing my 1779 from last year with ease. 4" of rain and pop... Game over. Could have been a big one.   Monday, September 1 View Page Here are the leaves on my 1623 Wallace sept 1st. Best I've had in September.   Thursday, September 11 View Page I started getting some of the best looking secondary root sets I've ever had once all the rain stopped.   Thursday, September 11 View Page I started getting some of the best looking secondary root sets I've ever had once all the rain stopped.   Thursday, September 11 View Page Unfortunately the main couldn't handle the surge of fluid and let loose after dead ending the 2 healthiest side vines. Ended up loosing over half the plant and most of the good roots   Thursday, September 11 View Page Unfortunately the main couldn't handle the surge of fluid and let loose after dead ending the 2 healthiest side vines. Ended up loosing over half the plant and most of the good roots   Friday, September 12 View Page There they are. Biggest is the 1623 on the end and tapes about 1200 with half a plant and no stump. I lost the main about day 40 but it has still been growing. The other two tape about 900 and 1000lbs but could go real heavy. Anyway it would be a miracle for me to hit 1400.   Friday, September 12 View Page There they are. Biggest is the 1623 on the end and tapes about 1200 with half a plant and no stump. I lost the main about day 40 but it has still been growing. The other two tape about 900 and 1000lbs but could go real heavy. Anyway it would be a miracle for me to hit 1400.   Thursday, September 18 View Page My 1779. Tapes 367". Kind of looks like a mini 2009. I think this will be the drop pumpkin (80ft) at the ottertail pumpkin fest.