Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 71 Entries. Saturday, March 22 View Page A couple days into Spring....   Sunday, April 27 View Page Seed line-up chosen. Going with a strong push to 2009/1725 family line. 1982 Miller, 220 Debacco and my 1463 all hit the reptibator today after a short soak. The weather has been cool but the cold frames are installed over the freshly tilled and ammended soil with heating cables buried below. I've never tried heating cables before but I buried 225 feet over the three plots. Need a better start than normal. Usually I'm slow out of the gates but the weather won't be helping over the next week or so.   Monday, May 5 View Page Cold frames and heating cables have been on for a week. Finally getting some sun after a week of cold clouds and rain. Still cool, but temperatures to warm later in the week. The rye is starting to move now. The 1985 and 1463 are up and may be out by the end of the week. Need that soil warm enough first. The 220 Debacco just didn't germinate. I played with the seed, removed it, nothing. I've started the 2032 Mathison instead, and it should be up in a couple days.   Monday, May 5 View Page Here's the compost that I've started two years ago. The pile on the right has been through it's second winter now. I was going to use it this spring, but backed off. It will go down in the fall for sure. The dark pile has at least 250 garbage bags of maple leaves that I lugged from curbsides. I'm hoping it really works out well. The pile on the left is one winter old, consisting of everything from last falls vines, a year of food scraps, to many bags of maples leaves and to this springs yard clean-up remnants. I'll flip it later on, and have it hopefully ready for the following fall. Lots of work, but probably worth it. It's interesting to see the breakdown occur.   Saturday, May 24 View Page Time to cut down the rye and add soil ammendments.   Saturday, May 24 View Page The rye was chopped, raked and added to the compost pile.   Monday, May 26 View Page Visitor in late May.   Tuesday, May 27 View Page The soil additives along with the soil spreadsheets. This worked well last year, adding in the ammendments fairly late. Due to some seed starting mix issues, I'm behind schedule on two of three plants, but I figured with a good weather weekend, I might as well get the soil turned and set for the season.   Tuesday, May 27 View Page A double pass, deep till takes a while in the rye. Still some in the larger garden to do, but all is complete within 8 feet of the cold frames so the roots can now start to move.   Monday, June 30 View Page Yes, I've made a huge mistake regarding Round-up and vine tips.   Monday, July 7 View Page This is the damage. My 1463 got hit the hardest. I think I'll have to pull it. The 5 year old manure that I use has a lot of weed seeds in it. It's hard to see where the garden ends and the lawn starts. I don't walk in the garden so I don't want to hand work the weeds, nor do I have the time to do 2500 square feet of weeding. The round-up works great, but I simply got too close to the new growth. I sprayed it later last year, and went into the older vines away from the tips and under the taller, older leaves. I've sprayed lots of round-up in my life on poison ivy and poplar suckers and know how it acts, but I really underestimated the sensitivity of the vine tips. The Freak is behind my 1463. It suffered less burning than the 1463, and isn't in critical condition. It's not perfect, but it will survive. Certainly won't be a PB as it's been slowed.   Monday, July 7 View Page This is the main of the 1463. It's been like this for a week, stunted. I take it there is no chance of new green growth happening, or the plant fighting it off? Anyone have a Round-up mess like this? I've waited a week, and I only have two living sidevines, and even those don't look "good". It's too bad since this was my best plant. Super aggressive and moving fast. Large vines and leaves. I was a week or more ahead of schedule. Pollinated on the 1st of July and amazingly it took, but the fruit set doesn't look good.   Monday, July 7 View Page These are the living secondaries. I only have one on each side. I was going to be creative with tertiaries and try and fill the patch but that's going to take forever on one secondary on each side. I'm thinking of pulling the plant and focus all of my time on the only remaining plant that was Round-Up untouched, the 1985 Miller.   Monday, July 7 View Page Here is another secondary that barely survived the Round-up. Even the green vines are messed up somewhat. That Round-Up is powerful stuff. This is over a week since cpraying and the green vines that survived still can't shake it. Leaves have changes shape and look blotchy. Vines look distorted.   Monday, July 14 View Page This is the Round Up damaged 1789 at Day 10 with no main vine remaining. The plants are pretty tough, and have shot secondaries and tertiaries out which I'll be trying to fill the patch with. This certainly won't be a record breaker with the shock and delay from the burnt vine tips, but hopefully it will hang on for the season. I've removed all dead vines and mutated vines from the Round-Up. This will be a complete pitch fork pattern, as I get creative and try and fill 200 square feet in front of the pumpkin without any help from a main vine.   Monday, July 14 View Page That is my 1463 Hoelke behind the 1789 pictured in the prevoius photo, which has major damage. I have a few secondaries growing, but maybe only three. The fruit set from July 1st has been mutated from the spray, and I have no main vine either, so this one may get pulled. I've never pulled a plant, but it's looking like this one may have to. My best plant of the three, I'll be growing it next year for sure. Super agressive vine and leaf size.   Monday, July 14 View Page This is my only clean and healthy plant. The 1985 Miller. It didn't get any Round-Up spray issues when I sprayed three weeks ago, and actually I just sprayed five days ago again and it remained untouched. I should have taken more caution on the first spray and I wouldn't have hurt my other two plants. I used a blast sheild and stayed only a foot away from vine tips. I like spraying as the plant grows because it gives the tendrils the weeds to hold onto until the weeds die, and by then the vine is rooted. It's playing with fire, spraying as it grows, but even with the windy year, I haven't had any vines spin and up root. I hate when that happens. I then add a vine burying mixture to each leaf node, but I don't dig or trench, I prefer to have my soil jacked up everywhere, not just in a trench area. I have a humic acid and kelp mix in the pro-mix for leaf node burying, and after a week I have three roots into the garden at each node. The soil may looked packed but it's not. I use shoes with plywood platforms attched below like snow shoes. People think I'm crazy, becaue it looks it, but it's much better than setting up walking boards everywhere. The soil is fluffy below the surface.   Monday, July 14 View Page Here's my two pollinations on the 1985 (x1789 Wallace). About a week apart. I really think I'll keep the smaller one at about 16 feet out, instead of the earlier pollination at about 13 feet. The 16 footer will give me a large plant, and 19 secondaries feeding it. I saw last year how the large plant fed until frost and beyond, with 400 pounds in September. This is the same garden as the 1463 was grown last year, and this year I will give the plant more attention, since my other two plants are messed up. I didn't fertilize much last year on the 1463 and will push the 1985 harder this year. Not going with slow and steady this year. A great grower told me over the winter that slow and steady has never one any race or sporting event. Very true.   Wednesday, July 16 View Page Today I cut ties with the early pollination on the 1985 Miller. It was far enough out at 13 feet, but I liked the extra secondaries feeding the smaller, later pollination at 16 feet. I have a good vine pattern with the later pollination as well. The smaller fruit was built more like a football as well. I'm all in now. I was going to wait a few days until the later pollination was larger, but I don't want to give up those days of the first fruit taking more energy. All in.   Wednesday, July 16 View Page 1985 Miller. Day 6. First secondary on each side terminated and buried, all other secondaries will be turned 90 degrees to run up the side of the patch and ahead of pumpkin.   Monday, July 21 View Page The only plant worth talking about now is the 1985 miller. The 1789 is close to getting pulled, but still there. Anyway, the 1985 has smaller leaves and lower leaves to the ground than I had on the 2009W last year. This plant had slow secondaries this year, much smaller than my other two plants. Now they are starting to move, which was a reason that I kept my second later pollination on this plant. I'll be working all of the secondaries in front of the fruit on this time around, very similar to last years 2009 Wallace which grew into my 1463, in this very same patch.   Monday, July 21 View Page There is a lot of plant behind this fruit, which is now at Day 12.   Monday, July 21 View Page All vines are buried with a Promix, kelp, humid acid mixture. One nice thing about having only one worthy plant is that I can put all of my time to it...what little I have. Still a couple hundred feet to fill with secondaries.   Wednesday, July 23 View Page Checked out the stump of my 1985 today. Nice and clean, firm and dry. I use a quick fix for keeping dry and keeping the sun on the stump. I simply use a peony ring from a garden center and get a square piece of plexi-glass from the hardware store. Six quick holes drilled, and some wire and you have an easy to move and easy to adjust stump cover. I've had foaming stumps in the past, but so far none since I went to a pitch fork pattern.   Friday, July 25 View Page Cover crop growing where the 1463 was. Peas, Soy, Buckwheat, and Red Clover mixture. 1789 behind that, getting ready to be pulled in moments.   Friday, July 25 View Page 1789 gone. I'll be planting mustard here and seeing how that goes. Hoping to have a Top 10 Ontario cover crop this year. Getting the tiller out in July is awful.   Friday, July 25 View Page 1789 Wallace ... April 24, 2014 - July 25, 2014 RIP   Saturday, July 26 View Page I made a visit to Todd Kline's house as he had a BBQ patch tour for some of the Quebec growers and Eastern Ontario growers. It's really hard to take a picture of a 12,000 sq. ft patch. Even after climbing up a compost pile, I still couldn't get all of the plants in the shot. Todd does all the work by hand, has a full time job and all plants are competition grade, no fillers. Not sure how he does it, but it's always a treat to see the sheer size of the patch...although it's a little depressing trying to keep up to his plants and numbers.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Another shot of the garden area not pictured in the first photo. To get a good shot of the full garden, you'd need a helicopter.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Todd's long gourds doing well.   Saturday, July 26 View Page Another angle of even more of Todd's giant pumpkin/squash patch.   Saturday, July 26 View Page The last stop on the half mile patch walk was this plant that Todd had going strong. The 1676 Daletas on Day 32.   Sunday, July 27 View Page Back at my place, I scattered a some two year old leaf compost on the site where the 1789 was.   Sunday, July 27 View Page This stuff has gone through two winters. There's a lot of work in making a pile of compost surprisingly. I've handed this more than I'd like to. I've divided the pile into thirds, and will dress the other two growing patches later. There was about 150 garbage bags of leaves in this pile to start.   Sunday, July 27 View Page I planted mustard on this area after I tilled the compost under. We'll see how the mustard goes. The patch to left has the peas, soy, buckwheat and red clover starting to make a move.   Wednesday, July 30 View Page Day 20 on the 1985 Miller ( x 1789 Wallace ). Only a 58"c 40"ss 41"ee for a 139OTT, so nothing to write home about, however this was my second pollination so for the better part of the first week it was riding the coat tails of the first pollination, which I removed. Plus it's been cold nights for weeks. I'm happy with fruit position and plant size. All vines are buried and most have double tap roots. Should be ready to move once summer gets back here. This is best maintained plant that I've had. Weed free too and cucumber beetles seem to be gone for the time being.   Monday, August 4 View Page Day 25. 83" circ. Doing OK. Nothing special at this point.   Saturday, August 9 View Page Day 30 on the 1985 Miller (x1789 Wallace). 236 OTT. That was yesterday and had been doing 25+ pounds per day for the last week. In the last 24 hours it put on 6" in circumference for about 35+ pounds. Hoping it keeps ramping up. Working in fertilizers harder (but responsibly) than I have in the past, trying for 1500.   Thursday, August 14 View Page Day 35 with 1985 Miller. Really stating to move now. 36 pounds a day average over the last five days with poor weather. We're stuck in 48 hours of cloudy cold +12 for a high (53F) weather, and this one hasn't really slowed down. The plant has all but stopped growing, which it would like to see continue for a long while.   Thursday, August 14 View Page The details for Day 35 were 277 OTT, 478 pounds.   Sunday, August 17 View Page Here's a tissue test from earlier in the month. Low on potassium. My soil test showed enough potassium, so the word on the street is that my slightly too high PH is locking out some K. I've went to a weekly foliar rotation with TKO, kelp (2-3 times a week), and Recover Rx, to up the K.   Tuesday, August 19 View Page Day 40 303 OTT   Tuesday, August 26 View Page Day 47 for the 1985 Miller. Growing very well right now and cruising to 35 pound gains each day over the last seven days. In the middle of a hot couple of days right now, so I'm thumbing the throttle trying to stay on the red line of moisture and fertilizers amounts without going over. There's roots starting to burst throw the soil surface all over the garden right now, which it love to see.   Tuesday, August 26 View Page Up 245 pounds for the week. Leaves look great and I'm adding a some nitrogen to my spray routines now and through later in the year. I've also been adding 2 tablespoons of liquid boron to my soil drenches once per week to keep the tissue test numbers steady. This fruit is taller than my 1463 from last year. I like the shape.   Tuesday, September 2 View Page I chopped up the three foot tall peas, buckwheat, soy and red clover mix on the weekend in the one plot.   Tuesday, September 2 View Page It was immediately tilled under. The mustard crop in the background on the second plot will be tilled under soon. It grew fast and is very thick. I planted rye on top of the newly tilled under plot.   Tuesday, September 2 View Page 1985 Miller up 191 pounds for the week. Today is Day 54.   Sunday, September 7 View Page It was time to chop up the mustard and till it under.   Sunday, September 7 View Page The mustard grows quickly, reaching three feet high in just over a month. It was chopped finely and tilled under with a good soaking once completed. I'll let this plot sit for a couple weeks, then add as much leaf compost that I have accumulated. There's two piles in the background for the three plots. Once that's spread in a few weeks, I'll plant fall rye and hairy vetch for the winter.   Tuesday, September 9 View Page Day 61 for the 1985 Miller x1789 Wallace. Up 140 pounds for the week.   Tuesday, September 9 View Page The plant is staying healthy. I've been spraying often. Actinovate works, but I have some powdery mildew that I'm fighting. Here in ontario it's easier to get your hands on explosives, guns, and drugs than it is to get strong herbicides and fungicides. I think my leaves look pretty good for September, with only spraying actinovate, kelp and TKO. If any American grower can get me Eagle 20, I will pay you whatever you want. Throw in some Sevin as well maybe? Ha.   Tuesday, September 16 View Page One week update at Day 68 for the 1985 Miller. It's been really cold and cloudy so I wasn't expecting much this week, but still got 103 pounds for the week. I'll take 14 pounds a day all day long. Hoping to keep things rolling for a few more weeks. At noon she was creaking and cracking, with lots of sap coming out. I put the sheet back on it to cool things down a bit. Hopefully they're aren't too many really cold nights coming up but it's been quite cool for a while. Near zero coming up on Thursday and Friday night. Better after that if I can get through it.   Thursday, September 18 View Page All tucked in for the night. I always underestimate my plant size until I try and cover it. Thankfully my 30x100 foot roll of Agribon showed up in the mail today for extra protection. This 1985 has to be almost 1200 square feet of material to cover it. Going to -3 under par tonight. Hoping to get through it because the weekend looks great for packing on some more pounds.   Thursday, September 25 View Page I just barely survived the frost last week. Some leaves are partially dead around perimeter that was touching the covering. I can't complain, anyone north of me was wiped out. Tough news to hear with a warm week now in our midst. Great weather for the next few days to hopefully get some more weight. This mornings dew was steaming in the sunlight in this picture.   Tuesday, October 7 View Page Day 89 and the 1985 Miller is still moving. You only get pictures on Tuesdays with nice weather. I was surprised to see 43 pounds this week, with a few nice days scattered in between some cold and cloudy ones. I like this shape, and the old girl is turning green and cantaloping on the stem side facing North. Looks tough and hopefully heavy. The cover crop of rye and hairy vetch is starting to grow in on the plot in the background. That will be the third and final cover crop of the year after 24 wheel barrel loads of aged leaf compost and 24 wheel barrows of 7 year old manure was spread and tilled in. Looking for a good year in that 1700 square feet next year.   Friday, October 17 View Page Moving Day for the 1985 Miller. Day 99 and it's still moving the sticks. It's been very steady the last three weeks to close out the year.   Friday, October 17 View Page Really good rooting this year. I don't trench, but rather ramp the vines with my burying mexture. Zero rot in any vines. Clear through all the cuts. Lots of rain the last four days and as I cut the vines there is water squirting out of all of them.   Friday, October 17 View Page Getting ready to lift.   Friday, October 17 View Page Miller Time.   Sunday, October 19 View Page She went light! What an awful feeling. With the 1985 putting out more heavy than light this year, and with the shape of the fruit, I was pretty confident in getting to chart at least. No luck. It taped 1450 pounds at 411". 1379 Hoelke ( 1985 miller x 1789est Wallace )   Sunday, October 19 View Page They say a small trailer makes your pumpkin look bigger. Don't worry, I was only going down the road to the grocery store. The pumpkin will be on display there until next Saturday when it will be dropped from a crane into the parking lot. I went to local businesses and everyone was on board donating prizes. Tickets have been on sale all month with proceeds going to the local foodbank. Should be a good turn out. Last year was a test run and it went great with many people coming out on a cold day. Better prizes this year, should draw a good crowd and better sales.   Saturday, October 25 View Page Annual Pumpkin drop from 50 feet for a food bank fundraiser. The 1379 is no more. Raised $1850 in ticket sales. Many businesses donated small to large prizes and tickets were sold for a couple weeks. Before the drop, all tickets were loaded into a large ziplock bag and placed in the pumpkin. Upon the smash, winning tickets were pulled out of the pumpkin. This works really well to anyone looking to use a pumpkin for more than compost. It went very smooth. Hopefully some year we'll have nice weather.   Saturday, October 25 View Page .   Saturday, October 25 View Page .   Sunday, October 26 View Page Pumpkin drop for the local Food Bank. We've been doing it for a couple years now and this one raised almost $1900 for the local food bank, the most ever. I got a lot of prizes donated by local businesses, and tickets were sold for $2 a piece. Sales went really well this year. All of the tickets were placed in a zip-lock bag and loaded into the pumpkin. It exploded into the asphalt and winning tickets were pulled from the pumpkin. Lots of fun.   Thursday, October 30 View Page When i opened it up last week, I had more seeds than I've ever had in the past in the 1379 (1985 Miller x 1789 Wallace). I read over the winter that a certain amount of pollen is needed to form one seed. I went crazy with the males this year, and pollinated with all that were open. At least 7-8 males were piled up in the garden smoking cigarettes after the female blossom was pollinated. Maybe it worked. 640 good grade seeds.   Wednesday, November 5 View Page Video of the drop ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxs9IFqWLok   Monday, November 10 View Page These turkeys have dug up my winter rye as they stop by daily. A large group of 10 or so have cleaned up about 10 pounds of seed.   Friday, November 14 View Page I've been getting leaves again this year for compost. After a couple years now people are actually bringing the leaves to me. It's great. I haven't picked up a rake and I figure I have at least 3000 pounds of leaves. This pile doesn't look large from the angle but it's almost 20 feet wide by 7 feet tall. It's been sitting there for a couple weeks so it's settled too. I'll try and flip this December first if I can. Will be cold and time will be short, as will motivation I think. The second pile is just overflow. I have 35 more bags to dump as well.   Friday, November 14 View Page The recycling guy is going to be busy when I get these empty leaf bags packaged up at the curb.   Sunday, November 30 View Page Got lucky with warm weather at this time of year. Today I flipped the two leaf piles into one large pile. A good workout for a few hours. I'll let this sit until the spring and then flip it as soon as I can. There's a lot of leaves there. Probably double what I did last year, and I still got over 30 wheel barrow loads of finished compost from that.