Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 64 Entries. Wednesday, March 2 View Page Hope to start some pumpkins soon. Been away from pumpkin growing for a few years due to disease issues in my garden.   Saturday, March 12 View Page Finished putting out the last bag of 17-17-17 for this winter   Tuesday, March 15 View Page Got some Neptunes Harvest fish fertilizer for this year   Friday, April 8 View Page Got some Daddy Petes Kickin Chickin today.   Sunday, April 10 View Page Started seed germination today. Still very cold outside and in the ground. But it should not last for long.   Friday, April 15 View Page Got some Soil 3 composted soil from Super Sod today. My soil is worn out so last few years working on bringing it back.   Friday, April 15 View Page My goal this year is really simple and low: Grow an Atlantic Giant exceeding 150 pounds. My previous attempts failed because my soil was more worn out than I realized. Good luck everyone this year.   Saturday, April 23 View Page Picked up some Baacto compost today. Garden got turned over the other day. Good crop of winter rye this year. Not long before its tilled.   Wednesday, May 11 View Page My garden is not tilled yet and I am behind. Oh well. Still a long ways to go.   Wednesday, May 11 View Page Well I do have an AG seedling growing. Hopefully I can get my garden plowed. Then I will have at least one plant to transplant. Looking better   Thursday, May 12 View Page Container grown transplant   Thursday, May 19 View Page plowed garden   Saturday, May 21 View Page Got my plants in the ground today. Thanks to fellow western North Carolina grower for some plants and some good advice.   Sunday, June 5 View Page Plants are coming along decent. Got a 3rd one just sprouted in the ground as a backup but it is from Ferry Morse store seed. Again thank you Ms Zuerner for the plants!   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Got a female 3 feet out on one of plants. Need to pinch it off.   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Second plant. But it seems to be growing up instead of out. I'm sure that will change   Wednesday, June 15 View Page Need some rain. Still have been watering and fertilizing my plants when needed. They are picking up steam for sure. First male flowers today. Longest vines a little less than 5 feet.   Tuesday, June 21 View Page Still dry and no rain. Ferry Morse plant.   Tuesday, June 21 View Page 1439 Mathison plant foreground, 634 plant in background. 1439 is 7 feet long. 634 plant is 4 feet long. Still dry but I have been dousing with a watering can or sprinkler when I can. I'm in no hurry and taking my time. In this heat and dry spell that is all you can do. Fertilizing with Neptune's fish fertilizer.   Tuesday, June 21 View Page Pictures for above post   Wednesday, June 22 View Page 2010 pumpkin. Est 70-80 pounds but I did not weigh it. Anyway my previous pathetic best   Friday, June 24 View Page Found a big split on my 1439 plant. Will cover with soil and see what happens. Meantime vine is 9 feet and growing with a couple 3-4 foot side vines. Very dry and that has slowed down my plants. Ferry Morse plant is just starting a main.   Saturday, June 25 View Page I think I have decided to pollinate the 1439 Mathison with itself and use it to pollinate the 634 Zuerner but that plant is a good bit behind the Mathison. Still the Mathison is close to where I can let a female set. Rain I need a good soaking rain!   Monday, June 27 View Page Got some rain today finally. Thank you Lord   Wednesday, June 29 View Page Finally the first soaking rain in a month! My 1439 plant now just reached 12 feet. main vine length. Time to start looking for a candidate pumpkin.   Friday, July 1 View Page My 634 Plant at 8 1/2 feet   Friday, July 1 View Page Pumpkin candidate at 8 /1 2 feet I may have to go this short to avoid my corn   Friday, July 1 View Page My 1439 plant with some candidate pumpkins on it at almost 13 feet. It also is making its way into some corn. Spraying for cucumber beetles now as they show up.   Friday, July 8 View Page Pumpkin on the 1439 I plan to hand pollinate at 13 feet.   Friday, July 8 View Page Possible candidate on the 634 plant   Friday, July 8 View Page Another candidate on my 634 Zuerner plant at 9 feet   Sunday, July 10 View Page I ended up letting the bees and flies do the pollinating so far. We will see if they are successful.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page Fruit on my 1439 plant. Not sure if pollinated yet but 5 dap if so.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page One of two fruits I am letting grow on my 634 plant. Then I will cull down to one.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page Second fruit about 1 1/2 feet further down 634 plant   Monday, July 18 View Page My fruit set on my 634 plant 7/18. It hasn't laid down yet but is growing every day.   Monday, July 18 View Page Fruit set on side vine off main on 1439 plant. Fruit on main did not take.   Monday, July 18 View Page Fruit on 1439 in background with main vine in middle ground.   Wednesday, July 20 View Page I found 2 pumpkins today I had no idea were on my 634 plant. No wonder my chosen fruit was growing slowly. I cut them off   Saturday, July 23 View Page I need to position this pumpkin on my 1439 plant to be parallel to the main vine in the background. But is slow and the stem is under stress. Still this kin is growing great so far. It is open pollinated. No measurements yet.   Sunday, July 24 View Page Still moving the 1439 pumpkin into place. Despite putting some padding under the pumpkin stem/vine joint area it had put down a long taproot to the soil. Now I know that what was making my moving the kin hard. I broke it but I am also convinced that is why my pumpkin is/was growing great. My pumpkin went from 19.5 inches up and over (left to right) to 28 inches up and over in just a few days.. Still have plenty of plant to keep it growing. Just got to remain careful with moving it into position.   Sunday, July 24 View Page I should clarify the measurements were taken side to side and not end to end. This is the safest way for me to make measurements without damaging the plant. This pumpkin is on a side vine and shaded by many sidevine leaves   Monday, July 25 View Page Pictures of patch and pumpkins   Monday, July 25 View Page 634   Monday, July 25 View Page 1439   Tuesday, July 26 View Page I did a quick OTT measurement of my 1439 fruit. 36 lbs estimate.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page OTT today was 42 lbs estimate. Small,slow growing pumpkin For me, par for the course.   Saturday, July 30 View Page Well my 634 fruit is leaking out the blossom end. I can stink my finger up into the hole and into the pumpkin. Its still solid but I expect it collapse any day now. Oh well. Got two more plants with fruit.   Sunday, July 31 View Page My 634 and 1439 fruits are rotted. So that leaves a Ferry Morse fruit that is way behind. Well it was worth trying. I hope to get some pie pumpkins at least.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page My 634 fruit has a hole in it but I plugged it with petroleum jelly to keep out the bugs. So far is has not rotted but I bet it will.   Tuesday, August 2 View Page Ferry Morse fruit. Its got a scrape on the bottom I coated with petroleum jelly. So far its growing OK.   Friday, August 5 View Page My 634 fruit finally rotted. Oh well.   Friday, August 5 View Page Ferry Morse fruit chugging along. 71 lbs estimate. ,Maybe this fruit will get 200-300 lbs?   Saturday, August 6 View Page Covered my Ferry Morse kin today because its big enough to need it. Keep growing   Sunday, August 7 View Page Ferry Morse pumpkin estimate 89 lbs   Monday, August 15 View Page Only 1 pumpkin of any size this year, off Ferry Morse store bought seed. I'll see if I can get a good picture to upload of it. I suppose I could have some kins growing on my other 2 plants but they are so big and intertwined I don't know.   Monday, August 15 View Page Just to remind the pumpkins I had set on my 634 and 1439 plants had rotted. This leaves just the FM kin.   Monday, August 22 View Page My plants are infected and dying . Here is my FM pumpkin. Too much rain and moisture.   Monday, August 22 View Page Diseases   Monday, August 22 View Page Disease   Saturday, September 17 View Page Finally had to cut the biggest pumpkin from the vine. This came from Ferry Morse seed. My other plants are growing but no big fruit. Most of the fruit on these plants has rotted but I see two small pumpkins trying to turn orange in their somewhere. The squash beetles were/are bad this year and I took a several year break from growing squash!   Saturday, September 17 View Page I need to add in another drought period. No rain for weeks. So drought-then lots of rain- then drought again. Still set a personal record for pumpkin. Need to post pics tomorrow.   Tuesday, December 20 View Page Finally back on to update the season. Got just one decent pumpkin at I estimated 220-250 lbs from store bought seed. Good luck everyone in 2017 and Merry Christmas   Tuesday, December 20 View Page My 2016 kin