Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 31 Entries. Thursday, March 3 View Page Started the seeds Sapporo Reaper Jalapeņo Habanero   Tuesday, March 8 View Page Today was seed selection day! Giant pumpkins for the year are finalized, we have one other variety of watermelon and one decorative pumpkin, a handful of peppers, giant tomatoes and sunflowers, an onion, and a handful of gourds. We will see what happens as the season progresses, who makes the cut and who gets cut from the lineup. Stay tuned...   Monday, March 14 View Page One till had been done a week ago to break the topsoil, today we add peat. 11 bags in all.   Monday, March 14 View Page Peat had been laid down. Now to till it in.   Tuesday, March 15 View Page Soil amendments went in today: 25lbs of Bio-life 5-4-2 5lbs of Langbeinite 0-0-22 Two big bags of small grain perlite A yard of dairy compost Plus 60 pounds of alfalfa pellet. Thinking that may have been a bit much, but the soil is all clay once you dig down past the compost and the peat.   Tuesday, March 15 View Page Soil amendments went down artistically, then tilled in twice   Friday, March 25 View Page The soil amendments that were added   Friday, March 25 View Page Here we can see the layer of clay under the cultivated topsoil   Wednesday, March 30 View Page Out of nowhere SNOW blows in. No post hole digging for me today. Oh well, nothing to do but lay back on the sofa and watch delicious destinations.   Tuesday, April 5 View Page Added three yards of dairy compost to the patch today, will try to concentrate extra compost around the area my pumpkin will go into the ground   Tuesday, April 5 View Page Used the lawn mower to pull wheelbarrows full to the patch. Hard work shoveling   Saturday, April 16 View Page Started the seeds today! Three 1367 New seeds. The 1367 New is a cross between the 1916 Barron X 1947 Clementz. I plan to pollinate my pumpkins with the 1998 Jutras, which is itself a cross between the 1317 Clementz x 1916 Barron.   Friday, April 22 View Page The seeds are being put outside during the day and moved inside again at night.   Monday, April 25 View Page Two 1367 New seeds were repotted into 1.5g pots. I used Sanctuary soil Empire Blend mix, one I also used Azos and Great white granular Microryza in one pot, we'll see what difference it makes. The roots on both plants were just poking the bottom of the peat pot, the weather has been a bit cool since the seeds sprouted.   Tuesday, May 3 View Page Discovered my pumpkins flipped over to the side, thought it was an early split but nope! Just sprouted too close to the surface and when enough dirt got pushed aside they couldn't support themselves. Easy fix, just mounded about an inch of dirt around the stems.   Thursday, May 5 View Page Growing well. Goal is to be in the ground by 5/17/16   Sunday, May 22 View Page Finally got my plants on the ground. Noticed that the plant I had used the greater amount of Mykos and Azos on had a much bigger root system, but the foliage was the same between the two plants?!   Saturday, May 28 View Page One of the plants   Friday, June 3 View Page Final till complete   Tuesday, June 7 View Page This is 1372 New #1, the one on the left, that was seeded with way more Azos and great white during each transplant. They've been in the ground since May 20 and are starting to really take off. The time to choose which one to keep and which to pull is coming fast   Tuesday, June 7 View Page This is the 1367 New #2, on the right hand side, that was not inoculated as heavily with great white and Azos during each transplant. The stem seems perhaps a tad bigger, but the leaves aren't quite as full? What is odd is that I planted this one straight up as it was started as a seed, and it has laid down perfectly on its own. #1 I planted at an angle towards the ground and it actually bent upwards a bit more instead of lying down.   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Found this green bug in my patch while weeding, hope it's not a pest   Tuesday, June 7 View Page Better picture of the green bug   Wednesday, June 8 View Page Transplanted the giant tomato from the seed starting media in a peat pot to its smart pot in my patch.   Tuesday, June 14 View Page This plant is the winner. The one that was inoculated with more Mykos and Azos at transplant.   Tuesday, June 14 View Page The winning plant after #2 was yanked   Monday, June 20 View Page We had a couple really hot and dry days that crisped some of the leaves   Sunday, July 3 View Page Sprayed sevin on the plant today. I have a lot of ants, earwigs, these orange and black potato bug looking things, and big grey beetle grubs under my soil! Hope this will take care of it.   Monday, July 4 View Page Pollinated the 1367 New (1916 Barron x 1947 Clementz) today with the 1998 Jutras (1317 Clementz x 1916 Barron). Nice four lobed flower about 16 feet out on the main vine   Friday, July 8 View Page Pumpkin was pollinated July 4th this year and so far looks to be taking. Had a swath of leaves in the middle crisp and die very suddenly. As in one day they are fine and the next they are toast. It has been quite hot and dry, but there has also been a white crust on the older leaves. Probably ferts that dried on the leaf but could be powdery mildew. Debacco happened to be in the area and suggested we use a fungicide. Today we applied a systemic fungicide with a watering can to the roots.   Tuesday, July 12 View Page 8 DAP Just got back from a weekend trip, had a few record high days while I was away and quite a few vine tips are seared. The leaves coming off the main were white wilted but seemed to perk up after a generous misting with he hose today. Applied agri phos fungicide as a foliar spray to top and bottoms of leaves as well