Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 91 Entries. Friday, March 17 View Page Niagara Falls, Canada It was great to be able to go back to Niagara Falls which was the main site of off-season giant pumpkin growing seminars. While some of the growers have changed over the years, the fun and excitement has not. I enjoyed meeting new people and getting to share some pumpkin information with those in attendance.   Sunday, March 19 View Page Lucky me! As an added bonus I won the 2145 McMullen seed (and a few other seeds) in the raffles! Looks like my line-up may have to change;-)   Monday, April 3 View Page The patch before the work begins. I have a cover crop of turf seed that I sowed last year (Sept. 4th, 2016) due to the squirrels destroying my season early in the year. This is a very stable way to cover the soil, but the challenge is getting the site ready for planting. Luckily, this year I have access to some additional equipment that should make this process easier than in the past.   Sunday, April 9 View Page 2017 Line-up... 2145 McMullen ’15 (F: 1756 Howell/Jolivette x 1625 Gantner) 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (F: 1961 Sperry x 2230 Wallace) 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (F: 1916 Barron x 1676.5 Daletas) 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (F: 2009 Wallace x 1778.5 Daletas) 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (F: 2145 McMullen x 1585.5 Werner) 400 Crowell ’15 (F: 775 Berard x 669 Dill)   Monday, April 10 View Page Amendments Have Been Applied I broke up the middle section and applied all of my spring amendments to this area. The upper and lower sides (left and right in the image) only received lime (since this takes a long time to react) and humic acid (since this can alter the pH so I want my next patch soil test to be as accurate as possible). I was able to use my “new to me” tractor to make breaking up the sod easier than it has ever been for me in the past.   Monday, April 10 View Page 1949 John Deere M This is what I used to break up the sod I had in place before applying the amendments and after to provide an initial incorporation. I custom designed the cultivator on the rear and after some initial adjustments it worked great. Most people want new equipment, but there is something to be said about some of the older tractors and I have always liked this style. My dad and I spent some time over the winter getting it ready for a busy growing season since I will be using this at an area farm for cultivation and weed control. As a result it will not get used in the pumpkin patch which only served as my testing grounds. This tractor has the unique two cylinder sound and produces about 18-20 horsepower from its 100.5 ci (4.0inch bore and 4.0 inch stroke) gas motor. For such a small tractor it weighs in at a hefty 2,600+ pounds as it has the optional rear wheel weights to provide more traction in the field.   Monday, April 10 View Page Walk-Behind Tiller Still Used (Old Troy-Bilt Horse commercial edition) I did use the tractor for the initial sod break-up, but after that I applied my amendments and then used the traditional walk-behind tiller to mix everything and also chop the sod into smaller pieces. Overall, everything went to plan and the soil is now ready for the installation of the soil heating cables   Tuesday, April 11 View Page Digging Holes for Heating Cables This task always seems to take longer than I would like, but here I am in the process of getting each plant site ready for the heating cables. After I dig out each area (which is about 5ft. wide 6ft. long and 6-8” deep) I aerate the soil with a pitch fork. All this requires is to push the pitch fork in the ground and rock it back to “break” the soil similar to a broad fork. There is no need to turn the soil just want to ensure good aeration and water infiltration.   Tuesday, April 11 View Page Getting Some Sun To help the 48ft. long heating cables take on the necessary shape I want them to, it is a good idea to put them out in the sun before trying to install them. If it is a cool and cloudy day this method may not work as well, so plan B is to plug them in and let them heat up and you would get the same benefit, it just cost a little more.   Tuesday, April 11 View Page Proper Heating Cable Installation This is the pattern I use which allows the thermostat to be in-between two heating elements. Also, you want the thermostat to be level if not slightly above the heating cables to ensure accurate temperature readings. The pale gray cord between the thermostat and the plug is a non heating element so keep this in-mind. Also, I use bamboo stakes to help with the prevention of two heating cables from touching before covering with soil. These are the heavy duty cables and they have worked work out great over the years.   Tuesday, April 11 View Page Cover Heating Cables with Soil and Remove Bamboo Stakes Now that everything is in place what I do is carefully cover the cables with soil to ensure they are in the exact placement I put them in. Once they are covered I simply remove the bamboo stakes and fill in the remaining soil. After this I install my cold frames and run extension cords to power everything. I try and do this ahead of planting time to try and warm up the soil to active microbes and get insects to hatch (such as corn seed maggots) to reduce the change of them impacting the soon to be planted seedlings.   Sunday, April 16 View Page Easter Sunday… Planting Day I set the cold-frames up a few days ago and everything seems to be holding in place and warming up. In addition to this I have also put nightlights on my heater circuits so I can tell if any breakers pop. I had a ground fault trip one year and this was also the same year I had corn seed maggot damage. You can make mistakes, you just need to learn from them and not make the same one again;-) The seeds were filed on Palm Sunday (April 9th, 2017) and basically 7 days after initial soaking I am putting my plants in the ground today, Easter (April 16th, 2017). I have seen negative effects from roots being disturbed from transplants with cucurbits in field trials so I do not like to keep my plants in their pots for very long. Basically, as soon as I can see the orientation of the first true leaf the plants go in the ground. While the above ground plant growth may not be great my hope is the roots are forming many fine root hairs that will benefit the plants more than if I held them inside and transplanted a bigger plant that had a greater root disturbance.   Monday, May 1 View Page Patch Update: May 1st, 2017 I use May 1st as a point in time comparison from year to year. There is nothing really special about the date but it is something I have done in the past and continued this year. Overall this has been a cold and cloudy start to the growing season so my heaters have been working extra hard to try and keep the plants alive and growing.   Monday, May 1 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (F: 1756 Howell/Jolivette x 1625 Gantner) This plant has the best early behavior of my line-up. At this point in time there is nothing special or out the ordinary but I like what I see. It is just starting to develop its main vine so it will not be long before it is on the ground and running.   Monday, May 1 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (F: 1961 Sperry x 2230 Wallace) From the beginning this plant has been strong and quick to develop which is a positive sign. In the picture you can see my soil thermometer to check to make sure the heating cables are doing their job. Hard to read in the image but it is maintaining a consistent 72F morning, day and night.   Monday, May 1 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (F: 1916 Barron x 1676.5 Daletas) Even though this is my seed, I can say that this is my best plant so far. Not only is the plant the largest but when I was transplanting I noticed it had the biggest and most developed root system compared to all of the other plants. Typically, I grade my plants the hardest and I am impressed with what I have seen so far and I am glad to have it in my line-up.   Monday, May 1 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (F: 2009 Wallace x 1778.5 Daletas) The plant is starting to kick into gear now with progress each and every day. For whatever reason it seems to be a little slow, but I am not worried as the season is still early and I really like what I have seen this plant produce in previous years for other growers.   Monday, May 1 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (F: 2145 McMullen x 1585.5 Werner) Well, no matter what line-up you have one plant has to be the slowest (in comparison to the rest) and this is my slowest plant. However, when compared to all of my plants last year during this same time period it is well ahead of all of them. This is a positive sign when your slowest plant one year is ahead of your “fastest” plant the year before;-)   Monday, May 1 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (F: 775 Berard x 669 Dill) This seedling has some of the nicest cotyledon leaves I have had as they swelled up nice and maintained their green color. I have hopes of a nice orange to red-orange pumpkin from this plant, but time will tell.   Saturday, May 6 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (F: 1961 Sperry x 2230 Wallace) From the beginning this plant has been strong and quick to develop which is a positive sign. In the picture you can see my soil thermometer I have to check and make sure the heating cables are doing their job. Hard to read in the image but it is maintaining a consistent 72F morning, day and night.   Monday, June 12 View Page This is the traditional day that I measure all of my pumpkin plants. I feel this time of year it is good to take a snap shot of the plants and have an idea where they stand. At this point the plants are out of their cold frames and starting to run and grow exponentially. This day also coincides with another pumpkin growers birthday so it makes it easy to remember;-) Overall, I feel my plants are 4-7 days behind due to the unseasonably cold start to the year we have had. My was cold, but the pumpkins were in their nice warm structures, but this trend of below average temperatures if continuing into June which has slowed the growth down from what I have seen in years past. I still have my entire anti-aphid fence up just in case they are on time despite the weather and my additional electric fence to keep the squirrels out. So far I have yet to see damage from either pest so hopefully the additional labor of setting up the fences is paying off.   Monday, June 12 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (F: 1756 Howell/Jolivette x 1625 Gantner) Overall this plant has shorter and smaller leaves that the rest of the plants that I have. I do not think this is a bad thing, just something I have noticed while vine burying. One important trait that it does have is aggressive rooting which is very nice to see. I also still feel very lucky and fortunate to not only win this seed in a raffle but to have these genetics in my patch. While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 116.25 square feet Main Vine Length= 15 feet   Monday, June 12 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (F: 1961 Sperry x 2230 Wallace) This plant is the most aggressive plant I have this year. The vine growth is very quick and makes it almost always on the list to vine bury. It should have no problem filling in the plot I have laid out for it. While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 131.75 square feet Main Vine Length= 17 feet   Monday, June 12 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (F: 1916 Barron x 1676.5 Daletas) It is always nice to try and grow at least one of your own seeds, and this one made the cut. I had some separation in the weed block fabrics which resulted in the higher than normal weed pressure in a small strip down the garden. I did apply a little herbicide (active ingredient: Diquat Dibromide) which works great for a quick kill. Also, even though this seed came from a white pumpkin there is a chance I may get an orange offspring as the vines have some yellow to them and are not solid green. Still too early to be sure, but last year I was able to get a nice orange pumpkin that was also heavy to chart so I am hoping for the same this year. While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 108.5 square feet Main Vine Length= 14 feet   Monday, June 12 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (F: 2009 Wallace x 1778.5 Daletas) The main reason I planted this seed is hopes of a simply easy to grow, problem free plant and so far I am getting this. When the pumpkin develops I am also hoping for orange and for it to weigh over the cart, but it is still early in the season. So far, I am glad to have this plant in the patch. While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 90.6 square feet Main Vine Length= 12.5 feet   Monday, June 12 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (F: 2145 McMullen x 1585.5 Werner) I always look at all potential seeds as viable options and then continually refine my list and this was one of those seeds that caught my eye early on and made it to the final cut. Through grower contacts I was able to reach the grower via a phone call (he does not do e-mail) and was also fortunate to meet him in person in Niagara Falls, Canada for the personal seed exchange. So far the plant has been a little slow to grow out the side vines but they are there. I also have an early female flower on this plant, but I think I am going to wait for the next one or two down the line to be my official keeper. However, this does indicate that it is almost pumpkin time! While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 105 square feet Main Vine Length= 14 feet   Monday, June 12 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (F: 775 Berard x 669 Dill) This seed is my red/orange selection for this year and I hope things go to plan. So far this plant has many characteristics of other strong orange colored genetics I have grown in the past. The leaves tend to be slightly larger and flatter than my other genetics. Also, the leaf morphology is less serrated than my other plants. I do not think there is anything negative about these traits but it is something that I have noticed. While it seems the standard for comparison this time of year is main vine length, I have had plants in the past that grow a great main vine but do not ‘fill-in’, so I developed the idea of Leaf Area Estimation which is basically the area of a triangle. (This works best for the standard Christmas Tree style of pruning.) All you have to do is measure the width of the plant and the length of the main vine. Then it is simply (1/2)*(width of the plant)*(main vine length) = Leaf Area Estimation. Leaf Area Estimation= 97.5 square feet Main Vine Length= 13 feet   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Walking Into the Patch I Saw This… Well last night (June 27th, 2017) there were a few pop up thunderstorms in the area. All were small and isolated; but one of these developed to my north and was tracking north east, so I thought this would not be an issue. However, it spawned a sister cell that hit my patch the hardest I have had to date. It is not a joyful sight when you enter the patch and see this…   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Need New Umbrellas This is probably my most protected plant (400 Crowell ’15) simply because it is closest to my tree line and you can clearly see the damage to not only the plant but the umbrella that has been torn to shreds and needs to be replaced.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Everywhere I Look, More of the Same All of my plants (1463 Hoelke ’13 pictured here) took a beating from the hail and the additional downpour of 0.9” of rain in about 15-20min. did not help the soil out much either. Not much I can do but hope the plants recover. I know the leaves look bad, but as I inspected the plants further the vines also are showing damage.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Umbrella Sacrificed You have to look close, but if you look toward the bottom of the image you can see what looks like white dots on the vine. This is the hail damage, but then as you work your way up the vine, and you get past the leaf node, you will notice a normal looking vine which continues all the way to the pumpkin. The reason for this line of damage and no damage is the undamaged portion was under the umbrella that took the brunt the hail and saved the vine and also the baby pumpkin (for the most part). Yes, the umbrella needs to be replaced but at least it looks like the actual pumpkin is showing minimal signs of damage. The pumpkin in the picture (my 2145 McMullen ’15) is inside of a 5-gallon paint strainer bag which I use on all of my pumpkins to protect them from any potential bird, chipmunk, squirrel, or “other varmint” damage. I like these bags because they breathe so the pumpkins do not get to hot and also allow me to visually inspect the pumpkins and move them as they grow. The material is similar to insect netting so it also keeps bugs off the small maturing pumpkins. I put these on the day after (or so) I spray them with Anthesis.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page Happy July 4th I have all of my fences up and opened the door on the Aluminet to try and show the plants the best I can. It seems like the Aluminet is preventing an early aphid infestation (in addition to the release of green lacewings and spraying of Garlic Barrier) and the electric fence is keeping out the squirrels that ruined my season last year. Also, I am starting to get a few Squash Vine Borers (SVB) in my pheromone traps so they are in the area and active. The older leaves look very bad after the hail storm and seemed to have taken the most damage. I am leaving the leaves for now as I feel I am still getting something out of the leaves even if it is not much. Other than the hail damage things are going as well as I have my chosen pumpkin on each plant with mill fabric and sand under each with some new umbrellas over top.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (x 2075.5 Connolly) Pollinated on: June 24th Feet out on the main vine: 20 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 10 OTT: 73.5” Est. Weight: 10.1 pounds I had two pumpkins pollinated on this plant each flower opened on the same day which made comparisons easy. I feel that when a flower is two leaf nodes down vine and opens the same day as the “older” female flower that the younger flower is a “winner”. So, I made the final cut today and selected the one down vine that opened on the same day as the other flower. I did do a quick measure of both regardless, and my chosen one was larger which is surprising since the previous pumpkin had the first rights of refusal for all of the water and nutrients traveling down the main vine. I kept both to this point to ensure I did not have to make a cull decision based on amount of hail damage. Either way, I am happy with my selection and now I am all locked in so if I weight a pumpkin off this plant this is the one.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (x 2145 McMullen) Pollinated on: June 22nd Feet out on the main vine: 20 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 12 OTT: 99.5” Est. Weight: 24.3 pounds This plant continues to be the most aggressive and the pumpkin is continuing this same trait. The shape of this pumpkin is very round which reminds me of the actual pumpkin this seed came from. There is still the continual vine burying required, but I am starting to terminate some of the side vines so the patch is beginning to fill in. This is a good thing as I am trying to focus on the new leaves that are not full of holes from the recent hail storm.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (x 1367 VanHoutte) Pollinated on: June 23rd Feet out on the main vine: 18 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 11 OTT: 80” Est. Weight: 12.9 pounds While it still may be very early in the season this pumpkin seems to be ahead of its parent pumpkin. I have had a few leaves get some odd sunburn but considering all of the hail damage I am happy to have a growing pumpkin. In the pictures the plant does not look all that bad, but trust me if you look close enough you can spot the holes in the leaves.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (x 400 Crowell) Pollinated on: June 21st Feet out on the main vine: 15 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 13 OTT: 106” Est. Weight: 29.2 pounds As of right now this is the biggest pumpkin in the patch. Yes, the season is just starting, but one pumpkin has to be the biggest;-) I am doing continual daily adjustments to get the pumpkin positioned properly and things are going well. The holes in the leaves are a daily reminder of the hail storm but hopefully I got my bad luck out of the way early this year. This pumpkin does seem to be an aggressive grower to this point so I hope this continues for the rest of the season.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (x 1662.0 DeBacco) Pollinated on: June 23rd Feet out on the main vine: 19 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 11 OTT: 76” Est. Weight: 11.1 pounds Still having some lagging side vines with this plant, but they are slowly progressing. It seems once they get going to the point I can start to vine bury them they then start to take off. Other than that no issues to report and while I pollinated this pumpkin and one more down the line the one further down was my only abortion in the patch this year. Not sure if the abortion was in relation to the hail damage stress or not, but either way, you are looking at my chosen pumpkin on this plant.   Tuesday, July 4 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (x 1463 Hoelke) Pollinated on: June 21st Feet out on the main vine: 16 ft. *Anthesis Treated* Day: 13 OTT: 76.5” Est. Weight: 11.4 pounds This pumpkin has the early indication that it will be a very round and orange pumpkin which is exactly what I was hoping for when I planted the seed. It will take a little more adjusting to get it positioned properly but each day it is getting closer to the ideal angle to the main vine. I feel very fortunate that this pumpkin is unharmed from the hail I received; the umbrella took the hit and saved the pumpkin. Leaves still have a highly ventilated structure and the vine is damaged but hopefully the impact the growth of the pumpkin will be minimal.   Sunday, July 23 View Page Still 6 for 6… (How much longer will it last?) Every time I walk into the patch I am reminded of that fateful hail storm. The older leaves that were damaged are showing advanced aging. Also, large scale growers are reporting higher incidence of SVB (Squash Vine Borer) egg laying near hail damage holes so this is something to keep in mind when scouting. So far, I still have six pumpkins for my six plants, which at least to this point I feel very fortunate.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (x 2075.5 Connolly) Day: 29 OTT: 282” Est. Weight: 496 pounds Looks like I have a white pumpkin on this plant and it also has a high shape. I left the umbrellas at the same height that was in my previous pictures for a source of comparison. Overall, this plant still has some room to fill-in but the secondary growth has slowed down probably due to the growing pumpkin. Growing these giant pumpkins timing is very important. The change of vegetative growth to fruit growth is an important transition that needs to be orchestrated carefully. The challenge is that the each year the weather is different and timing the pollination time with the size of the plant is where the grower can in part control this shift.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (x 2145 McMullen) Day: 31 OTT: 296” Est. Weight: 571 pounds This is currently the largest pumpkin in the patch and it is holding its shape. The plant has developed what I am going to call a leaking crown. Often “foaming stumps” are caused by disease causing water to back-up in the plant, but what I think I may have is simply a water back-up related to the heat and humidity that has been the recent weather pattern. I have not had to drill any portion of the vine and there have been no flies so I am hoping I am in the clear with this plant, but time will tell.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (x 1367 VanHoutte) Day: 30 OTT: 261.5” Est. Weight: 399 pounds This pumpkin has a shape similar to the parent, and I am also hoping the high percent heavy trait also carries over. One odd characteristic that I have noticed is this plant did not like the recent heat wave as the leaves that were developing at this time simply burned, and then when cooler tempers return the burning stopped. I have heard that this plant was very heat tolerant even in the Kentucky summer, so I guess I chose my seedling poorly;-) but I still have plenty of good (well ventilated) leaves to hopefully push this pumpkin the rest of the season.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (x 400 Crowell) Day: 32 OTT: 260” Est. Weight: 392 pounds While I was hoping for a problem free plant, I have noticed an issue where the pumpkin joins the main vine. I have done my best to ensure minimal vine stress and dusted the area with Sulfur so hopefully this keeps the issue from progressing. The pumpkin is still growing so there is still flow to the pumpkin. As this pumpkin grow it seems to be tipping the blossom end up despite my early season adjustment, but this is slowly occurring so I think the pumpkin will be in good shape as it continues to grow. I am also seeing hints of good orange color which was one of the main reasons I decided to grow it and I was also able to make the cross I planned on.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (x 1662.0 DeBacco) Day: 30 OTT: 274” Est. Weight: 457 pounds It is always nice to grow an unproven seed. I am lucky enough to have a 2145 McMullen (the mother of the 1367) in the patch and I am noticing some similarities. The overall shape and color are almost identical. One difference is this pumpkin seems to have more texture (lumps and bumps) to the outer surface. The plant behavior is great and I am glad I decided to plant this seed. Hopefully, I can get this pumpkin to the scale.   Sunday, July 23 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (x 1463 Hoelke) Day: 32 OTT: 248” Est. Weight: 342 pounds Looks like this will be an orange pumpkin, the real question is will it be a red/orange pumpkin;-) Time will tell on the color, but it is already the best looking pumpkin in the patch. There was a little sapping at the blossom end, but it has dried up and does not seem to be progressing or causing any issues so this is just one of the things that happens. This plant has almost filled in its full area so I will have some new leaves to help keep this pumpkin growing for the rest of the season.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page August 1st, 2017 Update… All six pumpkins are growing but this one needed a little adjustment since the stem in on the short side and not providing the vine a lot of room between the pumpkin. Pulling it back a few inches should provide room for it to grow and not break itself off the vine. All pumpkins are growing but the rates have slowed way down, I think in part due to the cooler than normal weather.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (x 2075.5 Connolly) Day: 38 OTT: 326” Est. Weight: 755 pounds This pumpkin is a consistent producer and the pumpkin is getting taller each day. No sign of any orange color to date, so hopefully it will have a high percentage heavy. Leaves on this plant overall seem to be on the shorter and smaller side, which makes the pumpkin look larger than it is.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (x 2145 McMullen) Day: 40 OTT: 332.5” Est. Weight: 799.5 pounds If you look toward the bottom portion you will see a lot of sapping which is a daily occurrence. Hopefully this is a good sign and means that it is growing at near the maximum rate the skin can handle. This is another tall pumpkin for me.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (x 1367 VanHoutte) Day: 39 OTT: 300” Est. Weight: 594 pounds While this pumpkin is maintaining its long shape it is starting to get some ribs to it that are causing it to lose its once nice symmetrical shape. Also, the plant continues not to have any burn to the new growth, but some of the older leaves that were at a certain stage of development in the heat are looking worse. This is an odd occurrence, but there is always something every year.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (x 400 Crowell) Day: 41 OTT: 288” Est. Weight: 527 pounds I am starting to see some orange color from this pumpkin. Sadly this plant on the older leaves is not taking the hail damage stress very well and they are pre-aging at a rapid rate. Many are turning brown and getting crispy which seem to be starting at the area where the hole from the hail damage originated. Pumpkin is still slowly growing though so there is still some water and nutrient movement.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (x 1662.0 DeBacco) Day: 39 OTT: 317” Est. Weight: 696 pounds In contrast to the 2145 McMullen that I have, this plant is producing tall leaves which make the pumpkin look small. Also there are deeper ribs developing but this is adding texture and gives the look I have seen to some heavy to chart pumpkins. The main vine on this plant near the pumpkin is starting to bulk up which hopefully will help make it easier for growth for the rest of the season.   Tuesday, August 1 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (x 1463 Hoelke) Day: 41 OTT: 286.5” Est. Weight: 519.5 pounds Well, I have one good orange pumpkin in the patch as of August 1st. I am hoping that this early turn will provide enough time for that hard to find red color to develop. I did have to shift this pumpkin back from the vine, so hopefully now it will be in good shape and can continue to mature.   Saturday, August 12 View Page Mid-August Patch Update I thought for sure one of these weeks I would have to report a pumpkin loss, but so far that has not been the case. In fact I plan on taking a pumpkin to an early fair weigh-off (Marshfield, MA) so this will be the last update with all six pumpkins. I do not mind removing a pumpkin when they are getting loaded up on the trailer for a weigh-off;-)   Saturday, August 12 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (x 2075.5 Connolly) Day: 49 OTT: 362” Est. Weight: 1023 pounds This pumpkin continues to gain height and it has a lot of the 1625 Gantner visual characteristics, with the exception of the high degree of cracking, however, this pumpkin is only 49 days old so there is still time for this to potentially develop. Of course, I am also hoping for the internal trait common to this seed line that will result in percent heavy but time will tell on this.   Saturday, August 12 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (x 2145 McMullen) Day: 51 OTT: 363” Est. Weight: 1031 pounds On the lower portion and stem side of this pumpkin there continues to be a lot of sapping going on. I take this as a good sign that it is still growing at an accelerated rate, even if the external measurements do not show great gains for this time of year. Steve, will get to see this pumpkin first hand tomorrow at the Team-Pumpkin patch tour so hopefully he is proud of what I was able to grow off his seed.   Saturday, August 12 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (x 1367 VanHoutte) Day: 50 OTT: 335” Est. Weight: 817 pounds Seems like all season I have taken my pictures of this pumpkin on the side, so I am just going to continue now as it shows the lumps and bumps this pumpkin has. I was hoping for a slightly long shape with orange color when I planted this seed, but it seems to be favoring white color currently, but there is still time for some change. There is a fold that is starting to develop so time will tell if this becomes just a visual defect or the reason for its demise.   Saturday, August 12 View Page 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 (x 400 Crowell) Day: 52 OTT: 305.5” Est. Weight: 626 pounds After the hail storm I had back in late June, it seemed like this plan never fully recovered. You can still see the hail damaged leaves around the pumpkin and the normal ones in the background are new growth that I have let go to try and fill in the area the best I can. I plan on harvesting this pumpkin first so I now need to get the lifting equipment and trailer ready to go.   Saturday, August 12 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (x 1662.0 DeBacco) Day: 50 OTT: 350” Est. Weight: 928 pounds This pumpkin has been the quiet producer of the patch. Not a problem child and not a crazy fast grower, just consistent. Often it can be this growth pattern that wins out in the end, and while it may not be the patches largest it is not far behind and continues to pack on steady gains. For what it is worth it also “thumps” like it has thick walls.   Saturday, August 12 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (x 1463 Hoelke) Day: 52 OTT: 316” Est. Weight: 690 pounds Overall, this is just a nice looking pumpkin with the shape and color being what many seek in a true giant pumpkin. Only downfall is I am not seeing the red-orange that I was hoping for, but there is still time. I know the reddish orange color is rare, but I am still hopeful it will show-up. Also, assuming this pumpkin can make it to a weigh-off I will gain a better perspective of the degree of orange when I put it next to other orange pumpkins. Regardless, I still like what I see very much;-)   Thursday, August 17 View Page Under Seeding Cover Crop With pumpkins it can be a challenge to get a cover crop established before the cold weather is established (at least in my area). As a result, I have experimented with the idea of under seeding a cover crop while the plant is still growing with good results. While I know this is still August and the weather is still very favorable my first test went very well. Here is what I did… Selecting a pumpkin for an early weigh-off about a week before I planned on pulling the plant I tossed some grass seed under the plant. Then for the rest of the week I continued with my normal routine. The picture below shows the very recently germinated grass seed located under my plant. Then I harvested the pumpkin and removed the plant. While there is some soil disturbance during this process, I still have a jump start on getting my cover crop in for this plant site. All I need to do is over seed some more seed and it will be all set to go for the off-season. Only downfall is that it helps to have a well weeded plant site to aid in the establishment, but even in areas that has some weeds there was still some germination, it just made getting the grass seed to contact the soil more difficult. This is something I highly recommend to other growers as the germinating cover crop does not take anything away from this season and improving establishment can benefit the soil and long term vitality of the patch. For pumpkins I plan on harvesting later in the season I plan on under seeding my cover crop 10 to 14 days before harvest since I am expecting slower germination times as the season progresses.   Saturday, August 19 View Page Marshfield Fair 2017 Line-Up Here are all of the entries for the Marshfield Fair held in Marshfield, Massachusetts. It was going to be a very competitive second place and it made the task of trying to weigh from least to greatest quite a challenge. The growers knew every pound was going to be critical to separate the second, third and fourth place pumpkins which made for some excitement.   Saturday, August 19 View Page 729.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 x 400 Crowell) Day: 57 OTT: 313” (official weigh-off measurement) Est. 671 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) As you can see, I did have a soft spot that develop on the stem, but I was able to catch it early and get it to dry out completely and as a result this pumpkin should keep for quite awhile. If you can catch some potential problems early and apply some corrective measures you can (sometimes) save the pumpkin and be able to get an official weight and compete at a weigh-off which is always a good feeling.   Saturday, August 19 View Page First Place 2017 Marshfield Fair = 729.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 x 400 Crowell) My pumpkin took the first place blue ribbon at the 150th Marshfield Fair. Every weigh-off I have been to, there is only one winner, and this time I was lucky enough to be “the one”. While this may not be a GPC (Great Pumpkin Commonwealth) site there is a section for posting Independent Weigh-off results on www.BigPumpkins.com. A special thanks goes out to Mike F. for organizing and posting the results and Ken D. for making this section publicly available. When considering seeds for next year do not forget about pumpkins weighed in this category. I have included some links below for easy access… Independent Weigh-Off Results over the years: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=165 Marshfield 2017 Full Results: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/WeighoffResultsBySite.aspx?s=170&c=P&y=2017   Sunday, August 27 View Page Raspberries are in, meaning pumpkin harvest time is near! The raspberries are just starting to come in, so this is a sign of fall. Overall the pumpkins are growing and I have not lost any yet as the only pumpkin removed from the patch has been loaded up and brought to a weigh-off. Personally, I think that the hail damage I had earlier in the season has affected the pumpkin plants because I am not getting growth like I have had in the past. With the wide variety of genetics and the overall below average growth across all plants, the one consistency is the hail damage. Even though the growth is not what I would like to see, I am still happy to have pumpkins to be able to take to a bunch of weigh-offs!   Sunday, August 27 View Page 2145 McMullen ’15 (x 2075.5 Connolly) Day: 64 OTT: 386” Est. Weight: 1232 pounds This pumpkin seems to continue to grow in height which makes it look very impressive. It does not look like I will be getting much orange color from this pumpkin. Overall the stem has been trouble free and the pumpkin continues to grow so I hope this continues right up to harvest.   Sunday, August 27 View Page 2075.5 Connolly ’16 (x 2145 McMullen) Day: 66 OTT: 382” Est. Weight: 1195 pounds I wish this pumpkin had a little more depth to it, but it is still a nice looking pumpkin. If you look in the lower right hand corner of the image you will see an ultrasonic generator. This produces very high pitched sound waves that deter mice. I can say that this is the only devise I have tried that has stopped mice from feeding on a pumpkin once they start. However, it is important to realize that sound waves at this frequency behave more like a laser beam of light and not like a traditional speaker. Meaning, the sound must be pointed at the specific area you want to prevent the mice from frequenting. This is why there are actually three speakers pointed at different angles for maximum coverage.   Sunday, August 27 View Page 1662.0 DeBacco ’15 (x 1367 VanHoutte) Day: 65 OTT: 361” Est. Weight: 1015 pounds Well, not every pumpkin can turn out as planned and this is by far not as advertised;-) The plant did have a burn issue that caused the weeds to get thick around this plant. Now the weeds are a blessing because of the dips and bumps that have developed the risk for a split is high, so slowing growth is actually a good thing for this pumpkin. Of all my pumpkins this one could be in the running for ugliest at whatever weigh-off it goes to.   Sunday, August 27 View Page 1367 VanHoutte ’16 (x 1662.0 DeBacco) Day: 65 OTT: 374.5” Est. Weight: 1128.5 pounds Another measurement round and again this is a consistent producer. Overall the shape has held together and the color is still as white as it was last go around. While some of the ribs are developing, there is no external evidence of any sag lines so I think this pumpkin has a good chance of making it to harvest time. Since this is an unproven seed it is always interesting to see what it produces as sometimes these seeds can offer a pleasant surprise by seasons end.   Sunday, August 27 View Page 400 Crowell ’15 (x 1463 Hoelke) Day: 67 OTT: 329” Est. Weight: 775 pounds While this is an orange pumpkin, the lighting makes this pumpkin look very orange. I am happy with how the orange color has progressed and even though it does not look like I will get the red color I was hoping for, the orange appears to have a naturally high gloss appearance. I know getting this shape and color can be a challenge and I am sure this pumpkin will get many looks on the way to and from the weigh-off.   Thursday, August 31 View Page Woodstock Fair 753.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 400 Crowell ’15 x 1463 Hoelke) - Howard Dill Award! Day: 70 OTT: 330” (official weigh-in measurement) Est. Weight: 782 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) This is a great looking pumpkin and also maintained a nice overall shape to it. I was also glad to see that the measurement I took four days ago was almost spot on (1” difference) to what the official measurement crew calculated at the Fair. While it did weigh in under the estimate, it makes up for this small disappointment with the great orange color. To my enjoyment by the end of the weigh-off this pumpkin was awarded the Howard Dill Award for “Best Looking Pumpkin”. This pumpkin was pollinated with the plant (1463.5 Hoelke) that grew my Marshfield entry (729.0 DeBacco ’17) that had good shape and decent color and some percent heavy. Overall I think this could be a great cross that came out how I originally planned before the seeds were even started.   Thursday, August 31 View Page Woodstock Fair 753.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 400 Crowell ’15 x 1463 Hoelke) - Howard Dill Award! Day: 70 OTT: 330” (official weigh-in measurement) Est. Weight: 782 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) Shortly after weighing my pumpkin was placed outside the tent just as the sun was setting which made the orange color just glow;-) This is just a way to make a very pretty pumpkin look even better. The opportunity to get this picture was not long and I am glad that I caught the small window of opportunity.   Monday, September 4 View Page Woodstock Fair: More than Pumpkins 3.52 DeBacco ’17 (F: 5.44 Young x open) I also tried some giant tomatoes this year and it seems I was a very consistent second place finisher. I planted the tomato plants at the edges of my side by side pumpkin plants. This year I did not lose any pumpkin plants during the main growing season so my tomatoes plants were competing with the large leaves of the pumpkins. I also experimented with some different pruning styles and did not notice a big difference this year.   Monday, September 4 View Page Woodstock Fair 753.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 400 Crowell ’15 x 1463 Hoelke) - Howard Dill Award! The Howard Dill winner gets a special display and my pumpkin was lucky enough to be selected this year!   Monday, September 4 View Page Woodstock Fair This shows one of the carvings we had along with some of the informational posters we had one display. We often get questions about what goes on during the season to get a giant pumpkin. Each poster represents a key event of the growing season to provide people an idea of what occurs and when during the course of the year. You can see that seed starting in April is the beginning and then in late April there is a cold frame shown. *Fun fact the seed I am holding in the seed starting image is the 2009 Wallace that ended up growing “Snowball” my 220.3 DeBacco ’13 winter grow project.   Monday, September 4 View Page Woodstock Fair Bird bath shapes collect and hold water that can be a pain to continually remove. So, why not just let the water stay and add some fish for some fun! However, growers felt they needed to add the “No Fishing Sign”, not sure if it was intended for me, but I did respect the local rules and regulations;-)   Monday, September 4 View Page Woodstock Fair... This far has it all… Pumpkins! Fish! Star Wars!   Tuesday, September 19 View Page Durham Fair 1279.5 DeBacco ’17 (F: 2075.5 Connolly x 2145 McMullen) Day: 88 OTT: 382.5” (official weigh-in measurement) Est. Weight: 1199.5 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) This was a very aggressive plant and pumpkin. Sadly a stem split did develop that I was able to slow down and allow this pumpkin to be an official entry. It did test my growing skills, but this is where some experience with these sometimes temperamental pumpkins comes in handy.   Thursday, September 21 View Page 1222 DeBacco ’17 uow (F: 1662.0 DeBacco x 1367 Van Houtte) Day: 90 OTT: 370” Est. Weight: 1090 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) Well, I cannot win them all. This pumpkin developed an odd soft spot at the blossom end that I tried to get under control, but it started at a split that kept getting deeper. This pumpkin went heavy which is very consistent for my 1662.0 DeBacco seed but the color was a little bit of everything. I will say that during the majority of the season this pumpkin was white in color and only in the last month did it start to turn orange. (At least most of it turned orange;-)   Thursday, September 21 View Page 1222 DeBacco ’17 uow (F: 1662.0 DeBacco x 1367 Van Houtte) This shows the interior of the pumpkin and that I was able to catch the small soft spot early. I really like the structure of this pumpkin and it is nice to see a breeding idea on paper work out in real life.   Thursday, September 21 View Page 1367 Van Houtte ’16 Harvest With all of the pumpkins I am fortunate to have this year I had to plan my weigh-offs accordingly, so this pumpkin is planned to make the long trip North to Vermont. I was running out of daylight during the harvest process. This was one of those under the radar seeds that I think deserves more attention.   Saturday, September 23 View Page Vermont Weigh-off 2017 Despite a challenging year with the weather in New England, there were many entries present at the Vermont weigh-off. I had heard good things about this weigh-off and it lived up to my expectations and then some. Just look at this line-up of pumpkins!   Saturday, September 23 View Page Here Steve is giving Dan some pointers on keeping the scale clean and fair for all entries. Dan will be the official “sweeper” at Topsfield and does not want to mess up his time in the spot light so he is learning from someone with a little experience;-)   Saturday, September 23 View Page 1435 DeBacco ’17 (F: 1367 VanHoutte x 1662.0 DeBacco) Day: 90 OTT: 402” (official weigh-in measurement) Est. Weight: 1385 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) Regardless of what place I ended-up it was a great time. I was fortunate enough to win and kept up with tradition and purchased Hors d’oeuvres / appetizers for everyone at the post weigh-off dinner. This pumpkin was a consistent grower all year and it did not disappoint in weight. Wish it had some orange color, (even though I was not expecting it) but we cannot get everything we want sometimes;-)   Saturday, September 23 View Page Vermont Growers 2017 Thanks to all who made this event possible! Left pumpkin = 1256 Duffy (personal best!) Center pumpkin = 1435 DeBacco (winner) Right pumpkin = 1315 Paterson (personal best!) Not pictured but notable winners in each respective category… 588 Cole (Squash) 106.25 Mace (Long Gourd) 4.52 LaRiviere (Tomato) 114 Mace (Watermelon) 103 Companion (Field Pumpkin)   Saturday, September 30 View Page Sanford Maine Weigh-Off 2017 1427.5 DeBacco ’17 dmg (F: 2145 McMullen x 2075.5 Connolly) Day: 96 OTT: 409” (official weigh-in measurement) Est. Weight: 1456 pounds (using the 2013 Team-Pumpkin chart) Well, I was the heaviest pumpkin at the weigh-off, but I ended up at the bottom of the list. There was a small soft spot that must have developed recently and was just over the required size. The pumpkin did sit an extra night in heavy rains that I am sure did not help but I wanted to get to some other weigh-offs this year. Cannot win them all.   Saturday, September 30 View Page 1427.5 DeBacco ’17 dmg (F: 2145 McMullen x 2075.5 Connolly) After the weigh-off I was offered to harvest the seeds and dispose of the flesh at Al’s place. This was certainly a unique seed harvest and I am very thankful for his help and generosity. He has some great pumpkin related helping tools. He pulled his skid steer right up to the trailer to unload the pumpkin, and then had a chainsaw and bibs at the ready. If you look off in the distance you will see a herd of cows heading this way. They were initially barely visible, but once the chain saw was started they all literally came running over.   Saturday, September 30 View Page 1427.5 DeBacco ’17 dmg (F: 2145 McMullen x 2075.5 Connolly) The soft spot was just a small area with 99.99% of the rest of the pumpkin in good shape. As quick as I could pick seeds the freshly cut pieces went over the electric fence and they were quickly consumed by the cows. It was amazing how quick they cleaned up the pumpkin chunks. Glad I could make some cows happy. Thanks again Al!!!   Saturday, October 7 View Page Historical Event 2118 Jutras '17 World Record Squash!!! Joe has been trying year after year to get a world record squash. There were many challenging times and he certainly earned this accomplishment. The hope was for the heaviest squash for 2017, with a good chance at a new world record. To have all of this accomplished with the additional bonus of breaking not only the 2,000 pound barrier but the 2,100 barrier with a 100% true green squash. Way to go Joe!!!   Friday, October 20 View Page New York Botanical Gardens 2017 2269.4 Paton ‘17 (F: 2624.6 Mathias-Willemijns x 1949 Paton) It was great to see both Ian and Stuart again in New York on back to back years. They were able yet again to get their pumpkin across the pond and it certainly was a welcomed and impressive site. I am always impress with the size of these top pumpkins. Also, as they get larger it is easier for me to get inside and have some room as I am harvesting the seeds. As has become tradition as soon as I go into the pumpkin Ian will put the piece back in. It is a good thing I remember my head lamp as it sure gets dark and quiet very quick.   Friday, October 20 View Page New York Botanical Gardens 2017 2363 Holland ’17 (F: 2145.5 McMullen x 2261.5 Wallace) Getting to meet Joel again and Mari-Lou for the first time was great to be able to put faces to those I have been in e-mail contact before. This pumpkin was a overall consistent shape and just looked like the pumpkin had potential to get even larger. Sorry, I was not able to get more pictures, but I can say that many others did get some quality images of the seed harvest. Another enjoyable time at the New York Botanical Gardens!   Saturday, December 30 View Page 2017 Season Summary... Worst hail damage I have seen in my patch this year, good thing I had the umbrellas out as these saved my season. I am very happy with what I as able to bring to the scales this year as it goes to show no matter how bad the plants may look, never give up on them. 1435 DeBacco ’17 (F: 1367 VanHoutte x 1662.0 DeBacco)- Vermont Weigh-off Winner! 1427.5 DeBacco ’17 dmg (F: 2145 McMullen x 2075.5 Connolly)- Heaviest at Sanford Maine Weigh-off! 1279.5 DeBacco ’17 (F: 2075.5 Connolly x 2145 McMullen)- 2nd place pumpkin at Durham Fair 1222 DeBacco ’17 uow (F: 1662.0 DeBacco x 1367 Van Houtte)- Lost just before the weigh-off 753.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 400 Crowell ’15 x 1463 Hoelke) - Howard Dill Award! 729.0 DeBacco ’17 (F: 1463.5 Hoelke ‘13 x 400 Crowell)- Marshfield Winner! Official Tomato Entries 2017 3.52 DeBacco ’17 (F: 5.44 Young x open)- Woodstock Fair 3.21 DeBacco '17 (F: 7.19 LaRue x open)- Topsfield weigh-off 2.95 DeBacco '17 (F: 5.44 Young x open)- VT weigh-off 2.72 DeBacco '17 (F: 7.19 LaRue x open)- Frerich's Farm weigh-off 2.70 DeBacco '17 Sanford Maine weigh-off 2.40 DeBacco '17 Durham Fair