Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 151 Entries. Tuesday, February 28 View Page The credit card companies love me at this time of the year. They fall over themselves offering me special deals so I can buy more giant pumpkin growing supplies and get more in debt. FEED me...STEVE!   Monday, April 3 View Page Line up for 2017: 1998 Jutras and 1912 Carter plus a 1114.5 Minor. Rain is forecast for the next 10 days in NW Vermont, and there is a layer of frost 4 inches down in my pumpkin patch. Hopefully, I'll be able to put together my hoop houses this week to help dry out my planting areas. I'm planning on putting plants in the ground by the end of April.   Wednesday, April 12 View Page Seeds filed, folded in moist paper towels, placed in zip lock bags, and standing up on a plate inside a cooler/germination chamber. This has worked very well for me the past 7 years. Lineup includes: Five 1114.5 Minor seeds, one 1998 Jutras, and one 1912 Carter. I may panic and add another 2 big seeds.   Friday, April 14 View Page 1998 Jutras has germinated after 36 hours. 2 out of five 1114 Minor seeds have germinated. 1912 Carter is just sitting there. Time to put together some of Ron W's special potting mix.   Friday, April 14 View Page All seeds have germinated in less than 40 hours. Five 1114 Minors, one 1912 Carter, and one 1998 Jutras. The 1998 Jutras is the most aggressive seed so far.   Sunday, April 16 View Page Rain poured down last night. More rain is forecast for this afternoon and tonight. I'm nixing the mixing of potting soil for my planting holes. Wet heavy clay is worse than heavy clay. Today is the day I water all my plants in the house. This will take at least a couple of hours. Tomorrow, I will put together a temporary hoop house for the tomato plants and raise an electric heater on a concrete block to keep it 50 to 60° inside at night. I am impatiently waiting for my sprouted pumpkin seeds to break soil in their peat pots.   Wednesday, April 19 View Page 3 of 5 1114 Minors have broken surface of dirt. I'm waiting for 1912 Carter and last 2 Minors to show their heads.   Thursday, April 20 View Page All of my 1114.5 seeds have broken dirt along with the 1998 Jutras. Only the 1912 carter is hiding. Time is running out for the 1912 to be a contendah.   Friday, April 21 View Page 1912 Carter seed finally broke dirt!!! Happy, happy joy joy!!!   Friday, April 21 View Page I'm aiming for planting seedlings next weekend. Last planting hole should be filled this weekend. Heating cables will be turned on then. Let the games begin!   Saturday, April 22 View Page What is best? To grow the giant pumpkin; To hear the oohs and ahs of the spectators; And to win the prize money!   Saturday, April 22 View Page 5 inch peat pots already drying out. they were watered with liquid myco, Azos and some Root. The 1912 Carter is really lagging. I need to check diaries to see how it did for other growers.   Sunday, April 23 View Page Starting to give seedlings some sun, being careful not to over expose. The smallest one is the 1912 Carter. The biggest is the 1998 Jutras. All the rest are my 1114.5s.   Wednesday, April 26 View Page Overcast, but temp is over 60. I transplanted tomato plants and fed and watered(finally) the tomato plants in the hoop house--but they're still glaring at me for being neglected so long. Time to put pumpkin plants outside for exposure to the real world. I need to find a faith healer for the 1912 Carter plant. It may be developmentally disabled. It is 1/2 to 1/3 the size of the other plants.   Thursday, April 27 View Page Accidentally baked seedlings under a row cover I was using to prevent sun damage. I used cool water to spray plant and watered for first aid. I need an on call shaman to watch my back.   Friday, April 28 View Page Put some pumpkin seeds in germination chamber for a friend so she can have some jack o lanterns this fall.   Monday, May 1 View Page I have my 8 yards of mixed compost and sand. As soon as the weather cooperates, the fun begins--with a large garden cart replacing the weight sled.   Tuesday, May 2 View Page Here's my plan. Tomorrow night is supposed to be in the 30s. Thursday is supposed to be partly cloudy with temps in the 60s, so I'll plant then. Tomorrow will be batten down the hatches day with finishing touches on the hoop houses. The plants are under lights right now, jacked up with beneficial microbes for root development. I hope I get HUGE plants this year with HUGE(HUGE!!!) pumpkins. Only time will tell.   Friday, May 5 View Page 1912 Carter, 1998 Jutras and 1114 Minor planted under hoops and watered. Biological innoculants will be added in a few days.   Wednesday, May 10 View Page They're ALIVE! In spite of not being hardened off, in spite of being baked to the point of looking like wilted spinach, and being cooled overnight in hoop houses with temps in the 40s...they LIVE! First pic is 1912 Carter, a slow starter, but starting to pick up.   Wednesday, May 10 View Page 1912 carter   Wednesday, May 10 View Page 1998 Jutras   Wednesday, May 10 View Page 1998 Jutras   Wednesday, May 10 View Page 1114 Minor   Wednesday, May 10 View Page All plants have been in the ground 1 week.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page 1912 Carter has bulked up. I'm glad I didn't toss it in the compost.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page 1998 Jutras is the heavyweight so far this year.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page My 1114 is in the spot that gets the least sun. Doing well for the time being.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page Rabbits aren't rodents, but may as well be. This cottontail is patiently waiting for my vegetables to get planted so it can snack on them. Eating greens may be a special treat, Thumper, but not in my garden.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page All plants are 9 days in the ground.   Wednesday, May 17 View Page "I have a bad feeling about this", Part II. Dug 2 holes for pumpkin plants on land owned by Island Arts(a non-profit organization) as Step 1 of growing an AG. Topsoil is only 6 inches thick. Hard pan below topsoil is really HARD. Came back home to find wind had snapped main stem of one of the two plants destined for the Island Arts plot. I have a bad feeling about this.   Friday, May 19 View Page 1114 Minor decided to run in the direction of the first true leaf. I began the slow process of helping the vine grow in the "correct" direction. Cue the mild swearing in the background.   Saturday, May 20 View Page Update on the 1912 Carter: It was the last to germinate; it was a slow grower; I almost tossed it into the compost; it struggled in the hoop house; 2 and 1/2 weeks later, it's the largest most vigorous plant out of the 3! There's a moral to this somewhere.   Wednesday, May 24 View Page 21 day update. 1114 Minor doing well in shadiest part of the patch.   Wednesday, May 24 View Page 1998 Jutras is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of the 3 after 21 days. HUGE leaves.   Wednesday, May 24 View Page 1912 Carter, the seed that germinated last and was the slowest to develop, is the faster runner of the 3 I have planted. Length is about 3 feet. The other 2 are about 2 feet long.   Thursday, June 1 View Page Had a nasty hail storm hit yesterday. Fortunately, hoop houses are still up, so AGs were safe, but other, unprotected Halloween pumpkin seedlings were damaged, along with other vegetable crops. Time to think about hail netting.   Sunday, June 4 View Page 1912 Carter had to be set free, 8 feet long and 6 feet wide. 1998 Jutras is inches from same dimensions. 1114 Minor has 1.5 feet to go(about 2 days) before it has to shed its shell. Discovered cuke beetles after pics in peppers and eggplant, but rain killed any chance of spraying.   Sunday, June 4 View Page 1912 Carter   Sunday, June 4 View Page 1998 Jutras. A real monster.   Sunday, June 4 View Page 1114 Minor in the shadiest part of the garden.   Sunday, June 4 View Page All plants 30 days in ground--3 weeks ahead of 2016   Monday, June 5 View Page 1998 is poking out of hoop house. 1114 will be out tomorrow or the next day. All plants needed magnesium. Started a tablespoon of Borax per 20 gallons. Male blossoms popping out.   Wednesday, June 7 View Page Started insect and disease spraying with some micro-nutrients. First up, bifenthrin and chlorothalonil.   Sunday, June 11 View Page All plants doing well. Gusty winds are causing me anxiety about pulling hoop house off 1114 Minor, but it has to be done. Photos coming soon.   Sunday, June 11 View Page 1114 Minor, doing well at 8 feet long in spite of the shade. Hoop will have to come off tomorrow in spite of wind and temps in mid 90s.   Sunday, June 11 View Page 1998 Jutras 10 feet long and slowing as secondaries explode and temps go into 90s.   Sunday, June 11 View Page 1912 Carter is also 10 feet long and slowing in 90 degree heat with secondaries running full tilt.   Monday, June 12 View Page Took hoop house off 1114 Minor. One female on a secondary and one on main vine. Erected a line of wind protection and will bury vines tomorrow with temps 20 degrees cooler than today. This plant is the healthiest of the 3 in ground.   Tuesday, June 13 View Page First female flowers on main vines, and some on secondary vines. I have to pass for next females because plants just aren't large enough yet to support a fruit. Sprayed last week for bugs and disease--had to spray again for cuke bugs tonite(they were like mosquitoes on the plants). Maybe I should take up knitting instead of growing giant pumpkins...   Tuesday, June 13 View Page The wascally, wily woodchuck has been caught--or at least one of them.   Tuesday, June 13 View Page First female on 1912 Carter. Not enough foliage yet to support it at about 11 feet.   Tuesday, June 13 View Page 1114 Minor at 9.5 feet before clean up and vine burying. Females forming on secondaries.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page 1998 Jutras female flower is about 12 feet on the main vine.. This could be "The One". I will name it "Neo".   Friday, June 16 View Page Winds blew over 40 mph from south today. A few leaves on each of 3 plants were damaged, but main vines survived, and main vines are fine, thanks to close positioning of wind fence. Side vines grew 6 inches overnight.   Sunday, June 18 View Page 1114 Minor, 44 days in ground. First female at 10 feet.   Sunday, June 18 View Page Bad shot of female on 1114 Minor   Sunday, June 18 View Page 1998 Jutras at 44 days in ground. First female at 11 feet out.   Sunday, June 18 View Page 1998 Jutras female.   Sunday, June 18 View Page 1912 Carter at 44 days in ground. Female is at 10.5 feet.   Sunday, June 18 View Page 1912 Carter female.   Monday, June 19 View Page 1912 Carter pollinated 7:30 am at 73 F with 3 males from 1998 Jutras. Ventilated plastic bag placed over flower. Two ice packs placed on either side of vine, with an aluminized blanket placed over the flower and weighted down with a stone on all 4 corners.   Wednesday, June 21 View Page 1998 Jutras pollinated with two 1912 Carter males(all that were open) at 7:34 am at 54°. Ice packs place on either side of flower to insure pollination and insulated blanket over everything.   Friday, June 23 View Page I'm impatiently waiting for pollinations to show some progress. I know it takes about 10-14 days for fruit to start making visible gains in size, but all the same, I'm feeling nervous. My 1114 should be pollinated in the next few days.   Saturday, June 24 View Page 1912 Carter 5 lobed female pollinated with four 1998 Jutras males between 12 and 13 feet at 68 degrees F. 1114 Minor female chugging along to opening. Second pollination on Jutras plant will occur withing 5 days. First pollination on 1912 carter is starting to take off.   Monday, June 26 View Page 1114 Minor pollinated with 7 males from 1912 Carter at 7:30 am 10 feet out. Temperature at 60 F. 5 lobes, one deformed.   Monday, June 26 View Page Sent off pumpkin leaf to Western Laboratories for tissue test. Pollinations are on the vine, and there's no time for slacking off. The fat guy who pounds the big drum is picking up the pace.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Pollinated second female on 1998 Jutras with four 1912 Carter males at 7:40 am. Also did foliar spray of ferts due to heavy rains this week. I'm hoping Western Labs got my leaf sample so I can get tissue results sometime Friday.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page 1912 Carter x 1998 Jutras 9 DAP.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page Second 1912 carter x 1998 Jutras pollination. 4 DAP   Wednesday, June 28 View Page 1998 Jutras x 1912 Carter 7 DAP.   Wednesday, June 28 View Page 1114 Minor x 1912 Carter 2 DAP   Wednesday, June 28 View Page All pumpkins are filthy from daily rains. Time to gently clean and shelter them in preparation for boards, mill fabric, and sand. It's also time to construct my pvc pup tents to keep the stumps dry.   Friday, June 30 View Page I saw a gray squirrel in my patch this morning! I almost shot my .22 through the screen and towards my neighbor's house. I calmed down and went out outside, expecting the worst, but the babies are OK so far. Time for rodent snacks and traps in the patch.   Friday, June 30 View Page Western Laboratories emailed me my tissue test results tonight. Leaf and stalk were sent out Monday. Excellent service. Slightly low on sulfur, zinc, manganese, and copper. Corrective foliar spraying begins tomorrow. Next test will be done in 2-3 weeks. Small amounts weekly will add up.   Sunday, July 2 View Page Did a foliar spray on pumpkins at 8am. Too @#$%ing wet to drench. Maybe in a couple of days.   Wednesday, July 5 View Page Sunshine has given fruit on vines a jump start. Vines have grown 2 feet in past 2 days. I was starting to worry about my pollinations, but now I'll save my worrying for after the 20 DAP mark.   Wednesday, July 5 View Page 1912 Carter at 16 dap.   Wednesday, July 5 View Page 1998 Jutras at 14 dap.   Wednesday, July 5 View Page 114 Minor at 9 dap.   Wednesday, July 5 View Page All plants and fruit have picked up considerably now it's not raining and the sun is out. I'm still a bit upset all fruit are lagging behind last year, when we had a drought in Vermont.   Thursday, July 6 View Page Second female on 1114. Not a Miss Universe candidate. Third flower should be opening within 5 days. Only 7 weeks until the Champlain Valley Fair. The pressure is mounting.   Thursday, July 6 View Page First and second pollinations on 1912 Carter have aborted. Third female had seeds in flower. Fourth flower will blossom next week.   Monday, July 10 View Page 1998 Jutras at 19 dap on board, mill fabric, and sand.   Monday, July 10 View Page 1114 Minor at day 14. Board, mill fabric, and sand will be added on Wednesday. This is growing faster than the Jutras fruit.   Monday, July 10 View Page I'm still waiting for female flowers on the 1912 carter to open, both main and secondary vines.   Thursday, July 13 View Page I pollinated a female flower on my experimental Prizewinner/1662 Stelts cross with 1912 Carter pollen. Temp is 63 degrees and cloudy. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens this year, and what will happen next year. I'm hoping brillian orange will result in both cases.   Friday, July 14 View Page I caught another furry-tailed rat in a raccoon trap. This does not bode well for the gray squirrel, possibly the destroyer of my garbage can. The little terrorist was busy while I took a trip and stocked up on "snacks" for any rodents seeking the damage and/or destruction of my giant pumpkins.   Saturday, July 15 View Page Had to shore up stem end on 1998 Jutras. It was doing a nose dive on 23 DAP. Growth has slowed down because of all the rain and no sun. There are tertiaries and hundreds of weeds--but I'll think about that tomorrow.   Sunday, July 16 View Page Happy 20 DAP 1114! With more sun, I'm sure you'll do me proud.   Sunday, July 16 View Page 1998 Jutras needs some sunshine love, too. 25 DAP.   Sunday, July 16 View Page I'm waiting for the next available female flower to open on the 1912 Carter--primary or secondary. At least 4 potential candidates available.   Monday, July 17 View Page Pollinated a female on main vine of 1912 Carter and 3 more females on secondaries. If none of them succeed, I'm pulling the plant and growing various veggies in its place.   Tuesday, July 18 View Page Open pollinations on 2 more 1912 side vine blooms. That makes about 7 hit or miss tries on the main and secondaries the past few days. I also did a few open pollinations on the 2 plants I'm helping to grow for a non-profit arts organization.   Tuesday, July 18 View Page 1998 Jutras is 193 OTT 27 DAP. 1114 Minor is 178 OTT 22 DAP.   Tuesday, July 18 View Page I'm behind last year's numbers. Maybe it will stop raining and the sun will shine more.   Wednesday, July 19 View Page I gave each plant 50 gallons of water with various fertilizers after digging down a foot in my patch and finding soil as a whole wasn't soaked. Apparently my cover crops and using a broadfork with 16 inch tines have worked wonders since the days of so much clay in the soil nothing would grow except weeds. But it's taken me over 10 years to get here. If the weather gets to be more sun than rain, I will increase the water after I finish deadheading my vines.   Friday, July 21 View Page 1114 Minor DAP 25 OTT is 205, gaining 22 pounds/day. 1998 Jutras DAP 30 OTT is 225, gaining 31 pounds per day. Waiting to see if any 1912 Carter pollinations will take.   Tuesday, July 25 View Page 1114 Minor 233 OTT at 28 DAP   Tuesday, July 25 View Page 1998 Jutras 253 OTT 33 DAP   Tuesday, July 25 View Page Stay the course fellow growers.   Friday, July 28 View Page Added more sand around the bases of the 1998 Jutras and 1114 Minor because pumpkins are getting larger. I had to move the bait blocks because they were in danger of being crushed by the growth of the fruit. Also repositioned shade hoops to protect fruit from sun and added sheets for additional protection. I'm patiently waiting for signs that the open pollinations on the 1912 Carter have succeeded. All fruit are around 10 days old on this plant.   Sunday, July 30 View Page 1114 Minor 34 DAP 255 OTT   Sunday, July 30 View Page 1998 Jutras 39 DAP 286 OTT.   Sunday, July 30 View Page The 1912 Carter pollinations are sorting themselves out. One was culled due to bad position on a vine. Two(one of them on the main vine) more look like aborts. Stay tuned for more exciting new from the northwest corner of Vermont, where the rabbits, woodchucks, squirrels, and mice roam.   Monday, July 31 View Page Four late pollinations on 1912 Carter vines. Two wrinkled fruit--one on the main. The two fruit with smooth skin(on secondaries) are in precarious positions, needing extra special care and work. I am so thankful to have something to complain about.   Monday, July 31 View Page I did a little tertiary pruning today to keep the pumpkins putting on the pounds.   Monday, July 31 View Page Here's some of the pruning.   Wednesday, August 2 View Page Last pollination on 1912 Carter main vine. I batted 1000 on aborts.   Wednesday, August 2 View Page I won't show pics of the other 2 wrinkled runts on secondary vines. This one may be a keeper on a secondary vine.   Wednesday, August 2 View Page Second fruit in the running to salvage something off the 1912 Carter. Both this one and the previous one are a foot apart on separate secondaries. Some tender loving intensive care will have to be done to nourish the selected survivor.   Sunday, August 6 View Page 1114 Minor DAP 41 at 286 OTT. Only 18 days until fair weigh in.   Sunday, August 6 View Page Big Mama off the 1998 Jutras seed DAP 46 at 315 OTT.   Sunday, August 6 View Page Picture of Big Mama's sag. This is going to cost me some pounds on the scale. I should have put a girdle on her when she was younger.   Sunday, August 6 View Page Harley Quinn, my late pollination on a secondary, is surprising me by surviving and growing. She may be big enough to measure next week, but she's too shy for a picture right now.   Monday, August 7 View Page Added sand around the front of the 1998 Jutras. It's growing out from the stem, as well as out from the blossom end. It's developing a long, low profile. No mice taking any bait yet. Putting on an average of 26 pounds per day.   Wednesday, August 9 View Page More BOR-ING news from the patch. A wet spot has developed underneath on the 1998 Jutras plant's main vine/stem junction. Nothing serious yet, wetness on upper right corner of dark spot in picture. Scraping, H2O2 spray, and sulfur plus fan on spot 24/7--had to use a mirror for accurate work.   Sunday, August 13 View Page The dreaded slow down is happening on the 1998 Jutras. Only 330 OTT at day 53. Side shot looks good.   Sunday, August 13 View Page The front shot tells the real story. That sag is going to cost me mucho pounds on the scales.   Sunday, August 13 View Page My own 1114 is slowing down slightly less than the 1998 Jutras. 307 OTT at day 48   Sunday, August 13 View Page Front shot of the 1114 looks a lot like the 1662 Stelts, her mother   Sunday, August 13 View Page the 1912 Carter has a soft blossom. Scrape out the bad, spray with H2O2, repeat, dry. Apply powdered sulfur, fan 24/7, pray.   Monday, August 14 View Page More frustration from the great northwest corner of Vermont. 1998 Jutras plant has more stem trouble. Graphic photo of soft areas on side and underneath. More scrape, H2O2, sulfur, and fan 24/7. This pumpkin may very well go to the Champlain Valley Fair--if it holds up for 10 days.   Tuesday, August 15 View Page I've decided to harvest the 1998 Jutras for the fair next week. I'm concerned about the stem problems(2 in a few weeks) and the fact it sounds hollow when thumped, indicating it will go light to chart when weighed. My own 1114 is solid, no problems yet, and looks great,ex- cept for a few small blemishes. It weighs about 160 lbs(chart weight) less than the Jutras, but still stands a good chance of going over 1000 lbs 6 weeks from today. It's doing great for a pumpkin grown with only about 6 hours of sunlight a day. Be prepared for the funeral of my smallest pumpkin, Harley Quinn. I don't believe the rehab and intensive care saved her from the Big Nothing after the blossom fell off. :'(   Wednesday, August 16 View Page Harley Quinn, a late pollination on a secondary vine of a 1912 Carter succumbed to blossom rot today 30 days after pollination. Jesus could probably heal it, but He has better things to do. Services will be held at the compost pile tomorrow. Contributions may be made to the Vermont Giant Pumpkin Growers in her memory.   Saturday, August 19 View Page I found another wet spot underneath the stem of Big Mama(1998 Jutras), my larger pumpkin. Scraped wet spot, misted with 9-1 dilution of bleach, rubbed powdered sulfur over spot with fan still going 24/7. Wet spots are skin deep so far and don't appear to be serious.   Saturday, August 19 View Page I FINALLY got sick of people asking me at the fair about using MILK to grow giant pumpkins. I've copied an article from National Gardening on seaweed in the garden for a free handout to show people how much better seaweed is for growing giant pumpkins. https://garden.org/learn/articles/view/379/   Tuesday, August 22 View Page More superficial softness on vine this time instead of stem, even though vine is exposed to full sun. I'm spraying stem with 9 to 1 water/bleach on a daily basis that's working so far to prevent further softness. Vine is getting the old scrape, bleach, dry, sulfur treatment. Keeping an eye on weather for strong gusty winds over 40 mph and heavy rains. A hoop house is ready to be erected.   Friday, August 25 View Page Third place at Champlain Valley Fair with 759(UOW). Grown off my own 1114. 759 is 1114 Minor x 1912 Carter.   Saturday, August 26 View Page Same guy at the fair every year. Same story. Says he used to grow giant pumpkins. He would cut the leaf off a stalk and fill the stalk with milk--this year it was cream. He would put a cork in the stalk to plug it up. Then he would watch the pumpkin take off. But don't tell anyone because it's illegal. Possible brain injury? Or a form of mental illness? Many stories past 2 days of growing giant pumpkins by cutting slits in stems an/or injecting milk with syringe. What would Raoul Duke do? Or Dr. Gonzo?   Wednesday, August 30 View Page Big Mama tapes over 1000. With 3 weeks until the Vermont weigh off, I will include an occasional picture, but no more OTT measurements. The stem wetness comes and goes, no blossom end problems to date, no stump problems, and I just added more sand to one side of the punk due to growth still occurring. She is WIDE in the hips, and the blossom end is sinking deeper into the pumpkin as it grows. I'm not even sure if the tie rope I have for the bottom strap loops will even fit. And I still have to find someone reliable with a Bobcat machine to lift it into a pick up truck--if the punk will FIT into a pick up truck...   Saturday, September 2 View Page Many people wanting to give growing giant pumpkins a go were astounded that I was giving away free, good quality Atlantic giant pumpkin seeds at the Champlain Valley Fair. At least a couple of individuals actually had tears in their eyes, especially one gentleman whose father used to grow big pumpkins and he wanted to try his hand at it. Thank you Caylei Rae Arnold. Your gift of seeds helped make a lot of people, including youngsters, happy. They now have seeds, step by step instructions, and the Vermont Growers' email in case they need support and more seeds.   Monday, September 4 View Page Someone wanted to know about my "Big Mama" pumpkin. Well, the stem hasn't rotted yet. Daily spraying with 9 to 1 water and bleach is maintaining a semblance of health. The pumpkin may be a new personal best. If it goes 10% light to new chart, it will still weigh over 1000 lbs. Big Mama doesn't like a sheet covering her nakedness, so it is a daily chore to keep putting the sheet back on her magnificent body.   Monday, September 4 View Page I'll have to fit the punk sideways on a pallet to fit into the back of a 250/2500 pickup truck. I'm glad I built a big, heavy duty pallet last year...just in case.   Monday, September 4 View Page The white stuff on leaves in the pics is fertilizer burn. No powdery mildew in patch this year thanks to a new spraying program that Mr. Ron Wallace advised me on.   Monday, September 4 View Page 1998 is 75 days old today. Happy Birthday!   Thursday, September 7 View Page Big Mama does NOT like 3 inches of rain we've received since Sunday. In spite of letting weeds and tertiary vines grow. the punk is being affected by all the water. The stem rot is my main concern. It's going to be a LONG 2 weeks until the Vermont state weigh off.   Thursday, September 7 View Page The rot. Despite 9-1 water/bleach, sulfur, and fan 24/7, mine enemy grows older.   Friday, September 8 View Page My punk at the Champlain Valley Fair.   Friday, September 8 View Page 759 Minor(uow) cross is 1114.5 Minor x 1912 Carter   Sunday, September 10 View Page I may have found the answer to my stem rot--a larger fan turned on high 24/7. The dinky fan I had blowing before apparently just didn't do the job. Stay tuned for further developments from the northwest corner of Vermont.   Tuesday, September 12 View Page Critters are nibbling away at night on the comforter on Big Mama(1998 Jutras x 1912 Carter). Extra snacks and an array of traps are going out tonight. Gonna HURT those nibblers...   Friday, September 15 View Page Another superficial soft spot on the 1998 Jutras--this time on the bottom side. Not deep, but a worry I don't need. Scrape, 10% bleach, sulfur after letting bleach dry, fan 24/7. One week until loading up for the weigh off 9/23.   Wednesday, September 20 View Page LESSON LEARNED: Don't ever (NEVER) work with people who have never loaded Atlantic Giant Pumpkins before! A careless tractor operator dropped a loading bucket one to one and a half feet on top of my head causing me to hit the dirt, stunned all to shit. After swearing profusely and letting the crew know I was done for the day, I sat for a while, drank some water, and let the ill-assorted guards do the rest of the loading of several pumpkins by themselves. I drove to the ER room to get checked out and was told I have a mild concussion--and was lucky it wasn't worse. I'm currently eating a salad and getting used to the fact I'm still alive. Life is full of things to be thankful for...   Sunday, September 24 View Page 1998 Jutras is now 1154 Minor(1998 Jutras x 1912 Carter) Thank you Joe Jutras for providing a great seed. I wish I could have done it more justice.   Sunday, September 24 View Page Thanks to Norm Gansert for the pic of me and "Big Mama".   Thursday, October 19 View Page Seeds will get pulled from my 759(uow) fair pumpkin and 1154 next week at Hackett's Orchard in South Hero, VT to prepare for each to be carved into a giant jack o lantern. 759 is 1114 Minor(1662 Stelts x 1710 Lieber) x 1912 Carter. 1154 Minor is 1998 Jutras x 1912 Carter.   Sunday, October 22 View Page I got tired of waiting for it to rain to get my winter rye going, so I watered the garden space a few days ago and the rye sprouted right away. Another watering today, and the rye seemed to grow in front of my eyes. The alfalfa pellets I broadcast over the soil didn't hurt, either. They help provide nitrogen and other nutrients to improve the soil and feed earthworms, who in turn aerate the soil and improve soil biology. I also use the pellets in my compost pile.   Thursday, October 26 View Page Shot of 759 and 1154 pumpkins at Hackett's Orchards, South Hero, VT before seed harvest.   Thursday, October 26 View Page 759 was chosen to be decorated after standing on blossom end.   Thursday, October 26 View Page 2 weeks of waiting now until 759(left) and 1154 seeds(right) dry.