Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 17 Entries. Monday, January 1 View Page The following was a great testimony I received from my good friend Ruben Mendi after his dream season!   Monday, January 1 View Page The 2017 season in my patch has been wonderful. I have cultivated 3 outdoor pumpkins with a total of 5696.1 pounds. 2031.6 Mendi, 1875 Mendi and 1789.5 Mendi. The 2031.6 is the heaviest pumpkin in Europe cultivated outdoors. I have managed to be a farmer of the Year of Spain, and I have been in the top positions of the world of 2017. It could have been more pounds if he had cut the 1875 Mendi 30 days later. The weigh off of Valtierra (Spain) is on September 9, the 1875 only had 95 days and continued to grow about 10 pounds a day. I think the 1875, if we had cut it in October, we would have gotten another pumpkin close to 2000 pounds. The 2031 we removed it from the patch on day 120, and the 1789 Mendi the day 127. Never did I imagine that giant pumpkins could continue to gain weight after day 100, this year I found that to be true putting on weigh until the last day. The difference this year, with respect to 2016 that I got a pumpkin of 1327 pounds, have been several, genetics (2145 McMullen) and products used: This year, I've used 4 times BigStem. Asking Tanner, if it would be beneficial for a fourth application of BigStem to plants, and after their positive response, I did. Useing BIGSTEM on day 5 after pollination, day 40, Day 70 and day 95. It's my second year using Bigstem and I'm very happy. I will continue to use BigStem next year and try to surpass my personal record of 2031.6 pounds!!!   Wednesday, February 21 View Page Still time to order for the 2018 season! Every purchase will win a seed in the seed drawing!!! email me at tanner.n.conway@gmail.com to order yours today :)   Saturday, March 31 View Page After two year of cover crop in my home patch I am finally back! I did three different cover crop mixes all with different goals. The first (no picture unfortunately) was mustard. This helped to biofumigate my soil of bad micro organism and fungi. The second cover crop after a deep till of the first was annual rye and hairy vetch. (This helped me kill off weed seed as rye is allopathy, the vetch legume fixing nitrogen.)   Saturday, March 31 View Page The last cover crop was a large mix. It consists of purple top turnip, forage kale, rape, and forage radish. (All of these helped to break up the soil hard pan, plus added organic matter and starches to the soil to greatly increase my earth worm population.) I'm planning to use cover crop this year as well with the pumpkins to help surprese weeds and fix nitrogen. I will inoculate all the seed with mycos as I spread it, hopefully creating a large population of beneficial microbes and fungi for the plants to use as they vine out and set there roots!   Wednesday, April 4 View Page We all have been there...   Sunday, April 15 View Page Doesn't Mother Nature know I'm trying to break the MN state record?!?   Wednesday, April 18 View Page Perfect seed starting weather!....   Wednesday, April 18 View Page Not!....   Wednesday, April 18 View Page With hope it warms up soon this is the germination box. Provides great bottom heat!   Wednesday, April 18 View Page This year's line up. The 2624 and 1810. I will have the 1781 as a back up if needed.   Thursday, April 26 View Page ....and they are up!   Thursday, April 26 View Page Good thing I got sent 2x 1810s I'm sure it will be fine but I'll take it into consideration when picking!   Thursday, April 26 View Page Soil test time!   Thursday, April 26 View Page First till of the season...lots of worms = cover crop success! Will get the hoop houses up this weekend and plant the till down cover crop mix of rye, and wheat. This will help keep weeds out untill the plant vines out and keep the soil biota happy!   Sunday, April 29 View Page Plants are growing nicely under the Gro bulb. I will start placing them out for parts of the day to harden off and get used to the natural light.   Thursday, May 3 View Page Going in the hoop house to harden off before planting this weekend.