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Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 84 Entries.
Saturday, March 10 View Page
Time to kick off the 2018 growing season. I am calling this years line up the West Coast All-Stars. I Have seeds from the personal best pumpkins of 3 of the West Coasts most legendary growers. I will be the 2363 Holland. Which is the Largest ever grown in Washington, The 2059 Daletas which is the largest ever grown in Oregon and the 2036 Glasier which is the 2nd largest ever grown in California.
 
Saturday, March 10 View Page
I've got the Soil tests results back. Things are looking fairly good. Just a few things to address with my spring amendments.
 
Saturday, March 10 View Page
I did my first tilling today. The Soil is looking really good after the large amount of manure I added last fall.
 
Sunday, March 18 View Page
I ttarted my first seeds today for the Puyallup fair. I am shooting for the 2059 Daletas and also started a couple of my own seeds as back ups.
 
Sunday, March 18 View Page
I got the germination chamber up and running again.
 
Sunday, March 18 View Page
This is my new 80 foot soil heating cable. I got it buried and I'm the ground.
 
Sunday, March 18 View Page
The new soil heating cable doesn't have a built in thermostat so I had to get this one. The nice thing is that it also gives a reading of the actual soil temperature. I have a ways to go to get this up to temp.
 
Sunday, March 18 View Page
I also got the frame up for the greenhouse as well. This year I am going to grow my fair pumpkin on the second patch and use the main patch for a later weigh off.
 
Thursday, March 22 View Page
Succesful Germination. The 2059 Daletas and 819.5 Radach are out of the ground. It's hard to tell in the photo but the 1223 is mounding up the dirt and should be poking through soon.
 
Thursday, March 22 View Page
I got the 2059 and the 819.5 transplanted into bigger pots and under the grow light.
 
Thursday, March 22 View Page
The 2059 Daletas is looking great.
 
Thursday, March 22 View Page
The 819.5 Radach looks a bit abnormal. It appears to have 3 cot leaves. Anyone seen anything like that before?
 
Sunday, April 1 View Page
I got the 2059 Daletas into the ground today in the greenhouse. The heating cable is working well. The soil is a a comfortable 72 degrees.
 
Sunday, April 1 View Page
the plant seems to be an aggressive grower and everything has gone flawlessly with it thus far.
 
Saturday, April 7 View Page
I started my second batch of seeds today. The 2363 Holland is intended for the main patch. While once again two of my own seeds are the backups.
 
Saturday, April 7 View Page
They are in the germination chamber and on their way. Hopefully there is a new Island county record there in the center pot.
 
Saturday, April 7 View Page
The 2059 Daletas after one week outside in the green house. Not much growth above ground yet but those roots are spreading out and it should be about ready to take off.
 
Thursday, April 12 View Page
The 2363 Holland and the 1223 Radach both germinated and have been transplanted into 1 gallon pots under the grow light. It looks like the 819.5 Radach is not going to germinate.
 
Thursday, April 12 View Page
Unfortunately the 2363 has some dead dry tissue on the cot leaves. I am hoping the effected area doesn't go down into the first true leaf. It's awfully close.
 
Saturday, April 14 View Page
I started my last batch of seeds today. The 2036 Glaser is the hopeful plant. I have two seeds. Once again I used my own seeds as backups.
 
Saturday, April 14 View Page
It's looking like the 2363 may pull through. There is a tiny bit of brown on the first true leaf but it is growing and the shape looks like it is developing normally. I will know more in a couple of days.
 
Wednesday, April 18 View Page
Both of my 2036 Glasier seeds germinated successfully and are under the grow light.
 
Saturday, April 21 View Page
After getting off to a rough start coming out of the seed shell, the 2363 Holland Is looking a whole lot better. I transplanted it into the greenhouse on the main patch today.
 
Saturday, April 21 View Page
The starts for my third plant are looking great under the grow light.
 
Saturday, April 21 View Page
The 2059 is well behind where it should be at this age. (5 weeks since the seed went into the dirt) I was worried that I have a soil problem because my plant last year in this spot did poorly. However after the last two days of sunshine it's actually looking a lot greener and has grown quite a bit. I planted a week earlier than last year and this has been the we test April on record in our state so I am hoping that the mediocre start is just from a lack of sunlight.
 
Monday, May 7 View Page
The 2059 Daletas is on the ground and running. Looking good. Hoping to Polina te about 1 month from now to get a jump on the Puyallup fair.
 
Monday, May 7 View Page
The 2059 is already putting out female flowers at only about 4 feet on the vine. That is a bit unusual. It's way too soon to pollinate and I won't have any male flowers by the time these bloom anyway.
 
Monday, May 7 View Page
The 2363 Holland is developing nicely still.
 
Monday, May 7 View Page
The 2036 Glasiers about a week in the ground.
 
Sunday, May 20 View Page
The 2059 Daletas is in full pruning and vine burying mode. The main vine is about 10 feet long and it's putting out strong side vines.
 
Sunday, May 20 View Page
These two little girls are at about 4 feet and 5 feet on the vine and will be blossoming so time this week. They will get culled because they are too close to the stump and I wont have any male flowers blooming by then anyway.
 
Sunday, May 20 View Page
This female is at about 10 feet on the main. It will be the first pollination but there is another one coming in the vine tip that will ba at about 13 feet when it grows out that I am hoping will be the keeper.
 
Sunday, May 20 View Page
The 2363 Holland is doing fairly well. I got a little too aggressive with my bug spray and burned some of the leaves. The vine is on the ground and about 4 feet long.
 
Sunday, May 20 View Page
It's about time to make a decision about which 2036 Glasier to keep. The one on the right seems to have the slight edge. I will give them a few more days and then cut the loser. It looks like I need to do a good weeding inside the hoop house too.
 
Thursday, June 14 View Page
The preferred keeper on the 2059 Daletas bloomed this morning. Unfortunately the blossom is deformed. I pollinated it anyway. I had an idea that this was going to be the case because often blossoms like this will have portions of the petal tips puckered in in the time prior to blooming. This is especially unfortunate because I am already about a week beyond the time when I was hoping to pollinate my keeper.
 
Thursday, June 14 View Page
Fortunately there is another female on the next leaf node which should be blooming either tomorrow or Saturday. This one is looking better from the outside
 
Thursday, June 14 View Page
And a picture of my dog just because he is so cute and always makes me feel better when things go wrong.
 
Friday, June 15 View Page
Today's pollination on the 2059 Daletas (below) looks a lot better then yesterday's (above). Exactly 12 weeks (84 days) till the Puyallup fair. Let the growing begin.
 
Saturday, June 16 View Page
We have an unusually warm forecast for the near future so I took the hoop house down off of the 2059 Daletas. Hoping to maximize photosynthesis as we approach the summer solstice.
 
Monday, June 18 View Page
I Pollinated the hopeful keeper on the 2363 Holland this morning. It's It's a gorgeous 6 lobe. I am pretty excited about this one.
 
Monday, June 18 View Page
twin girls on the main vine of the 2059. I almost want to pollinate them both and let them grow out just because it would be pretty unique.
 
Monday, June 18 View Page
I am very happy with the 2363 Holland plant. It may well be my best plant ever for foliage. It has ginormous healthy beautiful green leaves.
 
Monday, June 18 View Page
Here is the hopeful keeper on the 2363. I have it set up perfectly for where I want the Pumpkin to grow in the driveway. It should be blooming sometime in the coming week.
 
Monday, June 18 View Page
The 2036 Glasier is struggling much like my plant did last year in this spot. There is just not much sunlight getting to it.
 
Wednesday, June 20 View Page
The last three pictures were actually from the 16th.
 
Wednesday, June 20 View Page
the twins bloomed this morning on the 2059 Daletas.
 
Wednesday, June 20 View Page
The one on the top has 6 lobes and I pollinated it with the 2363. The one on the bottom has 5 lobes and I self Polinated it. These will be backups in case the earlier pollination didn't take. If it comes to that I will probably cull the one on the bottom.
 
Thursday, June 21 View Page
Self pollinated another on the main vine of the 2363 Holland this morning.
 
Thursday, June 21 View Page
This is the first pollination on the 2363 from June 10th. It seems to be growing well but it will be culled as soon as I am sure the keeper is set.
 
Tuesday, June 26 View Page
I pollinated the first on the 2036 Glasier today. The truth is I don't have much hope for this one due to the condition of the plant.
 
Tuesday, June 26 View Page
The 2036 has one secondary on the whole plant. The same thing happened last year in this spot. I think it's due to the shade.
 
Tuesday, June 26 View Page
The 2036 has one secondary on the whole plant. The same thing happened last year in this spot. I think it's due to the shade.
 
Tuesday, June 26 View Page
I am going to use one of the twins as the backup. The one on the right will be the new keeper.
 
Tuesday, June 26 View Page
The keeper on the 2363 Holland is looking great. It's at 13.75" circumference on Day 8. The first pollination is in the background and is measuring 23" in circumference. I will be culling it soon.
 
Tuesday, July 3 View Page
It's grow time on the 2363 Holland. 23.5" Circumference on Day 15.
 
Tuesday, July 3 View Page
Day 13 on the 2059 Daletas. 16" Circumference. Unfortunately some critter scratched the top of it a few days ago. That is going to be one big ugly gash by the time the pumpkin is done growing but there is not much I can do about it because this is the only fruit growing on the plant.
 
Sunday, July 8 View Page
Day 20 on the 2363 Holland. 40.5" circumference. It added 17" in the last 5 days.
 
Sunday, July 8 View Page
Day 18 on the 2059 Daletas. 26.5" Circumference.
 
Tuesday, July 10 View Page
pollinated a nice 5 lobe on the 2036 Glasier today.
 
Tuesday, July 10 View Page
Still not a whole lot of hope for this one because the plant has no side vines. The leaves that it does have look nice though. I keep telling myself every year that I am going to stop trying to grow a Pumpkin under these trees but I can't help myself.
 
Wednesday, July 18 View Page
Day 30 on the 2363 Holland 76.25" circumference, 184.5" OTT estimated weight 145 pounds, 5 day average 16 pounds per day.
 
Wednesday, July 18 View Page
Here is the full 2363 Holland plant. I am a little bit disappointed in the pumpkin growth numbers. However, I am very pleased with the plant. It's the healthiest plant I have ever had this late in the year and the growth past the pumpkin is filling in well which should help it to maintain growth longer. The next ten days will tell a lot about the growth trajectory and where this pumpkin will end up weight wise.
 
Thursday, July 19 View Page
Day 28 on the 2059 Daletas. 61" circumference, 157" OTT, estimated weight 91 pounds. It's too bad It has that massive scar on top of it because it's looking like this pumpkin may end up orange.
 
Wednesday, July 25 View Page
Day 37 on the 2363 Holland. 94" circumference, 222" OTT, estimated weight 248 pounds, 7 day average 14.7 pounds per day.
 
Wednesday, July 25 View Page
the 2363 from the side. I am not going to set a personal best with this one. It's just not putting on the weight fast enough. It would need to be doing well over 20 pounds per day to make that happen. I think I still have an outside shot at 1000 pounds though if I can keep the growth up well into september.
 
Wednesday, July 25 View Page
Day 35 on the 2059 Daletas. 80.5" circumference, 202" OTT, estimated weight 189 pounds. 5 day average 12.8 pounds per day. The plant itself is large but in pretty rough shape. Hoping I can get it over 500 pounds for the Puyallup fair.
 
Wednesday, July 25 View Page
Day 15 on the 2036 Glasier. 24" Circumference. It's not a terrible measurement considering the plant pretty much only has a main vine.
 
Sunday, July 29 View Page
Day 40 on the 2363 Holland. 100" Circumference, 238" OTT, estimated weight 304 pounds. 5 day average 17.4 pounds per day. It's still lagging behind my biggest pumpkins for day 40 size but it actually picked up steam a little bit so there is still some hope for it. It's now the 13th largest pumpkin I have grown.
 
Wednesday, August 22 View Page
Day 65 for the 2363 Holland. 130" circumference, 304" OTT, estimated weight 617 pounds. 5 day average 10.4 pounds per day. Plugging right along and looking like it's going to be respectable. My goal is to get to at least 820 pounds which would be my third biggest ever behind my 1223 from 2014 and my 899.5 from 2015.
 
Wednesday, August 22 View Page
Day 63 for the 2059 Daletas. 111.25" circumference, 280.5" OTT estimated weight 488 pounds. 5 day average 7.2 pounds per day. The Puyallup Fair is in 9 days. My goal for this one is to beat 540 pounds which would make it my 8th largest ever grown.
 
Thursday, August 23 View Page
not a whole lot has gone right with the 2036 Glasier. The original keeper quit growing at 47" circ. I then set another on the main vine which also stopped growing. This is my last hope. It is actually on the only secondary vine that the plant grew. It was an open pollination and I have no idea how many days old it is but it put on 3.25" in circumference today for a total of 44". It's measuring 107" OTT for an estimated weight of 30 pounds. I am just hoping it keeps growing so I have something to take to the Central Market weigh off.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
It's weighoff day. I harvested the 2059 Daletas to take to the Puyallup Fair. It looks pretty impressive from the back.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
It's weighoff day. I harvested the 2059 Daletas to take to the Puyallup Fair. It looks pretty impressive from the back.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
It's not quite as impressive from the side as its extremely skinny.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
once I got it on flat ground and retook measurements it's a little smaller than I thought. It's estimating at about 520 pounds. It's going to have to go heavy to make my goal of 540 pounds.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
The 2059 Daletas weighed in at 508.5 pounds at the Puyallup Fair. It's the 10th biggest I have grown to this point.
 
Friday, August 31 View Page
I finished 9th.
 
Tuesday, September 11 View Page
Day 85 on the 2363 Holland. Circumference 137" OTT 321.5" estimated weight 725 pounds. 5 day average 3.2 pounds per day.
 
Tuesday, September 11 View Page
it has really slowed down with the change in weather. There are 11 days to the weighoff. If it can average 3 pounds a day it should have the exact same measurements as my pumpkin last year. I think it could go heavy. By the way, I regraveled the driveway at least the part that is not under the pumpkin at the moment.
 
Tuesday, September 11 View Page
The Pumpkin on the 2036 Glacier is not doing much. Sitting at about 89 pounds and only growing a few pounds a day. Might make 150 by central market. I am thinking of pulling the plug on it so that I can till in my amendments.
 
Wednesday, September 12 View Page
It's weighoff day. I harvested the 2059 Daletas to take to the Puyallup Fair. It looks pretty impressive from the back.
 
Sunday, September 23 View Page
The 2363 Holland came in at 885 pounds!
 
Sunday, September 23 View Page
The official GPC entry has it at 25% heavy. I am pretty sure they mismeasured though because they have an OTT of 313. I measured the OTT at 326.5 Even with My measurements it still went about 15% heavier than the chart. It's my 3rd heaviest ever!
 
Sunday, September 23 View Page
I came in 6th place and beat out three pumpkins that estimated higher than mine.
 

 

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