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Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 13 Entries.
Friday, March 1 View Page
For the first time in 15 years, no Atlantic Giant pumpkins or squash. I got rid of one of my larger greenhouses and allotments. This year I hope to grow two bushel gourds (one in the big pumpkin greenhouse and one outside), three field pumpkins (158.7 Horde, 133.4 Wursten, 176.4 Wursten), runner beans, heavy carrots, heavy aubergines (eggplants), a long chili and some genetic marrows on a vacant allotment just to get some seeds again. Thanks for the seeds Mark B! The aubergines, carrots and long chili have already germinated. Also hoping to grow 26 varieties of potatoes and 20 varieties of carrots to present at our giant veg weigh-off. Last year I showed 30+ (rare) varieties of potatoes. The public seems to like the extra attraction of the strange and weird colours, shapes and sizes of otherwise normal vegetables. All of the bushel gourd and field pumpkin spots were tilled in the fall and dehydrated cow manure, lime and basalt rock dust was added. The BG spot in the greenhouse also had 100l of perlite tilled in. Bought a pot of Lithovit Amino CO2 to try out. Dehydrated cow manure is regular manure which gets almost all of the liquid pressed out of it. It is extremely light, easy to spread and easy to till in and I could get a few yards for free. The basalt was also free. A local store was taking it out of their inventory.
 
Thursday, May 9 View Page
Getting ready to sow the 20 varieties of carrots to show at the weigh-off, along with some 25+ varieties of heirloom potatoes. Bushel gourds are giving problems. Neither of the 209 English seeds germinated. Neither of the 210 Kline plants developed a vine, only cot leaves. So I'll have to go with the two 236 Nieuwenhoff plants I have going. One inside and one outside. We'll see what the difference is.
 
Thursday, July 4 View Page
It's been a hot, dry spring and till now a dry summer too. None of my bushel gourds survived. Currently I have 4 FPs and 3 marrows going. The field pumpkins are 158 Horde, 176 Wursten, 2x 133 Wursten (of which one in the big greenhouse). The 3 marrow plants are just to get seeds from, not really for competition purposes: 2x 165 Baggs and 1x 220 Baggs. Almost time to pull the back-up plants. At the front a 165 Baggs + back-up. Behind that the 158 Horde + back-up. Next allotment the 176 and the allotment behind that another 165 Baggs.
 
Thursday, July 4 View Page
This was a neglected allotment I am "borrowing" this year. From front to back: 220 Baggs marrow + back-up and a 133 Wursten FP + back-up.
 
Monday, July 29 View Page
The Dutch record for highest temperature was broken on two consecutive days last week at 105°F in the shade. My patch hit 103°F in the shade and the tips of 6 of the 7 marrow and field pumpkin plants got burnt to a crisp as well as the young leaves despite the tips of the main vines being shaded. So there goes a season as I hadn't pollinated any fruit yet and they were all still in the tips. Now busy salvaging what I can, but any chance of any record is pretty slim.
 
Friday, August 2 View Page
One of the oddities I grow. A tomato called 'Voyage'. Two of the three marrows I have going for seeds have been pollinated on what's left of the plants after they got burnt last week. Still have to pollinate on or two field pumpkins. All will be on side vines as the main vines have all been burnt to a crisp.
 
Friday, August 2 View Page
One of the oddities I grow. A tomato called 'Voyage'. Two of the three marrows I have going for seeds have been pollinated on what's left of the plants after they got burnt last week. Still have to pollinate on or two field pumpkins. All will be on side vines as the main vines have all been burnt to a crisp.
 
Monday, September 9 View Page
Find the marrow... it's in there somewhere. This year I grew three plants just for seeds. In order to get viable seeds, you have to make sure the marrow doesn't split, at least until day 40. To do so, I grew them all on side vines and let parts of the plant grow the rest of the season. This is definately not the way to grow marrows for competition! The two 165 Baggs plants were crossed with a 220 Baggs pollinator plant. I'll be very lucky if this one here even gets to 100lbs. The other 165 is doing just slightly better, but it does seem they'll make the 40 days without splitting.
 
Monday, September 9 View Page
I also grew three FPs this year. But the record breaking heat wave in July toasted all of the main vines and fruit, so they are all growing on side vines. The smallest one stopped growing a few weeks too soon because of the heat and is probably about 80-90lbs. This one is on my 176.5 plant but it suffered badly from the heat and started turning orange at least two weeks earlier than normal. Probably just north of 100lbs.
 
Monday, September 9 View Page
The FP in the greenhouse was a plan C after plan A and B (both bushel gourds) died on me. The plant suffered heavily from the heat wave and didn't even produce side vines until later in the season, meaning the plant and the pumpkin are growing at the same time, which I usually don't like to have. It should continue to grow for a week or two more even though night temps are now at only 5 Celsius. At the moment it is also 100+ lbs, so unfortunately nothing special from my patch this year. All the other giant veg got roasted, so it's going to be a lean weigh-off this year.
 
Thursday, September 12 View Page
Bad news. All three marrows split at the stem. The best one was still doing about 20-25 lbs per week. The 220 Baggs was grown as a pollinator on a vacant lot but still made it to 90lbs. Pictured are the two 165 Baggs marrows. The front one was also grown on a vacant lot and weighed 109. The back one weighed 132 lbs. Worse news. Almost no seeds in the two small ones and that is what I was growing them for.
 
Thursday, September 12 View Page
Harvested the smallest field pumpkin. Can only enter two and I think the other two are a bit bigger. This one was grown on a vacant lot and measured 88lbs but weighed 109lbs. It was grown off my 133 which tends to go 10-20% heavy.
 
Saturday, September 28 View Page
Field pumpkin on the left 156.5 lbs - 36% heavy (176.4 Wursten x 158 Horde). Field pumpkin on the right 205.0 lbs - 13% heavy (133 Wursten x 158 Horde). European record and 3rd in the world ranking list.
 

 

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