Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 34 Entries. Tuesday, March 3 View Page Coming home with Karl's awards like.....   Saturday, April 11 View Page What a difference a day makes. Snowed on Friday, Sun came out today. Got the last two heating cables buried today, so I'm a little further ahead than normal for this time of year.   Monday, May 11 View Page Another gloomy day. At least the snow didn't stick this time. Tow or three more frozen mornings to survive, and things should get better. This is the patch with 6 plants - I rested it last year, hoping the weather is decent to see if the time off was helpful. Plants went in the ground on April 25, and lost one to seed corn maggots on 4/30. I believe that particular heating cable wasn't as warm as it could have been and was one of the later ones I put in. Luckily, none of the other plants were hit - not even the one that it was double planted with which is strange.   Monday, May 11 View Page This is the 2517 Haist on the right. It's a little better than average, although all the plants are pretty close at this point. The picture makes it look better than in person, things really need to green up.   Tuesday, May 19 View Page I'm a bit behind schedule but the weather forecast is finally looking decent. I plowed up a spot that has not had pumpkins since 2013, and had been turned into pasture since then. Amazingly, the weed seeds had survived. Looks like all of them survived. Once this plant outgrows the greenhouse, I'll probably do one last till and mulch the whole site to keep the weeds down.   Wednesday, July 8 View Page Day 20 for the 2517 Haist, 78"C. The main vine fried in the heat just after the set, so I terminated the main at the pumpkin. This plant has a minimal amount of the yellowing in the leaves. It is pollinated with the 1884 Crews, which is probably the cross I am most excited about this year.   Thursday, July 9 View Page Day 20 1885 Werner (A) x self - 79"C. This one looks to be a nice combination of shapes from the parents, and will likely finish a decent color.   Tuesday, July 14 View Page 1911 Wolf, 81" C d20. Kind of barrel shaped so far. Pretty happy with this one overall. Pollinated with the 2003 Haist.   Wednesday, July 15 View Page 1884 Crews, d20 68" C. A bit disappointed in the growth so far, but the plant looks like it's on steroids so the soil is probably a bit off in this corner. Pollinated with the 2517.   Wednesday, July 15 View Page 2003 Haist d20 81" C. The deer really prefer the taste of this plant. Pollinated with the 2005 Haist.   Thursday, July 16 View Page 1885 Werner (B) d20 95.5"C, by far the biggest d20 fruit I've ever had. I accidentally snapped the root off when moving this seed from the paper towel to the starting mix, but that didn't seem to matter. I also accidentally snapped the main vine about 6 nodes past the fruit, so I've been a little creative with the vine pattern and positioning. Unfortunately, this one isn't as orange as I was hoping for, but it is sibbed with my other 1885. We got 3 inches of rain today, so I'm hoping the next entry isn't bad news.   Wednesday, July 22 View Page 2005 Haist, day 30. I didn't post a day 20 on this one because I wasn't sure it was going to make it. After pollination, I didn't guide the fruit down easy and the stem took quite a bend, and that's what possibly caused a very lopsided pumpkin. It has filled out nicely, except the bottom is really tucked under. Not a disaster, my 1911 last year had a similar situation. Estimates about 425#, which is a little disappointing considering the near perfect weather lately. Its sibbed with the 2005 that Dave Stelts is growing as I happened to be in the area the day before pollination so it kind of worked out.   Thursday, July 30 View Page 1885 Werner A, day 40 about 1000#. I have found some leaf problems that I believe are signs of bacterial wilt, so I removed a few secondaries already in an effort to stop the spread. No idea if i will be successful but it's a major wakeup call to police the bugs better.   Tuesday, August 4 View Page Lost the 2005 to a split underneath. Day 45, weighed 1047. Estimated 947, so about 10% over. Had been doing around 30 a day when picked.   Saturday, August 15 View Page 1911 Wolf day 52. Still a barrel shape.   Saturday, August 15 View Page 1884 Crews, day 51. Going to be the smallest of my big ones, nitrogen too high on this plant.   Saturday, August 15 View Page 2517 Haist, day 57. Really slowing down now.   Saturday, August 15 View Page 1885 Werner A. Still hanging in there somehow.   Saturday, August 15 View Page 2003 Haist, day 51. Pretty solid looking   Saturday, August 15 View Page 1885 Werner B.   Thursday, August 20 View Page 43F this morning for a low. Feels like fall.   Saturday, August 22 View Page Something new every year. I knew this one was going to be trouble eventually, but I didn't think it would pop on the way to the weighoff. 1513.5 Wolf 20 DMG (1885 Werner x Self) No seeds saved.   Sunday, September 6 View Page Watch your back Porkchop, Amelia is coming for you!   Wednesday, September 9 View Page Pumpkin is growing but so is the cat   Monday, September 21 View Page 1240.5 Wolf 20 (1884 Crews x 2517 Haist) This was a beast of a plant, but the fruit didnt grow as fast as the others. I'm thinking the soil is a bit off in this spot. Planning on taking a few scoops from this spot and swapping with another to even things out.   Monday, September 21 View Page 1371.5 Wolf 20 (1911 Wolf x 2003 Haist) I was expecting a little heavier for as ugly as it was.   Monday, September 21 View Page 1507.5 Wolf 20 (2517 Haist x 1884 Crews) I put in the 2517 and 1884 specifically to make the cross , so I will likely be planting this one next year. Had a great time in KY, and got an awesome 1st place trophy too.   Saturday, October 3 View Page 198.5 Wolf (321 Glasgow x Open) Watermelon. Probably should have left it on the vine a few more days. Grown on the same plant as the 172 (321 x 202.5 Crews). Plant was grafted to bushel Gourd rootstock.   Saturday, October 3 View Page 1982.5 Wolf (2003 Haist x 2005 Haist) Nice surprise going a bit over chart, I really couldn't tell on this one. The plant completely froze in the middle of September. I'm not sure how much weight that cost me in the end, but happy with the result.   Saturday, October 3 View Page Well, onto the big one.. 2200 Wolf 20 (1885 Werner x Sib) dmg   Saturday, October 3 View Page Amazing pumpkin to grow - first one I ever hit 50# a day on. Went through the effort to tent the pumpkin, and then the entire plant in preparation for the mid-September frosts. Unfortunately when I was gone for the KY weighoff, Amelia accidentally pointed the little heater directly at the fruit. When I checked it when I got back, it was cooked. You can see the two spots in this pic from the day I picked it. They were cooked / dehydrated enough to sink in. By the time I weighed it today, the fungus had started to set in. Between stopping watering, the cold September, and picking early, it probably would have normally been about 50 pounds heavier.   Saturday, October 3 View Page Amelia's results from her 525 from last year. 765 Wolf (525 x self) and on the right - 897 Wolf (525 x Open) dmg. When we lifted it, there was a rotten spot on the bottom. I really wanted to make a 'karma is a bitch' comment, but I didn't.   Sunday, October 4 View Page 462 Wolf 20 (2517 Haist x 1885 Werner B) - 2nd place at the local weighoff. Late July when it was appearing that the 1885 B might be something special I realized I had not used that plant to pollinate anything else. This was a late July pollination on a side vine, grown on the same plant that grew my 1507. The pollinating plant grew my 2200.   Sunday, October 11 View Page 242 Wolf 20 (202.5 Crews x Self) Bumped the NY state record watermelon up a bit this time. Grafted to BG rootstock, same as my other watermelon plant, but this one stayed incredibly healthy even into October. Both my 172 and 242 were pollinated on July 17th, and the 198.5 was only a couple days older. I believe with an earlier pollination and better removal of culls - those things hide way too easy - 300# is certainly doable here.