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Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 269 Entries.
Saturday, January 11 View Page
Purchased these on Amazon to send out auction seeds in. They are similar to the old sucrets or altoid containers. They are $25.99 for 40 which comes to 65 cents each. Not too pricey overall!
 
Saturday, January 25 View Page
Club seed swap day at the Boyce’s! Every member who pays their dues by March first gets a nice club bubble with 2 dozen or more seeds. Good eats after too!
 
Sunday, February 2 View Page
Our Vermont club winter meeting was held yesterday with 35 people attending.
 
Sunday, February 2 View Page
We were fortunate to have Woody Lancaster and Steve Geddes as presenters.
 
Sunday, February 2 View Page
We also awarded Aaron Messier and Lisa Gates with 1000 pound award jackets.
 
Saturday, April 4 View Page
Today was nice enough to start our 2020 season which is earlier then usual thanks to our warmer March. This is our old garden with the tomato greenhouse cleaned up and moved aside.
 
Saturday, April 4 View Page
Next comes the subsoiler to help break up hard soil and to get some aeration and better drainage. We also straightened out the long gourd trellis on the right even though it still looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower.
 
Saturday, April 4 View Page
Also ran the subsoiler on the new patch which was mostly thawed out.
 
Saturday, April 4 View Page
I said mostly because there were a few places that still were a block of frost. Overall a good early start as many years we still have a snow cover on the patch on this date.
 
Saturday, April 4 View Page
Here is the subsoiler for anyone who is not familiar with them. This one goes down between 16 and 19 inches depending on the terrain I am driving over. It was great to get out of the house today and to wash our hands simply because they were dirty!
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
Seed starting day today! Pumpkins: 1297 Young, 1215 Young, 1080 Young, 840 Young, 532 Young and 1912 Carter. We have just 4 planting spots so the stronger will be planted. Soaked seeds in water and 25% hydrogen peroxide for 3 hours. Cups on right have seeds and water mixture. Cups on left with holes are to help soak seeds better.
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
We slowly push the cups with hole down until they have a 1/2 inch of water which will insure seeds stay submerged.
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
We are low tech in germinating seeds. Filled all containers last night and placed on heat mat. This made the soil nice and warm this morning as the seeds went in. The ziplock bags work as a mini green house to keep moisture in. We also started 141 Vunak, 139 Ansems, 136 Porkchop and 129 Young long gourd seeds. Also the 9.65 Porkchop, 5.71 Porkchop, 5.78 S Marley, 5.53 Momate, 5.44 Young and 3.83 Young tomatoes.
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
Now we have to do something with this weed bed!
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
On Thursday we got 10 yards of nice finished compost.
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
Here is the new patch with 9 yards of compost and tilled 3 times as soil was pretty compacted.
 
Saturday, April 18 View Page
Here is old patch all tilled up. Tomorrow we will put down walking boards, dig in heat cables, put poly on hoops and get everything in place. We feel so thankful for this wonderful hobby. Covid 19 has taken away almost everything fun in life, but has not stopped our ability to garden!
 
Sunday, April 19 View Page
Today is hoop house day. First we had to figure out where plants were going and to dig a box for the heater cables. Around 6-8 inches deep.
 
Sunday, April 19 View Page
Once we are deep enough we take a heavy pitch fork and aerate anothe 7-8 inches deep.
 
Sunday, April 19 View Page
We then place heat cables in using bamboo stakes to make sure wires don’t cross. After this is laid out we just gently back fill leaving the bamboo stakes in so we know where to place hoops.
 
Sunday, April 19 View Page
Here is the newest patch with different stump locations this year. The two hoops close to each other will have 20 feet for the main and 30 feet for secondaries equaling 600 square feet each. The farthest hoop will have 20 feet for main and 40 for secondaries equaling 800 square feet.
 
Sunday, April 19 View Page
Old patch has hoop in new position as well and has 22 feet for main and 20 feet for secondaries for 440 square feet. Soil heaters are plugged in and will check temps this evening when we test the lights. Soil 5 inches down this morning was 39 degrees.
 
Wednesday, April 22 View Page
Hey Mother Nature! Not feeling the love this morning.
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
Here is a good sign spring is here. Wife got her summer car out of storage. Kinda like seeing the first robin!
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
So far we are 10 for 10 with pumpkins.
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
So far only 8 out of 12 for tomatoes but we only need 9 final plants. If the others don’t germ by Monday we will start a couple more back ups.
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
We also got weed block down with most of the 2000 square feet of new patch covered.
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
Had just a couple pieces for old patch. What ever is covered we will not have to weed for awhile.
 
Saturday, April 25 View Page
I was rocking my old BP.com sweatshirt today. I think I bought it in 2004. I might need to order a new one!
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
First Sunday update. We planted out yesterday which was a great day. It was mid 60’s and sunny which was a little rough on our weak little seedlings.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
We also set up the tomato greenhouse in a new spot on the old garden.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
The greenhouse is 15 feet long by 7 feed wide. We have planting mounds warming up for 8 plants.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
In the old patch we will be growing our 532 Young from last year.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
In our 800 square foot section we have the 1297.5 Young with a back up of the 1215 Young.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
In one of the 600 square foot areas we have the 1912 Carter backed up by the 1080 Young.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
The last 600 square foot area will have the 1215 Young.
 
Sunday, May 3 View Page
It’s nice to finally have a little light in our back yard.
 
Thursday, May 7 View Page
Throw back Thursday picture. This was our first 1000 pound pumpkin grown in 2007.
 
Saturday, May 9 View Page
So pretty! Pretty cold and pretty snowy.
 
Saturday, May 9 View Page
We bought a new led grow light. A bit different then our 20 year old fluorescent lights!
 
Sunday, May 10 View Page
Our plants have survived their first week in the hoops and although not the worst first week weather it was certainly top 10. The hopeful keeper is the 1297.5 Young which is on the right in this hoop.
 
Sunday, May 10 View Page
These are both 532 Young which is 1044 Gansert x 1297.5 Young.
 
Sunday, May 10 View Page
Here are two 1215 Young plants. The one on the left is younger but catching up.
 
Sunday, May 10 View Page
The probable keeper in this hoop will be the 1080 Young on the left. The 1080 is the 1501 Vanderwielen x 1297.5 Young.
 
Monday, May 11 View Page
Another night of snow. Tough spring to be a pumpkin grower!
 
Tuesday, May 12 View Page
Beautiful snow scape this morning. I think the calendar must be wrong?
 
Saturday, May 16 View Page
My wife is a teacher and reclaimed her library card catalog for her home virtual teaching office. So out came a few thousand pumpkin seeds with a few from the late 90’s but most are 2005-2008. We also found some old Howard Dill postcards. In total we have 12 one gallon ziplocks full. Now what do I do with them? LOL
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Started 5 gallon bucket challenge today. I thought it would be best first to turn this old bucket into a hillbilly air pot.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Next broke up some old foam board and added a layer in the bottom to help soil drain.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Added 2.5 gallons of miracle grow potting soil and 2.5 gallons of patch dirt. Mixed the two together and planted adding 2 WOW fertilizer packets.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Added 4 bamboo stakes and the 5.44 Young is all ready to go.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
It is hard to believe we had snow on the ground last weekend and that this is the second week since planting out. The hoops have endured 3 snowstorms and lows at 27 degrees F. We are finally seeing weeds pop up which is a good sign that the soil is finally starting to warm.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
The old patch is patiently waiting for the long gourds and tomatoes to be planted. If the weather stays favorable we may plant them next Holiday weekend.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
We added a new pressure treated wood barrier on the road side of the new patch as during heavy rain storms the water can flood that side of the garden.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Here is the 800 square foot plant with the 1297.5 Young on the right as our potential keeper.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
Here is the two 532 Young’s in the old patch at 400 square feet.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
1215 Young’s are growing well so far for their 600 square foot area.
 
Sunday, May 17 View Page
And last but not least is the 1080 Young on the left for another 600 square foot area.
 
Thursday, May 21 View Page
Throwback Thursday. Here is a picture of our lucky 777 pumpkin from 2011. She produced a lot of pretty babies!
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Happy Memorial Day. We had a great weekend with lots of house work and patch work. We finally have learned our lesson and have electric fence up early in one patch. Will work on old patch by next weekend.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Old patch is also seeing a bit more action with plants going in.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Greenhouse has a tomatoes planted. All but one seem happy. We have two 9.65 Chops family, two 5.71 Lambchop, one 5.78 Scott Marley, one 5.44 Young, one 5.53 Momate, and one 6.65 Porkchop.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is the 139 Ansems long gourd. We have 2 other back ups in greenhouse just in case.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Other trellis has 141 Vunak.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
5.44 Young in 5 gallon bucket is starting to grow.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is the 532 Young. A little over 2 feet long.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is the keeper 1297 Young around 2.5 feet currently.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is the keeper 1080 Young sitting a bit past 2 feet long.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Last is the 1215 Young. Currently at 2.5 feet.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is the split stump on the 1215 Young. Not worried by it as it will heal up very quickly.
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is a pic for our buddy Scott. We need more watering buckets!
 
Monday, May 25 View Page
Here is a picture of our electric mesh fence and our stakes with baby tall sunflower seeds. Going with mostly sunflower seeds from Rick Mace this year.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
Our roller coaster weather continued this week as we broke records Tuesday with a high of 95 F. And today we will break a record for the lowest high temperature of 49 F. Overall the patch is still happy and growing.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
The old patch is mostly planted with long gourds on each trellis and a hill of eater cucumbers and a hill of squash. The last to go in will be 3 extra giant tomatoes around mid week as temperatures start to warm up.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
Tomato house is doing well with a couple of back ups still lurking between the 8 plants.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
The 5.44 Young seems happy in our 5 gallon hillbilly air pot. We are still a month away from a fruit set and we will move it out of the greenhouse once the weather warms.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
139 Ansems has found the trellis. Lets hope there is no frost tonight. I will cover with a sheet but not so sure it would save it.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
I added the 143.75 Vanderwielen to the 141 Vunak as the 141 did not take the heat well at all. Not sure which will be the keeper currently but still concerned about the 141 and it’s hardiness.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
Here is the 532 Young ( 1044 Gansert x 1297 Young) growing well and is a bit over 5 feet long today.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
The 1297 Young ( 1912 Carter x 1000.5 Gansert) is the current patch leader at 5 1/2 feet currently.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
Here is the 1080 Young ( 1501 Vanderwielen x 1297 Young) is growing fine at a little over 5 feet.
 
Sunday, May 31 View Page
Last but not least is our 1215 Young (1297 Young x self) is happy and at 5 feet in length today.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Just wanted to show how we store the 4 hoops we use each year. These are 5x8 and just big enough for our cold spring weather along with soil heating cables and 250 watt heat lamps. We literally rip off the poly as it is stapled on and dry it and store it in the basement. We typically get 4-5 years with the same sheets of poly until it gets to broken down.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Hoops are off all of the plants and electric fences are up and running to keep critters out.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
This weekend I cleaned off the long gourd trellises of last years plants. It is amazing how strong dead tendrils are. One of my least favorite jobs as they are 14.5 feet high and wobble as I pull vines off them.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Tall sunflowers are starting to stretch. Another few feet and we will start attaching them to the poles.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
We also planted out the last 3 giant tomatoes. They are the 5.44 Young, 3.99 Sandercock and the 3.83 Young:
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Speaking of tomatoes, our hill billy air pot seems to be doing well. It is our largest tomato so far. We let it dry out well before each watering.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
And finally the tomato cave. Plants had some lower leaves that where a tad yellow. I think it was because of the night of freezing that we had sandwiched between 2 other nights in the mid 30’s. The new foliage looks great and I sprayed Daconil on Wednesday.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Here is the 139 Ansems long gourd. It is starting to hit its stride and is 29” tonight.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
The 141 Vunak kept wilting on us so we chose to keep the 143.75 Vanderwielen. It is just finding the trellis and is 17” tonight.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Here is our 532 Young (1044 Gansert x 1297.5 Young) She is picking up speed now and is just shy of 8.5 feet.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
1297.5 Young (1912 Carter x 1000.5 Gansert) is our fastest grower in the patch and is just shy of 9 feet tonight. She has a baby at the tip that looks nice and round.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Here is the 1080 Young (1501 Vanderwielen x 1297.5 Young) and she is 8 feet long today.
 
Sunday, June 7 View Page
Bringing up the rear is the 1215 Young (1297.5 x self) and she is 8 feet long today. She also has a baby at the tip.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
Happy 7th Sunday of the growing season here in our backyard. Vermont is not known as a warm State and the past 2 days have helped confirm that. Saturday it was cloudy with a day time high of 55 and today was gray as well and a high of 65. Nights have been mid 40’s which is not unusual either.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
The pumpkins are all in good shape but the growth has slowed. Hopefully the warmer weather coming this week will restart good growth.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
The 5.44 in the 5 gallon challenge is still growing well. No hurries on getting a tomato pollinated but we are starting to see some flower buds.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
Tomato cave is starting to rock. Plants all look nice and healthy.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
Here is the139 Ansems long gourd. Just shy of 4 feet tonight.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
143.75 Vanderwielen is starting to climb the trellis now. Currently it is 31” long.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
532 Young is growing well and we are still waiting for a female. The plant is just shy of 11 feet long today.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
1297.5 Young is still the leader in the patch at 11.5 feet. One female at 9 feet but we are waiting for one a bit farther down the line.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
1080 Young is starting to throw good secondaries and is 11 feet long tonight. No females yet.
 
Sunday, June 14 View Page
Last but not least is the 1215 Young. It has one round dark yellow baby at 9 feet but we will wait for next. She is 10.5 feet long tonight.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dads out there and here is our 8th Sunday of the season diary entries. It has been a warm middle and end of the week with a few days in the 90 plus degrees days which is not normal for us this time of year. We have a few burnt leaves with some of the blame on me and the merit and Bifen spraying. I would rather burn a few leaves as opposed to losing a plant to cuke beetles or svb.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
The old patch is starting to see nice growth as well.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
The 5 gallon bucket challenge tomato is starting to take off. We probably won’t have a keeper until it reaches the top of the grade stake. Doing daconil every 7-10 days and may be fertilizing a bit heavy as we are seeing the folding leaves already.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
We are being a bit kinder to the tomato cave plants with lighter doses of ferts. We pruned the suckers off them this week as well. Will need to start supporting them to the stakes soon.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
139 Ansems is starting to climb faster now and is 6.5 feet long tonight.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
143.75 Vanderwielen is starting to catch up and is just shy of 5 feet tonight.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
532 Young is quickly filling in its 400 square feet. We may grow a side vine pumpkin as well as a main vine to try to get a 300 pounder to bring to my fathers assisted living facility.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
1297.5 Young is still the patch leader at 15 feet long tonight. There is a baby at 14.5 that we are hoping to pollinate.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
We let the bees pollinate this 5 lober on the 1297.5. It is only at 9 feet so we won’t keep it but are happy with how it looks this early.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
Here is the 1080 plant and she is at 13.5 feet tonight. She has a baby at 13 feet that we will try to pollinate.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
And lastly is the 1215 Young at 13 feet tonight. I am guessing she is longer as her maine vine tip is 2 feet in the air. She has a baby 8” from the tip that we are hoping to pollinate by the end of the week.
 
Sunday, June 21 View Page
We also let the bees pollinate a baby at 9 feet on the 1215 Young and are pleased with the early shape and color.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
We will start our 9th Sunday of the season with Kerry’s striped bass that she caught while we were visiting our boys. This is on York Beach Maine. The 4 of us caught over 20 stripers but none legal to keep. This one was 25 inches long. They are a blast to catch!
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
The patch seemed to hold up well while we were gone although each plant need to be buried after 3 days away.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Old patch is starting to get filled in as well. Sprayed mancozeb tonight which our fourth and final fungicide in our rotation.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
5 gallon bucket challenge pumpkin is growing well. I will give it a bit of pruning this week.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Tomato cave is growing well and I sprayed mancozeb on them as well. A couple of the plants have huge leaves. Hope we aren’t growing just salad though!
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is a nice mega on the 5.71 Lambchop that should be opening soon.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is a massive bloom on the 3.83 Young. It is about a foot off the ground and the plant stopped growing after it. It is now starting to send a shoot that we will keep growing. The 3.83 is a 5.71 Lambchop x open.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
The 139 Ansems is working it’s way to the top and is just shy of 11 feet tonight. Starting to see male blossoms starting to open.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
532 Young is quickly filling its 400 square foot space. We may grow 2 pumpkins off this plant so we can bring one to my fathers assisted living facility.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the first pollinated at 13 feet on June 25th. It was a clean 5 lobe and crossed with the 1215 Young.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
1297.5 Young is getting to be a big plant and unfortunately we missed a pollination yesterday. We left it open for the bees and may keep it at 15 feet. It had 4 lobes and was clean and symmetrical.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is next in line around 17 feet down the main on the 1297.5. We will pollinate it probably mid week. If it is clean and it takes, it will be our keeper.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
1080 Young is a very aggressive plant as well and filling its 600 foot space quickly.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the possible keeper on the 2080 at 13 feet pollinated on June 26th. It has 5 lobes, symmetrical and clean and pollinated with the 1297.5.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Last is the 1215 Young. It is not quite as an aggressive grower as other 3 but coming along nicely.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the possible keeper on the 1215. She is at 13 feet and pollinated on June 25th. The blossom was a 6 lobe and symmetrical and clean pollinated with the 1297.5.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
It is the 10th Sunday of the season and our unusually warm summer is kicking the plants in high growth mode. We have removed all of the weed block and it is stored away for next year. Plants are quickly filling their spaces and I have been burying every other day.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
Old patch is filling in and most of the 400 square foot space is filled. The 139 Ansems long gourd is about a foot above the 14.5 trellis and the 143.75 Vanderwielen is at 14 feet. I look for males around the 20 foot mark and beyond, which should be happening in another 2 weeks.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
The tomatoes are still looking very healthy and we are starting to look for good blooms as most are close to 4 feet tall.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
Every year my wife names our pumpkins and makes signs. (she is a teacher) We did not have a particular theme this year so she took the name COVID and made names starting with each letter. Here is Cora off our 1080 Young and crossed with our 1297.5 Young. She is 9 days old today and has an OTT of 56 inches.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
Please meet Ophelia off of the 1297.5 Young crossed with the 1080 Young. She is 3 days old today.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
Here’s Valerie off of the 1215 Young and crossed with the 1297.5 Young. She is 10 days old today and has an OTT of 71 inches.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
Let me introduce Iris off of the 532 Young and crossed with the 1215 Young. She is 10 days old today and has an OTT of 63 inches.
 
Sunday, July 5 View Page
And last but not least is Dolly who is also on the 532 Young on a side vine. We are hoping for a pretty 300 pounder for my Dad’s assisted living facility. She is 4 days old today.
 
Wednesday, July 8 View Page
Had a bad storm role through this evening. Plants actually did great overall. I will update photos on Sunday to see if they recover or we start chopping leaves. One long gourd trellis almost fell over but it is still standing albeit crooked.
 
Wednesday, July 8 View Page
New patch faired a little better as storm came from the north and the house protected it a bit.
 
Wednesday, July 8 View Page
Tree barely missed our greenhouse and I am amazed it stayed up. Kerry closed it up just before the storm and that saved it.
 
Wednesday, July 8 View Page
Snapped off grade stakes that were holding up the she sheds. Amazingly no pumpkins were injured by the flapping grade stakes!
 
Friday, July 10 View Page
I wanted to record the resilience of these plants by showing before and after pics. This is the old garden after the storm on July 8th.
 
Friday, July 10 View Page
Here is the same patch today on July 10th. We may have a couple broken leaf stalks to prune but over all it is a miraculous recovery. The tip is to give the plants a chance to recover before reacting by cutting leaves.
 
Friday, July 10 View Page
Here is the new patch on July 8th.
 
Friday, July 10 View Page
And the new patch on July 10th. Atlantic giant plants are incredible plants!
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
Here is our update for the 11th Sunday of the season. Most of the new patch is filled and I am happy because burying hurts my back. It is also pumpkin growing time of the year which gets us excited.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
The old patch is filled up.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
This trellis has the 139 Ansems on it. It is almost half way across the 12 foot top which puts the plant at 20 feet. I will start looking for pollinations soon.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
First promising tomato is on the 3.99 Sandercock. Not sure how many blooms but starting to swell nicely.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
Here is the 143.75 Vanderwielen long gourd. About 3 feet on top of the trellis and growing well.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
Here is Cora off of the 1080 Young. She is 16 days old today and has an OTT of 144 inches.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
Next up is Ophelia off the 1297.5 Young. She just hit day 10 today and has an OTT of 84 inches.
 
Sunday, July 12 View Page
Our current patch leader is Valerie off of the 1215 Young. She is 17 days old today and has an OTT of 171 inches. Looks very similar to her mother at this early age.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Be careful when you travel during COVID! You never know who you will see.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
We had a nice visit with Abbynormal and got a nice picture with us and his pumpkin on the 489.5 Gouin. Norm’s patch is looking good and very orange already!
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
We had a great visit with both of our sons in South Kingstown RI and had a great lobster and clam bake with a very interesting side dish of groundhog pie. Rhode Island has some beautiful ocean vistas.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
It is also Lilly season in Jericho.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
The patch survived nicely while we were gone although we lost a couple of vine tips to the 95 degree humid temps while we were gone.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
The old patch is now fully terminated and the long gourds are at the right length to start looking for pollinations.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
I wish I was at good at pollinating tomatoes as I am at growing plants. These are huge but we have very few sets.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Here is Iris on the 532 Young. She is 25 days old today with an OTT of 217 inches.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Unfortunately Iris has a big divot on her lower left side that will probably end up splitting on us. She will be very orange if we can get her to finish.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Ophelia off of the 1297.5 Young is 18 days old today and has an OTT of 179 inches.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Cora off of the 1080 Young is 24 days old today and has an OTT of 231 inches. She looks very similar to her momma but might have better orange color.
 
Monday, July 20 View Page
Valerie from the 1215 Young is still the patch leader with an OTT of 254 inches at 25 days old.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
It has been a good blueberry and raspberry season. Like the pumpkins, we are about two weeks early and the season is coming to an end. A few gallons of blueberries in the freezer for winter cooking.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
This summer seems to be flying by a little faster then we would like but the plants are still healthy and we have pumpkins that are growing well.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
The old patch is coming along and the long gourd trellises are almost filled. The trellises are 4 feet wide and 14.5 feet tall with a 12 foot long top. This gives each plant 106 square feet if they just take up trellis area. We currently have 2 pollination attempts on the 143.75 Vanderwielen and 7 pollination attempts on the 139 Ansems.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is our biggest tomato so far and it is on the 3.99 Sandercock.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
This is an interesting fruit on our 3.83 Young.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is Frank the tank’s baby. Currently it is more of a scooter size. I think we will call him baby Frankie.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Our 5 gallon bucket challenge tomato so far is quite a misfit. Can’t imagine it getting bigger than a pound.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is Ophelia off the 1297 Young. She is 24 days old with an OTT of 246 inches estimating at 333 pounds.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Side view of Ophelia at 24 days.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is Iris off our 532 Young. She is 31 days old today with an OTT of 264 inches estimating at 410 pounds.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Side view of Iris at 31 days old.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is Cora off our 1080 Young. She is 30 days old today with an OTT of 283 inches estimating at 502 pounds.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Side view of Cora at 30 days old.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
And last but not least is Valerie daughter of Dorothy and grand daughter of Daenerys off our 1215 Young. Valerie is 31 days old today and has an OTT of 302 inches for an estimated weight of 603 pounds. She also has a lot of star bursts on her or as us old timers say Calai dots in honor of grower Fred Calai who’s orange pumpkins always had them.
 
Sunday, July 26 View Page
Here is a side view of Valerie at day 31.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
First Sunday in August is here with a bang with large plants, large pumpkins and large problems. Even the best of years has its challenges and this year is no different. New patch is all terminated.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Old patch is fairly healthy although we are starting to see leaf fungus issues on the long gourds and pumpkin leaves.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is the side view of Cora off our 1080 Young. She is a very long pumpkin with a wide face.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is the blossom end view of Cora on the 1080 Young. She is 37 days old today and has an OTT of 330 inches. She also has a bit of an issue.......
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Yup. She had a stem split on July 29th. My strategies are to increase the length of the split towards the vine. This way the vine spits easily and takes less pumpkin flesh with it. We also powdered the inside with sulfur fungicide and have a fan blowing on it 24/7. I can usually save more then half of these splits if we catch it early. She still averaged 30 pounds a day since split.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is Ophelia off from the 1297.5 Young. She is 31 days old today and has an OTT of 302 inches. She is growing great even though I found a bit of an issue yesterday.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is the first view of the 1297.5 stump area now.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
This is what’s under the foam board. Investigated the stump yesterday and found a couple of soft spots. As I started cutting the rotten flesh continued to show. I feel it is better to just take the stump off and also cut an observation trench in the vine. Applied sulfur fungicide and have another fan going 24/7. I will continue to watch for the rot to travel and may not have many secondaries left by the end of the season.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is Iris off of the 532 Young. She is 38 days old today and has an OTT of 297 inches. She also has.......
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
You guessed it. We are doing a good job splitting stems this year. She is wide enough for me to inspect well and appears to be dry and solid inside. And yet another fan in the patch blowing 24/7. Electric company loves us!
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is Valerie off of the 1215 Young. She is 38 days old and has an OTT of 339 inches. She also has a few soft spots on her stump but I was able to scrape and sulfur them and placed a foam roof over it.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Blossom end view of Valerie. She is over 36 inches tall already.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
These 2 are on our 3.83 Young plant and are looking promising.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Here is our 5 gallon bucket challenge tomato and it is not looking promising.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Also made a bra for Frankie the tank Jr.
 
Sunday, August 2 View Page
Sunflowers are doing well with the tallest around 13 feet.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
First week of August is by us and plants are starting to look a little beat up but fungus free for the most part. We have started our last full plant weed as soon the leaves will be brittle enough that it does more harm to go into the plant.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Old patch is doing ok for the most part although we are having a very hard time getting long gourds and tomatoes to pollinate this year.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
First up for today is Iris off of the 532 Young. She is 45 days old today and has an OTT of 314 inches. She has a real nice deep orange color.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Next is Ophelia off of the 1297.5 Young. She is 38 days old today and measures 91.25 ss, 90.75 fb, 154.25 cc for an OTT of 336.25 inches.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Side view of Ophelia from the 1297.5 Young.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Here is Cora off of the 1080 Young. She is 44 days old today and measures: 98.25 ss, 95.5 fb, 164.5 cc for an OTT of 358.25.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Side view of Cora off the 1080 Young.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Last pumpkin is Valerie off from the 1215 Young. She is 45 days old today and measures: 109.25 ss, 100.75 fb, 152.5 cc for and OTT of 362.5 inches.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Side view of Cora on the 1215 Young. She is just over 37 inches tall today.
 
Sunday, August 9 View Page
Tomatoes have been a struggle this year and tropical storm Isaiah snapped my 5 gallon bucket tomato plant in half. I will have to try again next season. This is baby Frankie the baby tank and is roughly 19 inch cc.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
We just got back from a nice 4 day weekend in York Maine.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
Unfortunately we have more bad news from the patch but it is all part of trying to grow these monsters.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
We first lost Iris as her stem split made it through to the cavity while we were away. We will try to harvest some seeds because we like the cross. She is 53 days old today and estimates at 800 pounds. She is the 532 Young x 1215 Young. She had great orange color and the 1215 should keep her tall.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
The hardest loss was Cora off of the 1080 Young x 1297 Young. She is 52 days old today and measures 103.5 ss, 102 fb and 177 cc for an OTT of 382.5 inches which estimates her at 1252 pounds.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
She went down to a seam split. We taped her up to get another 6 days in hopes for some mature seeds.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
Ophelia is still solid so far and tapes 99 ss, 97.5 fb, 167.25 cc for an OTT of 363.25 at day 46.
 
Monday, August 17 View Page
Valerie off our 1215 Young is still plugging along slowly and is at 113.5 ss, 104.5 fb, 161.5 cc for an OTT of 379.5 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Summer looks like it is coming to a close as fall flowers are beginning to blossom and pumpkin plants are starting to look beat up. The new patch still appears to have 2 solid pumpkins growing so far.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
We decided to keep Cora on the vine as she is still growing and there appears to be not big rot in the pumpkin yet. She is also in a hard place to move until one of the other pumpkins have been removed. Today she is 58 days old and measures 106.25 ss, 105 fb, 185.25 cc for an OTT of 396.5 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
We had to take another set of secondaries off from Ophelia on the 1297.5 Young this week. She is 52 days old today and measures 102.5 ss, 102.25 fb, 173.75 cc for an OTT of 278.5 inches. By measurement estimates she has gained 624 pounds since we cut her stump off on August 1st.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Side view of Ophelia off the 1297.5 Young at day 52 with an OTT of 378.5.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Finally have long gourds on both plants. Slow growing but at least we have something.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Last pumpkin is Valerie off the 1215 Young. She is 59 days old today and measures 116 ss, 108.25 fb, 166.25 cc for an OTT of 390.5 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Side view of Valerie off the 1215 Young. She is 59 days old and has an OTT of 390.5 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Tough year getting giant tomatoes pollinated. This is from our 3.83 Young and has a cc of 20.25 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Here is Frankie off the 6.55 Porkchop. She has a cc of 24.25 inches.
 
Sunday, August 23 View Page
Side view of the 6.55 Porkchop side view.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
It was a busy day in the patch today as we decided to lift and weigh Cora off of our 1080 Young. She split on a seam 14 days ago and started to slow down in growth. We used duck tape and a trash bag to keep her dry and the bugs out.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
We lifted her up with our tripod along with our inline scale. We used two bales of straw below the stem end as we let her down and were able to sit her on her blossom end in the patch for the neighbor’s to see for a couple days. Her final OTT was 405.5 inches and her unofficial weight on our inline scale was 1455 pounds. The measurement and the weight were both personal bests for our patch.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
We were fortunate to have help from my brother in law Michael and Kerry’ cousin Lisa and her husband Roy. This was the first time they have visited our patch or had even seen a giant pumpkin.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Here is Ophelia off of our 1297 Young. She is 59 days old today and has an OTT of 390 inches.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Side view of Ophelia off our 1297 Young at 59 days and 390 inches.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Here is Valerie off of our 1215 Young. She is 66 days old today and has an OTT of 401 inches. We have never had a 400 inch pumpkin in 23 years of growing and are fortunate to have 2 so far this year.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Here is a side view of Valerie off of our 1215 Young. She is loaded with freckles or Calai dots and measures at 401 inches at 66 days.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Long gourds are finally moving on both plants.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Here is Frank the tank Jr. off the 6.55 Porkchop. She has a chance to be our personal best and a new State record this year.
 
Sunday, August 30 View Page
Halloween in August. If you get lemons turn them in to lemonade.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
First Sunday in September and the patch is starting to look a bit run down. We are fortunate to have 2 pumpkins that appear to be sound. Our first weigh off is in 13 days and hopefully they both slowly grow.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
We harvested 3 tomatoes this weekend. The first is from the 3.99 Sandercock and weighed in at 3.03 pounds. Thanks for the seed Ned!
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
The second is from our 3.83 Young and weighed in at 3.7 pounds.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Our third is from the 6.55 Porkchop and weighed in at 6.44 pounds. This is a personal best for us and is a new State record! Thanks for the seed Porkchop! Baby Frankie from Frank the Tank.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Bottom of the 6.44 Young.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Two very happy growers with our new pb 6.44 Young 2020.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Here is Ophelia from our 1297 Young. She is 66 days old and measures 106.5 ss, 108 fb, 186 cc for an OTT of 400.5 inches. Our 3rd pumpkin to hit 400 inches this season.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Side view of 1297 Young at 66 days and 400.5 inches.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Here is Valerie off of our 1215 Young. She is 73 days old today and measures 120.75 ss, 113.25 fb, 176 cc for an OTT of 410 inches.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Side view of the 1215 Young at 73 days and 410 inches.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
We only have 2 long gourds left and they are on the 143.75 Vanderwielen. The other 2 sour tipped on us unfortunately.
 
Sunday, September 6 View Page
Kerry planted a few teddy bear sunflowers but the chipmunks got all but this one. They are really cool looking miniature sunflowers!
 
Monday, September 7 View Page
We helped our friends harvest field pumpkins that they use for a Halloween show. So far we have 300 of approximately 1200 picked and stored in their barn.
 
Thursday, September 17 View Page
Harvested Valerie from our 1215 Young tonight. My coworker Daegan helped us and is our pumpkin model. Final measurement is 417 inches. We will see what she weighs this Saturday at the Vermont weigh off.
 
Friday, September 18 View Page
Only one girl left on the dance floor. She is hoping to take a trip to Saratoga.
 
Friday, September 18 View Page
You can better see the missing stump in this picture. The stump started deteriorating in late July and we tried to save it. On August 1st the rot had moved down the main 2 secondaries deep and we removed the stump and the 2 secondaries on August first. By measurement the pumpkin estimated at 564 pounds. The cut end was covered by a styrofoam roof with a fan blowing on it 24/7. Our last measurement for this pumpkin estimates it at 1483 pounds. That is an increase of 919 pounds since the stump was terminated. So if you ask yourself what to do in this situation? I would not hesitate to terminate the stump and protect the vine to still get good growth.
 
Friday, September 18 View Page
Here is the cut end of the stump that was covered, sulfur fungicide and a fan blowing on it.
 
Saturday, September 19 View Page
It was a spectacular weather day for our Vermont weigh off. We were fortunate to win the Howard Dill award with our now 1552 Young 2020.
 
Saturday, September 19 View Page
Here is the 1552 on the scale with our son Andrew.
 
Saturday, September 19 View Page
This is our 132 inch long gourd. We have one more on the plant but had a heavy frost and not sure that it will make it.
 
Sunday, September 20 View Page
We always do a group photo after our weigh off. This one looks much different then in the past. Let’s all hope we will be finished with Covid by next weigh off season!
 
Tuesday, September 22 View Page
Our fall display is started. Love this time of year!
 
Tuesday, September 22 View Page
Ophelia is patiently waiting for her field trip to Saratoga to hang with the other orange pumpkins.
 
Sunday, September 27 View Page
It was a great day yesterday at the Saratoga weigh off. Our pumpkin named Ophelia from the 1297.5 Young is now the 1469.5 Young 2020. She was also fortunate to win the Howard Dill award. A big thanks go out to Courtney Seelow for hosting and the whole weigh off team who put together a safe and fun weigh off!
 
Sunday, September 27 View Page
Here is the top 3 at Saratoga from left to right is me with our 1469.5 Young from the 1297.5 Young, middle is Chris MacDonald with his new pb of 1665 grown from the 1215 Young and right is Dan Kruszyna with his 1547 grown from the 2005 Haist.
 
Sunday, September 27 View Page
We started growing giants in 1996 because we wanted a nice fall lawn display to show to our neighbors. In our cold climate and small patch I knew I couldn’t chase any records so we decided that regardless of the size of the pumpkin we wanted pretty and orange if possible. We still follow these same guidelines today and truly grow for the front lawn. Even though the pandemic has changed most everything in ours and our neighbors lives, the display is a light of normalcy for us all.
 
Friday, November 27 View Page
Time to do the 2020 season recap. Here is our 800 Young UOW dmg (552 Young x 1215 Young) along with her seedling from germination test.
 
Friday, November 27 View Page
Here is the 1455 Young UOW dmg 2020 (1080 Young x 1297.5 Young) along with her seedling.
 
Friday, November 27 View Page
This is our 1469.5 Young 2020 (1297.5 Young x 1080 Young) and her seedling. She won the HD award at Saratoga.
 
Friday, November 27 View Page
And last is our 1552 Young 2020 (1215 Young x 1297.5 Young) and seedling. She won the HD award at the Vermont weigh off. Happy to say we had a 100% germination rate.
 
Sunday, December 13 View Page
The Vermont club silent auction is looking great this year with over 80 lots to bid on. It will run January 9th-17th at 4pm EST. We will again offer a nice seed package to the bidder going closest to the 4:00:00 auction close. We had 2 bidders last year put bids in at 3:59:59!
 
Sunday, December 20 View Page
Our sons gifted us with a new grow bench that our son Andrew made. Each shelf is 2 feet wide by 4 feet long and can fit 20 one gallon pots. The light bar can be lowered to the shelf or be raised to 34 inches to accommodate the 1 gallon pots and plant.
 

 

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