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Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 63 Entries.
Sunday, April 5 View Page
Hi all, Here is my first diary post. I have been growing for 8 years and just turned 16 years old. I have wanted to post a diary for so long.
 
Sunday, April 5 View Page
Here is the start to my first diary! I have wanted to do this for 4 years and finally figured it out! My line up this year is 1718 Ceja (already sprouted), 1928.5 Daletas (sprouted but not doing well), 1937 Urena (germinated), 2416.5 Haist (coming up today), 511 Ritter (started yesterday), and 1410 Scherber (started yesterday).
 
Sunday, April 5 View Page
Here is a picture of my germination chamber which is also the guest bedroom.
 
Sunday, April 5 View Page
This past week I built 2 greenhouses for my best plants. These plants both get 400 square feet. I have 2 smaller plots that are each 200 square feet for an orange pumpkin and the other is for a bushel gourd.
 
Sunday, April 5 View Page
Here is a picture of the first plants I started March 28th. These are my backup plants since they were slow to start and will be planted early. I am experimenting this year with planting in mid April in Colorado. Last year I planted at the end of April and at the end of May my best plant was injured (1911 Urena) by my huge greenhouse collapsing onto it. Luckily this year they aren't predicting 6 inches of snow at the end of May and I have sturdier structures this year.
 
Wednesday, April 8 View Page
Today I started by bushel gourd seeds! The bushel gourd is the RMGVG club grow of the year. I started: 2- 307 Marsh 1- 308 Goodwin 1- 331 Brown
 
Wednesday, April 8 View Page
Here is the best plant I have growing so far. It is the 1718 Ceja which is supposed to be a pretty pumpkin! I hope to plant this one in a week if we don't get anymore snow storms. It was planted on March 27th.
 
Wednesday, April 8 View Page
Here is the 1937 Urena in front and the 2416.5 Haist in the back. The Haist is my favorite by far and I plan to give it about 450 square feet. It will be competing against the 1718 Ceja. The 1937 Urena will be competing against the 1928.5 daletas for 400 square feet. As of now the Urena is my pick since it is younger and has much more aggression. Since Steve gave me the 1928.5 I will give it 2 months to see if it improves. Thanks so much Steve!
 
Wednesday, April 8 View Page
Here is the 1928.5 Daletas that I want to grow, but am concerned about the first leaf also being misshaped along with the cotyledon's.
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
I started my backup seeds today. I have 2 plants that are growing well, 2 that are looking average, but deformed, and 2 that have first true leafs growing over cotyledons. Backup lineup: 808 Grubbs 672 Grubbs 1059.5 Pierce
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Here is my fastest growing plant! It is the 1718 Ceja which is the 1317 Clementz times the 2230.5 Wallace.
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Here is a picture of the first young plant to have the odd first true leaf problem. It is hard to tell from this picture, but the first true leaf is growing to the left and the second is not opposite of the first true leaf, but rather to the right of it.
 
Sunday, April 26 View Page
Have been super busy lately. I started 20 more seeds in the past week. 2 bushel gourds, 12 tomatoes(only 4 came up), 2 morrow, 2 field pumpkin, and 2 watermelons.
 
Wednesday, May 6 View Page
This year I am expanding into the easement behind my house. I have envied the garden near me that I never had the willingness to create. Now with all of the spare time I am going to try growing a giant watermelon (113.5 Hodges, giant field pumpkin (88 Grubbs or 102.5 Wolf), giant squash (325.5 Lee), and giant morrow (53 Thome or 11 Lee)
 
Wednesday, May 6 View Page
Here is the 1718 Ceja that already has a vine, but is growing in the wrong direction. I am half way to the correct direction after some vine training.
 
Wednesday, May 6 View Page
Here is the best bushel gourd I have growing. It is the 307 Marsh.
 
Wednesday, May 6 View Page
Here is my largest tomato off of the 5.59 Zappa. It is the best I have growing and it grew my personal best last year.
 
Wednesday, May 6 View Page
Here is the 113.5 Hodges Colorado State record. It is starting to throw a little vine and is probably going to get the easement spot. I just don't have the room to give a watermelon the proper space it needs in my parents backyard. I have 2 of them, so I will decide later what I want to grow.
 
Tuesday, May 19 View Page
I have a tough decision between the 2416.5 Haist and the 1928.5 Daletas. The Daletas started out as a ribbon vine, but now has corrected itself and has better secondary growth. The Haist has less secondary growth and more main vine growth. In the end I want to select the best pumpkin plant to grow me the largest pumpkin. I will need help deciding.
 
Tuesday, May 19 View Page
My fastest growing plant so far is the watermelon! it already has a few secondaries and could be the next Colorado state record!
 
Tuesday, May 19 View Page
here is the giant bushel gourd. it is ahead of the state record by a month! I also have 1 in the easement that is growing well. These are hard to start, but appear easy to grow.
 
Tuesday, May 19 View Page
My unfortunate news is I split the vine. It is on a 4 foot plant that is growing 4-6 inches a day still. Luckily it is not like previous years where most of the vine was split. If I had to choose between the ribbon vine that then also threw out a double vine and this, I would choose this.
 
Tuesday, May 19 View Page
Here is a picture for the post about the split vine
 
Tuesday, May 26 View Page
deciding between my plants tonight. 2416.5 is growing well and is about the same as the Daletas, but 5 days younger. Daletas I am leaning towards as a more healthy looking plant, but both have a kink in the stem and both are the best I have ever had. In the general discussion I would appreciate input on which you would choose.
 
Tuesday, May 26 View Page
Here is the pictures of the two plants just in case BP is updated soon
 
Tuesday, May 26 View Page
Here is the picture of the two plants just in case BP is updated soon
 
Tuesday, June 9 View Page
Here is a pic of my tomato with a leaf curl issue. I suspect it is from a bug transmitting a disease or a lack of nutrients in the potting mix I am using.
 
Tuesday, June 9 View Page
Here is my smallest plant, but most agressive. It is my 511 Ritter. Started in mid April and does not have any heating cables and little sun. Ahead of last years plants by 2 weeks! Just doesn't like wind.
 
Tuesday, June 9 View Page
Here is the 1718 Ceja. It is growing great with 5 feet long secondaries. 11-12 feet long today with a female that will be 13-15 feet out. This picture is a from June 4th.
 
Tuesday, June 9 View Page
Here is the Daletas from June 4th. It is growing well with 6-9 inches a day growth. It has done the best with the 70 MPH wind gusts. The other plants have performed well, but a 12 feet long plant that is 6 foot wide with secondaries growing a foot a day is hard to compete with.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the 1718 Ceja plant. It is 20 feet long and 18 feet wide. I have 1 set at 12 feet and my main contender is at 20 feet, which is a few days away from blooming. This is my best plant ever!
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the 1928.5 Daletas. Impressive plant with the largest plant I have ever had! It has the first female at 20 feet out which will bloom tomorrow. Hard to believe last year I pollinated on July 9th at 8 feet out and now I will be at 20 feet on June 28th. The city record of 1367 was pollinated at 13 feet out on July 2nd. Will I be the new city record holder? I hope so. Have to get over 1000 first.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is my largest tomato and only mega so far this year. Can't believe I have 9 tomato plants and only 1 mega. This one is already larger than my personal best.
 
Sunday, June 28 View Page
Here is the surprising plant. I dropped it while it was in the pot and totally smashed many of the leaves. Now it is 15 feet long and 13 feet wide. I knew my 511 had potential! This plant has been growing 1 foot a day for the past 2 days on the main vine.
 
Wednesday, July 15 View Page
Here is my best pumpkin. It was polinated 6/18 and is around 70 lbs.
 
Wednesday, July 15 View Page
Here is the fastest grower I have ever had. It is my 511. 200 square feet, but growing 10 inches a day ott, which is a record for me. The cross is 511 Ritter X 1718 Ceja. I liked my pumpkin and thought it was the pretiest at the weighoff. Talked to one of the judges and said he liked long ones. Figured the 1718 Ceja would be the longest orange pumpkin I could find.
 
Wednesday, July 15 View Page
Here is the bushel gourd. It is on the 307 Marsh and was selfed. I polinated it on July 11th. It is on a side vine that is 15 feet on the main.
 
Wednesday, July 15 View Page
Here is the 1928.5 Daletas. It is the smallest and was polinated 6/29. It is good, but plant is fighting yellow vine disease. I hope it makes it, but the squash bugs seem to always be on it even when I have killed all I could see.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
Sad week for me. lost my largest pumpkin to yellow vine disease and largest sunflower is hanging literally by a thread.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
Good News! My pumpkin is around 190 lbs at day 37. Not good for normal climates, but great for me. This weeks average is 13 lbs a day. That is a new record for me.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
Here is my largest tomato and only mega I could get this year. It is a tripple blossom. Hope it can challenge the Colorado state record.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
Here is my fastest growing pumpkin! Over 100 lbs at day 25. Week average of 10 lbs per day.
 
Saturday, July 25 View Page
Here is my watermelon. I already have a new personal best and it is still young. My former pb was 2.5 lbs and it looks like this one will smash that record. Potentially the state record will go down at this rate. The state record is 113.5 lbs.
 
Tuesday, August 4 View Page
My new personal best for tomato is 2.22 lbs. Exactly 3 times my previous personal best!
 
Thursday, August 6 View Page
I want to thank Joe Scherber and Andrew Pilger for coming to witness my tomato. I have never been more nervous and happy to have a tomato of that size. I was a little dissapointed, but understand why the tomato went so light. It had a 20"cc and estimated at 3+lbs.
 
Thursday, August 13 View Page
Here is the 1718 Ceja. It is 288 Ott which ties my personal best measurement of 511 pounds! It is still growing 20 lbs per day.
 
Thursday, August 13 View Page
Here is my 511 Ritter. It estimates at 390 lbs and is growing 17 lbs per day! This pumpkin last year was 177 lbs growing 11 lbs per day. I hope I can get 2 over 1000 this year.
 
Thursday, August 13 View Page
Here is a ribbon vine mega on the 6.23 megazac. I hope it will take and be a new state record. I have 6 single blossoms, but am hoping this will be the largest this year. growing 10 plants this year and probably more next year.
 
Monday, September 28 View Page
Here is my large orange pumpkin. I have big hopes for it, but not positive it will make it to my 1000 pound goal. It has been tough year and split the main vine a 2 feet out in April. Hope that 1495 Stelts % heavy helps me out.
 
Monday, September 28 View Page
Here is the 485 Ritter off of the 511 Ritter. A little dissapointed that it also got yvd in mid August and went from 600 estimated to 507.
 
Monday, September 28 View Page
Here is my largest tomato. It is a 9 fused blossom.
 
Monday, September 28 View Page
Here is the "biz's" 1384 pound pumpkin.
 
Monday, September 28 View Page
Here is Joe Scherber's 1624.5 pound pumpkin! It was so large that at 6'1 I was able to fit my entire body in this pumpkin.
 
Sunday, October 4 View Page
Here is my 817 lbs pumpkin that won a Howard Dill Award and placed 10th at Nick's Garden Center! I am so happy I beat my personal best by 300 lbs with a split main vine the whole season.
 
Tuesday, November 10 View Page
I started a youtube channel, so you can see things as they happen in my patch. I called it gardening and tennis. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfXpZq9Gb-Bj_4fAV68qdbQ
 
Thursday, November 12 View Page
Here is my latest video on my seeds I am thinking of growing so far. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KaXKLLIN8s&t=4s
 
Friday, November 13 View Page
here is what my garden looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-5hvqtbkWM
 
Saturday, November 14 View Page
Here is one of a few pics of my tomatoes and the project I am conducting. I will update when I have the chance. Currently have 2 mega blooms that appear to be triple like the mother.
 
Saturday, November 14 View Page
Here is the second of my 4 tomato plants. All look similar, but the only changed variable is the light. Don't want to post a bunch of similar pics.
 
Saturday, November 14 View Page
Here is a mega forming on one.
 
Tuesday, November 24 View Page
Here is a video of the 1990 Marintzer being opened. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4hpNymDZcY
 
Tuesday, December 22 View Page
Here is a picture of the first year I had success growing giant pumpkins. after 4 years of failure I grew a 73 lbs pumpkin.
 
Tuesday, December 22 View Page
Every year my family and I decorate the outside of our house. Here is this years creation.
 

 

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