Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 35 Entries. Friday, January 1 View Page See if I start something new here. As I begin my 20th season of Giant Pumpkin Growing Full of Optimism. Let me tell you a little bit about me, and my family. I am Shannon Engel. I am a Quality Engineer for CURT in my non pumpkin time. If you have a CURT towing product on your vehicle most likely I have had some part in its being. I am married to Jodi. We grow four giants orange and pretty pumpkins, and a 1/4 acre of field pumpkins and winter squash. All together I have won five Howard Dill Awards. In the fall you will find Jodi and I carving pumpkins. Our favorite place to carve is Mall of America for Nickelodeon and Lambeau Field for the Green Bay Packers. Jodi thinks she is a better carver than me and we will just leave it at that :) . I have a daughter named Chardonnay, who has a son named Owen. Come this fall I hope he is as excited about pumpkins as trucks. Every season is exciting for me. I really enjoy introducing new growers to this hobby. I hope to one of these years finally get my 4000lb jacket. Good Luck this season   Tuesday, January 5 View Page Talking Pumpkins to the media   Tuesday, January 5 View Page My Family... Remember Family is more important than Pumpkins.   Tuesday, January 26 View Page Well guess who got a job as Store and Greenhouse Supervisor at Season's Harvest Greenhouse. I am jealous as she will have more dirt under her fingernails then me   Tuesday, January 26 View Page In case you were wondering Jodi is doing good. She had her second surgery on December 2nd, and has now been lifted of all restrictions. Thank you for all the prayers and support while we went through this adventure. I hope the roller coaster part is done.   Saturday, March 6 View Page Field of Dreams..If you look close you can see the Sugar Beets, Turnips and Radish bulbs from my cover crop.   Tuesday, April 6 View Page Well what kind of mess do we have here..Low PH, lots of Sulfur   Sunday, April 11 View Page Well after 14 years if being out of the commercial pumpkin business. I must have forgotten how much work it was, so I am getting back into it. Jodi has a new job as Greenhouse/Store Manager at the Greenhouse I grow at and they want fall pumpkins. So I needed a new toy. I have had my eye on this toy for a while, and one came up at a price I could not refuse. I tested a model like this in the early 2000's, and this one has all the bells and whistles. Plus it has a Hiller/Furrower. I will still keep Angello my Ferrari   Sunday, April 11 View Page Plus I purchased a Four wheeler and a Sprayer. I am going to be living at the pumpkin patch...   Saturday, April 17 View Page Let the Madness Begin 359 Foss 2013 ( 1048 Engel x 2009 Wallace) 694 Engel 2020 (1040 Fehr 2019 x Self) 896 Engel 2020 (2261 Schmit x 1040 Fehr) 1464 Brown (1501 VW x Self) 1083 Schmit 2020 (1321 Sippel x 2261 Schmit) 1040 Fehr 2019 ( 920 Cooper x 781 Engel) 2350 Giegner 2020 (1501 VW x Self) 1000.5 Brown* Squash   Wednesday, May 5 View Page After being out of the commercial pumpkin business. I am back in it.   Sunday, May 9 View Page The final selection is 359 Foss 2013 1083 Schmit 2020 896 Engel 2020 694 Engel 2020 1000.5 Brown*   Sunday, May 9 View Page Started Marrow: 100.5 Marshall 2020 (198 Baggs x Self) Field Pumpkins: 162 Maccoy (81 Wolf x Self) 146 Fleser 2018( 211 Mackinnon x 181 Mackinnon) 127 Fleser 2019 (211 Mackinnon x Open) 55.5 Brown Butternut Squash   Tuesday, May 25 View Page The Commercial patch is planted. We now have 1.5 acres of pumpkins planted. If we get any bigger next year I will get a planter.   Tuesday, June 15 View Page Starting to look like a pumpkin patch. With the cool may we had we are about a week behind. There are 6 giants here. Four are mine and two are a rookie growers.   Tuesday, June 15 View Page Here is the commercial patch. Trying my best to keep it weed free There are 1600 plants here   Friday, June 25 View Page Pollinated: 896 Engel with a 359 Foss 359 Foss x 2350 Gienger Still waiting for the 1083 Schmit and the 1000.5* Brown to throw a female the ones I had got burnt in the heat.   Saturday, July 10 View Page "Determination" 1000.5 Brown * x Self "Love" 359 Foss x 2350 Gienger "Faith" 1083 Schmit x 2350 Gienger "Hope" 896 Engel x 359 Foss   Friday, July 23 View Page 1048 Engel 2012 x 2350 Gienger   Friday, July 23 View Page 1000.5 Brown x Self   Friday, July 23 View Page LOVE 359 Foss 2013 x 2350 Gienger   Friday, July 23 View Page Hope 896 Engel 2020 x 359 Foss 2013   Friday, July 23 View Page Faith 1083 Schmit 2020 x 2350 Gienger 2020   Sunday, September 5 View Page "Love" on the 359 Foss 2013 x 2350 Gienger   Sunday, September 5 View Page "HOPE" on the 896 Engel 2020 x 359 Foss 2013   Sunday, September 5 View Page "Faith" on the 1083 Schmit x 2350 Gienger she sure looks pretty after a bath   Saturday, September 18 View Page I have a chance to get my 4,000 lb Jacket with Three Howard Dill Worth Pumpkins. I have tough competetion out there...someone has been promoting Big and Orange for too long :)   Saturday, September 25 View Page LOVE on the 359 Foss 2013 x 2350 Gienger came in light. She taped 1253 and hit the scale at 1072. Still a beautiful pumpkin   Saturday, September 25 View Page My 1000.5 Squash x Self weighed 869lbs she too was a little light   Saturday, September 25 View Page LOVE on the 359 Foss 2013 x 2350 Gienger is now the 1072 Engel 2021. She was a beautiful pumpkin that would have won a Howard Dill Award at any other weigh off. We have a lot of Orange growers show up at The River Prairie Ginormous Pumpkin Festival for that coveted award and highest pay out in the country.   Sunday, October 3 View Page FAITH from the 1083 Schmit x 2350 Gienger weighed in at 1296lbs. Enough to take Fourth at Anoka. Bev Anderson brought a beautiful fruit that got the Howard Dill Award   Saturday, October 9 View Page Weighed a new personal best the 896 Engel 2020 x 359 Foss 2013 is now the 1454 Engel 2021. She also won the Stillwater Howard Dill Award   Saturday, October 9 View Page Happy to place another one of these on the wall. There are a lot of Orange Growers now in my neck of the woods   Saturday, October 9 View Page The Party is just about to start   Thursday, December 16 View Page Merry Christmas From the Engel's