Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 79 Entries. Saturday, January 9 View Page RIP Mark McWilliams, The bigpumpkins.com community lost a good one today. Cancer sucks   Saturday, February 13 View Page One of our quarries near cedar rapids that took alot of the derecho wood chips, caught fire. Been up since 3 here since 4:30. Wanted me to work 14 hours, but I said no. Have a seed auction tonight. Hopefully its a good one   Saturday, February 13 View Page Another picture, oh yeah its in the negatives as well   Saturday, February 20 View Page Bags of bubbles ready to be shipped for Midwest auction. Heading to norlins with them. They may be out of town this week so please be patient they're on their way!   Tuesday, March 30 View Page Looked at so many tomatoes last year going to try to give them a better effort this year, pumpkins still get priority of course.   Sunday, April 11 View Page Like what Glenna did, as soon as it drys up going to see if the soil cables are working, think that's a big part why the greenhouse failed last year.   Sunday, April 11 View Page Starting 8 today, 2552 mendi, 2350 tiger king, 2200 wolf x2, my 1222.5 x 2, and my 1587 x2. 1587 is same cross as 2114 Wallace and that seems to be very popular this year. May the best 4 win!   Sunday, April 11 View Page Tomatoes, think I had about 20 out of 26 come up   Sunday, April 11 View Page Another step closer, wiggle wire around the bottom makes fresh plastic a breeze! Like these hoops but wish I had made them a hair longer and wider   Sunday, April 11 View Page This week looks dry, so next weekend final amendments, tilled, heating cables, and should be ready to go. Then I can concentrate on a wind fence   Sunday, April 25 View Page All the baby's came up, 2 weeks old today, looking like a 2552 mendi, 2350 geinger, 2200 wolf and I really like how my 1587's look   Sunday, April 25 View Page Great idea Glenna!   Sunday, April 25 View Page All ready for the transplant, thinking Tuesday night. Supose to be 80 next couple days. Don't want to cook them to early   Sunday, April 25 View Page Greenhouse tilled, probably spread the mustard seed next Sunday   Sunday, April 25 View Page Last couple days before they head out to the campsites   Sunday, May 2 View Page So plants went out on the 27th, 1587 Caspers   Sunday, May 2 View Page Tiger king 2350   Sunday, May 2 View Page 2200 wolf, I believe, should have did this that night lol   Sunday, May 2 View Page 2552 got my camera in there so I can monitor from work   Sunday, May 2 View Page Dug out my long gourd trellis, fresh dirt and goodies next week after some bleach and copper fungicide roughly 15 wheel barrels of dirt   Sunday, May 2 View Page Today was putting in the north side fence post, 10 of them. Ordered some pretty good stuff off Amazon   Sunday, May 2 View Page 1587 today, after a couple warm days they've yet to show any heat stress   Sunday, May 2 View Page Tiger kitty   Sunday, May 2 View Page 2200 wolf   Sunday, May 2 View Page 2552 mendi   Sunday, May 2 View Page Going to round up and broadfork 4 ft along the fence the full length and put landscape fabric down. Dedicated rooting area. Derek Sippel gave me the idea after seeing his on the patch tour a few years ago   Sunday, May 2 View Page The area to the left of my hand is where some of my 21 giant tomato plants will go, same thing round up, broadfork and landscape fabric   Sunday, June 20 View Page Been awhile, just way to darn busy lately. Here's the 21 tomato plants still doing alright, finally getting a little rain today, hot and dry for over the past month my plants only had one 5 min rain shower since I freed them from their hoops   Sunday, June 20 View Page 2200 wolf x 2552 pollinated on 6/13   Sunday, June 20 View Page 2552 mendi x 1587 caspers pollinated on the 14th   Sunday, June 20 View Page 2350 x 2200 wolf pollinated this morning, plant has been a headache scorches in the dark it hates the sun that badly. Only plant of my 8 I started who's 1st true leaf burned in the basement. Does great on no sun days.   Sunday, June 20 View Page 1587 x 2552 growing fast nice shape. Pollinated on 6/15   Sunday, June 20 View Page Long gourds doing great in the fresh dirt, have a Brown tall sunflower on each 4x4 as well   Sunday, June 20 View Page From a 8 ft ladder looking at patch from the greenhouse door   Sunday, July 11 View Page 2200 wolf x 2552 mendi 28DAP   Sunday, July 11 View Page Finally got one going on the 2552 crossed with 2200 roughly 16 DAP   Sunday, July 11 View Page Crispy cringer throwing a beautiful pumpkin 2350 x 2200 21 DAP   Sunday, July 11 View Page 1587 x 2552 going to roll over her blossom this week 26 DAP   Sunday, July 11 View Page Pretty big leafs on a couple plants   Sunday, July 11 View Page From a 8 ft ladder by the greenhouse   Sunday, July 11 View Page From other end   Thursday, July 29 View Page So my 2200 wolf has decided it might want to go to Iowa state fair. It has the largest main vine feeding it, plant is healthy except for one spot on main iam healing right now. It gets everything all the others get, just doesn't respond. I am letting a open go down the line it's close to 10 dap.   Thursday, July 29 View Page 2552 mendi, don't have my notes in front of me but really picked up pace here past few days pretty consistent 42# per day for at least last 10   Thursday, July 29 View Page 2350 think we're a day or 2 shy of 40, but she's beautiful. Did fine a few svb bastards early close to main.   Thursday, July 29 View Page My 1587, if this keeps on trucking don't be surprised to see it in the top 20 overall this year. But as we all know disaster is right around every corner so fingers crossed!   Thursday, July 29 View Page Wrong picture this is the 1587, I hope lol   Sunday, August 8 View Page 2200 wolf, going to des Moines this Friday, just not much growth after day 25   Sunday, August 8 View Page Main vine totally skipping the 2200 fruit, huge!   Sunday, August 8 View Page 2552 mendi, doing alright   Sunday, August 8 View Page 2350 looking pretty   Sunday, August 8 View Page 1587 makes me smile, on pace for something special   Sunday, August 8 View Page Side view   Sunday, August 8 View Page From above! With alba   Sunday, August 29 View Page So the 2200 wolf that just didn't want to grow, took 4th at the iowa state fair   Sunday, August 29 View Page And of course the 1587 blew its main by the stem, was on pace for 1950-2200 17 days later still hanging on moving at snails pace   Sunday, August 29 View Page 2200 wolf x Open 2nd attempt growing much better roughly 37 days old and 700 lbs   Sunday, August 29 View Page Bonus entry on the 2200 for a late weigh off   Sunday, August 29 View Page 2552 mendi 66 dap, over 400" averaging 20 lbs a day   Sunday, August 29 View Page 2350 x 2200 70 dap, she's pretty also over 400"   Sunday, August 29 View Page 1587 x 2552 mendi should be about 450" tonight, it's not, thanks to that blow out   Sunday, August 29 View Page Life support, air bubbler keeping it dry   Sunday, August 29 View Page From the ladder   Sunday, August 29 View Page Other end   Sunday, August 29 View Page Unofficial personal best 4.2 lbs. Dqued for blossom end leak grown on the 9.44 La Rue   Sunday, August 29 View Page Dark spot close to my hat tore apart inside, enough to leave a puddle on the counter   Sunday, September 12 View Page Well a month of doctoring my 1587 x 2552 mendi came to end thos weekend, what little bit was still attached wasn't doing much, she went light officially measured at 419" for a estimated weight of 1592 came in with official weight of 1470 good enough for 3rd at kenosha. Thinking Bloomfield for my 2350 hopefully it's growth cracks can take a break!   Saturday, September 25 View Page Well chalk up another Howard dill win off of the 2350 tiger kitty!   Saturday, September 25 View Page 2350 x 2200 wolf is now the 1477 Caspers she went -4% was taping 413" for est of 1535. Took 2nd place at Bloomfield. Have a feeling the scorched canopy let the soil dry a little quicker than the other plants. If next week's go light then I guess I didn't water enough during a drought   Saturday, September 25 View Page Great day!   Saturday, September 25 View Page The loading   Wednesday, September 29 View Page Couple more days, largest I have ever taped on my property 2552 mendi x 2200 wolf   Friday, October 1 View Page Harvest time 99 days old I think 2552 mendi x 2200 wolf, should be a new pb, but the way things are going the scale might say not today   Saturday, October 2 View Page The 1707.5 Caspers 21 ! New personal Best, 2nd largest pumpkin ever grown in Iowa, and joined some great growers in the 4500 lb club with a total of 4654.5lbs. Took 2nd place at Anamosa, Jake Johnson wins with 1887.5, and don and Tommy in 3rd at 1437   Saturday, October 2 View Page She was solid!   Sunday, October 3 View Page One more to go, the 1470 on the left is probably going to have to hit the weeds soon got the seeds out last weekend.   Sunday, October 24 View Page So outside patch hopefully didn't get messed up this week. Had new septic system put in so under my 35 x 90 ft patch is a 30 x 70 ft drain field. I did message the contractor the morning of and put in a request to scrape top soil off and put back afterwards. So should be good!   Sunday, October 24 View Page First deere I seen in the patch all year. Lol. I was nervous so I watched them while I was feeding the crusher   Sunday, October 24 View Page Started removing the weed cover crop to get ready for next year, hopefully a year off helped it a little   Sunday, October 24 View Page So beautiful, going to hate to cut them open this week. Fall has definitely arrived