Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 65 Entries. Saturday, March 26 View Page Decided to go with the 1046 Connolly: 2593.7 Paton x 2552 Mendi   Saturday, March 26 View Page Decided to go with the 1046 Connolly: 2593.7 Paton x 2552 Mendi   Sunday, April 10 View Page Seeds soaked for 3 hours. Placed in potting soil on heating mat. Here we go   Wednesday, April 13 View Page 60 hours we have ignition on both seeds   Sunday, April 17 View Page 7 days after soaking both seed coats are off. Both plants are under the grow lights and starting to green up   Sunday, April 17 View Page 7 days after soaking both seed coats are off. Both plants are under the grow lights and starting to green up   Saturday, April 23 View Page Looking good. Planning on getting these in the ground May 1. 2 gallon grow pots.   Monday, April 25 View Page Small hiccup. One of the first true leaves got a little to close to the grow light. It’s a little crispy. Hope it grows out of it. Second leaf is fine it seems   Saturday, April 30 View Page Here we go. Where dreams are made or nightmares are created. Let’s see what we can do.   Sunday, May 1 View Page Frost last night. Covered the hoop with a tarp. Ran a heater. When I opened up the hoop this morning it was nice and toasty. Plant seemed find. 68 degrees today. Not a cloud in the sky. The plant is wilting ever so slightly but I think that is because of the heat and getting acclimated to the soil   Sunday, May 1 View Page Frost last night. Covered the hoop with a tarp. Ran a heater. When I opened up the hoop this morning it was nice and toasty. Plant seemed find. 68 degrees today. Not a cloud in the sky. The plant is wilting ever so slightly but I think that is because of the heat and getting acclimated to the soil   Saturday, May 7 View Page 1 week in the ground   Monday, May 9 View Page Sun is out today. Hoop is open air temp is 60 degrees. Plant is wilting a bit. Not sure what’s up   Sunday, May 15 View Page Look good. I can see the main vine forming. Starting to train it forward   Tuesday, May 17 View Page Starting to see tendrils form. Plant seems to be growing nicely. It has been hot for the past week or so. Cooler today. High of 70.   Friday, May 20 View Page Boy oh boy does this plant hate me he sun. Take the shade cloth off 30 minutes. Totally dropped. Put the cover back on back to normal. I must say. This plant looks awful to me.   Saturday, May 21 View Page Plant at 7am today. Happy and perky.   Friday, May 27 View Page Going good. Trying to train the vine down   Saturday, May 28 View Page Whelp main vine snapped 1/4 of the way through. I think that’s it for me. I’ll see if it can heal. Dusted with sulfer. But I think I am in big trouble here   Saturday, May 28 View Page Ouch   Saturday, May 28 View Page Going to start another seed today. See if I can get a seedling out in the next week. :/   Saturday, May 28 View Page Ouch   Monday, May 30 View Page Yikes. Day 2 after splitting.   Saturday, June 4 View Page Plant this morning. Did not have the heart to cut the main off after the injury. Still waiting for a strong secondary before the split   Saturday, June 4 View Page Split this morning. It’s dry. Sprinkled with sulfur. One secondary right at the split seems to be forming   Saturday, June 4 View Page Split this morning. It’s dry. Sprinkled with sulfur. One secondary right at the split seems to be forming   Sunday, June 5 View Page Plant is out of the hoop. Made a little tent over the crack   Sunday, June 5 View Page Made sure to stake every few feet so the main does not twist   Friday, June 10 View Page Plant is around 7 feet today. Secondaries are starting to show.   Sunday, June 12 View Page Plant is 8 feet long today   Sunday, June 12 View Page Plant is 8 feet long today   Tuesday, June 14 View Page Starting spraying for fungi this week. This is what I will be using every other week. I also use companion from WOW Organic Wonder.   Saturday, June 18 View Page Plant is 11 feet long today   Wednesday, June 22 View Page First male flower opened this morning.   Saturday, June 25 View Page Did some burying today. Main vine is 14 feet long today   Saturday, July 2 View Page Main is about 17.5 feet today. I see a female. About 1-2 leaves deep in the cluster. See what happens.   Sunday, July 10 View Page First main vine pollination attempt tomorrow morning. Going to be about 20 feet on main vine   Monday, July 11 View Page Used 4 males. Please take. About Twenty feet out   Saturday, July 16 View Page Pollinated a side vine fruit this morning. See if it takes. The main vine fruit is DAP 5. Stem has grown the fruit has swelled. Fruit is still in the air off the ground.   Sunday, July 17 View Page DAP 6 for main vine fruit. Still growing and swelling. I pollinated another side vine fruit this morning   Wednesday, July 20 View Page Dap 9. 18”   Thursday, July 21 View Page DAP 10 21.5 inches in circumference. 3.5 inch gain last night   Wednesday, July 27 View Page DAP 16 116 OTT 47” in circumference   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Plant is also fully culled of any other pumpkins. Here goes nothing   Saturday, July 30 View Page DAP 19. 57” cir 43ss 43 ee. 143 total   Sunday, July 31 View Page Added more sand around the pumpkin yesterday. DAP 20 today 60.5 inches in circumference. The sand I added yesterday I think messed up my total OTT for today. The Pumpkin is over 148” OTT   Friday, August 5 View Page DAP 25 78” in circumference. Pumpkin is around 154lbs   Wednesday, August 10 View Page Battling SVB. First secondary vine behind the fruit. I noticed tonight right where the side vine comes out of the main. Small spot of rot maybe. Closer inspection. I knew it was a SVB. I cut the vine off and found the grub. Small amount of rot right at the knuckle where the side vine meats the main. I scraped as much as I could. Put some sulfer on it. I also put a fan on it tonight. I have been using Bayer tree and shrub as a drench and foiler. It’s not putting a dent in these grubs. I ordered centerfire tonight. Going to give a higher concentration this week. I am at 91.5” in circumference. Only 8.5 inches to go to meet my goal. Clock seems to be ticking   Wednesday, August 17 View Page Pumpkin is 104” in circumference. Dap 37   Wednesday, August 17 View Page Pumpkin is 104” in circumference. Dap 37   Sunday, August 21 View Page 106” in CC today. Slowing down it seems. Plant is showing its age.   Friday, August 26 View Page Just had a massive T storm come through. Pumpkin plant did not like that very much. Vines are tipped. Plant looks battered. Will see how bad it is once I can get outside   Saturday, August 27 View Page Pumpkin is 400lbs EST. Not happy about the plant damage. Nothing I can do. Time will tell. I will need to cut a few bent and cracked leafs off.   Wednesday, August 31 View Page Pumpkin is 50 days old today. 117.5” in circumference. It has slowed down it seems for sure. Growing 5lbs a day I would say. Still have 30 days left. See how far we can push it   Saturday, September 3 View Page Tiny tiny tiny crack/ split located at the blossom end. This could be the beginning of the end. Time will tell.   Thursday, September 8 View Page Pumpkin measures 121cc 76 ss 76ee. Total 273” or approximately 470lbs   Wednesday, September 14 View Page After years and years of trying and not giving up I have reached my ultimate goal of 500lbs EST. Pumpkin tonight measured 123CC 78 side to side and 78 front to back coming in at an unofficial weight of 501lbs or 279 inches. I will post pictures soon. Pumpkin is turning a really nice orange. Still battling blossom splits. Fan and sulfur is the name of the game. Pumpkin is slowly still putting on weight it seems   Saturday, September 17 View Page Here is a picture of my pumpkin. Estimating little over 500lbs. Really nice orange color. Small dill ring near the blossom. Shattered my personal best this year. I do grow in a smaller area. This picture proves it can be done with some good vine training and burying every node you can. I thank everyone for the help over the years. I think it’s time I make a bigger patch   Saturday, September 17 View Page Here is the picture.   Saturday, September 17 View Page Another angle   Saturday, October 15 View Page A year to remember. With a few strong backs and a nice strong tarp. I was able to get onion to the front of the house. Final taping on the pallet. 126.6” CC SS 84” EE 80” Grand total of 290.5 OTT EST 570lbs. Pictures to follow   Saturday, October 15 View Page Here she is! UOW 570 lbs! Grown from the 1046 Connolly. Great shape. Great color. What a ride this was! Thank you everyone for the help and advice!!!   Saturday, October 15 View Page Here she is! UOW 570 lbs! Grown from the 1046 Connolly. Great shape. Great color. What a ride this was! Thank you everyone for the help and advice!!!   Sunday, October 16 View Page Let’s try that again   Saturday, November 19 View Page 2023 season prep started today. Had a soil test done a few weeks back. Added some lime to to help boost magnesium and calcium levels. Should bring up my ph slightly as well. I will add other other amendments come spring (0-0-50, boron and kelp meal)