Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 75 Entries. Saturday, January 29 View Page Had a decent seed count this year, getting some ready for the Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers seed handouts they give with membership   Sunday, March 20 View Page Wisconsin seminar getting us fired up for the season   Sunday, March 20 View Page Steve Daletas flew out from Oregon   Sunday, March 20 View Page Still pretty soft and muddy, but wanted to get my soil sample in so I can start getting my amendments. Fan over night, put in double paper bags in morning, then off to western labs tomorrow after work.   Sunday, March 20 View Page I think this is some kinda sign, my check number to western labs is my current personal best, good or bad not sure lol.   Sunday, March 27 View Page If you get a chance check out mark Mourlas's www.PumpkinPhoto.com he takes some awesome pictures of all the events he goes to. at the Wisconsin seminar I was able to hand out a few GPC awards, it's my favorite part of being the Central Region Rep. Wish i had them all but as Gene would say "It is what it is" hopefully have a handful of jackets to deliver here in the next week, along with a bunch of patches. Mike was nice enough to step in for a photo recognizing my 4500 achievement. still waiting on my patch though lol.   Sunday, March 27 View Page Wisconsin Club started a Jacket / Patch award this past season, i earned a 1,000 lb club patch for my 1,470 lb Kenosha entry, my heart attack pumpkin that should have been 2200 stupid main vine. Alba also got a Youth Patch for our team entry at mischicot and tomatos   Sunday, March 27 View Page I dig Mark's Black and white gallery, pretty cool   Monday, April 4 View Page Alba got her Wisconsin junior grower patch in the mail, she was very happy! Now we have to order a jacket next fall   Sunday, April 10 View Page Made my 4x5's into 5x8's, and made a 5th. Did this, fixed the car, spread amendments, put a new heat exchanger from the woodstove in. If it weren't for the 40 mph wind might have done a little more.   Sunday, April 24 View Page So getting a oil change and try to get this updated a bit, last weekend I got cables in and hoops in place plugging in today   Sunday, April 24 View Page Little extra rooting   Sunday, April 24 View Page So I have 6 tomato plants that came up, for pumpkin I was 13 of 15 counting albas 2 1976 sippel, I will be planting in my 4 spots my 1470, 1707.5, 1477, and some 2702. Was going to give the 2143 werner a try but it got cracked to bad in the mail   Sunday, April 24 View Page Alba transplanted her 1976's on Tuesday, she's doing great. Going to test this 10 year old this summer   Sunday, April 24 View Page It felt right so when I received my regions long overdue jackets I wanted to hand deliver as many as I could. So being wet, and windy it was a great weekend to go for a roadtrip, covered just about 900 miles Friday and Saturday, and got most delivered, need to mail Travis's and Richard Bottorf's when the Patches arrive. Great seeing all of them. Congrats   Sunday, April 24 View Page Fresh air, the one spot that isn't getting 30mph gust   Sunday, April 24 View Page Plugged in should be hood to go in a week   Monday, July 11 View Page Reason for lack of Diary entries, then I get home about 7pm and in the house at about 9   Monday, July 11 View Page Reason for lack of Diary entries, then I get home about 7pm and in the house at about 9   Monday, July 11 View Page Reason for lack of Diary entries, then I get home about 7pm and in the house at about 9   Monday, July 11 View Page 1976 Sippel, Alba was in Oregon for about 10 days here's the difference   Monday, July 11 View Page Panoramic inside view   Monday, July 11 View Page 2702.9, we're getting rained our at work, so notes are at home   Monday, July 11 View Page 1470   Monday, July 11 View Page 1477   Monday, July 11 View Page 1707.5   Saturday, July 30 View Page This pumpkin is making me very Happy! my 1707.5 x 2702.9 day 45 tomorrow   Sunday, August 14 View Page So, my daughter and I knocked a goal off the Bucket list on Friday! Iowa State Fair Champions at 1,281 Lbs.! it was a (1,976 Cole Sippel x 2,702.9 Wr) only 61 days old still doing 24ish. i register for the fair every year after having a few sitting at home with no plants attach and nowhere to go. This year we were lucky are smallest was not so small. Still on Cloud 9. now for the next goal   Monday, August 29 View Page My rock trucks are a little slow today so here's what I got left 1707.5 x 2702.9 day 73   Monday, August 29 View Page 1477 x 2702.9 day 77   Monday, August 29 View Page 1470 x 1707.5 day 80   Monday, August 29 View Page 2702.9 x 1470 day 75   Sunday, September 11 View Page Got my first GPC heaviest overall yesterday, 2nd and 3rd so many times, finally!!! Meet the 1633 Caspers 22' it was grown off my 1477 tiger king baby from last year and crossed with the 2702.9. She did go 5% light, had a little concave going on under it. Great day in kenosha, small number of pumpkins, but it is a early weighoff and that means there's going to be some monsters showing up in the next few weeks!   Sunday, September 18 View Page Well you can't win them all, But maybe have the heaviest at all would be a cool accomplishment. had a little bit of rot develope behind what I thought was a healed spot next to the split stem. Once she hit 3 plus inches I got it all out, probably would have matched last week's weight if that chunck was still in there. So here is my oldest and littlest 1470 Caspers x 1707.5 Caspers. Now the 1,631 Caspers DMG.   Sunday, September 18 View Page Martin's beautiful 1584 winner, and hd winner as well. Damaged, little, ugly, beautiful, big, I will go to a weighoff with anything to hangout with my pumpkin family!   Sunday, September 18 View Page Next weekend we will weigh the 2702.9 x 1470 down south, should be quite a bit bigger than last 2, I hope! Previous 2 were on the same drip lines, on the east side of patch, these next 2 were on the same drip lines, on west side of screen house.   Sunday, September 18 View Page The 1707.5 x 2702.9, I will give the details on this one Friday September 30th after she's on the trailer. Off to Anamosa with this one. She's bigger than she looks, is all iam saying for now.   Sunday, September 25 View Page Finally!!!!! New Iowa State Record 1,840.5 lbs! First place at Bloomfield Yesterday. Can't wait for the next one!   Friday, September 30 View Page As promised, she hit 1 ton last week of August, she's taping amongst the top 10 biggest ever taped. Yet to be confirmed on pallet, she was still growing a hour ago.up to pumpkin gods now!   Saturday, October 1 View Page Dream season complete, 5 weigh offs, 4 first place, 1 went damaged but would have won. Broke Iowa's State Record twice! Absolutely destroyed it today with a 2,424 lb pumpkin. 5,897.5 lbs on top 3.   Sunday, October 2 View Page Whole lot of pumpkin   Tuesday, October 4 View Page YouTube video   Monday, October 31 View Page Nice fall photo shoot before heading east   Monday, October 31 View Page What a summer   Monday, October 31 View Page Tolls were a bit more than that   Monday, October 31 View Page Tolls were a bit more than that   Monday, October 31 View Page Last time all together, extremely cold when I left, which would bite me on the rough roads in Indiana   Monday, October 31 View Page I would have cried if I was heading to a weighoff, only went in a few inches, pi$$Ed me off the rest of the drive   Monday, October 31 View Page Made it, fu George Washington Bridge, we don't have spots like that in Iowa   Monday, October 31 View Page Up on the box she goes   Monday, October 31 View Page Beautiful   Monday, October 31 View Page Full display   Monday, October 31 View Page Awesome, dreamt of this for almost 10 years   Monday, October 31 View Page Getting seeds out of the 2136.5 sperry   Monday, October 31 View Page Nice crowd around mine   Monday, October 31 View Page Seeds out of mine, damn it was big   Monday, October 31 View Page One last look before I left it, I did cry. She was my baby   Monday, October 31 View Page 8 days later   Monday, October 31 View Page 8 days later   Monday, October 31 View Page Deane Arnold, Adam Bierton, Lenny Calvin did a awesome job!   Monday, October 31 View Page Deane Arnold, Adam Bierton, Lenny Calvin did a awesome job!   Monday, October 31 View Page Another   Monday, October 31 View Page Another   Monday, October 31 View Page Pure awesomeness   Monday, October 31 View Page Pure awesomeness   Monday, October 31 View Page Scary good!   Monday, October 31 View Page Scary good!   Thursday, December 8 View Page Finished broadforking next years patch. Should be a hair under 5,000 sq ft. Only got into the septic stone in a couple spots at the tip of 16" tines. Planning on 5 plants 2 - 2424, 2 - 1707.5 and a 2365 wolf.   Thursday, December 8 View Page Finished broadforking next years patch. Should be a hair under 5,000 sq ft. Only got into the septic stone in a couple spots at the tip of 16" tines. Planning on 5 plants 2 - 2424, 2 - 1707.5 and a 2365 wolf.   Tuesday, December 13 View Page So this past season I spent a little money. I found a sensor, that told me soil moisture, ec, humidity, air temperature, and soil temp. It graphed ot out really nice and I was able to monitor from my phone. The bottom graph is where the 2424 hung out in moisture. Every little spike was a rain. Took about 200 gallons a day to keep in that 35 - 37% range   Tuesday, December 13 View Page It's made by earthscout out of Minnesota, they messaged me one day and told me they had some farmers that haven't even checked their app yet, and told me "you, you are special we see that you check yours 40-50 times a day!" I told them welcome to the giant pumpkin grower life lol   Saturday, December 24 View Page Tanner, reminded me I didn't share a picture of my successful deer season. Still got a archery tag left, and might try to fill it yet   Saturday, December 24 View Page Finished broadforking next season up a couple weeks ago, haven't thrown a tape on it, but should be close to 4,800 sq ft, planning on 5 plants   Saturday, December 24 View Page Finished broadforking next season up a couple weeks ago, haven't thrown a tape on it, but should be close to 4,800 sq ft, planning on 5 plants   Saturday, December 24 View Page Spread 600 lbs of gypsum, like to wait for a little snow, so I can get a nice even spread. Going to be interesting if I can get similar results as 2 years ago when I made 4500 lb club. There's 3 runs of septic pipe under there now