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Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 58 Entries.
Tuesday, March 15 View Page
Spring is here and it's time to get the diary started. I will be growing 3 plants this year. Last year I grew a 948 and 866 lber which improved upon my PB from 2019 of 738 lbs which improved upon my PB way back in 2013 of 506 lbs. So sticking with the theme of 200(ish) lb increases I think 1200 lbs seems like a reasonable goal for this year. Here's a pic of what last years pumpkins look like now. It's crazy that even with the cold winter we had they basically melted into nothing.
 
Thursday, March 17 View Page
It's the age old problem of so many great seeds but so little space. Wish I could grow them all but I've only got room for 3.
 
Thursday, March 17 View Page
Here's what I decided to go with, I will be growing the 1542 Urena (1875 Mendi x 2624 Willemijns) again this year along with the 2110 Platte (1885 Werner x 1686 Stelts) and 1686 Stelts (1412 Hazeltine x 2469 Daletas). I will be using a 2nd 1542 as a back-up.
 
Friday, March 25 View Page
Removed part of a large willow tree that was leaning over the patch. Also have been expanding the patch a few feet in that direction and leveling it out.
 
Friday, March 25 View Page
Built a couple coldframes. Just need the plastic now. After measuring the patch I've determined that there's only room for two plants. It's about 1800 sq ft and I think two 900 sq ft plants would be better than three 600. Gonna be a tough call on what seeds to grow.
 
Friday, April 8 View Page
I will be starting my seeds on April 10th. Changed the line-up a bit, will be growing the 1686 Stelts and the 1940 Urena. I will try and use the 2015 Ford as a backup as I noticed the other day that the seed tip is damaged, might have occurred during transit? If it doesn't germinate I'll plant a 1542 or something.
 
Saturday, April 9 View Page
Time to get the seeds started. 1940 Urena and 1686 Stelts + 2015 Ford as backup.
 
Saturday, April 9 View Page
Here's a close up of the crack on the 2015 seed. Hard to say if the root tip is damaged or not.
 
Monday, April 11 View Page
I could see more clearly into the damaged 2015 seed after soaking it for a few hours and it was pretty obvious that the root tip was fully broken off. I decided to replace it with a 2118 Barron.
 
Tuesday, April 19 View Page
So the bad news first, my 1st batch of seeds failed. Not exactly sure what happened but I dug them up today as its been 10 days and found that none of them had sprouted. I must've made a mistake somewhere in the germination process because getting 3 duds from seeds that are only a couple years old seems unlikely. It stings a little losing the 1686 stelts and 1940 urena but I guess it is what it is. The good news is that I started a 2nd batch on April 14th just in case because I was getting concerned after 5 days with no action on the 1st. Decided to plant the 2100 Stelts, 1935 Ford, 1542 Urena and 948 Abbate. The 948 sprouted yesterday and the 1935 is just peaking through the soil today.
 
Friday, April 22 View Page
Top left is the 948 Abbate with the 1935 Ford next to it, they're looking good. Below is the 2100 Stelts and 1542 Urena which have sprouted but are struggling for some reason and are starting to fall behind the other 2. I guess they can be the backups if they pull through.
 
Monday, April 25 View Page
Here's the 948 Abbate (front) and 1935 Ford (back) today. They have a tiny bit of leaf scorch from the grow light so I've switched to moving them outside during the day and putting them under the grow light at a further distance during the night. It's my first time using grow lights and it probably would've been smart to do a test run to get the distance dialed in but oh well.
 
Monday, April 25 View Page
Here's the 1542 Urena on the right and 2100 Stelts on the left. They have they craziest cots I've ever had. Not sure if it's just bad luck or if it's the result of something I did. I grew them under identical conditions to the 948 and 1935. It seems like they're both producing 1st true leaves so I think they'll snap out of it.
 
Saturday, April 30 View Page
Here's the 1935 Ford. It was growing good but it stalled out for some reason, hasn't grown in a few days. I planted them in the garden yesterday out of concern that something about the pots they were in was causing it.
 
Saturday, April 30 View Page
Here's the 948 Abbate. Same deal here, hasn't grown in a few days.
 
Saturday, April 30 View Page
I started some more seeds the other day just in case the 1935 and 948 don't get going again. 1542 Urena, 1938 Sperry and 948 Abbate x8.
 
Saturday, May 7 View Page
Plants are growing again, slowly though, weather hasn't been great lately. Need some sun.
 
Sunday, May 8 View Page
Here's the 1935 Ford today. It looks alright, just needs some sun. Forecast shows that we'll get some better weather in about a week. In the foreground you can see a 948 Abbate back up that I planted just in case.
 
Sunday, May 8 View Page
Here's the 948 Abbate, it's doing alright. I forgot to mention what cross this seed is earlier in the diary, it's 1885 Barron X 1542 Urena. I'm hoping for orange from this seed, the 948 itself was a nice orange and the pollinator 1542 grew yellowish orange fruit. I planted a few 948 back ups around it as well, you can see them in the background.
 
Sunday, May 8 View Page
Here's them covered in their little houses. I initially placed them down flat but later angled them so that the rain would fall off.
 
Sunday, May 8 View Page
Here's the garden itself. It's mostly ready, just need to finish tilling it. I'm doing a 2 ft deep hand till this year to remove rocks and roots so it takes a little while. Last year our tiller broke when a big rock got jammed in it.
 
Wednesday, May 18 View Page
Here's the 1935 Ford. Growth is still on the slower side but the weather still hasn't been great lately. Its first true leaf, the one that's wilting there, got too close to the grow light that's why it doesn't look great but otherwise the plant looks alright.
 
Wednesday, May 18 View Page
Here's the 948 Abbate. I had a brain fart when planting this one and accidentally put the first true leaf facing the wrong way so now I have to fight it to vine in the correct direction. Plant looks fine otherwise.
 
Sunday, June 5 View Page
1935 Ford
 
Sunday, June 5 View Page
948 Abbate
 
Thursday, June 23 View Page
1935 Ford. I will set the first female to appear on the main, I've fallen to far behind to wait for something farther out. Nothing yet but hopefully before the end of the month I'll have one.
 
Thursday, June 23 View Page
948 Abbate. Same deal here, will set the first female to appear on the main. I'm still ahead of last year, the plant that grew the 948 was pretty much exactly this size when I set the fruit on July 1st.
 
Monday, July 11 View Page
Pollinated 1935 Ford x 948 Abbate on July 8th and 948 Abbate x 1935 Ford today. Both are about 9ft out on the main. Both nice looking 5 lobers
 
Monday, July 11 View Page
The 1935 has the main growing past the fruit. The 948 main broke after the fruit when I was adjusting it so it's terminated.
 
Thursday, July 14 View Page
The okanagan sun was too much for my 1935 Ford.
 
Sunday, July 17 View Page
The patch, 1935 Ford is in the front and the 948 Abbate is in the back. Patch is nowhere near being filled out. Between the cold spring and now the heat damage I don't think it will happen.
 
Sunday, July 17 View Page
1935 Ford day 9. Its plant is in very rough shape so I doubt I can get 1000 lbs on this one but I guess we'll see.
 
Sunday, July 17 View Page
948 Abbate day 6
 
Sunday, July 24 View Page
1935 Ford day 15. This one has surprised me, probably my best day 15 ever.
 
Sunday, July 24 View Page
1935's plant
 
Sunday, July 24 View Page
948 Abbate day 12. Doing good
 
Sunday, July 24 View Page
Big heat wave coming. Doing what I did last year and putting cloth on the vines tips to prevent them from frying. This is the 948.
 
Tuesday, August 9 View Page
1935 Ford day 32. It was over 300 lbs on day 25 until the plant got sick with mosaic virus. Growth has slowed since which I'm really bummed about, it could've been a really nice one. I'll keep it going though, maybe get a 800 lber if I'm lucky.
 
Tuesday, August 9 View Page
Mosaic leaves on the 1935.
 
Tuesday, August 9 View Page
948 Abbate day 29. It also has mosaic virus, bad. This one almost hurts as much as the 1935, it would've been a real orange beauty, on my own seed, but the virus has entered the fruit itself and is turning it into a squmkin. Doing maybe 5 lbs a day now, I'll take it to a local weigh off in early September. It should be done growing by then. I might grow this seed again next year. I knew it had orange potential.
 
Wednesday, August 24 View Page
1935 Ford day 47. Growth dropped off by half after the mosaic virus really set in. Still seems like it will reach the 1000 lbs though, maybe even more. What could have been!
 
Wednesday, August 24 View Page
948 Abbate day 44. I really like this pumpkin, I think the mosaic patches are cool looking. I think it's in the 400-500 lb range. It will be harvested on Sunday.
 
Wednesday, August 24 View Page
Blossom on the 948. I'm not sure if the virus is responsible for the strange shape.
 
Sunday, August 28 View Page
I measured my 948 Abbate yesterday and it's 339 OTT 893 lbs. I thought it was only like 500 lbs when it was under the sheets and tarp. I was surprised when I took the sheets fully off and realized how big it actually is. I decided to keep it growing instead of taking it to the fair tomorrow. The 1935 Ford is 363 OTT 1085 lbs. It's a bird bath shape though so I doubt it actually weighs that much.
 
Wednesday, August 31 View Page
My 1935 Ford split at the blossom end. She's done for. I knew the bird bath shape was going to be trouble. Estimated over 1100 lbs. The plant has mosaic virus so I'm not interested in sealing it up to try to get seeds to mature.
 
Wednesday, August 31 View Page
Sorry for the sideways pic.
 
Wednesday, August 31 View Page
Well 948, it's up to you I guess!
 
Monday, September 5 View Page
We took the 1935 Ford to the landfill today. We weighed the truck on the truck scale with and without the pumpkin in the back and it was a difference of 510 kg / 1125 lbs so I guess that's the weight I'll use. It probably lost some weight being split open for 5 days in the heat we've been having but whatever. Wall thickness was good all around except the blossom where it was quite thin and it split at the intersection of 2 sag lines. 1125 Abbate DMG UOW 2022 (1935 Ford x 948 Abbate). Pumpkin was 54 days old.
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
1125 in the air.
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
Close up of the split.
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
Wall thickness on the top of the fruit.
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
RIP 1125
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
Some more pics of the 1935 still in the patch
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
1935 in the truck
 
Tuesday, September 6 View Page
Me with the 1935 eventual 1125 in the truck
 
Saturday, September 10 View Page
Down goes the 948! Both of my pumpkins this year split in pretty much the exact same spot. After this I think I will need to take a break from pumpkin growing next year.
 
Friday, September 16 View Page
We weighed the split 948 Abbate at the landfill the same way we did with the 1935. It came in at 940 lbs. Obviously a very rough and unofficial weight and all that but I guess it's the weight I'll use to define it. 940 Abbate DMG UOW 2022 (948 Abbate x 1935 Ford). It went roughly to chart. No seeds were saved from the 1125 or 940 because of the mosaic virus.
 
Friday, September 16 View Page
And did I mention that I'm awfully disappointed?
 

 

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