Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 69 Entries. Monday, January 9 View Page All the best in 2023 to all! A hard frost knocked down my kale cover crop (this photo is from December) but it has since rebounded and the rye, vetch and a dozen other species are also providing some greenery over the winter.   Tuesday, January 10 View Page Germination test of some of the seeds I saved from last year. I may grow one or two of the best performing ones.   Tuesday, January 17 View Page ...but these are the ones I am really excited about. My youngest daughter is determined to win a Howard Dill Award this year. We will also be growing the 2045 Daho (1885 x self) and 1977 Rea (1885 x 2350). You can't get much better in my opinion.   Wednesday, February 8 View Page My daughter wants to do the 150 sq. ft. Challenge this year so we are doing it for the first time. There's a first time for everything! Here are some of the contending seeds. Whatever we do or don't achieve, it is going to be beautiful.   Saturday, March 11 View Page We have measured out the 150 sq. ft. patch: 6 ft. x 25 ft.   Sunday, April 9 View Page First round of seeds are all up.   Wednesday, April 12 View Page High winds yesterday rocked my tunnel and toppled the bench my seedlings were on spilling out the pots. I thought all was lost (no back up seeds in these packets) but I think I managed to salvage them.   Monday, May 1 View Page All AG plants are in the ground. Here are 2045 Mehdi on the left and 2006 Wolf on the right. Some animal managed to get into one of my huts and dig up my backup 2006 Wolf but I still have a backup 2045 Mehdi so it looks like I will still be able to grow both of these awesome seeds.   Sunday, May 7 View Page Less than a week later and growth is speeding up. Warmer weather is finally hear to stay. I culled the backups so now I have one 2006 Wolf (pictured) and one 2045 (Mehdi) Daho. I only ever had one 1977 Rea so there was not back up to cull there. That one is also doing fine though.   Tuesday, May 16 View Page Doing just fine. Since this photo was taken the "Big bad Wolf" has lain down nicely and vine burying has begun. The weather is even set to warm up enough in the next week for the mini greenhouse to come off.   Saturday, May 27 View Page It has outgrown the mini, but the nights are still cool, so here is my make shift temporary shelter.   Wednesday, June 7 View Page I moved one of the walking boards and saw this hole. That's a toad inside. They say they eat slug eggs and other pests, so I will leave him alone.   Wednesday, June 7 View Page My kids have christened the 2006 the "Big Bad Wolf" or (BBW for short). Cover is off and we are running. The next week is supposed to be warm so hopefully we'll see some explosive growth.   Saturday, June 10 View Page The highlight of my season so far was stopping by the Patonator patch with my wife and catching a glimpse of these potentially record setting fruits. Thanks guys for taking the time to show us around. Truly amazing!   Tuesday, June 13 View Page It's been super warm (for England), and growth has been great. The secondaries are perfect and strong with no missing or mutant ones ones.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page Finally, an update on the 150 Sq. Ft. patch. Let's be clear, this is my daughter's pumpkin and she is growing the 1120 Wolf.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page Here is the 1120 from the other end of the 150 patch. The first secondaries are reaching the string so they will have to be either bent around or terminated.   Saturday, June 24 View Page A new Wolf cub is born! Pollinated the 2006 Big Bad Wolf with the 2045 Daho today.   Monday, June 26 View Page As well as keeping the 150 plant IN the 150 sq. ft. area, I also need to keep the other plants OUT!   Monday, July 3 View Page Pollinated the 1120 Wolf in the 150 sq. ft. patch yesterday with the 2045 Daho. Here it is at 1 DAP along with the chosen "reference object. Hopefully it turns out to be a golden (or orange) champion like the bottle says.   Thursday, July 13 View Page The 150 sq. ft. patch is filling up but the main vine still has a few feet to go before it reaches the end. The 150 patch will be surrounded on all sides by other plants eventually so I have labelled some of them in this photo.   Thursday, July 13 View Page This is the pumpkin on the 172 Hochstetler with it's sheet removed. Going to be a beautiful orange.   Thursday, July 13 View Page We still haven't culled the backup yet. The arrows are pointing to the two we have set at the moment   Tuesday, July 18 View Page Perfect flower on the 797 Wolf. Pollinated a few days ago with the 1977 Rea (aka Crazy Daisy).   Wednesday, July 19 View Page Here is the keeper on the 150 sq ft 1120 Wolf plant at 13 DAP. The shape is a bit wonky but the color is amazing.   Wednesday, July 19 View Page Reaching the end of the 150 patch. 1120 Wolf meets 2006 Wolf. Gotta keep'm separated. The 2006 Wolf is ahead of my PB at this point, but the weather has cooled off quite a bit so growth is not nearly what it could be.   Saturday, July 22 View Page Here is the big bad (2006) Wolf at 28 DAP. Growing well though not much hope for orange with this one.   Saturday, July 22 View Page Here is my youngest daughter's "Beauty" off of our 747 from last year.   Tuesday, July 25 View Page We turned the main vine 90 degrees and it ran along the end of the patch and now the 150 Patch is essentially full.   Tuesday, July 25 View Page Here is the fruit on the 1977 Rea a.k.a. Crazy Daisy. Not disappointed with this color!   Tuesday, July 25 View Page Picture didn't post. Here is the 1977 Rea.   Sunday, July 30 View Page 2006 Wolf at 28 DAP. No sign of turning orange anytime soon. Torrential rain here so no need to water and it has also remained very cool so growth is not amazing.   Sunday, July 30 View Page 2045 Daho x 2006 Wolf. Also pale.   Sunday, July 30 View Page 797 Wolf is looking nice.   Sunday, July 30 View Page My daughter has named her 150 sq. ft. pumpkin "Ed". The patch is now completely full and all vines are terminated   Sunday, July 30 View Page 168 Baggs field pumpkin opened today and I selfed it, but it was pouring with rain so I'm not sure whether it will take.   Monday, August 7 View Page Another nice orange one. This is off my 240 from last year.   Monday, August 7 View Page The pollination on the 168 Baggs FP seems to have taken. We're having a bit of sun now so that should help things grow now.   Monday, August 7 View Page There is a first time for everything. Here is a tall sunflower just starting to bloom at about 15 feet. I forget what the seeds was but I think it was the 26' Rooke.   Sunday, August 13 View Page Here is the fruit on the 470 Florendine. Going to be a beautiful orange. Pollinated with the 1977 Rea.   Sunday, August 13 View Page Here is "Beauty" (747 Hochstetler) basking in the sun.   Sunday, August 13 View Page Things were going OK in the 150 sq. ft. patch...   Sunday, August 13 View Page ...but then the blossom end rotted off. Cleaned it out and dusted with Sulphur. We'll see if he pulls through. Ironically, this is the healthiest looking plant in the patch by a long shot. Too bad.   Sunday, August 13 View Page The blossom end on the 2006 Wolf is looking just fine.   Sunday, August 13 View Page The "Big Bad Wolf" is still making modest gains (estimating around 700 lbs. now) but it is very unlikely to be a PB at this rate.   Wednesday, August 16 View Page 3.4 lb Domingo tomato off of seeds I saved last year. Growing tomatoes outside in England is a real gamble (if not stupidity). Last year we were fine, but this year we had non-stop rain the whole month of July and almost all outdoor tomatoes in the area now have gotten late blight. I still have a few healthy plants with no trace of blight growing right next to other peoples’ tomato plants that are completely dead due to blight, so that is very interesting.   Sunday, August 20 View Page Splits seem to be the order of the day. I've been nursing a soft spot on my 168 Baggs field pumpkin but it wouldn't dry up. Now it has gone through. Game over. No FP.   Monday, August 21 View Page To add insult to injury, my one and only big AG (2006 Wolf) split as well. I'm more sorry for you Ian and Stewie and Mehdi as your pumpkins had real potential (mine might have reached 1200 lbs. but not much more). "That's pumpkin growing."   Monday, August 21 View Page I figure it split because of the sudden torrential rain we had overnight. Here it is cleaned out and dusted with sulfur. What chances would you give this for surviving? A straw does not go in more than an inch or so and it is not at all rotten (yet).   Thursday, August 24 View Page While we're talking about splits... here is another. This is on my one big marrow (235 Baggs). It was a gamble and I lost, but "nothing ventured, nothing gained". Hopefully we'll still have something to to bring to a weigh off somewhere. My 2 daughters' pumpkins are holding out fine and the Big Bad Wolf is holding it's own (for the moment). Just one of those years.   Friday, September 1 View Page We cut off and weighed the marrow and it was 147 lbs. which would have been a PB (and it was still growing).   Saturday, September 2 View Page We put one of our smaller marrows (83 lbs.) outside the local pub.   Sunday, September 3 View Page The 2006 Wolf has apparently stabilized and is still putting on 10-15 pounds per day. We have a "heatwave" this week so maybe that will boost growth even more?   Sunday, September 3 View Page My daughter's 150 sq. ft. pumpkin is not exactly impressive size wise and has never really taken off, but the color is still amazing.   Monday, September 4 View Page It's not all doom and gloom though. This "alley of orange" ought to lift some spirits. The big one in the foreground is my youngest daughter's attempt at a Howard Dill Award.   Monday, September 4 View Page This beauty is off the 470 Florendine and it went in front of the local school.   Wednesday, September 13 View Page The Big Bad Wolf has just topped 1000 lbs. so still well below my PB but there is still 1 month until the weigh off, and we could always hope for a few percent heavy. The fan is trying to keep the stem dry. This is probably the biggest diameter stem I have ever had.   Thursday, September 14 View Page This field pumpkin is off my 92 from last year. It is estimating 141 lbs.   Thursday, September 14 View Page This will probably be my biggest sound FP of the year. It is estimating 156 lbs. and is off the 218 Baggs. Both of these were: - just planted on the very edge of the patch as pollinators - given no space - given no special care Just think what they could have done!   Monday, September 25 View Page The next marrow goes down (184 Baggs). This is probably the second biggest of the year. Still a couple left.   Monday, September 25 View Page Growing on the edge of the marrow patch, this sunflower is 14 ft. and 10 inches. No care or special attention given.   Monday, September 25 View Page 1120 Wolf, still hanging in there.   Sunday, October 1 View Page The 2006 Wolf is now the 1183 Hochstetler 2023 UOW DMG (10% heavy). The stem split went to the center but it just held together for an Octoberfest last weekend where we held a guess the weight competition. First "big" one I've lost in the 6 years I've been growing. It was on pace to easily top 1200 lbs. and it gained about 400 lbs. since the stem split but it obviously stopped growing a few weeks ago already. You win some, you lose some.   Friday, October 6 View Page Here is my youngest daughter's pumpkin "Beauty". I think it deserves the name.   Saturday, October 7 View Page Came in second at Wargrave. This Marrow weighed 104 lbs. when we picked it a couple weeks ago. I didn't want to risk any more splitting. This is still a PB but the two biggest I lost were a lot bigger.   Saturday, October 7 View Page Official final 150 sq. ft. entry: the 1120 Wolf is now the 632.4 Hochstetler 2023 and it was even a few percent heavy. Enough to come in 3rd at the weigh off.   Saturday, October 7 View Page My other daughter's pumpkin was grown in quite a bit less than 150 square feet and she took 4th place at Wargrave. She was not interested in participating in the 150 sq. ft. challenge and only wanted to win a Howard Dill Award, but apparently this wasn't good enough. She took it well enough.   Saturday, October 7 View Page We donated "Beauty" to the local garden center and it is on display along with one of my smaller marrows and our biggest butternut squash which was 65 pounds when we harvested it but weighed in at 62 lbs. something at the weigh off. Many thanks to Curtis and the weigh off team and good luck to all at the remaining weigh-offs.   Saturday, November 4 View Page We carved Beauty into a Jack-o'-lantern for Halloween. My other daughter was pleased to win $25 in the 150 Square foot challenge. Now the season is well and truly over.