BigPumpkins.com Diary for 'Matt D.' http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2024&grower=25411&action=L Last 20 Diary Entries for 'Matt D.'. en-us Copyright © 1999-2024 BigPumpkins.com. All rights reserved. info@bigpumpkins.com BP RSS FeedGen http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss BigPumpkins.com http://www.bigpumpkins.com/images/newlogo_232x70.jpg http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/ 12/31/2023 - with photo End of 2023 The cold-frame has been moved over 32ft. and new doors have been installed for next year. So, far no snow or really cold temperatures to speak of with the grass cover crop doing well o... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342857 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342857 Sun, 31 Dec 2023 22:29:43 GMT 09/15/2023 - with photo Grass Seed Emergence! Right on cue about 6 days post seeding the little initial grass blades can be seen covering the area. There were several days of down pours which has resulted in some washout... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342107 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342107 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:49:13 GMT 09/09/2023 - with photo Growing Grass… Add Water There was a heat wave so this delayed the planting of the grass seed as from past experience avoiding 90F+ days will help the grass seeds establish more effectively. In ad... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342106 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342106 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:48:27 GMT 09/09/2023 - with photo Northeast Mix Grass Seed: Blend Details It seems there are always changes in the formulation, so here is the blend that was part of the bag used for the cover crop this season. http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342105 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342105 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:45:55 GMT 09/09/2023 - with photo Northeast Mix Grass Seed Many growers select a mustard or a winter rye cover crop, both of which can be effective. However, since the (current) plan is not to grow in this location next year a mor... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342104 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342104 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:45:22 GMT 09/02/2023 - with photo Cleaned Growing Area This shows the growing area (32ft. wide and 40ft. long) with the plant fully removed. This is an important part of the process, with the next step being to also remove the dri... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342103 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342103 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:43:02 GMT 09/02/2023 - with photo First Secondary by Crown It was great to see the pumpkin growers at the weigh-off even though I did not have an entry. However, there was still plant/patch clean-up to complete. Upon removing the... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342102 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342102 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 23:42:34 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Pumpkin Removal It would have been great if the pumpkin came-up in one piece, but instead it had to be chopped up and removed in pieces. It did loose some weight via pumpkin guts when the straps t... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342101 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342101 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:32:35 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Stem Health Just like the main vine, here is a cross section of the stem that is also in great condition. So, if it was not for the split, the plant could have continued to feed the growth rate of... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342100 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342100 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:31:52 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Mystery Weight Pumpkin at least Looks Good In the setting sun the orange color really pops and the pumpkin does look good (minus the blow out in the lower right portion of the image). You have to en... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342099 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342099 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:31:16 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Scale Readout = 1626.9 pounds* While many growers would be happy with this weight this is actually only a tease. If you have been following the diary you know it was taping much heavier, so the re... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342098 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342098 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:30:47 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Scale Readout = 1626.9 pounds* While many growers would be happy with this weight this is actually only a tease. If you have been following the diary you know it was taping much heavier, so the re... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342097 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342097 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:29:12 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Clean Main Vine After the Pumpkin It is always nice to cut the main vine and see water come out along with clean (green) internal structure. This means the xylem and phloem were still fully functi... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342096 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342096 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:28:10 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Clean Main Vine After the Pumpkin This older portion of the plant is typically the first to show any potential internal problems. Seeing that the vine near the stem is clean indicates quality plan... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342095 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342095 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:27:46 GMT 08/30/2023 - with photo Preparing for the Lift With the main goal to get a weight on the pumpkin “just in-case” it did not make it to the weigh-off the inline scale was attached to the lifting ring. During the set-up thi... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342094 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342094 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:27:17 GMT 08/23/2023 - with photo Day 70 for the (F: 1832.5 Graham ’20 x M: 2365 Wolf ’21 (from Ron Wallace)) OTT = 457.5” Est. Weight = 2,014.5 pounds Avg. over last 10 days = 11.85 pounds per day Last measurement for the pumpk... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342093 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=342093 Wed, 27 Sep 2023 21:26:25 GMT 08/17/2023 - with photo Day 64 for the (F: 1832.5 Graham ’20 x M: 2365 Wolf ’21 (from Ron Wallace)) Overall, this is a nice comparison image showing a comparison of a pollination size pumpkin to what it can look like “onl... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341632 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341632 Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:33:24 GMT 08/13/2023 - with photo Day 60 for the (F: 1832.5 Graham ’20 x M: 2365 Wolf ’21 (from Ron Wallace)) OTT = 448” Est. Weight = 1,896 pounds Avg. over last 10 days = 25.7 pounds per day After going on the Vermont Giant ... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341631 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341631 Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:27:52 GMT 08/04/2023 - with photo Sad Update… Pumpkin Rib Split Not the update, I want to provide, but the pumpkin has developed a rib split into the cavity. Spray foam has been added to hopefully seal it up so it can be brought t... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341332 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341332 Tue, 29 Aug 2023 21:31:28 GMT 08/03/2023 - with photo Dreamer Chart When a pumpkin grows quicker than what you have grown in the past it is hard to get a good idea of its potential. So, (thanks to Jamie) comparing it to some other heavy weights that ... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341307 http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=341307 Mon, 28 Aug 2023 17:30:33 GMT