From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Little Britain, ON, Canada

Leonard Stellpflug, an early grower and world record holder of Giant Pumpkins and Squash, passed away on March 19, 2013 after an extended illness with cardiac complications. He developed and published the Over the Top Measurement of how to estimate the weight of a giant pumpkin on the vine. He will be sadly missed by family and friends.

3/19/2013 7:25:47 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Rest in Peace, one of the greats.

3/19/2013 7:37:38 PM

South Hero, VT

OMG! My heart goes out to his family and friends. My condolences to all concerned.

3/19/2013 7:37:43 PM

South East

Our condoleances,
Frank & Tina Finders

3/19/2013 7:44:35 PM

Massachusetts

so sorry

3/19/2013 7:47:14 PM

Long Island,New York

Len was the squash god from the olden days....god bless.

3/19/2013 7:48:49 PM

Wooley Swamp N.Y.

Our condoleances to the Stellpflug family

3/19/2013 7:49:35 PM

churchville, ny

Definitely one of the greats and nicest guy you could ever meet.

I met Len pulling into the Buffalo Civic Center for a weigh off around 1980 - he has been my teacher ever since. In fact, his granddaughters grew one of my plants this year - great family.

Condolences to Judy, Mike and the entire family.

3/19/2013 7:53:09 PM

So. Maine

Traded many seeds with Len through the years . R I P Len .

3/19/2013 8:10:45 PM

Sparta, NC

My condolences to the Stellpflug family.

3/19/2013 8:13:32 PM

Bottom of ohio

thoughts and prayers

3/19/2013 8:16:47 PM

Weedville,pa

thoughts and prayers in your time of loss

3/19/2013 8:24:44 PM

Muddy Waters

Yes a nice man indeed.Sorry to hear this.

3/19/2013 8:31:24 PM

SW Ohio

Sorry for your loss

3/19/2013 8:35:28 PM

Leicester, NY

So sorry and sad to hear this news about Len. RIP Len
http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=69&gid=16

3/19/2013 8:55:17 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Very sorry to hear this.....Our thoughts and prayers to his family.....in this time of loss...

Gary and Celeste

3/19/2013 9:06:48 PM

Western NY

Sorry to hear the news, Len was a great guy who opened his patch to us many years ago.

3/19/2013 9:11:19 PM

Glosta

Sorry to hear of your loss.

3/19/2013 10:20:40 PM

Arden, NC

Prayers for your family at this time of loss. Though I never met Len his influence is everywhere in this sport.

3/19/2013 11:07:39 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

Sorry to hear of the loss. Len, your in our thoughts and prayers

3/19/2013 11:29:20 PM

Colorado

sad news. leonard rest in peace

3/20/2013 3:07:19 AM

Leerdam, The Netherlands

My condoleances

3/20/2013 4:19:17 AM

Webster, NY

I was just wondering about him. He sent me some of my first seeds. Very sorry to hear the news.

3/20/2013 4:45:40 AM

Johnston, R.I.

My condolances

3/20/2013 5:38:10 AM

Netherlands

Condoleances to the Stellpflug family. He was a kind of a legend.

3/20/2013 7:09:24 AM

Hamburg, NY

Judy and family,

Leonard was a great man. Had time and teaching skills for everyone. A true champion! His determination was unequaled as were his accomplishments. His family as well as all of us were blessed. God Bless.

Ray Waterman

3/20/2013 7:32:09 AM

Connecticut, USA

Sorry to the family. Len was great guy. I am very glad to have met and spent time with him.

3/20/2013 8:14:10 AM

Sheridan . NY

In the early 80's when Len- Ray -Howard and My self and others started growing these monsters we only had guesses and maybes to go on--BUT Len had the engineering back ground and was always move to the next teer in growing --He gave and taught a little to everyone
My thoughts - Wishs to great Grower and his Family

Craig Lembke

3/20/2013 8:31:12 AM

Frankfort Ohio

Sorry to here great man Knew allot about the giants My condolences.

3/20/2013 9:08:18 AM

Waquoit Mass

condolences from the hamptons

3/20/2013 9:12:17 AM

Joliet, IL

My condolences and prayers.

3/20/2013 9:21:35 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

I never knew him, but I was thinking about how the OTT method has stood the test of time. You can't say that about many things. Rest in peace.

3/20/2013 10:08:25 AM

Sophia WV

Our prayers are with you

3/20/2013 11:18:13 AM

Sourthern Utah

condolences to the family,, r.i.p.

3/20/2013 11:22:47 AM

Littleton, Colorado

I'm so sorry to hear of Len's passing. My condolences and prayers go out to the Stellpflugs. As a true legend of our love for growing giant pumpkins and squash, I sure hope Len will soon be nominated for the Hall of Fame, if he's not already in it!

3/20/2013 11:29:35 AM

Salisbury, MA.

Enjoyed many conversations and letters with Len. He was a good guy for sure and back in the day nobody could grow giant squash like Len. Rest in peace.

3/20/2013 12:57:34 PM

Minnesota

Condolences to the Stellpflugs.

3/20/2013 1:55:49 PM

Griffith, In

Our condolences to the family,,,May he rest in pumpkin heaven!!!!

The Barenie's

3/20/2013 2:21:41 PM

Cameron

Len was a legend in our sport. Our condolences to the Stellpflug family.

Jane & Phil Hunt

3/20/2013 2:30:16 PM

Sancoins / Cher / FRANCE

Our condoleances,

3/20/2013 3:25:05 PM

Ontario

Very sad news. Len was one of the pioneers of this sport and was probably one of the first growers to teach other growers how he grew his giants. My deepest condolences.
Chris Lyons

3/20/2013 4:53:52 PM

Pumpkintown, SC

A true Champion. He & his name, "Stellpflug", will always live on...
in our hearts, in our sport and in most of our seeds...
Brian Fawcett

3/20/2013 5:20:01 PM

Canandaigua

Arrangements have been made for my Father-In-Law, Len Stellpflug, following his passing yesterday:

http://www.millerfuneralhomes.com/Obituaries/Detail.aspx?id=4668

Thank you all, from the entire family, for your kind and thoughtful words.

I do not need to tell you all what it has meant to me to know and spend time around Len for well over 20 years, & observe/participate/assist in the passion he had for growing and farming, and and his sharing of his vast knowledge, through experience and study, of something very important to him.

Rest be assured, through his devotion to his family, his progeny will carry on in some capacity, but I think we can all agree that there will never be another Len Stellflug.

3/20/2013 6:35:09 PM

Nottingham, UK

My condolences to the Stellpflug family

3/20/2013 7:01:38 PM

Parker, Co

We are sorry to hear of Leonard Stellpflug's passing. Leonard was a true character He contributed greatly to our hobby by writing numerous articles for newsletters as well as helping develop the OTT chart He told it like it is! He deserves a spot in the Hall of Fame. Our condolences to his family. Pete and Cindi Glasier

3/20/2013 8:16:05 PM

Team Munson

Len was truely an inovator providing us with the first really accurate OTT chart. He was a very good grower & not afraid to tell you how to grow them RIP my friend.
Dave & Carol

3/21/2013 8:06:37 AM

Williamsburg,KY

Sincere condolences to the family.

3/21/2013 9:20:49 AM

Cameron

Joseph & David, I lost your phone #, please contact us when you have time. Thanks.

Jane & Phil Hunt
705 887-4835

3/21/2013 9:33:12 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

rest in peace len

3/21/2013 12:42:42 PM

Rhode Island

my first weigh-off was in collins n.y. during october of 1989.
the first man i met, holding court inside the back of his box truck ( loaded with giant pumpkins and grn squash i might add) was len.
he was truely one of our earliest heavy hitters in the hobby.i glad to have known him.
pap

pap

3/21/2013 5:03:45 PM

churchville, ny

I will be attending Len's wake tomorrow in Rochester NY and will take a copy of this post to present to his family.

His granddaughters, Bethany and Hannah as AG growers are following in his footsteps and I want the entire family to understand the respect and admiration we have for Len and all his contributions to our hobby.

3/21/2013 8:56:41 PM

Norcal

God Bles him. His family and his friends in this time of sorrow!

3/21/2013 9:19:22 PM

Puyallup, WA

A true "Pioneer" in our field of interest. What an example!

3/21/2013 10:58:46 PM

Rochester, MN

Yes, Mr. Stellpflug will be sorely missed he was raised in Rochester, MN and has been to my patch....here is a picture(page down) from 2001:
http://webpages.charter.net/dbhaskaran/pumpkin01/

That is with his brother Paul who still lives in Rochester.

He was key in figuring out pumpkin weight estimates using volume formulas...a great engineer!
God Bless him and his family!

3/21/2013 11:33:55 PM

New York

Judy, Mike and Family,
Very sorry to hear of Len’s passing. We spent a ton of time together in the patch and on the phone through the years. First met Len in 1985.

Len made a lot of contributions to the pumpkin world. Here’s a list of some accomplishments....

-He created the first Over-the-Chart table we use today. I still remember his original formula from ‘88....(W= .00021 C3 +20). He didn’t have a chart created yet so I would take out a calculator and cube my circumference, then multiply by .00021, and add 20 to account for the seed cavity. He spent countless hours collecting data from as many resources as possible. He was also responsible for making the push to have weigh-off’s record their OTT’s.

-Was the first modern grower to bury vines. He started burying vines in ‘88 on his best squash plant. He buried the outer 6' on all vines. “Doesn’t he know the vines will certainly rot”? He goes on to set a new WR for squash on that plant. In ‘89 he buries the whole plant and breaks his own record again. By 1990 everyone starts to bury their vines.

-Was the first to propagate giant pumpkin cuttings as we know today. In 1987 he cut and planted 2' sections of vine in an effort to keep his best genetic plants alive. His cutting that year produced 3 pumpkins with the largest weighing 149 pounds. He was able to prove that it was at least possible to grow pumpkins from a desired cutting.

3/22/2013 1:16:16 AM

New York

-Was one of the very first modern growers to prune their plants. At that time the goal was the bigger the plant the better. I would watch as he cut off vines (including side vines). At the time it seemed unwise to be cutting all those vines. It’s standard practice today.
.
-One of the very first growers to actively hand pollinate and record crosses. In ‘86 he would take 4 or 5 male flowers and place them near the females...”to help out the bees”. He had a good 30 plants or so in those day’s and you would see picked males all over the place. He later would keep notes of all his hand crosses.

-In 1990 there was concern that perhaps a 1000 pound pumpkin wouldn’t be grown because of the theory that the strength-to-weight ratio of living things decreases as size increases. Basically the theory that a 1000 pound pumpkin couldn’t support it’s own weight. He went out and performed many tests using his pumpkins at different stages of maturity to determine their structural strength. His conclusion was that not only did the pumpkins strength NOT decrease, but actually increased the bigger they got. He put to bed concerns that we were at the pumpkins limits at 800 pounds and predicted 1000 pounds was around the corner.

-He also did many tests with germination...including his bubble method of using a fish tank pump to help germinate tough seeds in the 80's. He did a lot of work in trying to prevent pumpkin splitting. His most interesting was using sap from young pumpkins to fill in fresh cracks of big pumpkins. I recall him actually succeeding a few times with this method.

3/22/2013 1:19:22 AM

New York

-As far as results....he grew 3 World Record squash. His most proud, the 821, in 1990 beat out the pumpkins to be the largest fruit ever grown. His pumpkin in 1987 was the 2nd largest in the world that year (state record), and he completed the trifecta in state records with his watermelon in 1995 that was just under 200 pounds. He also grew the 2nd largest pumpkin in the world in ‘98 at 1056.5 pounds...just missing out on the new record of 1092. At the time of weighing he was only the 3rd person to officially record a 1000 pound pumpkin.

Sorry for the long note here, but I wanted to list some of Len’s contributions....there’s more I know I’m forgetting at the moment. He put his engineering knowledge to good use and questioned everything. It was fun for me in the 80's because he always had something new to share. He shared everything.

3/22/2013 1:22:14 AM

New York

Here’s a few personal memories of Len I won’t forget......

-His initials are “LBS”...how cool is that?
-Endless energy...would complete a regular day’s work by noon.
-At 70 years young he was still picking 400 pound pumpkins and moving them with a wheel barrel by himself. His strength was truly impressive.
-Trips to the State Fair with him and his homemade stands to display our pumpkins and squash...and having free reign at the fairgrounds before they officially opened.
-Our trip to Guelph Ontario to enter his big watermelon...which took up the back seat of his car.
-Driving home with him and his 821 record squash and suddenly losing the brakes and flying past the intersection (scary moment). And then having to sit back while he used the emergency brake the rest of the way home....pins and needles.
-Watching him make #6 on David Letterman’s top 10 list.
-Dropping off 2 little squash seeds on his porch when he’s not home in ‘87. He plants one and grows his first WR squash...and using seeds from that WR to grow his other 2 WR’s. After placing 2nd to him several times, I would joke that I regret dropping off those damn seeds that night...lol.
-Having him demonstrate water dousing and finding energy fields in the pumpkin patch.
-Watching him dig a 20' homemade well with no power tools or equipment...just what looked like a modified shovel. Took him weeks I recall.One inch of soil at a time.
-Popping wheelies on his old ford tractor when he picked “a good one” and using sand bags on the front hood for support.
-And of course helping him pick his big squash and him helping me pick mine.

I have a lot of great memories of Len and his limitless energy. He most certainly was a big part in the sudden jump of weights we started to see in the 80's. He will be missed!!!

3/22/2013 1:26:44 AM

Webster, NY

Wonderful memories Alan, Thanks for sharing

3/22/2013 7:59:11 AM

Massillon, Ohio

Sincere condolences to the Stellpflug family.
Thank you Alan, for all the information and stories.
I knew of Leonard and that he was a great pioneer in our hobby. You have made his accomplishments all so real for those of us who were not priviledged to know him.

3/22/2013 8:07:03 AM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Thanks for sharing Alan.. I never had the pleasure to meet him but was the recipient of his generosity and we planted several of his squash seeds that he sent my way. I believe Andy Box won a PGPGA squash crown with one of Lens seeds. My condolences to the family.

3/22/2013 9:36:57 AM

churchville, ny

Yes, Alan - thanks for those stories - Len was certainly quite the innovator. I believe we are all innately drawn to highly intelligent people which is why I found Len to be so fascinating. I always looked forward to calling Len to see what his newest idea was with most recent being treating his seeds with imidacloprid prior to planting and spraying the perimeter of his fields with ammonia to deter deer.

He also planted 5 acres of regular pumpkins to sell at his stand along with Judy's crafts. Alan is certainly correct about the endless energy since he would hand hoe the 5 acres 3 times a year for weed control. In 1997, he built a 1372 square foot by himself including digging the basement.

Yesterday I was reading an article by Len titled "1056.5 pounds in 60 days - it was all in the seed" in 1998 The Ottawa St.Lawrence Growers newsletter. He grew that pumpkin while building the house with no myco or any of the numerous amendments we use today. The seed was the Geerts 946.5 crossed with the LaRue 916 males planted on May 6th and transplanted on May 16th.

3/22/2013 9:56:42 AM

Western NY

My sincere condolences to the Stellpflug family.

I never met Len so I am glad that these stories are being shared. thank you

3/22/2013 6:12:30 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Alan, Thanks for the great tribute to Len.

3/22/2013 8:01:04 PM

Littleton, Colorado

After six years, a selfed 771 Stellpflug squash still rules in Colorado, for the green throne. I think that's fitting. It's 956 pounder, grown by Marc Sawtelle was a thing of beauty!

3/23/2013 5:28:50 AM

Quebec

Good on you Alan for sharing these great stories on a great pioneer in our sport. I always enjoyed talking to him at seminars and trading seeds with him up until he retired from growing. Rest in peace Mr. Greengenes.

3/23/2013 8:58:08 AM

Hanover,Ontario,Canada

Yes..thanks from me too. I remember Len attending our seminars in Guelph and sharing his knowledge and seeds with everyone..one of the greats among us. Dave

3/23/2013 10:57:07 AM

Guelph, ONT

Awesome tribute Alan. I never meet him as well but I feel like I have now. Thanks for sharing

3/23/2013 11:50:35 AM

Vancouver, WA

In 1999 my dad, Paul Handy, pollinated a 664 Eaton that I was growing in my back yard with a 730 Stellpflug...I had no idea how much that would change my life. Please accept our condolences from Steve and Paul Handy. He will be remembered in the homes, hearts and minds of us all.

3/23/2013 1:34:21 PM

churchville, ny

Also a big thanks to Joe Pukos for building a large tribute poster with quotes from this post. It sat just at the left of the casket for all to see at the wake.
I presented the family with all entries from this post - they had not read it but I'm sure when they do will understand how much Len meant to all of us - RIP Len.

3/23/2013 2:56:12 PM

Leicester, NY

Tom, I’m not sure who did the wonderful large poster you mention, but it wasn’t me.

I do have another Len story and it’s about him getting his day started nice and early. One time when I was visiting and long before cell phones, I asked him when would be a good time to call. He says, I guess around 5:00, you’d be sure to catch me in the house. I said, oh, so supper time is a good time to call? Len says, no, I’m talking 5:00 AM, once I’m outside, you’re not going to be able to get a hold of me for the rest of the day. My wife used to laugh at me how I had to set my alarm so early, guzzle down a cup of coffee on those days I was called Len. Good memories!

3/23/2013 5:40:30 PM

churchville, ny

Yup Joe that sure sounds like Len. His son, Mike, mentioned that you brought in the poster.

3/23/2013 7:50:19 PM

Sparta, NC

Thanks for sharing your stories some good reading.

3/23/2013 8:01:49 PM

eastern Ontario

Just read the news and I see that Alan Nesbitt has done a great write-up for an outstanding man.Back in the 80's when I started with AG's Len was one of the world class leaders that I looked up to and admired.He was always generous with seeds and advice and pioneering ideas.

3/24/2013 2:02:43 PM

Herald,california

Never met Len,sounds like I missed out.
RIP LEN,and my prayers for his family.
Makes me very thankful to know the kind growers here in Nor Cal that I've had the pleasure of meeting..
peace

3/27/2013 10:56:14 PM

Ohio

RIP Len, one of the greats on pumpkin growing.......and the story about you guys losing your brakes and then him using the emergency brake the rest of the way home is a Classic Allan!! LOL!! And also Joe having to set his alarm ti get up at 5am to call him cracked me up also!! LOL!! I sure wish I could have met him in person.

3/28/2013 8:24:52 PM

Warwood

Thanks for everything Len...Bless

3/31/2013 6:07:26 PM