Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 48 Entries. Tuesday, January 24 View Page This is the first update this year. As you can see we have a lot of snow now and minus 12 degrees C/ 10 F, wich is cold in southern Sweden. Covering the pumpkin patch with straws was good because the soil isn’t frozen. At last years growing diary you can see how I cover the soil with straws. I haven’t ordered any new seeds for this season so my choice (just now) is between 1009 Pickets 03 (842 Eaton x 1156 Larson), Dill 13 (1260 Weir x 723 Bobier) or 220 Gustavsson 05 (1420,5 LaRue x Self). The 220 Gustavsson I grow only for the genetics, the shape was good, very orange and no Dills ring. It was late set on a side vine on the same plant as 1061 Gustavsson 05.   Tuesday, January 24 View Page This is the first update this year. As you can see we have a lot of snow now and minus 12 degrees C/ 10 F, wich is cold in southern Sweden. Covering the pumpkin patch with straws was good because the soil isn’t frozen. At last years growing diary you can see how I cover the soil with straws. I haven’t ordered any new seeds for this season so my choice (just now) is between 1009 Pickets 03 (842 Eaton x 1156 Larson), Dill 13 (1260 Weir x 723 Bobier) or 220 Gustavsson 05 (1420,5 LaRue x Self). The 220 Gustavsson I grow only for the genetics, the shape was good, very orange and no Dills ring. It was late set on a side vine on the same plant as 1061 Gustavsson 05.   Thursday, March 23 View Page The growing season 2006 has started. At the pic you can see how I, during sunny days, take off the straws so the sun can warm up the soil. In the evening I cover the soil again.   Saturday, March 25 View Page This winter has been extremely cold and long and with a lot of snow. Now I have four cans of the best of urine (my own of course) and soon I will put it in the soil where it belongs. A good thing with it is that I don't use much salt in my food. Sometimes when I eat and want more salt, I think of my pumpkin who dislikes that. Besides, too much salt isn't good for my blood pressure either.   Monday, April 3 View Page Today I've filed and soaked one of these Reiss seeds, so now we have to wait and see if it germinates.   Wednesday, April 5 View Page A champ is born or... It’s 38 hours since I filed and soaked the 1233,5 Reiss seed and this pic. Next step; plant it in a peat pot and again wait and see...   Saturday, April 8 View Page Good news, after 5 days I can say; wellcome to the world 1233,5 Reiss! Next step; within 2-3 days I will plant it in the greenhouse.   Sunday, April 9 View Page The 1233,5 Reiss 6 days old. As you can see I water only on the plate and only with nutrient water, because I want the roots to grow down (not up), and after planting in the greenhouse they continue to do so. Today I’ve also started my soil heaters.   Tuesday, April 11 View Page The Reiss 8 days old and growing well. Tomorrow I will plant it in the greenhouse.   Thursday, April 13 View Page The 1233,5 Reiss (today 10 days old) has now reached Swedish ground.   Tuesday, April 18 View Page The Reiss 15 days old.   Tuesday, April 18 View Page Inside the greenhouse I have another smaller mini greenhouse. During cold and cloudy days I use it to keep a good temperature for the plant. I also use a heater, when needed.   Tuesday, April 18 View Page During the night I cover the mini greenhouse with blankets. Therefore you can say that my pumkin patch is like a russian babuschka doll.   Sunday, April 23 View Page The Reiss 20 days old. A couple of days ago I made a misstake, the heating was way too high during the night and three leaves got damaged by the heat. The plant survived and is now growing well again. At the pic you can see that I now use a smaller heater and without fan. The new heater gives only 200 W, but that is enough during the night combined with the temperature of the soil. The soil temp 30 cm/ 1 foot deep is 28 degrees C/ 82 degrees F. It doesn’t matter how many years I grow pumpkins, every year I make some misstake and learn something new.   Friday, April 28 View Page The Reiss 25 days old.   Monday, May 1 View Page Incredible, if something can go wrong it will! Today I terminated the Reiss because it turned out to be a mutant. You can see that it has double leafs, three tendrils, and is flat vined. I haven’t decided yet if I will go on with the second Reiss seed or an other seed. What ever happens I will take a time out from my growing diary.   Monday, May 1 View Page The ”time out” is over, when this and the following seven updates are made, it’s the 30 of May. After having terminated the Reiss plant, here you can see my second Reiss sedling going into the ground, 10 days old. The 20th of April I filed and soaked the second Reiss seed, and I’m glad I did this, because the first one turned out to be a mutant. If something goes wrong I want margin to start another one. This’s one of the reasons why I always start my plants so early.   Friday, May 5 View Page Reiss 15 days old.   Wednesday, May 10 View Page Reiss 20 days old.   Monday, May 15 View Page Reiss 25 days old.   Saturday, May 20 View Page Reiss 30 days old.   Thursday, May 25 View Page Reiss 35 days old and the main vine 2,7 m/9 feet.   Tuesday, May 30 View Page Reiss 40 days old and the main vine 3,9 m/13 feet.   Tuesday, May 30 View Page Here's the first fruit on the Reiss. It's to early, I will wait for the second or the third fruit.   Sunday, June 4 View Page Reiss 45 days old. The main vine 5,1 m/ 17 ft. Cold and rainy weather has slowed down the growing speed a little.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The Reiss 50 days old and today the main vine is 6,3 m/ 21 ft. As you can see the male flowers are higher than the leavs.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page The pumpkin-race 2006 can begin! Here's the fruit which I pollinated this morning. This is the second fruit on the 1233 Reiss main vine, and it's growing 6 m/20 ft out. As you can see there is no secondary vine growing out of this leaf axil.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page Here you can see the five lobes after pollination.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page Here I measure the circ and as you can see it's 13 cm/5". From pollination to day 9 I don't measure from blossom to stem end because the fruit is to small.   Wednesday, June 14 View Page The newly pollinated fruit on it's weighing board. In the middle of the pic you can see a little bit of the first fruit, which I pollinated five days ago. I will keep this fruit hanging on until it's about 10 days old (I use it as a kind of "starting-help" to the second fruit).   Monday, June 19 View Page 1233 Reiss 5 days old.   Monday, June 19 View Page The 1233 Reiss seen from the roof of my house.   Saturday, June 24 View Page The 1233 Reiss 10 days old and the circ 74 cm/ 29".   Thursday, June 29 View Page The 1233 Reiss 15 days old; the circ 137 cm/ 54".   Tuesday, July 4 View Page The 1233 Reiss 20 days old and the weight (on scales) is 66 kg/ 145 lbs. The circ is 194 cm/ 76.4"   Sunday, July 9 View Page The 1233 Reiss 25 days old and the weight (on scales) is 129 kg/ 284 lbs. The circ is 245 cm/ 96,5". During the last five days the pumpkin has increased by a medium of 12,7 kg/ 27,7 lbs per day.   Monday, July 17 View Page The 1233 Reiss 30 days old and the weight (on scales) is 183 kg/ 403 lbs. The circ is 283 cm/ 111.4". The growing speed has slowed down and I don't know why.   Monday, July 17 View Page In my previous update, July 17, the date is wrong the correct date should be July 14.   Wednesday, July 19 View Page The 1233 Reiss day 35: Weight on scales: 233 kg/ 513 lbs Circ: 308 cm/ 121" OTT: 284.5" Medium growing speed the last five days: 10 kg/ 22 lbs per day.   Friday, July 21 View Page The end is near for the 1233 Reiss; a blossom end split appeared today. Just like last year's 1061 Gustavsson, this pumpkin has split due to the concaveness of the blossom end. But don't worry, a few days ago I started up two new pumpkins on two side vines.   Monday, July 24 View Page The 1233 Reiss day 40: Weight on scales: 286 kg/ 630 lbs Circ: 330 cm/ 130" OTT: 303" Medium growing speed the last five days: 10.6 kg/ 23.4 lbs per day.   Thursday, July 27 View Page Here’s my second pumpkin growing on a secondary vine on the 1233 Reiss. It was pollinated July 17. Today 10 days old the circ is 29”. It will be interesting to see how this method turns out.   Saturday, July 29 View Page The 1233 Reiss day 45: Weight on scales: 313 kg/ 689.5 lbs Circ: 340 cm/ 134" OTT: 313" Medium growing speed the last five days: 5.4 kg/ 11.9 lbs per day.   Tuesday, August 8 View Page The 1233 Reiss day 55: Weight on scales: 340 kg/ 749 lbs Circ: 344 cm/ 135,5" OTT: 319" Medium growing speed the last 10 days: 2,7 kg/ 6 lbs per day. Since the pumpkin split (into the cavity) it has grown 90 kg/ 198 lbs. Maybe it can grow a couple of kg/ lbs more before it finally will stop growing completely. I haven't siliconed this years split.   Sunday, August 13 View Page Since my last update the indicator clock hasn’t moved at all. So the final weight for the 1233 Reiss will be: 340 kg/ 749 lbs. From now on the pumkin will be called: 749 Gustavsson 06 UOW DMG. This plant seems to be incapable of producing any pumpkin of great size and a good shape. Also, it seems impossible to increase the growing speed on any pumpkin on this plant. Most of the pumpkins are deformed, too. Pity, this should be my last year of growing big pumpkins. That means that I probably will have to try again next year.   Wednesday, October 18 View Page My friend Hans Holmberg and his 212 kg/ 467 lbs pumpkin. The seed comes from 220 Gustavsson 05 (1420 Larue x Self). The pumpkin was 5 percent heavy. He recently won a local pumpkin competition in southern Sweden whith this pumpkin.   Friday, October 27 View Page Thanks to my growing on plates of plywood, I can easily harvest the pumpkins. I can easily move the pumpkins out from the pumpkin patch with help of the ladder and the iron-bar lever. This is the pumkin wich I grow on the stem.   Sunday, November 5 View Page Here you can see the three last pumpkins from the Reiss plant. It’s not much, but at least they have a nice colour! From the left: 154 kg/ 339 lbs self pollinated and 23 precent heavy, 156 kg/ 343 lbs pollinated with 220 Gustavsson 05 (1420 Larue x Self) and 24 precent heavy, 68 kg/ 150 lbs and self pollinated. I wonder what kind of ancestors this one has.