Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 56 Entries. Monday, June 3 View Page 1st entry of 2024! I'm back growing at home, this time in a brand new patch. The soil test was absolutely awful, so we'll see if the ammendments added will make up for it. Photographed is the 1832.5 Graham, which has a pollination in the morning and another pumpkin in the tip. The plant is 18 feet long x 17 feet wide. Behind it is the 1686.5 Stelts, 19-20 feet long x 16 feet wide. That plant has a 3 day old pumpkin and another one ready for next week. Will try to update again soon.   Friday, June 7 View Page From a couple days ago...main...all the main....my 1686.5 Stelts was looking pretty weird for a minute. Pumpkin came out of the tip yesterday, should open within a week. That is the hopeful keeper.   Saturday, June 8 View Page Cleaned the patch up after work, just in time for a beautiful evening. The soil needs a good raking but I'm wiped.   Saturday, June 8 View Page Oh and the fence is falling over in the back...add that to tomorrow's list.   Thursday, June 13 View Page Got the 1686.5 Stelts pollinated today with the hopeful keeper, no other options so hope it takes. It was crossed with the 1832.5 Graham. Let's do this!!!   Friday, June 14 View Page Got the 1832.5 Graham "keeper" pollinated today with the 1686.5 Stelts. Now both plants are pollinated, assuming they take, with the hopeful keepers. Next week is gonna be in the upper 90s for a few days so gonna have to keep these girls as cool as I can.   Saturday, June 15 View Page If you know you know. This was some hard stuff to mix just right!   Saturday, June 22 View Page Both plants are doing well, this is the 1832.5 Graham which is about 35 feet wide.   Saturday, June 22 View Page This is the 1832.5 fruit at 8 days old. It was crossed with the 1686.5 Stelts, and treated with 100 ppm of Florel at 48 hours post-pollination.   Saturday, June 22 View Page This is the 1686.5 Stelts plant. Around 40 feet wide. It desperately wants me to bury vines! That's tomorrow's task...   Saturday, June 22 View Page And finally, the 1686.5 Stelts at 9 days old. It was crossed with the 1832.5 Graham, and was also treated with 100 ppm of Florel.   Monday, June 24 View Page Got the 1686 caught up on vine burying yesterday. Wow that has become such a chore.... 3 hours just to do this plant.   Saturday, June 29 View Page Cool shot of the patch from the other day. 1686.5 Stelts in front, 1832.5 Graham in back. Both are filling in very fast   Sunday, June 30 View Page I've never done a full out patch tour but figured I would do a few videos this year as things start ramping up. Hope everyone's growing some personal bests in 2024! https://youtu.be/JP5t3ifOss4?si=uhUd22bk6jLS9SEl   Sunday, July 14 View Page On DAP 30 the 1686.5 Stelts estimated 407.7 lbs and averaged 38.6 lbs a day for the previous 5 days.   Sunday, July 14 View Page On DAP 30, the 1832.5 estimates 493.3 lbs and has averaged 47.5 lbs a day for the last 5 days.   Sunday, July 14 View Page 1832.5 Graham on left 1686.5 Stelts on right   Sunday, July 14 View Page And, because I posed with the Stelts, here's a photo of me yesterday (DAP 29) with the Graham pumpkin.   Monday, July 15 View Page The second video update of the season: https://youtu.be/jdXdNF-ISpE?si=SC4mfawd53wRH_HS   Thursday, July 18 View Page DAP 35 on "Solstice", the 1686.5 Stelts. 601.7 lb estimated, averaging 38.8 lbs a day over the last 5 days. The plant has almost fully filled in its 1100-ish sq ft space, at first I wasn't sure if I liked that the pumpkins were on the very ends of the patch - but now it's starting to grow on me! Easy access lol.   Thursday, July 18 View Page DAP 34 on "Spitfire", the 1832.5 Graham. She should sail past 700 lbs tomorrow if God's willing. This plant still has about 300 sq ft left to fill, and thankfully the vine tips seem to be coming back to life just in time to do that!   Tuesday, July 23 View Page DAP 40 and "Solstice" the 1686.5 Stelts is taping 793 lbs for an average gain of 38.3 lbs/day for the last 5.   Tuesday, July 23 View Page Here's the Stelts plant   Wednesday, July 24 View Page My most exciting day 40 update ever, "Spitfire" (1832.5 Graham) estimates at 959 lbs and has averaged 47.2 lbs a day for the last 5 days! It's not without some drama though, as I am now dealing with some stem splits...thankfully Jamie Graham came to the rescue and told me how to relieve the pressure on the stem and perform "surgery" that will hopefully stop the split from going into the pumpkin.   Wednesday, July 24 View Page 1832.5 plant   Sunday, July 28 View Page The 1686.5 Stelts, "Solstice", tapes 990.4 lbs on day 40. She has averaged 39.4 lbs a day over the last 5 days.   Sunday, July 28 View Page This fold on Solstice is awesome   Monday, July 29 View Page "Spitfire", my big pumpkin (1832.5 Graham) is still doing her thing at 45 days old. She estimates 1,165.2 lbs and has averaged a little over 41 lbs/day for the last 5 days.   Monday, July 29 View Page And had to share this because my 9 month old son was absolutely loving it.   Saturday, August 3 View Page Day 50 update... it's been a sticky, humid, and mostly rainy 5 days, but pumpkins are still growing! "Spitfire" estimates 1342.9 lbs, and has averaged 35.54 lbs/day over the last 5.   Saturday, August 3 View Page "Solstice" estimated 1118.2 lbs and averaged 25.64 lbs/day over the previous 5   Friday, August 9 View Page The 1832.5 Graham, "Spitfire" hit day 55* yesterday and estimated 1496.5 lbs. Her 5 day average was 30.7 lbs per day.   Friday, August 9 View Page I meant day 55* in the last post.   Friday, August 9 View Page The 1686.5 Stelts, "Solstice" hit day 55 a couple days ago, and estimated 1261 lbs. Her 5 day average was 28.7 lbs per day. Photo is from yesterday on day 56.   Saturday, August 10 View Page I spy with my little eye... something that doesn't belong near the blossom. Wow what a day.   Saturday, August 10 View Page Closer look at the carnage. Stupid pumpkins   Saturday, August 10 View Page A temporary fix..Supposedly this silicone is pretty stretchy.   Tuesday, August 13 View Page "Spitfire" the 1832.5 Graham estimated 1621 lbs today for day 60, and is averaging just under 25 lbs a day.   Tuesday, August 13 View Page Plant, pumpkin, and a ray of sunshine.   Thursday, August 15 View Page We harvested and weighed Solstice the 1686.5 Stelts, which is now the 1396 Rouse UOW DMG. Thanks Art for coming and picking her up for me.   Thursday, August 15 View Page Good luck, Spitfire.   Monday, August 19 View Page Spitfire the 1832.5 Graham hit 65 days old yesterday, Gains have slowed to just above 16 lbs a day from what I can figure. North of 1700 lbs   Monday, August 26 View Page Henry- the giant pumpkin grower, stopped over this weekend to check things out. Here he is with the 1396 lb DMG fruit off the 1686.5 Stelts. (We went to his patch after).   Monday, August 26 View Page Henry and I took turns hacking away at it with the machete. That was fun   Monday, August 26 View Page And thanks for getting this shot of spitfire, man!   Saturday, September 7 View Page DAP 85 and growing   Saturday, September 7 View Page "Hey babe, can you stand next to the pumpkin again?"   Saturday, September 21 View Page I still see some pounds to be gained over there!!   Saturday, September 21 View Page Had a blast at the VT weighoff in Colchester! John Young did a great job as MC, Ethan Bruce Nelson got a new VT sunflower record at 21 feet, and a lot of people had big and beautiful pumpkins. Here's Henry's 942.5 lber! Congrats to everyone who brought a pumpkin and made it a fun weighoff for us spectators!   Saturday, September 21 View Page My son had a blast sitting in the tractors, best part of the day for me.   Saturday, September 21 View Page DAP 100 on Sunday. 12 days left   Thursday, September 26 View Page 1853 lbs, 80 lbs lighter than the estimated weight unfortunately. I think my crappy soil came back to bite me, lol. Still very happy with raising my offical best weight by 815 lbs, and had a blast hanging out with the other growers. Congrats to everyone who showed up with a pumpkin!   Saturday, September 28 View Page Here she is on display, photo credits to Glenn Peters.   Monday, September 30 View Page Spitfire now rests at the Yankee-Candle flagship store in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.   Monday, September 30 View Page Looking awesome with those gardens in the back, done by the landscaping company I work for!   Tuesday, November 19 View Page After 2 months at the Yankee-Candle flagship store, my 1853 lb pumpkin came home. She only had about 60 seeds inside. Was a very fun year, and I'm super excited to see what can happen in 2025!