Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 5 Entries. Sunday, January 12 View Page 2025 is the year of the white pumpkin! I think I'll be planting the 1296.3 Akatsuka (Nicolas) which is this 1688 Paton x self. It checks all the boxes for me: genetics, color, and it did well in 150 sq ft. But I also want to grow my 1677 squashkin '23 in an attempt at a big squash. But that project might have to wait. I can only spend an hour a day or so on gardening stuff.   Sunday, January 12 View Page What if I crossed these two pumpkins? No one has ever bred a pumpkin to be a "150 sq ft. winner." Its probably just silly but there's always something new to try. Who really knows what is or isnt going to work.   Tuesday, January 14 View Page Now, for a grand total of $40 I've got seeds from all the top 150 sq ft pumpkins. http://bigpumpkins.com/displayphoto.asp?pid=8013&gid=87   Thursday, January 16 View Page I took a bit of soil out of one area to do a soil test. But I know that with my lack of self discipline I might throw fertilizer on later without measuring it. And this would negate some of the value of a soil test. A soil test would help me be a better guesser but I should decide if I want to stop guessing altogether and start measuring. Hmm. Its possible I could get better results by guessing than by measuring but probably not. The last thing to think about is whether I might ask for the lab's recommendations for potatoes rather than pumpkins... Just to throw another wrench in the machine, because why not, right... Things that make no sense on the surface, might have another lower level where they do make sense. And I want to become a top potato grower even though thats not a real category! Im just endlessly silly... But you just never know. Maybe one thing would lead to another.   Thursday, January 16 View Page This is the soil from 6-10" down. The soil texture in this zone is actually enviable, perhaps very enviable, its a sandy loam with some pumice up to 1" but most of the pumice is 3/4" or less. This combined with the sandy loam gives a perfect airy soil texture. I dont have great soil depth, however. There's nothing of value to the roots deeper than about 12"... its either coarse pumice, or fine pumice or clay, and its different combinations of inpenetrable and/or infertile. I have thought about mixing the clay and the pumice layers deeper than 12" but its possible that would make things worse and sort of wreck what I've already got... Don't try to fix what aint broke. Once I mix it all up I know there's no going back to the way it was before. I could do a small trial, or I can just be thankful for what I've got rather than meddlesome.