Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 46 Entries. Monday, June 2 View Page Top row: 796 Hoffman, 2-671 Hoffman, & 3-344 Hoffman plants. Bottom row: 322 Zaychkowsky, 522 Zaychkowsky, 715.1 Wolf, 1086 Carlson-Petersen, 1354 Checkon, & 1432 Carlson-Petersen. After a very slow start, I finally got 100% germination....16 out of 16 counting the plants in the veggie garden. Hindsite says it certainly would have been better to start them inside this year instead of direct seeding them. The seeds normally emerge 4 to 7 days after planting, but this year the earliest was 6 days and the last 3 showed up after 13 days. I'm way behind...hopefully some warmer weather will get the plants to take off soon. Some hail damage visible in some of the cots, but nothing serious. Monday, June 2 View Page We'll be growing 2 plants in the veggie garden. Each will have a 4ft x 24ft garden bed to grow in. Top 2 plants are 970 Hoffman, bottom 2 plants are Ricky's from his 260 lber from last year. So far Ricky's plants look stronger than mine ...... I better watch out or he might win this contest....... :-) Sunday, July 13 View Page 1354 Checkon 04 (723 Bobier 99 x 986 Checkon 02) 522 Zaychkowsky 06 (935 Lloyd 97 x 898 Knauss 01) 344 Hoffman 05 (1432 Carlson-Petersen 04 x 898 Knauss 01) 671 Hoffman 07 (815 Hoffman 06 x 344 Hoffman 05) Cold weather early has me a little bit behind, but will have females ready to pollinate this weekend & early next week at around 10 ft on 3 of the plants. The 344 isnt as strong as the last 3 344's I've grown & will have to settle for my first pollination at 8 or 9 ft out on it. Sunday, July 13 View Page My son & I have a contest going in the veggie garden. My plant 970 Hoffman 07 (344 Hoffman 05 x sib) Ricky's plant 260 Hoffman 07 (435 Hoffman 03 x open) Right now it looks like Ricky might kick my butt in this contest. His plant is about twice the length of mine. The 970 has been somewhat of a dissapointment. It has about the same number of leaf nodes as the 260, but they're way too close together. It suggests to me the pumpkin may have a very short stem as well. Based on my 970 & one started by "Monster Grower" I don't think I'll be recomending anyone to plant a 970. Thursday, July 17 View Page Typo in last post .... line should have read: Ricky's plant 260 Hoffman 07 (435 Hoffman 06 x open) Monday, July 21 View Page 1354 Checkon 04 (723 Bobier 99 x 986 Checkon 02) Fruit shown is 2 days old 9ft out on main. Monday, July 21 View Page 522 Zaychkowsky 06 (935 Lloyd 97 x 898 Knauss 01) Fruit shown is 1 day old 11 ft out on main. Monday, July 21 View Page 671 Hoffman 07 (815 Hoffman 06 x 344 Hoffman 05) Fruit shown is 2 days old 10 ft out on main. Monday, July 21 View Page 344 Hoffman 05 (1432 Carlson-Petersen 04 x 898 Knauss 01) Fruit shown is 1 day old 9 ft out on main. Sunday, August 3 View Page Here's a pic of the 4 plants in the patch. Only about 60 sq ft of vines to grow and bury on each plant and that task will be complete. Sunday, August 3 View Page Fruit on the 344 Hoffman 05. This is my fastest growing fruit so far. 49 inch circ on day 14. The 344 has been a great grower for me the last couple of years, but the short pumpkin stems are always a bit of a chalenge. Sunday, August 3 View Page This is a nice looking fruit on the 522 Zaychkowsky 06. 46 inch circ on day 14. Sunday, August 3 View Page This is the 1354 Checkon 04 fruit. 49 inch circ on day 15. Sunday, August 3 View Page 671 Hoffman 07. 37 inch circ on day 15. I decided to cull this fruit and hope the next one out on the main doesn't abort. This fruit is a slow grower, and already has a couple sag lines visible in it. This fruit also had a 19 inch circ on day 10 as opposed to the next fruit out on the main with a 22 inch circ on day 10. The 22 inch fruit also has a little better shape to it, although the pronounced ribs are still present. Friday, August 15 View Page Here's a pic of the patch. Friday, August 15 View Page 1354 Checkon 04 at day 27 99 68 66 ott=233 Friday, August 15 View Page 522 Zaychkowsky 06 on day 26 96 64 62 ott= Friday, August 15 View Page 522 Zaychkowsky 06 on day 26 96 64 62 ott=222 Dang! I hit submit too quickly. Friday, August 15 View Page 344 Hoffman 05 on day 26 102 71 67 ott= 240 Friday, August 15 View Page 671 Hoffman 07 on day 22 72 44 47 ott= 163 Saturday, August 16 View Page Here's Ricky standing between the sweet corn and pole bean trellis out in the veggie garden. For size reference, Ricky is just a couple inches short of 4 ft tall. Sunday, August 31 View Page Here's Ricky standing by his pumpkin in the veggie garden. His pumpkin is a little over 200 lb and will easily beat my pumpkin in the veggie garden which was a dud on the 970 Hoffman plant. Sunday, August 31 View Page Here's my best shot at a new personal best. I'm getting a little worried about a wide fast developing rib valley on top though. This fruit is on the 344 Hoffman 05 plant. Sunday, August 31 View Page Fruit on the 1354 Checkon 04 plant. Sunday, August 31 View Page Fruit on the 522 Zaychkowsky 06 plant. Nice looking pumpkin. Sunday, August 31 View Page 38 day old fruit on the 671 Hoffman 07 plant. This fruit has averaged 25 lb/day the last 6 days....not sure those deep rib valleys on top can support that kind of growth. Should end up a nice orange color if she holds up. Sunday, September 14 View Page Pumpkin on the 522 Zaychkowsky 06 Measured about 700 lb on day 54 & down to 6 lb per day. Sunday, September 14 View Page Pumpkin on the 671 Hoffman plant. Measured about 655 lb on day 50 & still doing 12 lb per day. Sunday, September 14 View Page Pumpkin on the 1354 Checkon 04 plant. Measured 714 lb on day 55 and doing 7 lb per day. This pumpkin began sporting a blossom end split on Sept 6. Sunday, September 14 View Page This is the pumpkin on the 344 Hoffman 05. Measured 884 lb on day 54 and was gaining 18 lb per day when it split on 9-11. Sunday, September 14 View Page Pumpkin on the 344 Hoffman 05 plant. The split occurred in the deep rib valley on top the pumpkin and another small split where that rib valley meets the blossom end. Sunday, September 14 View Page Another shot of the pumpkin on the 344 Hoffman 05 plant showing the deep rib valley where the split occured. Saturday, September 20 View Page 977 Hoffman 08 DMG (344 Hoffman 05 x 671 Hoffman 07) Saturday, September 20 View Page 825 Hoffman 08 DMG (1354 Checkon 04 x 522 Zaychkowsky 06) Just noticed I don't have a pic of this one since harvest. Here's a pic of it about a week ago in patch. http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=96088 Saturday, September 27 View Page 726 Hoffman 08 (522 Zaychkowsky 06 x 1354 Checkon 04) This was a sound EXH fruit at the RMGVG weigh off at Jared's nursery. 3rd place in the Howard Dill prettiest pumpkin contest. Saturday, September 27 View Page 834 Hoffman 08 (671 Hoffman 07 x 522 Zaychkowsky 06) 6th place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery. New Wyoming state record by 1 lb. lol Saturday, September 27 View Page 895 Gary Grande 08 5th place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery. Also won Howard Dill prettiest pumpkin award. Saturday, September 27 View Page 1016 Seymour 08 4th place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery. Saturday, September 27 View Page 1019 Jim Grande 08 3rd place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery. Saturday, September 27 View Page 1109 Sawtelle 08 2nd place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery. Saturday, September 27 View Page 1134 Scherber 08 1st place in RMGVG weighoff at Jared's Nursery and new Colorado state record. Will this state record fall to a larger pumpkin in Colorado Springs or Longmont???? We'll have to wait & see........ Sunday, October 5 View Page This years pumpkins from left to right: 726 Hoffman 08 (522 Zaychkowsky 06 x 1354 Checkon 04) 834 Hoffman 08 (671 Hoffman 07 x 522 Zaychkowsky 06) 825 Hoffman 08 DMG (1354 Checkon 04 x 522 Zaychkowsky 06) 977 Hoffman 08 DMG (344 Hoffman 05 x 671 Hoffman 07) Monday, October 27 View Page Scott Lewis of Hudson, WY carved my 726 in front of the Wyoming National Bank of Lander, WY. The pumpkin was donated to Scott to use as a fund raiser for the Lander chapter of the Care & Share Food Bank. Sunday, November 2 View Page Ricky's 284 lb pumpkin carved and lit up. Sunday, November 2 View Page Ricky & I leaning on the carved 834 Hoffman 08. I'm not much of an artist, so the carving has to simple... :-) Sunday, November 2 View Page A nice sunrise shot with the carved 834 and my lifting tripod in the background.