Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 65 Entries. Sunday, February 28 View Page Storm 'Xynthia' blew away the plastic of one of the polytunnels.   Friday, April 2 View Page These are the awards i got at the Niagara Convention. As i couldn't be there ,GPC sent them to Belgium,and i got them in the mail today. Very pleased with them ! Thanks GPC !!!   Friday, April 9 View Page I got visit from the States today ! Frank and Tina(the cooks) are in the Netherlands for a while and they payed me a visit.After i showed them my patch we had a drink and discussed big pumpkins.As allways it was very nice to meet fellow growers.   Sunday, April 11 View Page Here' s a seedling of my own 1058. I started an early plant this year. Seed went in pot march 31, popped up april 4 and went in patch april 8. Plan was to plant a 527rupf , but unfortunatly it took the rupf seed to long to come up and i had to go with this one as i want a pumpkin very early in fall.   Thursday, April 22 View Page 1180pukos and 1306jutras went in patch today. Seeds went in pots april 14 and all popped up april 17 or 18. One of those two is for backup and will be culled later.Frost here at nights last few weeks so seedlings get minigreenhouse in the big greenhouse.   Thursday, April 22 View Page 1421 and 1662stelts went in patch today as well. Same here.. one is for backup.   Thursday, April 22 View Page 1622young is in the patch since a week ago.Backup for this one is the 1211toftness.   Thursday, April 22 View Page 1058ghaye. Two weeks since transplant.   Sunday, May 23 View Page 1622young is my most vigorous plant.Vines are very thick and rigid. Gonna be hard to handle,train vines etc. but i hope for 'furious' fruit later on .   Sunday, May 23 View Page 1058ghaye is easier plant to handle. I hope to see first females couple of weeks from now. Today was the first 'greenhouses wide open ' day.   Friday, May 28 View Page 1622Young. Backup plant was culled today.   Friday, May 28 View Page 1058ghaye.This one is back to back with 1622young plant in 'no till' patch.   Friday, May 28 View Page 1180pukos.Backup plant (1306jutras) was culled today. Tough choice, both nice and healthy plants!   Friday, May 28 View Page 1662 and 1421stelts.Got to cull one.I like both crosses.The 1662 is bigger , bigger sidevines, leafs etc. But last year my biggest pumpkin was on slowest starter plant.Got to decide soon . Anyhow there will be a Stelts plant in final lineup along with Pukos, Young and Ghaye plants.   Friday, June 11 View Page This is my 1421stelts plant today.   Friday, June 11 View Page 1180pukos plant liked the decent weather we had last 10 days.   Friday, June 11 View Page 1622young(front) and 1058ghaye share the second greenhouse.   Friday, June 11 View Page Female on the 1058ghaye, 13ft.out.   Monday, June 14 View Page 1058ghaye*1421stelts . 5 lobes, 13.5ft.out.   Thursday, June 17 View Page 1622young*1058ghaye.5 lobes.11ft.out.   Sunday, June 20 View Page 1180pukos*1421stelts. 11,5ft. 5 lobes   Sunday, June 20 View Page 1058ghaye*1622young. 17ft. 5lobes.   Sunday, June 20 View Page 1622young plant today.   Sunday, June 20 View Page 1421stelts plant. 'GRIMBERGEN' is a belgian beer. If big enough consumer you get umbrella for free,Don...lol   Sunday, June 20 View Page Sprinklers running. 1180 plant likes it. In a week or two when biggest part of vines are burried i will switch to drip system.Got at least one female pollinated at each of my 4 plants now.   Wednesday, June 23 View Page 1622young*open. 5lobes. Perfect shape, 15ft. out. Used 1058ghaye males to pollinate, but when i went out to cover female yesterday i found out flower was allready opened a bit, enough for bees to get in, so it's open pollinated.   Wednesday, June 23 View Page Made a 'shade structure ' for my 1058 fruit this morning. Growing big pumpkins is tough job!   Thursday, June 24 View Page 1180pukos*1421stelts. 5 lobes. 13ft.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 1421stelts*1058ghaye.16ft. 4lobes.   Wednesday, June 30 View Page Fruit on the 1421stelts plant.Pollinated june 27.   Wednesday, June 30 View Page Fruit on 1180pukos plant.Pollinated june 20.   Wednesday, June 30 View Page Fruit on 1058ghaye plant. Pollinated june 14.   Wednesday, June 30 View Page Fruit on the 1622young plant. Pollinated june 23.   Saturday, July 3 View Page Fruit on my 1058ghaye plant. Day 10 : 17" circ. Day 20 : 59". Day 10 winter turned into summer here and fruit started to catch up.   Friday, July 16 View Page 1058 fruit is well over 300lbs.est. now.   Friday, July 16 View Page 1622young fruit. Interesting pumpkin , everytime i check it, shape is a little different.   Friday, July 16 View Page 1180pukos fruit.Shape is not to bad after all, and color's gonna be very nice.   Friday, July 16 View Page 1421Stelts. Didn't expect a white pumpkin from this seed.Not that i mind, only hope the weight will be what i expected, lol.   Tuesday, July 20 View Page My 'wheel' on the 1180pukos plant at 327lbs.est.at day 30   Wednesday, July 21 View Page 1058ghaye plant and pumpkin. In the back is the 1622young plant with pumpkin (under white sheet).   Wednesday, July 21 View Page A view under the leafcanopy of the 1058.   Wednesday, July 21 View Page 1180pukos and 1421stelts plants.   Wednesday, July 21 View Page 1421stelts   Saturday, July 24 View Page Day 40 for my 1058ghaye fruit. Est.weight is 533lbs. Gained 27 lbs./day this week.   Tuesday, July 27 View Page 1421stelts fruit on day 30. Est.wgt. is 394lbs.My biggest ever on day 30.Gaining about 28lbs./day. Finished last plant growth on this one today.First one of my 4 plants to fill it's assigned plot.   Tuesday, July 27 View Page Looks like my 1180 fruit could use some support. Will take action tomorrow.   Saturday, July 31 View Page 1421Stelts.Split into cavity.There was an internal crack running through blossum end.It's a shame , my fastest growing fruit ever and healthiest plant i ever seen.   Saturday, July 31 View Page 1058ghaye. Split into cavity.   Saturday, July 31 View Page 1622young.Split into cavity. 3 fruits down.. all same morning... And just now after all pruning was done , vines burried etc. Got to love this hobby.   Wednesday, August 4 View Page 1622young fruit had massive walls. Still can't get over it a very small internal crack near blossom end brought it down.   Saturday, August 7 View Page This is the last 'split pic' for this season i promiss!!!lol 1180pukos day 49.   Thursday, September 30 View Page Siemen with his fruit of the 1452Ghaye.   Saturday, October 2 View Page Belgian national weighoff today!   Saturday, October 2 View Page Good to see some big pumpkins again! Didn't see one since early august as mine all splitted.   Saturday, October 2 View Page 1344Berrens. Second place (608,5kg).This fruit was grown of a belgian seed: the 915Vanheuckelom(1041mckie*1231pukos) Pollinator was the 1566Rodonis(see next entry) .   Saturday, October 2 View Page 1444Leysen. First place . Congrats Jef ! 655kg must be biggest fruit ever in Europe grown without greenhouse. Seed was the 1566Rodonis, and males from this plant were used to pollinate the 1344Berrens from former entry.   Saturday, October 2 View Page Kasterlee growers club celebrating the victory!   Wednesday, October 13 View Page Herman Boonen took third place with this 1296lbs pumpkin.   Wednesday, October 13 View Page On October 9 we had or euro growers convention at Ludwigsburg, Germany. Here's my friend Andreas from Germany with the Finnish delegation.   Wednesday, October 13 View Page Our president obviously did like the german beer.   Monday, November 1 View Page Last weighoff in Belgium for 2010. Kasterlee . 130 pumpkins are waiting for being weighed.   Monday, November 1 View Page Top 10 ! Those weights are in Kg. Nr.10 , 460kg is 1014lbs. 25 pumpkins weighed in over 400kg.(882lbs). Jef Leysens's 1444 wasn't even there, it stayed in Germany after Euro weighoff. Belgian pumpkin power!!!   Monday, November 1 View Page Kasterlee growers club with the 1344Berrens.   Monday, November 1 View Page Jef Leysen had an awsome season : 881 lbs squash, his 1444 pumpkin, and yesterday he came up with this beautifull 1257lb'er of a 587Rupf seed. Michael Rupf's 587 was an 1385*1207 cross.   Monday, November 1 View Page Luc Vanheuckelom 's 1180pukos fruit weighed in at 1169,5lbs.