Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 51 Entries. Tuesday, May 6 View Page Im off an running. I soaked my seeds on May 3 and all were up on Monday May 5. Havent stared melons yet. I planted my seeds in gallon pots and now just waiting for the seed to emerge. Friday, May 9 View Page The garden is ready. Tuesday, May 13 View Page Finially got a chance to apply Bayer T&S on the 10th. The patch is ready. Im hardening off my plants now. I also started my watermelons, soaked and paper towel today. Here's a pic of the pumpkins..they sure look good and also a picture of my maters and peppers ready to go! Tuesday, May 13 View Page My pumpkins... Thursday, June 12 View Page Here is what my 1018 looks like on June 4, looks good Id say. Friday, June 20 View Page My 275 Van Hook on June 4 Friday, June 20 View Page My 907 on June 4... Sunday, June 22 View Page Been out of town for 6 days, and returned home to hail damaged plants. Im sure they will survive. Placed some boards for walking and saw a SVB, was time to spray anyways..hopefully he/she didnt get me. Also applied some fertilizer and watered some in the evening. Expecting rain, but the rain usually goes around our piece of heaven. Sunday, June 22 View Page My two cabbage plants look like they got some hail damage also. Altho it could be bugs, but no evidence. These seeds were given to me by PeaceWayne. Sunday, June 22 View Page Started my watermelons May 12, planted out in the garden on May 23, 2008. 202 White, 197.5 Mudd, 146 James and the 207 Brinkley. If all goes well, hoping for some size. Sunday, June 22 View Page 197.5 Mudd watermelon Sunday, June 22 View Page The 146 James...hope is the gardeners prayer. Sunday, June 22 View Page 207 Brinkley...another good en. Sunday, June 22 View Page Here the rest of the garden, beans, maters, peppers, sweet taters and cukes and corn. Planned on more, ran out of seeds and time. So reckon the weeds will do their thing, unless I plant a cover crop...hey good idea. Thursday, June 26 View Page Here is the patch on June 21. Today June 26, and I finially broke down and watered the garden, havent had any rain to speak of. Ive pruned off the tertiary vines yesterday and buried some secondary with some mycro. I have marked my females with the date I first saw them and am awaiting the day to pollinate. I also applied the second spray of Imiclor (sp) and will probably foliar spray later today and respray some triacizide for good measure. The plants look wonderful, I think. Just waiting for an open female in the right spot. Saturday, June 28 View Page This is my Van Hook 881 and Ive noticed this on a couple of the leaves. Any ideas what it is? Could it just be wind damage? HELP! Saturday, June 28 View Page Today I pollinated two plants, 275 and 907 Van Hook. I used males from the 275, since that what was on hand yesterday when I picked males and covered ready females. The Green Goblin came thru for me on picking males the night before and covering females. I used cheesecloth on the females and what a sight when I took the cloth off..POP open is what they did. Both are about 12-15 feet on the main vine on each plant. Im hoping to finially get my 907 to set some males and pollinate the 1018. Four plants are lots of work, cant belive one year I grew 11 plants, what was I thinking. But then I was growing for fun. Here a pic of the whole patch. Saturday, June 28 View Page Cabbage plants are really growing and looking good. Notice the coffee can in the middle. Sunday, July 6 View Page Well, I finially found a melon in my patch. Not too much to speak of and kind of funny shape, but its there. Its on my 146 James. I also have some small ones on the 207 Brinkley and 197 Mudd. Gave everyone a good dose of Neptunes before the rain. We've had lots of rain so my watering will be little this week, thank goodness. My pumpkins look great, of the 4, three has pumpkins growing and Im waiting on the last one. I did pollinate that particular one but broke off the blossom, dont think it took. Thursday, July 10 View Page Here my 146 James watermelon..hope you can find it in the picture. We ve had lots of rain, good for the melons, once the rain stopps I will be culling the little ones. Friday, July 11 View Page Here is a first for me..This male flower is off the Van Hook 1018. I never seen this before, mutant. Friday, July 11 View Page Here is a current picture of my patch. I finially pollinated the 881, that was the one that I knocked off the blossom when I tried to pollinate before, better late than never. We'll see what happens. Friday, July 11 View Page Opps forgoto to download pic. Sunday, July 13 View Page Yesterday I worked on trimming vines but really couldnt get into the patch to check the pumpkins. Today I couldnt take it no longer and look what I found. Am I in trouble. This is my best so far. The stem is real short and it looks like its cracked on the right..can you see it..Now what do I do?? Tuesday, July 15 View Page Yesterday, I adjusted the pumpkins some and made sure the main vine was loose, propped it up and I will wait and see a day or two and make a decision. The stem looks bad, I think but Its growing so well, I cant hardly think I may have to cull it. I will be putting some fungicide paste on it today. So any more commments on this please email me, all advise is welcomed. Other than this one pumpkin on this particular plants the other three plants look great and all have a pumpkin growing. So its not a total loss. Thursday, July 17 View Page This is the weirdest pumpkin shape I ever seen. Not sure if something is wrong or what. Thursday, July 17 View Page I decided the best thing to do with my damaged stem was to cull the pumpkin. I made the final cut today and will try to get it out of the patch tomorrow. The one on the end is doing well and measures 32" for day 12. So all is not lost, just a good lesson. Thursday, July 17 View Page My 275 Van Hook is growing great, day 13 41 1/2" crossed with 1018 VanHook. Thursday, July 17 View Page My 146 James...looking gooood. Its in the front, the other two are on a different plant. Wednesday, July 23 View Page My plants are doing wonderful, but then again Im sorta new to this whole craziness. Working on getting up my shade stuctures and will be taking some pics soon. Watermelons are really growing. We have had good rain and havent had to suppliment much. My 275 Van Hook is about 200 lbs!!! Sunday, July 27 View Page Here the giant sunflowers from PeaceWayne. They are huge. Its me in the picture with my husband. Sunday, July 27 View Page My 146 James, 114 OTT...looking good Sunday, July 27 View Page 197 Mudd, measures 152 OTT..106 lbs. Hope it makes it to Nancy. Gotta save some face, last year I was last, this year..who knows... Sunday, July 27 View Page I have worked quite hard for this nice one. Its about 150 lbs and hope it will keep up. Time will tell. I have kept up with the fertilizers, compost tea, insecticides and now fungicides, shade cloth, bottom protection and vine trimming. Its a 1018 Van Hook. Thursday, July 31 View Page Finially got a chance to get in the patch. Have had rain for two days, total for month 4.l4". I noticed this on my one pumpkin..am I in trouble. I'll be putting some captan on it tomorrow morning. Any comments, please . Wednesday, August 6 View Page Ive been so deligent spraying fungicides that I cant hardly believe this is powdery mildew...is it? I noticed it yesterday when I was spraying insecticides and I sprayed some Soap Shield today, I wasnt due till Friday. Wednesday, August 6 View Page My VanHook 1018, its about 108" day 30. Thursday, August 7 View Page The VanHook 275 with the stem split. Growing and stem split hasnt increased. Measures 105" circumfrence on day 40. Wednesday, August 13 View Page Had a chance yesterday to make a trip to the big city and found some Imunox for my downy mildew problem, will be spraying tonite. I have done all I can within my powers to grow a slunger. My 1018 is really doing well, the one with the split stem is now split all the way thru to the other side of the stem, like I fileted it, but didnt. My foaming stump has stopped foaming and now is in three seperate pieces and the pumpkin is still growing. Must be the vines doing the work. Wednesday, August 13 View Page Here is the VanHook 907, day 40, 193 OTT. Weird pumpkin, the males were leathery and no stamen. Wednesday, August 13 View Page My VanHook 1018, looks good to me, 282 OTT, day 35, may not make it to 1000 but you never know. Wednesday, August 13 View Page My watermelon is doing great! Circumfrence is 74 and Im hoping for more. Its a 197.5 Mudd...Im just tickled pink. Wednesday, August 13 View Page The VanHook 881 is growing full speed ahead. Even tho the stump foamed up, split in three ways, its still gain 20 lbs a day..its something else. Day 30 106 CC. Monday, September 1 View Page Here is my VanHook 1018 on August 23, still growing but not turning orange any time soon. Monday, September 1 View Page My 197 Mudd doing quite well..about 160 give or take. Friday, September 19 View Page Here is the VanHook 1018, soon to be named Fraley. Weigh off Saturday and loading up today. Friday, September 19 View Page My watermelon, ready to be loaded into the truck,its in my wagon. Im very proud of this one and hope to make a good show at the weigh off. Monday, September 22 View Page Here is a pic of the Kentucky Mafia, at least two of them, I believe Andy Wolf is in trouble. lo Monday, September 22 View Page Here I am with my now Fraley 644. Boy it was lots of fun at Nancy, everyone was a winner! Tuesday, October 28 View Page This is how we cut our pumpkin here in Whitley County, KY Thursday, December 11 View Page Here we are, Croley Bend and her hubby, Dave. Tall sunflower!