Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 54 Entries. Friday, May 21 View Page Here's my set up for 2010. Got some plants going. A couple of them look pretty good. A couple of them don't look so good..The rest are fair to middlin'. I'm not gonna bore you with pics of them all. At this point my strongest grower is a 1421 Stelts 09. It's down and starting to run. Friday, May 21 View Page Got all the modern equipment...loaded for bear. Friday, May 21 View Page Hope I don't end up with skunk. Friday, May 28 View Page Was it simply coincidental that I took down my cold frames 24 hours before a hail storm? Or is the great pumpkin spirit trying to tell me something? Tuesday, June 8 View Page Got 9 plants going...what have I been drinking? Everything is a little behind from past years at this time. Hopefully all the windstorms and hail are finished for the year around here. This is a 1015 Zoellner 08 plant. Tuesday, June 8 View Page This here is a 664 Liggett 03 (Alpha). Did I mention that I have 9 plants going in a secret location 40 miles from my home...what have I been smokin'? Tuesday, June 8 View Page Here's my second 664 Liggett (Beta). I feel the 664 is the best seed to ever come out of southern Ohio. Had to try my hand at growing it before the few seeds that are left are gone...my plan is to sib it. Wednesday, June 9 View Page Oh no! I don't like this sign. Friday, June 11 View Page On the left here we have a 1566 Rodonis 07 and on the right yet another 664 Liggett. Dilemma...Do I cull one and waste great genetics? Should I grow them in a flag pattern and let neither of them reach full potential? Or...do I go with Bodene's Jungle Pattern? The Jungle Pattern allows the secondaries to overlap , giving both plants a normal allocation of space. They just have to share some dirt. In order to prune and weed, it requires a hammock and a stocked cooler tied to the front end loader of John Deere. While laying face down on the hammock, my tractor operator postions me over the plants and lowers me to about 18" from the ground. Here I'm in perfect postion to weed, prune, spray without compacting the soil or breaking any vines. When I get an area finished, I just pop a cold one, get one the cell phone to my tractor driver and he moves to a new spot. Friday, June 11 View Page This here is a 1119 McMullen 06. Pretty nice plant considering it's in my inept care. Friday, June 11 View Page It's too early for this! I'm not ready. Monday, June 21 View Page What happened to my plants? Would sure like some experienced growers to email me with any thoughts. Thanks Tuesday, June 22 View Page I rowed my way out to the top secret patch this morning hoping to impregnate any open females. Tuesday, June 22 View Page When I found one of my little babies already training for the pumpkin regatta. Bless her heart! Tuesday, June 29 View Page When Mother Nature dishes out her witchy curses we can quit or we can give her the finger and do the best we can. My little "Regatta" has a lot of drive and determination and I'm taking her cue and giving it 100% come hell or high water. Here she is on day 12. She's on the 1119 McMullen x 664 Liggett. Tuesday, June 29 View Page 664 Liggett(beta) x Sibling Day 13 Tuesday, June 29 View Page 1015 Zoellner x 1421 Stelts (Beta) Tuesday, June 29 View Page 1421 Stelts (Beta) x 664 Liggett(Alpha) Day 13 also Wednesday, June 30 View Page If I could grow pumpkins as well as my Pop grows corn, I'd have an orange jacket. Tuesday, July 13 View Page Haven't had much time for the diary - too busy in the patch. I'll post when I can. Here's the current queen of the patch "Regatta" on day 26. She's a survivor and appears to be developing into a "Caucasian Queen". Tuesday, July 13 View Page Here's the 1421 Stelts (beta) x sibling -day 24 This pump is growing on my biggest plant with monster vines and leaves. We'll see if that translates into a monster pumpkin. I like the color of this one and it has really been ramping up the gains over the past week. Tuesday, July 13 View Page I'm growing two 1421 Stelts plants this year. What isn't to love about that seed. Huge, heavy genetics and the chance for true orange color got me excited. Here is my 1421 Stelts (alpha) x 664 Liggett on day 26. Tuesday, July 13 View Page Here's my 879 Zoellner x 1421 Stelts (alpha). This is being grown for color and it looks like it won't disappoint. Wednesday, July 14 View Page This is my 1015 Zoellner x 1421 Stelts (Alpha) on day 28. I've had some good early growth on my pumps but I'm not optimistic. My plants have been subjected to overly wet soil for far too long to expect longevity. In fact, I've got a lot of tired looking leaves already. Fungicides are good, but they aren't miracles workers. Thursday, July 15 View Page Meet "Koko" on day 29. She's 664 Liggett x sibling. Koko seems to be enjoying the 90+ degree weather a lot better than her handler. I was weeding in the heat of the day and kept getting attacked and bitten by a horsefly. I couldn't figure out how to get rid of it - man they hurt. Against better judgement, I sprayed myself with Warrior and that did the trick - no more horsefly. But I then started to hallucinate and Koko began to look like an ice cold watermelon. Luckily my mother took the knife away before I could carve into her. Tuesday, July 20 View Page 1015 Zoellner went to Blossom End Split Heaven last night on day 33. My soil is loaded with calcium, so I suspect a genetic weakness - I didn't like the blossom end of that pumpkin from early on. Oh well, that's one less plant to weed. My top three in order at day 30 are: 1)Koko (664 Liggett) 2)Regatta (1119 McMullen) 3)1421 Stelts - she's coming on strong and I expect her to take first this week. I wonder if I grew a personal best on this seed if Mr. Stelts would be kind enough to send me another seed this winter? Tuesday, July 27 View Page New patch, but the same dreaded foamy stump demon has followed me here. Amputated the stump and main with the first four side vines of "Regatta"-the 1119 McMullen. She was sitting at 321" OTT on day forty, but will be fading fast now. Wednesday, July 28 View Page This is "Sookie" at day 40. Sookie is the 1421 Stelts x sibling. She's now the undisputed patch leader and is pulling away from the pack. Wednesday, July 28 View Page At 337" OTT, she's the fastest growing pumpkin that I've ever had. This plant is a great combination of aggression, size and most importantly, health. She survived some pretty awful wet spring weather and has thrived when other plants have folded. Wednesday, July 28 View Page It's now impossible to do a circumference measurement without tape to hold it in place. Thursday, July 29 View Page It never ceases to amaze me how these plants can go from a two cot seedling to this in 90 days. Monday, August 2 View Page Another week in the 90's forecasted here with a high of 96 degrees on Wednesday. This is a very humbling hobby. Wednesday, August 4 View Page Day 47 for "Sookie"' 362" OTT Grow Baby Grow! Tuesday, August 10 View Page Grady Winchester b: 6-17-09 D:08-07-10 Lost my only grandchild and my best buddy in a tragic accident over the weekend. He was the sweetest and happiest boy in the world. God, I'm going to miss him. Kind of puts foamy stumps, BES, aborted pumpkins in perspective. Don't take this hobby so seriously that you don't take time for the ones you love. Tuesday, August 10 View Page This is my tribute pumpkin to Howard Dill this year grown of my 879. It was Grady's. I planned to take some nice photos of the two together after harvest. That day will never come now. Thursday, August 26 View Page Here's the 1421 Stelts x 664 Liggett (Beta). She's taping right at 1000 lbs and chugging along very slowly. She's Sookie's little sibling and also her pollinator - we create some weird relationships in the pumpkin world! Thursday, August 26 View Page "Regatta" place 3rd at the Indy Fair weigh off. She weighed 1050 and was 17% heavy- pretty good for growing on an amputated plant. Regatta is a 1119 McMullen x 664 Liggett. Thursday, August 26 View Page I planted a couple of field pumpkin seeds that I bought from OVGPGA. I'm not growing them for competition -just for fun. I didn't know they split at the blossom end. Saturday, August 28 View Page Cross section of "Regatta" ,now the 1050 Zoellner '10 Saturday, August 28 View Page "Sookie" on Day 70 C 183" SS 112" EE 106" Total 401" OTT Averaged 10 Lb/day for the last 5 days Saturday, August 28 View Page Got Orange! Off the 879 Zoellner Tuesday, September 28 View Page 1122 Zoellner '10 (664 Liggett x sib) 1rst place @ Bear Wallow, KY Tuesday, September 28 View Page 1198 Zoellner '10 (1421 Stelts x 664 Liggett) 1rst place @ Henslers, IN. Wednesday, October 6 View Page This was Sookie's last day on the vine. Wednesday, October 6 View Page Another angle before being loaded for the Canfield Weigh-Off Wednesday, October 6 View Page The plant and main vine are in great condition for a plant that is so old. Wednesday, October 6 View Page Here she is loaded and ready to go. Wednesday, October 6 View Page Here I am with my new Volkswagon. Wednesday, October 6 View Page My Father inlaw. Tuesday, October 12 View Page Here's my 879 before being lifted with my inline scale. She weighed an impressive 1070 lbs. After deducting 10 lbs. for the strap lifter, I'm calling her the 1060 Zoellner 2010 EST. She was pollinated with the 1421 Stelts that produced my 1198 fruit this year that placed 1rst @ Hensler's Nursery weigh off. Tuesday, October 12 View Page I got about 200 seeds out of her. One will be seeing dirt in the "orange" section of my patch next year. Monday, October 18 View Page Wow! What I ride it was this year. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect to win the prestigious Canfield Weig-off when I tilled my patch last spring..didn't even cross my mind. Monday, October 18 View Page I really want to thank John Vincent of Ontario and Dan Bowles of Wisconsin for taking a look at my soil test last winter and giving me pointers. Dr. Bob Liggett, Nick and Christy Harp gave tirelessly of themselves last winter and gave very informative presentaions at the Southern Ohio and Indiana Growers meetings. Thanks - I paid attention in class and studied your handouts. I also want to thank Tom Privitera of Extreme Pumpkin and Joel Holland for bringing me the best patch products in a very timely manner. Monday, October 18 View Page When we lost our little guy in early August, I was about to pack it in and call it a season. Looking back though, working in the was probably what kept me sane. I can't help but believe that a higher power must have heard some prayers that went up from the pumpkin growing community. No other way to explain why that thing was putting on 25+ lbs/day in the middle of one of our hottest most humid Augusts in memory. I want to particularly thank our King from Greene, Rhode Island and our Queen from Massillon, Ohio for their prayers and support during our tragic loss.