Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 41 Entries. Tuesday, June 15 View Page I wanted to start this year off with a thanks to Matt Debacco for all your help! Well we are off to another tough start this year. I wanted to grow my own seeds but after the cold and rain I have been forced to grow my backups! Now the backups are in bad shape from the wind and rain and ozone damage. Lets hope I can get some pollinations in 2 weeks and get the plants up to size! Still got some good genetics in the patch, lets see where they end up! Wednesday, June 23 View Page Patch overview. Thanks to Peter Rondeau for the 700 Rondonis backup plant. That is where the 1449.5 was to be grown but it was too cold here this spring. The middle plant is the 985 Werner where the 1385 was to be grown but I could not germinate it. The bottom plant is the 1421 Stelts where the 1116 was to be grown. Plants have small secondaries. About 11-14 ft out mains. Pumpkins coming. Two of these plants have split mains due to wind damage. Soil is dry this year so far. For some reason I can't post pics. Wednesday, June 23 View Page Picture of Patch Thursday, July 8 View Page Nothing to report here. Would be nice to have a 38-40 inch ten day number but I am just trying to get something pollinated on a main vine here! I may have one on the 1421 but it is real slow and round with a short stem...I may have one on the 985 but the first one rotted the second on is not laying down and a third on a 2ndary blew up...the 700 I can not get one on the main and will try my first set ever on a 2ndary I think since it is getting late! Wish everyone luck and I will post some pics when I get some pumpkins...on a side note I have lots of bugs this year... Tuesday, July 20 View Page Foaming stump on 985 Werner. Very aggressive plant but no pumpkins will set. I have some open pollinations that may have taken. One on the main was crossed with 1140 Stevens but they all seem to rot off after 6 days. Tuesday, July 20 View Page 700 Rondonis. I may have one finally set crossed with my 878 from last year. Looks to be a nice shape but has a short stem. It is finally laying down and still shiny around day 6. Tuesday, July 20 View Page Today will be day 20 for the 1421 Stelts. I have a wheel going. Growing good but with a short stem and falling over on it self. OTT = ? bigger then 1449.5 from last year Tuesday, July 20 View Page D 20 on the 1421 unibrow....217lbs est based on OTT. Wednesday, July 21 View Page Removed stump on 985 and first 2 secondaries. I cut vine until brown disappeared in the main vine. It would be nice to still get a porch pumpkin off this plant with a July 16th pollination and ofcourse the open pollinated ones. Wednesday, July 21 View Page looks as thjough we are entering the same weather pattern as last year, thunderstorms every couple of days. I have lost numerous leaves this afternoon as a whooper of a storm came through with a wall of water. It makes me upset after all the hard work that goes into this hobby. Friday, July 23 View Page D10 985 werner open pollination was 31 inches. I have a 7 day old 985 x 1140 stevens that i would rather grow because of the cross. But 31 inches is nice. Friday, July 23 View Page D11 700 rondonis open pollination was 36 in. Pretty good again. But these are full sized plants. I have a D9 on the main that is about 25 inches and crossed with my 878. So is it better to grow the big ones or the ones that are known crosses? Friday, July 23 View Page D23 1421. Stem stress is evident as pumpkin grows back on itself, main vine has crease marks in it from the rapid expansion of the pumpkin backwards. Pumpkin is chugging along and has averaged 35 lbs/day the last 3 days. It has been tough to maintain my spray schedule with this rain pattern. Monday, July 26 View Page 700 rondonis stump is now foaming. It was removed. I now have 2 stumpless plants. Rain everyday! Team Pumpkin patch tour. The guys got to see my small and odd shaped pumpkin. Friday, July 30 View Page Removed more of the 985 main vine from the foaming stump. Not much plant left. I am down to one pumpkin on the plant crossed with the 1140 stevens. I hope to get it to 30 days old to get some viable seeds from it. I still need to get the plant out of the garden area. Friday, July 30 View Page 700 Rondonis still has 2 kins. They are both growing at similar rates. Beautiful looking pumpkins with a full size plant and they are growing good. Too bad they are only around 14 and 16 days old... Friday, July 30 View Page Day 30 today for the 1421. I found a vine bore underneath it last night. Eating his way into the kin. Had wife apply some sulfur to intrusion site since my hand was too large. I hope it does not start to rot! I have enough to worry about with this bird bath. 40 lbs per day the last 9 days... Friday, July 30 View Page D30 1421 Tapes 309 OTT. I was told how to correctly tape the pumpkin by a GPC official taper. Friday, July 30 View Page 985 werner Friday, July 30 View Page 700 open. growing great but an open pollination. as you can tell the leaves are tall in my patch... Friday, July 30 View Page 700 x 878 traylor...main vine, growing well but too late Friday, July 30 View Page secret genetics plant, second biggest in patch... Friday, July 30 View Page patch picture...1421 is rising up above of the canopy... Saturday, July 31 View Page I also wanted to say thanks for Matt Debacco and Steve Sperry for stopping by to see the pumpkins. It is always nice to chat about kins in the dark....with head lamps;) Monday, August 2 View Page Culled the 700 rondonis open at 20 days old...it was hard to cut the vine on a fruit almost 200 lbs...I am going with my main vine selection... Wednesday, August 4 View Page D35 1421 still a bean bag but a big one. Taping 336.5 OTT. Lets hope she holds together. The blossum end is sinking in more and it is ribbing up and cantaloping already. 38.5 lbs avg the last 15 days. I am on vacation until the 16th of August and I do not know what to expect when I arrive back home....I have not watered this plant this season. Same place as the 1449.5 last year... Wednesday, August 4 View Page Secret genetics plant 351 lbs day 30...the 700 rondonis is is packing on the pounds and the 985 with a half sized plant is chugging along... Sunday, August 15 View Page Lost 1130 Jutras to BES and the 1421 to a pin hole rib split...nothing coming out of my patch this year...good luck everyone...I will get some pics and some numbers, 1421 was the biggest I ever had at such an early age...I hate vacations Monday, August 16 View Page 1130 Jutras Blossum end split. 650 lbs and it went 12% Heavy. Crossed with the 1385 Jutras. Remake of the 1116 Traylor. Very few seeds, maybe 20! 41 days old. Monday, August 16 View Page 700 Rondonis. Last decent thing growing in patch. But it is too late for it...I was gone for 10 days and plant looks like crap and soil is real dry. I will now focus on this and push it....maybe it will split too! Monday, August 16 View Page 1421 Stelts now the 1184 Traylor. 5% Heavy and only 46 Days old. Rib split and split under pumpkin. Not many seeds. Was crossed with 985 Werner. Fast growing, just not an ideal shape. Monday, August 16 View Page 1421 side veiw. Monday, August 16 View Page Landon and his comfy chair...now it is in a pile all cut up... Monday, August 16 View Page 1130 jutras cross section...small blossum split which is not noticeable here... Monday, August 16 View Page 1421 cross section. There was a split underneath too! Look at the meat in the shoulders and how far the stem was beneath... Monday, August 16 View Page 1421 Stem, no problems here...Perfect because it was out of site and out of mind! Tuesday, September 7 View Page 985 Werner split this weekend...dam TKO! 12 inch split along bottom of pumpkin...pop! Good cross though, 985 Werner x 1140 Stevens, no 1068 or 1385 in the background, yet.... Thursday, September 9 View Page 1421 Stelts...Open Pollination...Stem split...Been a great year... Tuesday, December 14 View Page 809 Traylor 2010, weighed in at Topsfield. It went light but was a nice shape and color and pollinated 3 weeks late. It went to the kids school for art class. 700 Rondonis x 878 Traylor Tuesday, December 14 View Page Loaded up and ready to go! Tuesday, December 14 View Page 985 Werner. Could not get one set on this plant. This one was about 40 feet and got to about 323 lbs and stopped and split. But nice shaped it was crossed with the 1140 stevens.