Home What's New Message Board
BigPumpkins.com
Select Destination Site Search
 
Mehdi - 2015 Grower Diary Point your RSS aggregator here to subscribe to this Grower Diary.

Show Entries in

Grower Diary Menu
  Back to Previous Page
List Other Grower's Diaries
Submit to Your Own Diary

 
Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 113 Entries.
Wednesday, January 7 View Page
" J'ai mal pour ma France. Pour notre France. Pour notre Liberté." L'attentat contre Charlie Hebdo est une Horreur...nous sommes tous trés choqués. Grande pensée aux victimes et aux familles.
 
Monday, January 12 View Page
End of a horror week in France...20 innocents sont morts. "Belle leçon de Fraternité autour de nos valeurs que sont la Liberté et l'Egalité. Malgré l'épreuve, Marianne a soutenu puis relevé Charlie... Ces rassemblements, quels beaux symboles de reconnaissance envers toutes celles et ceux qui ont péri et aussi servi pour ces valeurs... Quel bel exemple de solidarité et d'amitié entre les Peuples aux yeux du monde. Vivent les Charlies ." JFG Vive la liberté d'expression et vive la France ! RIP
 
Monday, January 12 View Page
Nous etions quasi 4 Millions a défiler dans toute la France
 
Monday, January 12 View Page
sans parler des millions de gens a travers le monde.
 
Monday, January 12 View Page
De nombreux dirigeants ont fait le déplacement
 
Saturday, January 31 View Page
Grosses pensées a toi Soso en ce 31 janvier On pense fort à toi
 
Wednesday, March 11 View Page
Last week, during the right moon phase, I started tomatoes. Between 2 and 10 of each : Zaczilla 4.57 MacCoy 5.30 MacCoy 6.88 MacCoy 8.41 MacCoy 6.31 Osmala 5.80 Osmala 6.16 Fulk 4.62 Fulk 5.05 Fulk 7.10 Foss 6.16 Foss 5.84 Foss 4.80 Foss 3.24 Nieuwenhoff 5.16 Boudyo 5.85 Boudyo 5.20 Boudyo 6.83 Boudyo 6.57 Boudyo 7.45 Martin 5.11 Daho 5.29 Daho
 
Wednesday, April 8 View Page
OK, now all seedlings are doing well so here the final tomato line up : 4.57 MacCoy x 2 4.80 Foss x 1 Zaczilla x 3 8.41 MacCoy x 6 7.45 Martin x 2 5.11 Daho x 3 6.16 Foss x 5 5.07 Boudyo x 3 ! 6.57 Boudyo x 22 5.05 Fulk x 5 5.84 Foss x 3 4.62 Fulk x 3 5.29 Daho x 3 5.80 Osmala x 2 6.16 Fulk x 2 4.90 Nieuwenhoff x 2 7.10 Foss x 2 6.88 MacCoy x 2 5.30 MacCoy x 1 5.85 Boudyo x 10 That's 82 plants in total. Fingers crossed !
 
Saturday, April 11 View Page
Déjà 3 ans, on pense fort à toi Sohan.
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Brown Mustard, Hairy vetch and Urtica
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Another patch full of Hairy Vetch
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Mulching...
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
and tilled. The Biofumigant Gaz was so strong, I had to breath outside the tunnel a few times. That smell/action lasted a few days. Hope It'll work...
 
Sunday, April 12 View Page
Ismaël wanted to introduce all the tomatoes.
 
Monday, May 4 View Page
Our daughter is borned yesterday morning. Her name is Manon. She weighed 3.9kg for 51,5cm long. Such a great lifetime.
 
Thursday, May 14 View Page
76 Tomatoes transplanted. It was a lonnggggggggg day, very hot inside the tunnel (40°C), kneeling the whole day... 70cm spacing in all direction and about 80cm between the row. Some of them has some excellent root system, from memory the best were 5.05 Fulk, 4.62 Fulk, 6.88 MacCoy, 5.80 Osmala, 6.16 Foss, 6.57 Boudyo, 4.62 Fulk and 5.11 Daho.
 
Wednesday, October 28 View Page
Rumor of a monster tomatoe, 31" cc still fully green and growing... Be scared Dan, VERY scared ! ;-)
 
Thursday, October 29 View Page
A photo of that 31.5" green monster...
 
Friday, October 30 View Page
8.36lb Boudyo 2015 (Big Zac)
 
Friday, October 30 View Page
On the scale ! Congratulations Fabrice !
 
Wednesday, November 11 View Page
Thanks Fabrice ! Will try to make the following crosses : 8.41 MacCoy Bz x 8.36 Boudyo Bz 8.36 Boudyo Bz x 8.41 MacCoy Bz
 
Saturday, November 14 View Page
I have no words....just tears again
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Well, better late than never, I m back after a long and busy season. Didn't find time to publish much for different reason as family, work, kids etc...let's do it quickly. Had a good season, could have been better without bad surprises...
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
All pumpkin plants were beautifull
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Healthy plants
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I love when plants are looking like that.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Even the flowers stage was fine.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Ismaël posing with the 1985 Miller
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1744.5 Fulk
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
2032 Mathison
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Fulk
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1985 Miller
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
2032 Mathison
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1744.5 Fulk
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
2032 Mathison
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1985 Miller
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
2032 Mathison
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Ismaël sitting on the 1985 Miller
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
What's that ?!
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Everything was okay but one morning, disaster ! I discovered all tips, including mainvines tips, many leaves, stumps, vines damaged ...but couldn't find why ?
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
a true nightmare...all stumps looked the same...
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Mainvines too...
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I placed a camera and finally managed to see the culprit...during the nights coypus ( big diving rats) came Inside the polytunnels to have diners. I put traps with carrots and fresh Young pumpkin leaves Inside and caught them quickly. This one was 8kg !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
There were 2 big ones making the damages. I caught this huge one on the second day, a new pb coypu at 20lb dead !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
But it wasn't enough, voles were here too...
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Voles love eating vegetables roots.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I grew my own 1024 Squash from 2014. As you can see, a very nice plant
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Very good laterals, great leaves, a fantastic rooting system. I took these photos before the coypus damages...
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Fruit itself has a very nice shape.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
It was growing at a very good speed
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
About 2 days after coypus ate the stump, all tips and many leaves, it almost stopped growing... Every year since 2009, I take notes of ott/day, growth etc... all my pumpkins/squash are half final weight at day 45/47. That squash was taping 671lb at day 45...so was expecting 1300lb+
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
But voles/coypus damages were too much for it. It sat on the patch up to the National weigh off day and weighed 929lb 12% heavy. Very very sad, was on track for a big specimen. At least I know now it has a good potential. 996 Haist x Self can't be wrong I imagine. Will plant it again next year.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1744.5 Fulk at the Weigh off
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
It weighed 1367lb Cross is 1744.5 Fulk X Self
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I won with 1505lb. Cross is 2032 Mathison X 1744.5 Fulk. As I said earlier, half final weight is day 45/47. It was taping 1015lb at day 45...I hate COYPUS !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Enjoying that moment
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
1985 Miller weighed 1320lb Cross is 1985 Miller X 1744.5 Fulk
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Voles were also present in the watermelon patch and did the same roots damages. Rabbits and coypus were eating vines, leaves and even the fruits !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
at the show
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
100.6lb for the best one. 231 Kent X Self
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
In the same patch, I planted the 127 Martin fieldpumpkin. I was a beast ! really fantastic plant with a stump almost as big as a atlantic giant. I pollinated a nice female on the mainvine. It started to grow at a super speed but a week later, rabbit ate it as all the others fruits.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
at the show
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
weighed 104lb on small lateral. Same damages as pumpkin plant :-(
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I grew 76 tomatoes this season.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
76 nice plants. Average weight during the summer was about 1.2kg.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
This is the 5.85 Boudyo. It produced my best one at 5.04lb with almost no cares. Fabrice grew his 8.36lb off the same seed ;-)
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
4.62 Fulk single bloom
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
4.62 Fulk at 4.42lb
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Léane and Ismaël with 4.42Lb and 4.38lb off another 5.85 Boudyo
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I struggle every year to get a decent long gourd. This season I had about 7/8 over 120" , couldn't believed it ! This is the best one at 130". European champion and new National record. Could have been longer without voles... Cross is 137.5 Ansems X Self
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
The root system was massive !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
There were millions of tiny little white roots hairs everywhere. I used planty of myc 4000 and 800.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
I love growing giant bell peppers.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
525gr is in the top 10 of the world. Not too bad for the first one of the season.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
But That specimen was very promising
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
It had a HUGE stem !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
It went 591gr. Second heaviest all time. Extremely glad !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
It doesnt look big but it's way thicker than the standard bell Pepper.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Check the thichness compared to classic peppers.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
And they are very tasty !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
In 2011, I grew a nice one at 584gr, at this time, that was the WR. In 2012, WR jumped to 620gr. This season, I stopped at 591gr. Will try again next year !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Almost again....10 pin again....grrrr
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Onion
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
at the show
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Best leek went 3.55kg with no cares.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
at the show.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Won both classes
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
almost again !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
Finally, I found time to fish last week. Winter Carp fishing is generally tough but weather is not bad at all. 15°C in daytime and 7°C at night. Fish are still feeding. 36lb Mirror.
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
43.8lb mirror
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
A stunning 43lb common, put a very good fight !
 
Thursday, December 31 View Page
37lb
 

 

Top of Page

Questions or comments? Send mail to Ken AT bigpumpkins.com.
Copyright © 1999-2024 BigPumpkins.com. All rights reserved.