Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 59 Entries. Friday, July 23 View Page Patch overview on 7/17   Friday, July 23 View Page My 1695.5 on day 36, 322 OTT or 768 pounds. It has been averaging 59 lbs per day and it’s starting to kink the vine so it’s moving time. The mill fabric has sand and plywood beneath it so it slides easily with the come along.   Friday, July 23 View Page 1940 Urena on day 34. 319 OTT or 751 pounds. This one has been averaging 51 lbs per day for several days and was ahead of my 1695 until yesterday.   Friday, July 23 View Page 1940 Urena in the foreground and my 1695 in the back. I covered both fruits with blankets because the low will be 48 tomorrow morning. I am behind in burying the vines but they will all be terminated and buried soon.   Saturday, July 24 View Page 1940 Urena day 35 328 OTT. Gained 60 lbs over night and now weighs 811 lbs.   Saturday, July 24 View Page My 1695.5 on day 37 is now 329 OT, gained 50 lbs in 24 hours and weighs 818 lbs.   Tuesday, July 27 View Page My 1695.5 is 988 lbs on day 40 and has averaged 57 lbs a day for 10 days. OTT is 351.   Tuesday, July 27 View Page 1940 Urena on day 38 is 950 lbs, has averaged 50 lbs per day for 10 days and has an OTT of 346.5   Thursday, July 29 View Page The 1940 Urena on day 40 is 357.75 OTT or 1,041 lbs. Her average daily weight gain is down to 45.5 lbs for the last two days.   Friday, July 30 View Page 1695.5 in the foreground and the 1940 Urena in the back.   Friday, July 30 View Page Another shot of my 1695.5.   Friday, July 30 View Page The 1940 Urena in the foreground and my 1695.5 in the back.   Friday, July 30 View Page The 1940 Urena is a beautiful plant, somewhere around 750-800 sq feet.   Wednesday, August 4 View Page My 1695.5 on day 46 is 388 OTT or 1302 lbs. The average daily weight gain has averaging 55 lbs per day since day 30 and 61 lbs per day for the last 4 days.   Wednesday, August 4 View Page The GPC calculator stats for my 1695.5   Wednesday, August 4 View Page The 1940 Urena on day 44   Wednesday, August 4 View Page Picture of the 1940 on day 44.   Saturday, August 7 View Page Day 50 for my 1695.5 and she is 405 OTT or 1458 lbs. The daily gains are down to 39 lbs for the last 4 days so it’s time to really start feeding this monster. This is the fruit I have dreamed about for years. And after years of trying and failing but never giving up it’s hard to believe this is happening at all much less with my own seed. As exciting as it is to have two huge fruits this early, my anxiety level is on the same level as these two fruits. I have had multiple sleepless nights and nightmares of waking to find the fruit cracked open. There is a long way to go until weigh offs.   Saturday, August 7 View Page The 1940 Urena on day 48 is 392.25 OTT or 1340 lbs. Her daily gains are down to 29 lbs. for the last 4 days. It is my belief that this one will be heaviest in the end, if she makes it.   Sunday, August 15 View Page My 1695.5 on day 57 is 432.25 OTT or 1721 lbs. up 263 lbs since day 50 and an average of 37.5 per day for the week. Hard to believe this fruit has averaged 48.5 lbs per day since day 30. Between day 30 and day 50 it averaged 52 lbs per day.   Sunday, August 15 View Page Panoramic shot of the patch   Sunday, August 15 View Page 1940 Urena in the foreground on day 55 and she is 415.5 OTT or 1558 lbs. up 218 lbs this week and averaged 31 lbs per day.   Sunday, August 15 View Page And just like that she’s done. This morning there was a small pin hole in my 1695.5 and I packed it full of Captan, by this afternoon it was what you see in the photo and it’s all the way to the cavity. This is such a cruel sport. I knew the shape of this fruit and all it’s folds would create problems. Good thing I have the 1940 which has a better shape.   Wednesday, August 18 View Page 437 OTT on day 59. Hard to believe it did 12” between day 31 and day 32 or 76 lbs in 24 hours. She will be missed.   Wednesday, August 18 View Page It was razor thin where it split, it was only a matter of time.   Wednesday, August 18 View Page And this is how it ends.   Wednesday, August 18 View Page And then there was one, the 1940 Urena day 59 426.75 OTT or 1667.5 lbs. She averaged 28 lbs per day for the last 8 days.   Sunday, August 22 View Page 1940 Urena day 63 432.5 OTT or 1723 lbs.   Sunday, August 22 View Page Another view of the 1940 Urena.   Saturday, August 28 View Page 441” on day 68 or 1808 lbs. Since I last measured 5 days ago she has gained 85 lbs or 17 lbs a day. The leaves around the stump are showing some age but the rest of the plant, which is on new soil in the extended part of the patch, is looking good. I should have tissue test results on Monday. I wasn’t sure how it would work with a plant covering 2 very different soils, the new soil has great texture but the test results were nothing you would want with N and K off the charts. The salt levels were also high which isn’t surprising because it is left over from pot growers and was aged for 3-5 years in a giant pile. I had to water the hell out of it to flush the salts and I really need to be careful about fertilizing because the EC levels are probably high. If anyone knows of a good EC meter, email me please.   Wednesday, September 1 View Page Day 73 and 448.5 OTT. 39 days until the Nut Tree.   Wednesday, September 1 View Page Another shot of the 1940 on day 73. The leaves on the first 2 secondaries are showing their age and a 100 sq feet or more of the plant has leaves that like to lay on the ground inviting infections. But there is almost 800 sq feet of really healthy plant to help push this thing towards something really heavy.   Thursday, September 2 View Page Front view of 1940 Urena on day 73, she’s off the matt.   Thursday, September 2 View Page Stump of the 1940.   Thursday, September 2 View Page Another stump shot.   Friday, September 3 View Page   Monday, September 6 View Page Day 78 for the 1940 Urena and she is 455.25 OTT or 1951 lbs. Averaging about 14 lbs per day for the last 5 days. I purchased an EC meter and based on the readings of .33 mS/cm I increased the fertilizers in the nutrient tank.   Monday, September 6 View Page The 1940 at sunset.   Monday, September 6 View Page   Tuesday, September 7 View Page Most of the 1940 plant looks great and between putting down weed fabric and using new soil there are almost no weeds.   Wednesday, September 8 View Page   Wednesday, September 8 View Page   Wednesday, September 8 View Page   Wednesday, September 8 View Page   Wednesday, September 8 View Page   Sunday, September 12 View Page 462” on day 84. I last measured 6 days ago and she has increased almost 7” or 68 lbs. I would love for this to continue at just over 11 lbs per day until Nut Tree.   Sunday, September 12 View Page Front view of the 1940 Urena on day 84.   Saturday, September 18 View Page 466” on day 90. Only a 4” gain over the last 6 days so she is slowing down. It has been cool and overcast the last few days and the moisture meters are climbing so I am cutting back on watering. There is some PM on the plant and spider mites but it’s still healthy. I had to remove 6’ of the first secondary because it split open and turned to mush. I have also been treating other soft spots on the main and stem but they are all treatable with sulphur and fans and I think it is still possible to get to 480” in time for the Nut Tree.   Saturday, September 25 View Page 469.5” or 2096 Lb. on day 97. She is off the matt on the sides and there are 2 mats front to back and she would be off of a single 5’ mat so I will have to build a 6’x 6’ pallet to get her to weigh off. She only gained 3.5” in 7 days but I will probably gain an inch or two once on the pallet because the soil is compacted under the fruit it’s like a crater. She might make 480”, we shall see. I can’t even describe the feeling of having a fruit like this, it’s a fun ride. 19 days until Nut Tree.   Tuesday, October 5 View Page Monday was day 107 and she measured 473” or 2131lbs.   Tuesday, October 5 View Page 4 days until Nut Tree.   Tuesday, October 5 View Page I hope she’s intact underneath.   Tuesday, October 5 View Page I hope she’s heavy.   Tuesday, October 5 View Page I will miss this in my yard. Next year’s diary will include lawn care. But the drought that killed the lawn dried out the clay under my raised bed so it soaked up the water without getting to wet.   Friday, October 8 View Page Here is the first attempt at the lift and it almost ended in disaster. With the boom all the way out and without the stabilizers down, the back wheels of the gradall came off the ground and the blades almost came down on the fruit, and Russ Pugh who was helping me. With stabilizers down we were able to pick it up and I was relieved when the bottom was flat and in good shape. But the telescopic boom, extended to 35’ would not retract, even though it is rated to pick up 5,000 lbs at 40’. I moved the gradall closer and with the boom extended only 15’ I was able to lift and retract.   Friday, October 8 View Page The bottom was flat, with a little concave section in the middle that was 24’ wide and less than 1” deep with a black widow living in the center. It was an impressive site, the biggest flattest underside I have ever seen and between that and the gradall tipping over, I knew I had something heavy.   Friday, October 8 View Page Almost on the flatbed.   Monday, October 11 View Page Introducing the 2356 Booth 1940 Urena x 1695.5 Booth. The crew at the Nut Tree measured it at 470” so 12% heavy. I could not be happier and more grateful for an amazing season. There really is nothing more exciting than when a fruit really takes off like this and it is an honor to have won first place against the best growers around at an amazing weigh off. Thanks to Leonardo Urena for the seed.   Monday, October 11 View Page The top ten. Big shout out to Brian Myers for a great weigh off, it was really well done.