Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 49 Entries. Monday, March 5 View Page I have been getting some questions, so I decided to post these pictures. The 1501.5 Wagner was a 1317 Clementz x 1148 Wagner. The 1148 Wagner was a 359 Foss x self. The 1148 plant (used as the pollinator to grow the 1501.5) was used to grow several smaller decorating pumpkins. They were all orange, but I didn't get any pictures.   Tuesday, March 27 View Page A little behind on my shopping this year. So far I've got: New heating cable (note to self, don't try to yank them out like a weed this fall), 0-0-50, Copper sulfate, Zinc sulfate, Bio-tone starter plus, Agri-fos, Copper fungicide, Merit, Azos, Pumpkin Pro, Humic/Fulvic Still on the list: Pro-mix, peat moss, kelp meal, Eagle, gypsum, and some other odds and ends. Kim, my loving wife, if you somehow stumble upon this - each item cost about $2 each ; )   Thursday, April 12 View Page Spreading amendments tonight. Tilling Saturday! This year I went with: 7 lbs blood meal 14 lbs epsom salt 25 lbs espoma starter plus 20 lbs kelp meal 1.5 lbs copper sulfate 1 lbs zinc 50 lbs SOP 60 lbs gypsum 3 bales of promix BX + (Also will add boron when I find my borax)   Sunday, April 15 View Page Making progress. Soil cable installed and cold frame up.   Friday, April 20 View Page 2-3 gallons of promix bx+, 1 tablespoon Azos, 6 tablespoons pumpkin pro, and just enough water to barely squeeze a drop from one fistful. I soak seeds in peroxide and water for a few minutes then in warm water for 30min to 1 hour, dust with captan, stick them in the mix, and cover with plastic wrap. Simple but effective for me.   Friday, April 20 View Page It was a tough decision since I’m only growing one plant. Decided to try the 1971.5 Wolf. I like the cross. We’ll see if orange in my patch continues this year or not. Started two tonight.   Tuesday, April 24 View Page Fence up. Next is Shade netting for additional wind protection/privacy.   Thursday, April 26 View Page Green is good!   Saturday, April 28 View Page Gave the pumpkins a few hours of exposure outside today along with a small dose of half strength essential plus and companion. Also did some decorating in my man cave today.   Monday, April 30 View Page Too windy, so I’ll improvise. Going to wait out the next couple of days in the 80’s and look to transplant one of these into the patch soon after as I don’t want to risk cooking them in the cold frame.   Thursday, May 3 View Page One of these will be in the ground by Saturday. Slightly behind this year compared to years past   Saturday, May 5 View Page Transplant day!   Saturday, May 5 View Page About a week behind where I’d like to be, but nothing can be done about that now. 1971 Wolf   Saturday, May 5 View Page This year I’ve got an extra piece of shade cloth. I plan to roll it out on hot and sunny days while the young plant gets established.   Saturday, May 12 View Page Was a bit late in getting seeds started and plants in the ground, thus I am slightly behind last year but not by much. So my opinion currently is “so far, so good”   Tuesday, May 15 View Page Tornado warning...super.   Tuesday, May 15 View Page With a tornado warning and reports of downed trees in the area I was worried what I might find when I got home from work. Sorry Ted. I’m still in the game. No tornado today!   Thursday, May 17 View Page Beat thing you can do is try to replicate what you see in the diaries of top growers. Q-tip am I doing this right?   Friday, May 18 View Page Pretty decent for no sunlight since in what seems like forever.   Friday, May 25 View Page 20 days since transplant.   Monday, May 28 View Page Had to remove the end of the cold frame. Encouraging to see growth rate picking up now.   Thursday, May 31 View Page Secondaries are starting to kick into gear now. Having a few issues with some funky ribbon/double secondary vines that are a little hard to work with. Have dealt with it in the past and I’m hopeful it will grow out of it. Still not exactly where I hoped to be, but I’m pleased nonetheless.   Saturday, June 2 View Page Happy to see this. Too soon for me as my plant is too small yet, but good to see anyway.   Tuesday, June 5 View Page After reviewing pictures from last year I have to say I’m pleasantly surprised. The 1317 that grew my 1501 was only at about 5-6’ in length on June 6. This pic was taken on June 4 and the plant is about 9’ long. I leave for a week vacation on Friday so I have my work cut out for me in preparation and also when I return in tidying up the patch and getting caught up. Here’s your chance Ted and Jay. Just don’t get caught on the trail camera!   Tuesday, June 5 View Page Put down a drench last night consisting of cal-mag, companion, essential plus, humid/fulvic, a touch of epsom salt, and merit.   Thursday, June 7 View Page Sprayed eagle, bifen, and daconil last night. Found this guy today. Fried. At first glance I thought a dead cucumber beetle. Good. But further research leads me to believe this is a bean leaf beetle. Ok so a casualty of war, but no! Even more research shows they do feed on cucurbits. So good riddance!   Wednesday, June 20 View Page I am trying not to compare my plant to others’ but rather to my own plants from years past. So far I’m ahead of my past plants and thus I am happy. Pollinated 1971 x self this morning at 14’. 5 lobe. 63 degrees and cloudy. Also selfed one on a secondary. Another on the main within a week. Life is good.   Saturday, June 23 View Page Oh yeah!   Sunday, June 24 View Page Pollination on the main vine this morning. 1971 x self. 4 lobe. 16’. So I have this and one at 14’ pollinated on the 20th. Should come down to one or the other. For me, pollination is much earlier and plant size is much bigger than years past.   Sunday, July 1 View Page 1971 plant filling in nicely. Pumpkin seen in the picture is at 16-17’ DAP 7. Great position and has if I counted correctly 22 secondaries behind it. Plus I backfill the stump end with tertiaries. Hidden from view is a DAP 11 that is on the small side sitting around 14’. Just waiting a few more days to be confident the 16-17’ took. My gut says go with it but it’s difficult to cull down to just one.   Sunday, July 15 View Page DAP 20 for the 1971. I don’t have my records in front of me but I believe I am about a half-day behind my PB by DAP but ahead a couple days by the calendar.   Sunday, July 15 View Page Vine growth has slowed now that the fruit has picked up. Still some area left to fill in. The vines moving into this area are mostly swept forward from behind the pumpkin The late newer leaves will hopefully be the engine come September.   Wednesday, July 25 View Page Yesterday was DAP 30. I’m about 2.5 days behind my PB by DAP and about 1.5 days ahead by calendar. So I’m anxious to see what the next ten days bring. Had 9.8” of rain since Saturday with more forecast for today and Friday. Not good, maybe time to forget a weight goal and just hope to make it to the scales...   Monday, July 30 View Page Picture taken Sunday the 29th. Plant remains healthy, and the sunny weekend was helping dry things out a bit. Had almost 12” of rain last week. This is my biggest plant ever, and the leaves look even better in person, but it’s just not pushing the pumpkin like I thought it would.   Saturday, August 4 View Page Yesterday was DAP 40.   Monday, August 13 View Page 5” of rain last night. Raining like cats and dogs as I write this at 8pm. Probably at least another inch or two, but no idea when it will stop. This after having well over 12” just a few weeks ago, and plenty of small showers in between. Honestly i think any grower from central or eastern PA that grows outdoors and gets one to the scale will be lucky this year.   Monday, August 13 View Page Nothing like using a submersible pump in the low corner of your patch for the second time this summer. Water laying in spots I’ve never seen before!   Sunday, August 19 View Page 1971 dap 56   Thursday, August 30 View Page DAP 67. Rain, heat, and humidity trying to take their toll.   Monday, September 10 View Page Patch looking like a hobo camp. 4.5” of rain since Saturday. More to come. Trying my best to keep the pumpkin, the area around it, and some of the main dry. Well, dry-ish I should say.   Monday, September 10 View Page All too familiar view this summer. Since the third week in July I have done this as many times as I have watered.   Wednesday, September 12 View Page Ok. I am done complaining about the rain here. A wet pumpkin patch is nothing compared to what those in the hurricane path are facing. Stay safe folks.   Friday, October 5 View Page Loaded up! Always brings a sigh of relief.   Sunday, October 7 View Page 1652 Wagner (1971.5 Wolf x self) a personal best and my first heavy pumpkin at 4%. Placed second at Altoona behind Karl Haist’s 2005. Biggest PA grown at the weighoff.   Sunday, October 7 View Page My first attempt at tomatoes. First place at Altoona with 4.4 pounds off a 5.11 Dunn.   Friday, October 19 View Page Used my new (well new to me anyway) tiller to wrap up the season. Spread a thin layer of aged chicken manure across the whole patch, double tilled, and seeded with rye.   Sunday, October 28 View Page Took a drive down to Virginia to gather pumpkin seeds from the 1652   Sunday, October 28 View Page Very good seed count.   Sunday, October 28 View Page Good look at the bottom side.