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Taber, Alberta

Is it me, or is everyone in the province getting really cold, crappy weather? The past 10 days have been downright frigid and the past few nights, I could see my breath in the patch and needed gloves to do some work. Since my split on my 716 at 400lbs last week, I've been suffering with 3-4 pounds a day on my farm pumpkins and will be lucky to hit 200lbs this year. I'm getting ready to give up and call it a year. Is there anyone having better luck?
Alan

8/20/2005 1:13:21 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Alan, I guess you are the only Alberta grower out there!? I understand your misfortune and lived it last year when I was "expecting" a banner year only to nurse along a 252 lb fruit to our weigh-off.

I think of you each time I take a pic in my patch and will hoist a nice cold one for you each time.

Hopefully next years band tour will bring you to my area and we can do our best to get together.

Regards/Glenn

8/27/2005 8:33:18 PM

Taber, Alberta

Thanks Glenn for the kind words. I need to take some pictures and update my diary, but there's not much really to brag about, other than my fall rye germinating. Maybe it is the weather, maybe it was the 14 yards or so of mushroom compost we stuck in the farm patch. I've got 2 in my farm patch, the 913 Perez (842 Eaton x 1097 Beachy) and the 895 Hester. They should produce something nice. No. It's slow and painful. One of my biggest pumpkin out there, isn't even an AG! My field pumpkins, the "Phantoms", which only get around 20-25 pounds, has one pushing 60lbs. So obviously, it likes the soil. I'm just soooo confused. I'm getting a soil test done this week to see if it's the cause.

Sorry Glenn, 2006 is a smaller trip year, probably to Edmonton or something a little closer to home, but spring of 2007 we have Vancouver scheduled, so I'll try to arrange some time in April/May to dump the kids with the chaperons and we can have a cold one. I'm looking forward to it.
Alan

8/27/2005 11:07:33 PM

Lloydminster/AB

I am a little late on this thread but holy cow did we get some rain! Close to 10 inches with 7 or 8 over one night. It has been nice now for a couple of days but we are sill running pumps. I gave up and yanked two plants and when I dug up the cables water flowed into the hole. The water table is only ten inches down. If it doesn't dry up alot that patch will be unusable next year. It is hard to believe that three years ago we had 1 inch of rain all summer. Now we get rain by the foot!

One more year like this and I might consider an apology to Mother Nature but right now I am still fighting!

8/29/2005 7:29:41 PM

Abbotsford, B.C

I will let you in on a little secret; it's been cold up in central Alberta too but it hasn't stopped all of the growers. I know when I talked to my friend Gerry Groten last he had one on pace to beat the Alberta record, and you can bet your boots the Lobays will have a contender, cold weather or not.

Cameron

8/29/2005 11:27:03 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Also late on this one. It's been challenging at best this year. I'm now down to half my plants. And nothing too spectacular. As Don said, measure the water by the foot. temperature swings have been brutal. We had a light frost a week ago. 30 degree C this weekend and soaking wet groung. one thing for sure, any soil diseases we have sure will get frozen out this winter, Also PM has showen up. My watermelons have turned black so I pulled them.
Only 8 months untill we start again
Eddy

8/30/2005 12:21:16 AM

Edmonton, Canada

Hey Eddy, tell me about temperature swings... It was 30 celcius here on Sunday, and then on Monday, I actually saw a few snow flakes. We had a low of 4. Yikes.

You know what they say, if you don't like tha Alberta weather, just wait 5 minutes.

Hey Don, my parents live in Vermilion. I hear it's been brutal in Eastern Alberta.

8/30/2005 10:19:14 AM

Taber, Alberta

Does anyone know what Ernie's got under those tarps on his webcam? Ernie, you out there? Yes, I am fishing, but no, I've got nothing even remotely competative to offer at Smoky, other than the watermelon that is the size of a cucumber. A new personal best on watermelons every day I look at it grow. My biggest pumpkin has an OTT of 358.........sorry, that's 358cm, not inches, but it does look impressive when you look at it that way.

Alan

8/30/2005 4:23:52 PM

Taber, Alberta

Hey Smitty, I checked out your weather on the net and it says you guys hit zero twice this month. I can't complain then, I've only been down to 1 degree once in August, but lots of 4's and 5's. That's just too cold for what we need. Next year, I think I'll build an igloo instead of a hoophouse.

8/30/2005 4:28:12 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Just for the Record, I have one on the 842 Eaton, it is 37 days old and weighs and measures 482 lbs. But I have one on the 810 Dill that is 12 days ols and its circ is 34 inches. The plant is young and 31 more days so who knows. I also have 2 Squash, One 300 lbs and another at 250 lbs.
Still going to Smoky. Alan pick one up on your way through to Smoky LOL

Eddy

8/30/2005 6:10:18 PM