Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 79 Entries. Saturday, January 3 View Page I bet Ken and John didn't know they were sponsering a car in Nascar Racing 2003 this year...Don't look for big things from this team, the driver grows pumpkins and paints cars better than he drives...   Monday, January 5 View Page Well, things just keep looking better and better for the upcoming year. The wife secured 20 pickup loads (yes, 20) of shrimp and lobster compost that is 2 yrs old...free, with delivery. Also secured all the shrimp shells I want from this years shrimping season..The patch that the 906 was grown in was supplimented with 12" of shrimp shells 2 yrs before I got ahold of it... The roadblock is growing for the Berard freight train every day...More details to follow in the coming months..   Sunday, March 7 View Page Testing the new germination box. The box is 48"L x 21"H x 12"D. It is completely lined with 1/2" foil-faced foam insulation. The heat source is 3-40 watt bulbs under a hardware cloth shelf. The heat is deflected just above the bulbs to help with better convection inside. Lights are controlled by a 110v chicken coop thermostat by Honeywell. It has a little more temperature swing than I really would like but it stays pretty close to a constant 85 degrees.   Sunday, March 7 View Page A little closer look at the germ box.   Sunday, March 7 View Page Simple wiring layout with everything wired in series.   Sunday, March 7 View Page Thermostat with cover off.   Sunday, March 7 View Page 1/2" hardware cloth shelf allows for free-moving air flow, and it's cheap.   Sunday, March 7 View Page The 'Celetex' insulation was about $9 for a sheet and did the whole box inside. Stuck it on using 'liquid nails'. Worse part was trying to get the foam on the cover in the right place so it would close without restriction.   Sunday, March 7 View Page Heat source is 3 porceline light fixtures mounted on metal boxes with 40 watt bulbs. The bent metal flashing deflectors help prevent 'hot spots' on the shelf above and encourage air flow through convection.   Sunday, March 7 View Page All total the box cost me about $35, however, the thermostat was donated and I had the plywood/aspenite that I used to make the box. I currently have 3 407 Clark 2003 seeds inside that have been in the box for about 38 hours. They were soaked for 3 hours, then placed in wet papertowels, put in ziplock bags and placed in the box.. We'll see tonight if we got any action...   Sunday, March 7 View Page Update on the seed's progress... I was off a bit in my last post. The seeds had been in the box for 36 hours and I decided to check them after I made the last diary entry, all 3 of the 407 Clark 2003 had sprouted with the best root being 3/4" long. Guess it works..hehe I started soaking another batch of misc. seeds about 30minutes ago, we'll see how this goes.   Sunday, April 25 View Page -Lineup for 2004- Primaries: 1260 Weir 712 Kuhn 906 Clark 1027 Hopkins Backups: 986 Companion 837 McCallum 906 Clark 1027 Hopkins All the backups but the 906 have homes if not needed.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Season began at 7:30am today. Filed all 8 seeds and placed in warm water with 10 drops of seaweed solution to soak for 2 hours. At present they are all lined up soaking in cups placed in the germination box.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Semi-portable greenhouse over the main patch to be used early, late and in the event of hail or heavy rain. I think I went a little bit Nesbitt with this thing, but if it helps in September it was worth the aggrevation. There is also a hoop house inside heating the planting site.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Patch 2 where the 712 will go. Nothing new here from last year except the new hoophouse similar to one used last year and this year in the main patch.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Closer look at the hoophouse. 6 pcs. of rerod (price has doubled from last year), 3 pcs. of 1/2 plastic conduit, plastic and 15 big binder clips. Sturdy as a rock and you can fold the flaps down from the top on either end for ventilation.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Patch 3. The 1027 Hopkins will go on the far end and my 906 on the near end, approx 300 sq ft per plant. Coldframes are same as last year, just recovered. This patch has had 200 lbs of coffee, 5 yds of compost, 2 loads of manure and 2 truckloads of shredded leaves since fall. Also added sprayed all three patches liberally with molasses yesterday.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Little better angle of the coldframes in Patch 3. Planting back to back here, total area is 45 x 15. Patch 2 is 28' x 22', Main Patch is 30' x 20' and will be home to the 1260 Weir...we hope.   Monday, May 3 View Page Day 8 - 906.2 Clark This thing is an animal, have to plant out Wednesday, 1st true leaf is 2" today.   Monday, May 3 View Page Day 8 - 1027 Hopkins Another agressive plant early on. 1st true leaf is 1" across.   Monday, May 3 View Page Day 8 - 712 Kuhn Kind of a slow starter, one coty is funky but sems to be coming around.   Monday, May 3 View Page Day 8 - 1260 Weir This girl is in no hurry at all. Slow germinating, slow to poke above ground and slow to unfurl. However roots are spreading quick today and seems to be waking up.   Sunday, May 9 View Page Day 14 - 1260 Weir Just planted in ground today, looks kinda puny after I buried it up to the cotys, but it has really woken up in the last week..   Sunday, May 9 View Page Day 14 - 712 Kuhn This one was also just planted in Patch 2 this morning.   Sunday, May 9 View Page Day 14 - 1027 Hopkins This one has been out in the coldframe for 2 days.   Sunday, May 9 View Page Day 14 - 906 Clark This one is the early frontrunner. It has been in the ground for 4 days and has doubled in size since it was planted.   Sunday, May 9 View Page This is the new poop hauler. If anyone on here can find me an air cleaner assembly (pan and hoses) for an '84 Ranger I would be most appreciative and I may even send a few seeds their way. The next picture is the carb it has to fit on. I don't believe you can get one new so junkyards are the avenue I think I have to take. I'm willing to put anything that will fit on it so I can use it.   Sunday, May 9 View Page Heres a side view of the carb base the air cleaner pan I'm looking for has to fit on. If any car junkies on here has an avenue or a clue as to where I can find one, please email me. It's a 4cyl, 2.3L 140ci, VIN'A'.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Magnolia Blossom on a hot, May afternoon.   Saturday, May 15 View Page It took 7 years to get Jen's Magnolia to this point, think we may get a tree out of it after all.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Day 20 - 906 Clark Still the largest plant, biggest part of stalk is about the size of a nickel.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Day 20 - 1027 Hopkins Last week the cots started to get pale and are completely yellow now. Does not appear to be effecting any of the true leaves but I gave it a little bonemeal, molasses and a pinch of sulphur as PH is a tad high in Patch 3. Plant is still growing, time will tell.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Day 20 - 712 Kuhn Doing nicely.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Day 20 - 1260 Weir For starting out so slow this one has taken ahold in the patch and is slightly bigger than the 712.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Spent about 3 hours this afternoon building the new long gourd trellus. The site is next to the main patch facing south and gets full sun from 9am - 7pm. Gourds are up, have no idea what to expect but they should be fun and look nice.   Monday, May 31 View Page After a week of rain and temps in the mid-40's, things were looking pretty bad. Resorted to putting a heater in the hoophouse due to cold nights negating any growth. But a couple of days of sun in the 60's has made a huge difference. Seems one forgets all the trials and looming disasters of the prior year. And just when you think things are turning around, ..it was 33deg last night. 1260 Weir - Day 35   Monday, May 31 View Page Day 35 - 712 Kuhn....with Alun's carrots in the background.   Monday, May 31 View Page Day 35 - 906 Clark We got ourselves a doublevine here. A little too soon to perform surgury but it won't be long.   Monday, May 31 View Page Day 35 - 1027 Hopkins Had all but given up hope on this little guy, but it won't give up and is finally starting to grow a little. Way behind the other 3.   Sunday, June 13 View Page Day 48 - 1260 Weir   Sunday, June 13 View Page Day 48 - 712 Kuhn   Sunday, June 13 View Page Day 48 - 906 Clark Double has straightened itself out. Had frost in this patch Friday night. Coldframe on this one will come off tomorrow.   Sunday, June 13 View Page Day 48 - 1027 Hopkins Plant is starting to look pretty good after horrible start. Need to move coldframe today as tip is about to touch the end.   Saturday, June 26 View Page 1260 Weir - Day 60   Friday, July 2 View Page 1260 Weir - Day 67 Hasn't been a whole lot to report for a while but it's getting better. Have a couple females on and looks like we stand a chance to pollinate around the 10th. Nights have been too cool, 46 yesterday morning.   Friday, July 2 View Page Another view of the 1260 from a different angle.   Friday, July 2 View Page 712 Kuhn - Day 67 This ole girl has more females on it than you can shake a stick at. Growth rate is increasing and the window of opportunity looks to be on target.   Friday, July 2 View Page Another view of the 712.   Friday, July 2 View Page Day 67 - 906 Clark Secondaries are slow growing and not as thick as I'd like but it's doing ok for an early fair plant. Don't know if it will do much as bogus compost has set it back quite a bit.   Friday, July 2 View Page 1st pollination on the 906 this morning with 2 - 1260 males I picked last night. Not the cross I wanted and the set is only 8' out. Have another one on the tip around 11' that may coincide with more males on the 1027 Hopkins. Had a rip-snortin' thunderstorm at 5am so I had to wait for rain to stop, then put bag back on since they are calling for more boomers this afternoon.   Friday, July 2 View Page 1027 Hopkins - Day 67 This little fella is a tough one. It's struggled with excess salt from compost since it went in the ground, but it's trying hard. Have a female out about 7'. This one is just for display and genetics.   Saturday, July 10 View Page Male off the 1260...   Thursday, August 26 View Page Since there was talk recently of long gourds I thought I'd post a picture of mine. This is my first year so although clueless I am enjoying them. The pic is about a week old.   Saturday, August 28 View Page We decided that the pumpkin on the 906 plant probably wouldn't make it to Cumberland fair as it had pretty much stopped. So we loaded her up for the Windsor Fair. Should be fun, this is where a first saw a big pumpkin when I was a kid. Big then was around 200#.   Sunday, August 29 View Page Heading to the scales at Windsor.   Monday, August 30 View Page The tarp weighed 4# so we ended up with the 403 Clark 2004. The pumpkin estimated at 410, 1.7% light.   Monday, August 30 View Page They weigh your fruit as you show up at the fair so here we are at 10:10am, sitting pretty in 1st place.......and then..it happened...   Monday, August 30 View Page At 5 min of 11, the cut off time, this old blue truck comes rolling in...it's my ole buddy Al Berard. Al and Yvette had never been to this fair either.   Monday, August 30 View Page 534 Berard 2004 Note the Blue Ribbon   Monday, August 30 View Page 403 Clark 2004....1 down, ??? to go!!   Monday, September 6 View Page Fall has arrived here in Maine like the flip of a switch so I decided to take action. Took some of my Fair winnings and ordered 30' x 100' feet of Agribon+19. It's the same stuff as Reemay but made in USA. This pic is my Topsfield fruit, covered and ready for nights in the 40's. We had a high of 59 degrees yesterday, temp under the Agribon cover was 88.   Monday, September 6 View Page These are the 'wild' 12 foot sunflowers in the backyard. We didn't plant them, they just 'appeared' out of one of the compost heaps so we decided to let them go.   Saturday, September 11 View Page Here is this years carrot effort. It was pulled for a little veggy weigh off they had at work. Results will be published on the 16th as there is one more day of weighing. This nasty ole thing weighed 2.62#, about a pound and a quarter bigger than last year.   Friday, October 1 View Page Alun in Bristol, ME.   Sunday, October 3 View Page 805.4 Clark 2004 (F: 712 Kuhn X M: 1260 Weir)   Sunday, October 3 View Page Side View of 805...   Sunday, October 3 View Page Stem End of the 805....   Monday, October 4 View Page Alun and Gareth in the backyard after we had loaded the 805 for Topsfield.   Saturday, October 9 View Page One of the best pictures anyone has ever taken of my Dad and I.   Saturday, October 9 View Page This is the rig we used to load the 805. We had about half and inch to spare in height when I backed the truck under the pumpkin. A big thanks to Buzz Pinkham and Pinkhams Plantation for all their help this year.   Saturday, October 9 View Page No season would be complete without a shot of my little buddy Wyatt (my nephew) and Uncle Bill's pumpkin. There's a shot of him sitting on the 906 in last years diary, he's grown just a little since then.   Saturday, October 9 View Page Mike Nutter came down again this year to take all the pictures. Mike does all the photography and most of the video for the shipyard where I work..and....he likes big pumpkins. Ya gotta love a photographer that can take a picture and make your pumpkin look twice as big as it really is...Thanks Mikey..   Saturday, October 9 View Page Side shot of 805.4 just before we set it free.....   Saturday, October 9 View Page Another view of this years effort..   Saturday, October 9 View Page Setting it free.. Anoyone else get that awful knot in your gut when you cut the cord after babying it all summer???   Saturday, October 9 View Page Strapping her in for the 3hr trip to Topsfield...   Saturday, October 9 View Page Ready to hit the road when 3am rolls around...   Saturday, October 9 View Page Wyatt and His Dad...   Monday, October 11 View Page This is my 1260 Weir fruit. It blew up at 6 weeks old and was open pollinated by the bee's on on a secondary on the 3rd week of August. I tried 9 times to get it done on the main vine only to have all 9 abort at cantelope size. So, in short this thing was 6 weeks old and had 9" walls...Can you say heavy....It taped 383# but when the wife, kids and I moved it, it was at least 500 or more. Got about 250 seeds out of it, even though it was open. Ahhhh what could have been...