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Sweden

In northern Sweden we had a horrible cold and wet month of july, and due to geographical reasons june is always pretty so this season (my first real) is pretty screwed. I got a Lilja and Eaglawood (Örnskov) growing but they are helplessly behind schedule. Actually the schedula got screwed already in une due to the fact that the soil seems to take time to warm up to being pumpkinfriendly.
I finally managed to pollinate the Lilja in pouring rain last week so I have something growing, heh.

On a sidepoint I got a nice Hubbard growing in the garden at home:)

I hope it gets warmer next summer.

Take care, and may your pumpkins grow proud and heavy!

8/9/2007 4:27:08 AM

Netherlands

You might want to build a greenhouse next year. Haven't heard of anyone in Sweden being successful without one.

Hope you do well though.

8/9/2007 5:03:35 AM

Sweden

Just an edit to my above post.

When I write "due to geographical reasons june is always pretty "

I mean: "due to geographical reasons june is always pretty COLD".

Hehe

8/9/2007 5:24:26 AM

Buren Ameland,West Frisian Islands, Netherlands

Same here, late late, only april was hot, but useless.
My pumpkin just starts growing now about 3 kg per day.
Nights there is hardly any gain due to low temperature it seems.
Still I am hopefull to have something to show in October.
It needs all the days up to then.
Hoping for a nice after-summer, but daylight is reducing al lot now :(
Here in the low lands we had a terrible wet and cold day, but our costal island was sunny, and 20 degrees Celsius, a real blessing, I hope for more :-)up to october, lol.
So with 21kg I keep dreaming of a nice journey to Ludwigsburg or Duisburg or both?
I do not know the days of weigh off in Europe this year.
Brad, do you know if they are on the same saturday again this year?

8/10/2007 3:52:54 AM

Knopp, Germany

the 14th of October Theo. i would love to see you there. My year is not much better then the rest, rain and cold, but hope dies last, and I still have that for what we call an "Indian Summer", nice hot late August, and September.

8/10/2007 4:39:14 AM

Sweden

Hallo Uffe! A greenhouse for the next season is good advice. I have tried four years outdoors and last year I amazingly managed to come in second in Sweden behind Lilja.(429 kilo). Pure luck probably! This year I have put up a greenhouse and the pumpkins inside are about five times as big as those outside even though pollination time differ only by a week. Greeting to all european growers.

8/10/2007 8:29:06 AM

Netherlands

Theo, Duisburg is Saturday, Oct. 6 at 15.30. I don't know about Asten.

8/10/2007 10:04:00 AM

Buren Ameland,West Frisian Islands, Netherlands

Owen, surely I will try to reach Ludwigsburg, if the pumpkin is fine by than. My cousin Willem is ahead on me with his pumpkin, may be we go togehter than, if,if,if; yes, Owen, hope dies last, in Dutch we say hope gives live.

Brad, thanks for the Duisburg date: oct 6th, than I can choose even for both burgs!
Asten seems to give up, Harry Poels told me he is heavily disappointed about it. So where will our National championship be this year?

Heino, are you there, some bad news about the Hellbock pompkin results, the fruits all are aborted so far, but I keep hopefull some fruit might come, but too late for the real work.

Greenhousebuilding: I agree very much, even a simple construction can improve a lot in growth, especially in May and June. It gives a great protection against f.i.(hail)storms and mildew.

Good luck to all, Grow them BIG > :-)!

8/12/2007 6:52:32 AM

nanaimo,B.C,Canada

Hi there. Our weather in Nanaimo,B,C has been one of the worst summers I can remember so far. We would get maybe 4 days in a row of sun, then cloudy and cool again, very strange for around here. Good luck you guys.

Dave

8/12/2007 12:23:59 PM