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Pleasant Hill, Or

Another one bites the dust. Lost my biggest yesterday to a BES.

It was off the 145 Crews. Final measurements were 95" x 49" x 61.5, 205.5" OTT. 160#'s

This was a very long grower. It was 95% orange and still gained 15#'s in 6 days. Probably what caused the BES. By far the longest growing fruit I have ever had.

Sib pollinated with another 145 Crews that is showing a much rounder shape,and about the same growth. It is 25 days old and just passed 70 #'s

I will post pictures in a diary. Never had a diary before, so bear with me.

Thad

8/29/2012 7:44:16 PM

Lloydminster/AB

Wow! Does that suck. Still a nice fruit, at that age you would think it might be home free. Oh well lots of time yet. By the way, of the 2 145s I have growing, the plant with the rounder fruit is going much bigger than the other one.....

8/29/2012 9:51:38 PM

Mercersburg, PA

that's an awesome fruit Thad. controlled pollination? seeds in it?

8/30/2012 8:25:04 AM

Lexington, Ky

Wow, I wonder what the 81 Wolf would bring into the 145 Crews?!

8/30/2012 9:06:04 AM

Western NY

we'll see, Jamie - I did 145 x 81 this year. Nothing special in my field pumpkins this year since I abandoned them to take care of the giants, but the 145 looked like my biggest one from what I could tell through the weeds.

8/30/2012 10:24:06 AM

Lexington, Ky

Sounds just as good Andy! I crossed a long FP into the 81 (and reverse)that I'm growing this year.....

8/30/2012 10:58:39 AM

Lexington, Ky

The "long" that I went with is the 49 Van Hook (82 McInnis x 81 Wolf)

8/30/2012 11:00:31 AM

Pleasant Hill, Or

I'll open it up in a couple of days for the seeds, so we'll see then how many I have to share.
And yes, it was controlled.

Hey Don, I dont ever feel relaxed about these things not splitting! I have had them split when very small, up to one that split on my porch 3 or 4 days after the weigh-off. I think we are pushing them so hard beyond what they are capable of, the the skin is barely holding them together, and given any chance they just pop. Ever carve your big ones? Mine always make noise when I cut them, like letting off a relief valve

8/30/2012 1:08:46 PM

President - GPC

Good Luck with your otherZ Thadd...Save Wizzzy some seedZ...GrowZem BIG!

8/30/2012 1:12:51 PM

Netherlands

Great job! I'm just wondering if somewhere in the ancestry there isn't a marrow causing that long growth. It has the shape and size of a marrow and the colour of a FP.

8/30/2012 1:16:38 PM

Lloydminster/AB

Thad you make me nervous lol! My FPs split a lot of the time when small like 8" in diameter or smaller but I've only had small cracks form on the blossom when larger. Now I realize how close I was getting to disaster. Split on your porch! I know what you mean about carving them, if you cut into a freshly picked one you do get that cracking sound!
I don't think I have to worry about splitting one this year, I have a couple of decent ones, but my timing was off a bit this year. I think my plants got too big before my perfect pollination date, maybe too warm here this year.

A little info for others
81 wolf x sib =137.4 crews. 137.4 crews x 142 McInnis = 145 crews The sib 81 produced very long fruit. So that 81 of Andy's is well represented . Thats one magic seed there.

8/31/2012 12:34:47 AM

Bethlehem CT

Brad I have been wondering the same thing, I am growing field pumpkins from a selfed 137.4 Crews fruit. They are extremely long like a marrow. By selfing the 137.4 I definitely isolated the long skinny gene.

8/31/2012 7:34:42 AM

Nova Scotia

Holy smokes, I with all these big FP's going down to BES I can only imagine what is going to hit the scales. Think that one would make a nice canoe Thad :)

8/31/2012 7:06:52 PM

Mass

You got to me Thad, and Quinn. I saw a split possibly starting on my 150.5 Razo open. Just starting to Orange.. chickened out and took it to Woodstock last night. 125.5 PSweet 2012. I will let the rest of them go to full term now.

8/31/2012 9:27:47 PM