Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 4 Entries. Sunday, March 8 View Page Hello BigPumpkins! Allow us to reintroduce ourselves. It's been 13 years since Emily and I last grew. We last competed in the 2013 season, winning the VT state weigh-off with a 1,290-pounder (throwback photo attached!). For the past decade, I poured my obsessive energy into Ironman triathlons. It was an incredible journey, but Ironman is a lonely sport. You simply can't take your family out on a 120-mile weekend training ride. I missed the patch, the biology, and the community. But mostly, I wanted a hobby we could share. Emily and I now have a 4-year-old son, and I want him in the dirt with us. It feels great to be back. Let's grow them big! Tuesday, March 10 View Page Beat the weather window today! Soil cores have officially been pulled and are heading to Western Labs in Idaho tomorrow morning to get an exact read on the native dirt. I also managed to get the clear plastic pinned down over the patch footprint. The goal here is twofold: shed the upcoming spring moisture and trap the solar heat to accelerate the thaw. I'm on a really tight schedule between now and seed-starting, so I'm doing everything possible to ensure this ground is dry, warm, and ready for tilling by early April. The 2026 season is officially underway! Saturday, March 14 View Page The Ground Game - Turning Clay into a Pumpkin Patch Every season starts from the ground up. My future 750-sq-ft patch is currently just a backyard lawn. Because this is my first year in this location, my focus is simply building a healthy foundation. I shipped core samples to the lab, but I already know the physical challenge: native clay silt loam. It's heavy, sticky, and holds water. Since these plants love a highly oxygenated, fast-draining medium, I'm heavily modifying the top 20 inches. (I should probably announce that this season is brought to you in part by Pro-Mix HP and perlite.) As soon as the ground thaws, I'm adding: - 30 Bales Pro-Mix HP - 15 Bags Coarse Perlite - 5 Yards Seacoast Compost Once I get the lab results back, I'll learn how to properly dial in the pH and nutrients. Monday, March 16 View Page The Heat Is On! I'm seeing some encouraging progress with my early patch prep. Just a few days ago, before I put down the clear plastic tarp, the native soil was sitting at a chilly 39.2F. I just checked under the plastic today, and the greenhouse effect is already doing some heavy lifting. The soil is up to 45.9F, almost 4 degrees higher than the uncovered grass! I also took an EC reading while I was poking around under there. It's sitting at a super low 0.11. I'm taking this as a really great starting point. It tells me the native dirt is basically a clean slate with no leftover salt or chemical buildup from previous use, which should make a perfect, neutral base for my amendments. Hoping this trapped heat continues to wake up the soil biology before I fire up the tiller in April!