Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 103 Entries. Friday, February 19 View Page A nice fruit off a different 191Kapelari. I didn’t really get any mature seeds off of these fruit. It sure why, probably immature. Without warmth these will grow forever without maturing. Well I’m exaggerating a bit but I’ve had mostly green fruits at 60 Dap.   Saturday, February 20 View Page I made a few(6) small cold frames. I’ll use these for protection for plants that go in mid may, example field pumpkins.   Saturday, February 20 View Page Here is one without the plastic. I made a few design improvements on the rest. 34” x 48” x12” you can see the automatic opener fitted.   Saturday, February 20 View Page Bubble foil insulation brighten it up. Here it is all broke down for storage or transport to the patch. Assembles easy on site.   Tuesday, March 9 View Page Started some peppers. Soil is a little wetter than usual. We’ll see how that works.   Thursday, March 18 View Page I’d better post a pic of snow melting while we still have some.   Thursday, March 18 View Page Peppers are now all up. A long time ago. Should have updated lol   Friday, April 16 View Page Sprouting!   Friday, April 16 View Page Sprouted!   Friday, April 16 View Page Patches readying   Wednesday, April 21 View Page When I’m starting tomatoes in the cooler I space the tray up by putting 1l pots down. Matt D is using the same system but I put a piece of bubble foil insulation down under the mat to keep it out of the water that condenses. This really works well by the way.   Wednesday, April 21 View Page Tomatoes have been put in pots. These are ground cherries that just didn’t seem to go. I’ll wait. But I’ll have to start my next round of plants soon.   Wednesday, April 21 View Page The 1597 Hunt/Lyons transplanted today. Today I pulled out the sunblock because I was turning red.   Wednesday, April 21 View Page I have some peppers and plum trees hanging out in the shack.   Wednesday, April 21 View Page 1002 Veitch transplanted today.   Sunday, April 25 View Page Let’s do the first weekend update. 1002 Veitch   Sunday, April 25 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20   Monday, May 3 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20   Monday, May 3 View Page 1002 Veitch   Saturday, May 8 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 has laid down. Looks like it might be a double vine. Probably snap out of it, it’s been a long time since I’ve had one that didn’t.   Saturday, May 8 View Page 1002 Veitch is laying down.   Saturday, May 8 View Page Here’s the roots showing at the pot side on the 982 Trychta. The dicots have just extended. You need a very large pot to keep a plant more than 5 or 6 days after sprouting. I like to get them out as soon as I know which direction they should be planted. They run opposite the first leaf if you’ve done it right.   Sunday, May 9 View Page 513 Vincent   Sunday, May 9 View Page 982 Trychta   Saturday, May 15 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky gets the backup spot. It’ll have to make do without much of anything   Saturday, May 15 View Page 513 Vincent   Saturday, May 15 View Page 982 Trychta   Saturday, May 15 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 has snapped out of double vine mode and is starting to move. It’s going to be +26°C Monday but down to a high of 10 by Friday which means the overnights will be 0° at best. Going to be burning some fuel.   Saturday, May 15 View Page 1002 Veitch is appreciating the warm weather and is moving too quickly for the weather forecast for the weekend. Thought I had delayed enough but it caught up.   Saturday, May 15 View Page Preparing the field pumpkin patches.   Sunday, May 16 View Page This is a very typical forecast for this time of year. Need to cover tips on Monday and have heaters on Thursday. Must delay field pumpkins until weekend and hope the 1002 doesn’t out grow shack in 4 days, which looks close.   Saturday, May 22 View Page 142.5 Kapelari field pumpkin   Saturday, May 22 View Page 513 Vincent   Saturday, May 22 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky survived the -3 entire day with a light for heat. Cooked a leaf a bit but should make it.   Sunday, May 23 View Page 982 Trychta   Sunday, May 23 View Page 1002 Veitch still in the shack. Cool no cold weather really stopped growth. This next week is going to be cool and wet so probably won’t outgrow the shack. I’ll ready the greenhouse though.   Sunday, May 23 View Page 127.3 Barratt FP   Sunday, May 23 View Page 144 Crews FP   Sunday, May 23 View Page 140 Crews FP   Sunday, May 23 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 cloudy weather has slowed everything down. Hoping for a late June pollination.   Saturday, May 29 View Page 1002 Veitch   Saturday, May 29 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky   Saturday, May 29 View Page 513 Vincent. Looks a little weird.   Saturday, May 29 View Page 982 Trychta   Saturday, May 29 View Page 982 Trychta   Saturday, May 29 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20   Saturday, May 29 View Page 142.5 Kapelari Fp   Saturday, May 29 View Page 127.3 Barratt Fp   Saturday, May 29 View Page 144 Crews Fp   Saturday, May 29 View Page 140 Crews Fp   Sunday, June 6 View Page 127.3 Barratt FP, it’s raining out here so weeds will have to wait.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 144 Crews FP I’ve had the lids open this week as temperatures were in the low 30’s Celsius. Now they are are getting some rain and cooler temperatures.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 140 Crews FP   Sunday, June 6 View Page 142.5 Kapelari FP Could use some water.   Sunday, June 6 View Page The 1157 Zaychkowsky outgrew the shack. Put some dirt on the vine and will hope for the best. That rain and weed thing are there again.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 982 Trychta This one bore the brunt of the hot sun and even with the lid open it suffered some burn. Faces south, will run west.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 513 Vincent Seems to be growing normal now. Plum trees have suckered over, I’ll deal with that later.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 1002 Veitch I’ve been removing females for some time now. Secondaries are coming slowly, usually a sign of ph being a little low.   Sunday, June 6 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 Starting to really move now. No females at all yet. May have too much N…   Sunday, June 13 View Page 513 Vincent Shacks need to come down. They usually get pretty beat up by the wind until they grow back tougher.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky Free now for a week. 5” of rain over the past 2 weeks. Can’t weed yet. Weeds winning.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 982 Trychta Some damage to the plants visible from the +33 days   Sunday, June 13 View Page 1002 Veitch This plant isn’t throwing secondary vines. I’ll make a guess and say soil PH is low. In best amateur fashion I’ll throw some fertilizer on it as it does look N deficient. This is what happens when you don’t soil test. Another clue is how many females it is throwing.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 142.5 Kapelari FP Just starting to throw regular mottled leaves now.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 This plant has a female that I’ve prepared. It’s not far enough down the vine but until the next one shows up it’ll be ready. Too much N will make this a challenge. Again the soil test thing I mentioned. Female has the green stripes that I’ve found to indicate orange.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 144 Crews FP Nice vine now.   Sunday, June 13 View Page 127.3 Barratt FP   Sunday, June 13 View Page 140 Crews FP The shacks and soil cables have definitely put me ahead by at least 3 weeks compared to previous years. I hope this lead is maintained as the shacks must come off.   Sunday, June 13 View Page Looks like summer is back for a few days.   Sunday, June 20 View Page Let’s go back to June 17 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 x 1002 Veitch   Sunday, June 20 View Page June 19 1002 Veitch x 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 These are the only 2 plants with males right now.   Sunday, June 20 View Page 142.5 Kapelari FP   Monday, June 21 View Page 513 Vincent   Monday, June 21 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky   Monday, June 21 View Page 982 Trychta   Monday, June 21 View Page 1002 Veitch   Monday, June 21 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20   Monday, June 21 View Page 11:44 pm looking north   Monday, June 21 View Page 127.3 Barratt FP   Monday, June 21 View Page 144 Crews FP   Monday, June 21 View Page 140 Crews FP   Sunday, June 27 View Page 1597 Hunt/Lyons’20 Looks like it set.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 1002 Veitch Looks set as well. Secondaries coming nicely now. Should be enough plant in 20 days. Feeling some optimism now.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 982 Trychta   Sunday, June 27 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky They sprayed the crop. It’s either the heat or herbicide but my leaves look a little funny on the outside plants. Pumpkins are incredibly intolerant to herbicides.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 513 Vincent There’s one for tomorrow. It’s not very far down the vine but it’s supposed to be hot next week, close to 100°f so better try now.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 142.5 Kapelari FP Suffered some heat damage. Going to be a tough couple of weeks for the FPs   Sunday, June 27 View Page Wild rose. The provincial flower of Alberta. Grow like weeds here.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 140 Crews FP Males and females are blooming now.   Sunday, June 27 View Page 144 Crews FP   Sunday, June 27 View Page 127.3 Barratt FP   Sunday, June 27 View Page Growing peppers too   Sunday, June 27 View Page These are good looking plants.   Wednesday, June 30 View Page Well. This is disappointing. The 1597 fruit isn’t growing correctly. I’m cutting it off. Pollination of a fruit on the end of the main is my last chance.   Saturday, July 3 View Page Pollinated a nice looking female on the 982 Trychta with the 1002 Veitch.   Saturday, July 3 View Page 982 Trychta plant   Saturday, July 3 View Page The next prospect on the 1597 Hunt/Lyons has grown enough that the flower was removed.   Saturday, July 3 View Page 1157 Zaychkowsky needs some fertilizer or some weather under 100°F   Saturday, July 3 View Page 513 Vincent Fruit isn’t very far out but looks round.   Saturday, July 3 View Page 1002 Veitch Very nice fruit already.   Sunday, July 11 View Page 1002 Veitch 20 DAP 72” cir   Tuesday, July 20 View Page 1002 Veitch 30 Dap 100” cir   Wednesday, August 4 View Page So, in the last few weeks the 1002 Veitch blossom split, the 1597 Hunt fruit didn’t grow and then exploded,a tree fell on the 982 Trychta plant causing the abortion of fruit, rabbits ate the field pumpkins on the 127 and the hail damaged all the other plants and fruits. Pulled both the 1002 and 1597. Just going through the motions on the rest right now. Heat still cooking plants and still have no rain, except the hail I suppose. Only have a month before our first frost so not expecting much. Good luck to everyone.