Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 71 Entries. Monday, January 3 View Page It is a little odd not to have snow on the ground this time of year, but it looks like the cold is coming as winter sets in. This is what the garden looks like as it is all prepared so it can be set-up even if the ground is frozen since the goal is to get the structure functional in March. The frame is set-up and the plastic is buried on one side and will just need to be pulled over as a trench is set on the other end. This way even if the ground is frozen it can be held in place with wiggle wire and boards as weight until the soil warms enough so it can be dug. Outdoor plant area is covered in weed block that was set down late fall so most of the grass is still green despite the lack of light since it is essentially dormant.   Tuesday, March 15 View Page Selected a calm day to set-up the plastic and this was the window of opportunity. Soil has just become unfrozen so it was used to hold the end of the plastic in place. This will remain “sealed” to increase the heating of the soil.   Wednesday, March 23 View Page In an effort to reduce the potential for disease pressure a soil drench of a Hydrogen Peroxide based product will be applied. TerraClean 5.0 will be used which is 27% Hydrogen Peroxide and 5% Peroxyacetic Acid. After many calculations and checking with other growers it will be used at a rate of 3 gallons of TerraClean 5.0 in 275 gallons of water to cover about 1000sq.ft. This will result in about a 300ppm solution that will be applied to a quickly tilled area to break the surface to increase the percolation through the soil profile.   Wednesday, March 23 View Page Here you can see the basic set-up for the TerraClean application. It is important to have everything set-up and tested as once the product is mixed with water it can start breaking down. So, it was mixed, applied and then covered. The cover is not air tight and was applied to keep weeds down as there was going to be a microbe drench applied but this date was TBD and weeds were already starting to show themselves in the greenhouse structure ahead of tilling. Simple 275-gallon water tank, a pump and a hose with wand applicator. By starting at the furthest point and working back to the tank ensures complete coverage with minimal compaction.   Wednesday, March 23 View Page This just shows the soil surface after the application of the TerraClean. 275 gallons of water over 1,000sq.ft. is quite the saturation. Early in the year the sun is not as strong and the temperatures not as warm so evaporation is not as quick and the soil remains saturated but this will be good when the microbes are added to help ensure they get into the soil profile.   Friday, March 25 View Page After essentially sterilizing the soil this product TerraGrow was added to replenish some of the microbiology to the soil. This was applied way over the recommended rate since a large container had to be purchased. With the same tank and pump set-up 6 heaping cups (about 2 pounds) of TerraGrow was applied in 125 gallons of water over 1000sq.ft. The manufacturer says you can make this application only about 2-hours after the TerraClean treatment, but due to time this was made 48-hours after the TerraClean product. The next day the hydrogen peroxide smell could still be detected so this is the reason for the waiting a little longer.   Friday, March 25 View Page This provide a general look at the label to show what is included in the product. It does mix well with water and has a sweet molasses smell to it, which is an ingredient. Water that was run though a chlorine filter or allowed to sit for 24-hours was used as the source for mixing and applying.   Saturday, April 2 View Page This is the day of the TerraClean application for the outdoor site. The same process was followed for the indoor greenhouse site, just this was performed latter in the year to wait for the soil to be able to be tilled and not frozen. The weed block has just been removed and the grass is still green which shows when you cover it when it is dormmate (late fall) it will remain green until spring. In contrast if you cover it when it is actively growing it will brown in only about 2-weeks. If you add a clear plastic in the heat of summer you can get it to brown in only about 1 hour (or less). Timing is key;-)   Saturday, April 2 View Page Here is the quick rough till that was performed to the outdoor site. The intention is not to really mix the soil but to break the surface to reduce water runoff and increase the penetration into the soil profile. After this application, microbes will be added, then amendments and then a traditional till will occur to mix everything in.   Saturday, April 2 View Page Just a greenhouse update as this site is ready for the amendments today, so the weed block was removed, the products were measured, tiller was started and the work began…   Saturday, April 2 View Page Based on soil test results the following was added to the 1000sq.ft. of growing space. Since lime was needed and peat moss was added (slightly acidic material) a combination of hydrated lime (shown in the image) and calcitic lime was added. The intention was to get some quick action (hydrated) in combination with season long pH adjustment with the calcitic. Here is what was added per 1000sq.ft… 100 pounds of lime (50lbs hydrated + 50lbs calcitic) 33cubic yards of peat moss 5lbs of Mn sulfate 5lb of Cu sulfate 25lbs of 0-0-50 100lbs of alfalfa meal 80lbs of gypsum 10lbs of iron sulfate   Sunday, April 3 View Page Ran out of daylight the day before, so today is tilling day, and all of the amendments can be seen applied to the soil surface. The old but reliable Troy-Bilt horse tiller will be used to make the job as quick and easy as possible.   Sunday, April 3 View Page This is what the final area looks like once amended and tilled. Now, to get some heating cables installed and cold frames up as seed starting day is approaching fast.   Friday, April 8 View Page This is the seed for both the indoor (greenhouse) and outdoor (traditional) planting that will be used this year. Four seeds will be started and the best two will be used in each respective site. Today is the official day for seed starting of the 2294.5 Noel 2019 (F: 2114 Wallace ‘18 x 1938 Sperry ‘17)   Sunday, April 10 View Page The outdoor site is getting the final preparations of amendments which include peat moss as seen in the image. Since the soil is very similar to the greenhouse the same ratio of amendments was followed which includes… 100 pounds of lime (50lbs hydrated + 50lbs calcitic) 33cubic yards of peat moss 5lbs of Mn sulfate 5lb of Cu sulfate 25lbs of 0-0-50 100lbs of alfalfa meal 80lbs of gypsum 10lbs of iron sulfate   Wednesday, April 20 View Page Here are the seedlings as the germination and emergence percentage was 100%. Using a CMH light this year with a sunlight bulb will help ensure there is little chance of transplant shock due to light intensity. These lights produce good intensity and some heat which at this point in the season is advantageous.   Wednesday, April 20 View Page Here is the greenhouse grown 2294.5 Noel 2019 with ceramic heaters, heating cables, 315-watt CMH grow light and carbon dioxide enrichment. This is all in a small (5ft. x 9ft.) cold frame as it is easier to control the environmental conditions compared to the larger surrounding 32ft. x 40ft greenhouse. All heaters are on independent thermostats to help avoid any potential for overheating as this as occurred in the past.   Wednesday, April 20 View Page Here is the outdoor grown 2294.5 Noel 2019 with ceramic heaters and heating cables. This is all in a small 5ft. x 9ft. cold frame to better regulate the immediate growing area around the plant. A blanket is put over the seedling at night which is the reason for the short decorative garden fence to help support it. All heaters are on independent thermostats to help avoid any potential for overheating as this as occurred in the past.   Friday, June 3 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 (x self) Here is the greenhouse 2294.5 Noel 2019 pollination this morning. It is a nice looking 4 lobe flower and it was selfed. It is about 14.5ft. out on the main vine and will be the keeper if it set. The fan on temperature has been reduced in an attempt to keep the greenhouse on the cooler side to hopefully increase the odds of a successful pollination.   Sunday, June 5 View Page This shows the same pumpkin as the before posting to show what the actual pumpkin looks like 48-hours after pollination. The reason this is important is this is when my “Anthesis” is applied to help encourage the duration and rate of cell expansion. The data generated indicates this is a critical time and it will slow the overall pumpkin growth up to about day 35, but after this the rate should be greater than an untreated fruit. Only the pumpkin is sprayed with a fine mist as this is all that it takes to alter the cell response for the duration of the growing cycle.   Sunday, June 5 View Page Since the camera was out to show the 2-day old greenhouse pumpkin, here is an overview of how the patch looks in general. In this image the greenhouse has a 30% shade cloth put on to it and the outdoor plant has 60% Aluminet shade fabric put around it. However, this material is not for shade but to help reduce aphid pressure on the outdoor plant since the reflected sunlight makes the plants interpret this as the actual sun which they will naturally want to fly away from which is why they are typically found on the underside of the leaves (at least initially).   Sunday, June 5 View Page This shows the 60% Aluminet that is about 7ft. tall to help provide not only a physical barrier to animals, but also to help deter aphids. It can also provide a little bit of a privacy barrier and depending on sun angle allows you to see through it or not.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Outdoor Plant This shows what the Aluminet is protecting. The plant may not be that large, but this is a critical time for aphids to start to become active based on previous years data. The weed block is out to reduce the weeding that is needed to be done at least at this point in the season. There is a chair over the main vine tip to help reduce the chance of it burning and this will be simply moved as the vine grows. Then when a pumpkin is seen as the chair moves away an umbrella will be put in its place to help protect the immature pumpkin.   Sunday, June 5 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Greenhouse Plant It may be a little hard to tell the difference between this greenhouse plant and the outdoor one based on these images alone, but in short, this plant despite being the same age is much larger. While not exactly quantified it is an estimated 30% bigger and further along with none of the typical nitrogen bloat or excessive fertilizer issues to get it larger. The reason for the increase in size is simply due to the added warmth and carbon dioxide enrichment. Seeing it year after year it is still amazing the difference that elevated levels of carbon dioxide can make on plants.   Sunday, June 5 View Page With any enclosure there are other environmental factors to take into consideration that are taken for granted for outdoor growers. A major one is air circulation in this image the large yellow fan is controlled by a thermostat and will come on as an exhaust fan to pull out the hot air from the structure. The smaller white fan runs all the time and is pointed at the plant. The intention of this fan is to keep air movement at the ground level (there is an fan at the top of the structure in the middle to also aid in general air movement) and also ensure the carbon dioxide is distributed to all parts of the plant.   Friday, June 10 View Page Here you can see the greenhouse plant which is looking great. Also, in this image you can see the frame of the original cold-frame where the plant was started. The reason why this is still present is artificial lighting was still being supplemented to about this size. The intention was to try and push the plant to think it was late June not early June. However, at this point in the plant size development the effectiveness of the lights are probably minimal so both were removed.   Sunday, June 12 View Page On this cloudy day the shade cloth was removed to help maximize the light intensity to the plant. There is an easy rope system to pull on and take off the shading material. This allows for quick adjustments such as in this situation.   Sunday, June 12 View Page With the plant size increasing the automated irrigation system was installed. However, after it was all set-up and a test was conducted it resulted in a set of issues. There were typical leaks, but once these were fixed the Dosatron blew out a seal and a brass fitting broke from what looked like simple corrosion. Looking up what a new Dosatron now costs the decision was made to developed a new system that is in ways simplified. It will take some planning and ordering, but a water tank and water pump with timers is the basics of the initial concept.   Sunday, June 12 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Outdoor Plant The outdoor plant, is progressing nicely, but when it is compared to the indoor plant it looks small. The umbrella is up to protect the newly discovered pumpkin that is the hope as the keeper on this plant.   Sunday, June 12 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Outdoor Plant Here is a closeup of the chosen pumpkin on the outdoor plant. The main vine is growing on weed block so direct soil contact is limited. Holes are punched in to allow rooting. The stake is where the umbrella support is to help shade the pumpkin and keep rain water (and potentially for hail) off the pumpkin as well. This system seems to be effective and it is also easy to set up.   Sunday, June 12 View Page The carbon dioxide enrichment system designed for this structure after some data collection which is why there are two bottles. The larger bottle is a 50lb and this is the main source of the carbon dioxide enrichment. This system ups the internal carbon dioxide enrichment to about 900ppm. When the temperature increases and the large yellow exhaust fan comes on this system turn off. However, it was noticed that when this was occurring the CO2 levels were dropping below 300ppm which can stunt plant growth. So, an additional system was installed that helps maintain the growing environment at normal ambient levels of 400ppm. Since this system does not run as often or need as much CO2 the smaller 20lb bottle is used for this controller.   Sunday, June 12 View Page The Atlas 8 is used as the main system since it has an automatic shut off when the exhaust fane comes on and the Atlas 9 controller keeps the environment around 400ppm when the other system is idle. Looking at the readings being 100ppm different may cause concern but both are accurate, since the sensors are mounted on the same stake and differ in their vertical placement. Since CO2 is heavier than air the lower sensor will read higher than the sensor higher up on the stake. So, the 100ppm difference is expected and should be maintained as this is the “same” value for the growing space.   Sunday, June 12 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Greenhouse Plant It looks like a different pruning method will have to be chosen for this plant other than the original traditional Christmas Tree / Box style, because the main vine has decided to self-terminate. (Next Post will show this.) There does not appear to be any environmentally induced cause to this, it is simply like a determinate tomato and has just ended. So, the side vines will be trained in an arch-like patter to ensure the space is filled in. At least there is a pumpkin that will hopefully set on the main vine.   Sunday, June 12 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Greenhouse Plant Here is the odd termination of the main vine, it literally just ended. What is also odd is that the four nodes or so back from the self-termination did not produce any side vines or flowers and tendrils were sparse. It was not an especially hot week nor was there anything out of the ordinary that could be traced back to this. So, the one pumpkin currently pollinated is the only hope for this plant. Side vines are being trained to fill in the space and other than this the plant looks good.   Sunday, June 12 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Greenhouse Plant Here is a mine vine look showing everything in good health. The weed block that the main grows on add an extra physical barrier and keep things clean. While preventing soil splash is a bigger concern with the outdoor plant, this does help the identification of any soft spots a little easier and the barrier will hopefully lessen the chance of their occurrence and if one is noticed it should be easier to correct.   Sunday, June 12 View Page Carbon dioxide usage is often a topic of many questions so here is what the regulator in action looks like. There is the dial that reads the pressure in the bottle (which will change with temperature) and above this is a clear column that has a green ball. When the CO2 is flowing the rate can be adjusted and the green ball indicates how quick the CO2 is flowing. Too slow and the target level will never be reached and too fast and the regulator will actually freeze up. (Yes, even in a greenhouse as the CO2 as a strong cooling effect.) So, running it at about 7 cubic feet per hour rate seems to be the sweet spot. This is controlled by the Atlas 8 controller and this system has worked out very well.   Monday, June 13 View Page 2294.5 Noel 2019 Greenhouse Plant (x self) Since the ideal pumpkin can be in a tight area increasing the odds of a successful set is important in addition to protecting it for outside threats. The pumpkin is shaded once it can be seen in the main vine with an umbrella. Once pollinated then a chair with a white sheet is placed over it. In addition to this a fan is added as well as two ultra-sonicators. The fan keeps air moving and prevents stagnation and the sonicators keep away any mice (or related species) from damaging the tender pumpkin. For general support two pieces of mill fabric are added to the soil surface, then a piece of plywood, then two more pieces of mill fabric. This will allow the pumpkin be easily moved as it grows away from the vine via mechanical methods. While this may seem over the top, this was developed after a series of “issues” and has proven effective.   Monday, June 13 View Page Looks like a deer stopped by recently. Luckily there was no plant damage but now I need to seal up the entry way. Also, this is a warning so the electric fence will also be brought out of storage and set-up.   Thursday, June 16 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant This female flower has all 5 lobes looking great! This is the chosen pumpkin on this plant so nice to see all looking good. The same basic set-up is the indoor pumpkin (fan, sonicators, shade) will be set-up around this one once it touches down. However, the weather is favorable (cloudy and cool) so this should increase the odds of success (hopefully;-)   Monday, June 27 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Greenhouse Plant Nothing major to report here, plant and pumpkin are looking good. There is some slight stem splitting, but the vine now has some extra supports just in case. Also, the mister is turned off since the plant is taking up most of the space the simply transpiration of the plant is providing extra humidity. In about two weeks the main plastic covering will be removed and the summer cover will be added which has side venting and the mister will be needed. The CO2 is still being run and typically this is the case from transplant until the pumpkin is about 30-40 days old as this helps the plant fill in. However, based on my data the pumpkin does not grow any better so it is removed to allow better overall air flow in the heat of summer.   Friday, July 8 View Page While everything looks good from this image, the reason for the pictures is today is the last day the greenhouse will be up. This is not be choice as the greenhouse pumpkin has developed an odd stem split and will have to be removed. It is warm today but even more heat is forecasted so as much will be removed today as possible.   Friday, July 8 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 Greenhouse Plant Since the plant was going to be removed the irrigation was turned off and this picture shows just after the plastic was removed so there is a little bit of heat stress and wilt going on because of this situation. However, other than this the plant looks great and it would have been nice to see what it could have produced, but this is part of high-risk pumpkin growing.   Friday, July 8 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 Outdoor Plant While up on the ladder here is a look at the outdoor plant which will be all that is left after today. Other than a some of the older central leaves showing a little age the rest looks great. It is the same age as the indoor plant, but without the enriched carbon dioxide environment there is still some vine burying to do as it continues to fill in its growing area (which is the same as the indoor plant for comparison).   Friday, July 8 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 Outdoor Plant Once the main vine gets out about 40ft. it is trained at a right angle and then treated like a seconday and terminated when it reaches the patch edge. The angle given to the main vine can be seen in the image. Also, after the structure comes down, the Aluminet will be put to enclose this edge of the growing space, but for right now the electric netting will provide protection from animals. However, the Aluminet is more for insects and also a visual barrier which may help with some of the animal pressure.   Friday, July 8 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 Greenhouse Plant = No More Running out of daylight, but most of the hard work is almost done. The plastic is removed and folded up and the plant has been put on a trailer to be disposed of off-site. As the plant was being removed the vines were inspected and root development would be classified as very aggressive which is due directly to the application of CloneX gel at each node. Internally in the vines everything was clean which in the past the very early start of potential issues could be seen at this point in the season. This is attributed to the early season hydrogen peroxide drench that was done as no other soil drench fungicides have been added this year. This is great to see on this plant and also gives a positive indication on how the outdoor plant looks internally. Even though the hydrogen peroxide treatment may not keep the plant clean for the full goring season, being able to delay disease onset is still a great advantage.   Friday, July 8 View Page Odd “stem Split” on 2294.5 Noel ’19 Greenhouse Pumpkin This is not a traditional stem split as it looks like the tap roots were never cut and the pumpkin tore itself off the main vine. However, there was more slack in this vine and supports put under the main vine than has been put under any other pumpkin grown since this was noticed early on. Not only did it start splitting but then brown rot started to set in. Full strength concentrated (25%+) hydrogen peroxide was used to help prevent this from spreading which seemed to help but this was an internal deformity. Note do not get the concentrated H2O2 on your skin (turns is white for about a day) or pumpkin as it causes permanent physical damage to the pumpkin skin. Not sure of the cause or reason for this other than bad luck. The tear when all the way through about 75% of the stem before the decision to pull the plant was made. On the bright side (at least at the moment) the outdoor 2294.5 Noel ’19 does not seem to have this issue, but that pumpkin is not as old as this one, so time will tell.   Friday, July 15 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant *Anthesis Treated* Day: 30 OTT: 256.5” Est. 377 pounds With the greenhouse patch is almost all wrapped up time can now be focused even more on this plant as it is the only one left. The shape of the pumpkin is great and overall plant health visually could not be much better. Hopefully this will push the pumpkin for the rest of the season.   Friday, July 15 View Page Grass Seed Planting The selected cover crop for the greenhouse plot is Northeast Mix Turf Grass Seed. The intention is to get this established to keep the soil stabilized in an easy to care for crop. Once it gets growing it can be mowed to ensure the ground will be covered with a good root mass of a different species than pumpkins. The worms really seem to like this as well so encouraging their numbers is an added benefit.   Friday, July 15 View Page Grass Seed Label This shows the variety/kind of grass species in this particular mix. This may be a more expensive option than other typically cover crops, but the long-term survivability allows the plot to be rested for a year or more with no need for additional care.   Tuesday, July 19 View Page Grass Seed Germination This is what the grass seed looks like only 8 days after it was applied. The weather has not been ideal grass seeding weather (hot and dry) but the weed species do not seem to mind. The robins have been in the area for the water and stealing some of the worms in the area.   Tuesday, July 19 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant The plant continues to fill the area and the heat has made the vines grow a little faster so they need to be buried about every two days now instead of three. However, the space it almost full so this task will not be needed for much longer. Looking at surrounding Aluminet the reflectiveness but also see thoroughness can be seen. This all depends on the angle of the sun and the respective viewing angle. However, it seems to have kept the aphids (and mosaic virus) away since it has been implemented. Also, the additional wind barrier is an added bonus.   Tuesday, July 19 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant Behind Aluminet The pumpkin plant may be a little hard to see, but the white area is the shade structure. This shows what 60% Aluminet looks like up close. With the reflective properties it seems to deter early season aphids well and it has not tarnished in the 7 growing seasons it has been used.   Monday, July 25 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant: Animal Damage While inspecting the plant there was an odd leaf noticed that was down. Upon closer inspection this appears to be physical damage. What makes this especially odd is there is an active pos/neg electric netting around the entire plant. However, this just shows the level of desperation for water in the area by the local wildlife.   Monday, July 25 View Page Animal Damage It is the lower portion of the leaf petioles that are being physically eaten as these areas often contain a column of water and make for a quick in and out. While the exact animal has not been determined it is likely in descending order… squirrel, rabbit, woodchuck. What is odd, but good is that only about 1 leaf every day is eaten so it is likely a smaller animal. The electric fence has had more stakes included to help prevent the animal from getting under the netting and after a few days the damage was stopped.   Monday, July 25 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant *Anthesis Treated* Day: 40 OTT: 334” Est. 810 pounds Avg. per day over last 10 days = 43.3 pounds per day Great growing pumpkin and it is maintaining its shape and showing signs of consistent and vibrant orange color. Time will tell how things end-up but up to this point everything looks great.   Monday, July 25 View Page 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant Looking over the entire plant as it has filled its 1,000sq.ft. all of the leaves are looking great and are end to end which helps to maximize coverage area while also minimizing overlap. It has the lily pad appearance to the patch which is always a welcomed sight.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page How quick things can change… 2294.5 Noel ’19 (x self) Outdoor Plant: Leaf Issue The night before some wilting leaves were noticed that were concentrated to one secondary so that vine was removed to provide sample to be taken to a plant pathology lab today. However, in the morning some more wilting leaves were noticed that can be seen in the image. The speed of progression and the close proximity to the pumpkin add a bit of concern.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Early Symptom Here is an early leaf wilt that shows the margin leaf wilt that also progresses quickly to a brown burn. The petiole and vines seem to be in good shape, it is only the leaves that exhibit the problem.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Old Root vs New Root Here is an image of the roots from the removed secondary vine. The root on the left is the bottom (older) root and the root on the right is the top (younger) root. With the addition of CloneX gel the root branching is increased and the reason for the lack of this on the sick root (on the left) is because of the rotting off of the finer branches. Since this vine was removed early the disease has not had a chance to progress to the newer root. This is what makes this plant material a good lab sample as the disease is in the early stages which will help make the detection of the original cause easier. If you wait too long there will be secondary infections that come in as opportunistic and cause problems but are only possible because of the weakening of the plant due to the primary infection.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Root Rot Notice the rot progression on the root that the tip region is the most impacted. The area near the vine has the least damage indicating this problem very likely first entered the roots and then progressed into the vine/plant.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Later that same day… If the lighting looks different this is because this is an afternoon/evening image of the same area that was taken in the morning. The vine that was removed at the bottom center of the image, is now in the plant pathology lab for testing. However, the wilting has progressed from just a few leaves to most of the plant. The speed of progression is not a good sign for the future growth of the pumpkin and this makes the lab diagnosis even more important for future planning purposes.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Leaf Damage Progression... Just a few days ago all the leaves looked about as good as can be expected, but now the margin leaf burn can clearly be seen. This progression does correlate with a heatwave so not sure if this is a contributing factor and/or the possibility of high heat interacting with products applied to the leaves. Regardless, there is an evident disease issues so while the season will not reach its full potential, the key is to get a proper diagnosis so planning for next year can be made.   Sunday, August 14 View Page Growth Has Stopped Measurable growth past 1000 pounds has come to a halt so this pumpkin will be harvested earlier than expected. This is a very nice-looking pumpkin that’s full potential was cut very short of what it could have been due to diseases/heat. The hope of cutting it early is to increase the odds that is makes it to the scales.   Wednesday, August 17 View Page Harvest Day On an initial look the leaves look to be near “normal” around the pumpkin but this is third and fourth stage grow that was allowed to try and fill-in some of the area. The leaves in the foreground show the burning and aging that was a result of the initial issue. Time will tell if it can make it to a scale or not, but it is going to be stored on the trailer in a garage to help avoid temperature swings.   Thursday, September 1 View Page 1119.5 DeBacco ’22 (F: 2294.5 Noel ’19 x self) DMG- Outdoor Plant *Anthesis Treated* Day: 62 OTT: 363.5” Est. 1035 lbs. 8% heavy Woodstock Fair Weigh-off Despite the challenges it was great to get this pumpkin to the scale. However, there was a soft spot that started above the stem area on the pumpkin which resulted in the dmg classification. If it had not been for this spot this pumpkin was a Howard Dill award contender for sure. Luckily, the pumpkin was solid enough to go on a few displays before it headed to the compost pile.   Friday, September 2 View Page 1119.5 DeBacco ’22 (F: 2294.5 Noel ’19 x self) DMG- Outdoor Plant It is a great time to be able to share a giant pumpkin with people, and while this one did not get to stay at the fair, it was still enjoyed by members of the public. The green trailer contrast to the orange pumpkin also adds a nice touch.   Saturday, September 3 View Page 1119.5 DeBacco ’22 (F: 2294.5 Noel ’19 x self) DMG- Outdoor Plant Even though this pumpkin had a soft spot and was declared a damaged pumpkin, the goal was to see if any seeds were salvageable. To my shock upon cutting into the pumpkin there was no rot on the inside. In fact, the inside looked great so seeds were collected and some of the flesh was even harvest to make pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup. The bread came out great and the seeds are drying so in the end the pumpkin was used to its fullest extent.   Saturday, September 10 View Page Official Diagnosis: Hyaline, boat-shaped (fusiform), conidia typical of Fusarium species Diagnosis/Recommendations: Diagnosis: Fusarium wilt; Fusarium wilt complex (Fusarium sp./spp.) Category: FUNGAL Comments: Fusarium wilt Wilt and crown/root rot caused by Fusarium sp. can be a destructive and sometimes difficult-to-control fungal disease. Symptoms include wilting, brown lesions that may girdle the stem at the soil line, vascular discoloration/rot, and root discoloration/rot. Plants severely affected by this soil-borne fungal disease are unlikely to recover. This sample was diagnosed with this disease due to associated symptoms and fungal spore identification via tissue culture. Management: This fungus thrives in cool, wet soil conditions, but warm (even hot), wet conditions are also well-tolerated. There are no fungicides that will completely prevent Fusarium sp., but several provide adequate management if proper sanitation and cultural practices are followed. Always wear protective equipment and follow label rates and instructions when applying fungicides (see below). • Always use clean, healthy seed, starts and transplants; • Use bleach solution (10% or greater), rubbing alcohol (70% or greater), or similar to disinfect pruning equipment, transplant trays, and related planting materials before reuse; • Avoid waterlogged soils whenever possible; • Remove and destroy diseased plants as soon as possible. Do not compost and avoid allowing diseased plant residue (including roots) to remain on-site; • Use new materials, such as strings and stakes, when feasible   Saturday, September 10 View Page Official Diagnosis: Hyaline, boat-shaped (fusiform), conidia typical of Fusarium species Diagnosis/Recommendations: Diagnosis: Fusarium wilt; Fusarium wilt complex (Fusarium sp./spp.) Category: FUNGAL Comments: Fusarium wilt Wilt and crown/root rot caused by Fusarium sp. can be a destructive and sometimes difficult-to-control fungal disease. Symptoms include wilting, brown lesions that may girdle the stem at the soil line, vascular discoloration/rot, and root discoloration/rot. Plants severely affected by this soil-borne fungal disease are unlikely to recover. This sample was diagnosed with this disease due to associated symptoms and fungal spore identification via tissue culture. Management: This fungus thrives in cool, wet soil conditions, but warm (even hot), wet conditions are also well-tolerated. There are no fungicides that will completely prevent Fusarium sp., but several provide adequate management if proper sanitation and cultural practices are followed. Always wear protective equipment and follow label rates and instructions when applying fungicides (see below). •    Always use clean, healthy seed, starts and transplants; •    Use bleach solution (10% or greater), rubbing alcohol (70% or greater), or similar to disinfect pruning equipment, transplant trays, and related planting materials before reuse; •    Avoid waterlogged soils whenever possible; •    Remove and destroy diseased plants as soon as possible. Do not compost and avoid allowing diseased plant residue (including roots) to remain on-site; •    Use new materials, such as strings and stakes, when feasible   Saturday, September 10 View Page Melanized, multicellular spores with alternating septation are typical of Alternaria solani and related species In addition to the fusarium that was identified there was also some Alternaria found on the samples. However, this is more likely a secondary infection and not the primanry issue. Looking back at the full sequence of events, what took the plant down was a combination of things... First the hydrogen peroxide treatment early in the season was a success as the area that had the issue was further down the plant and may have just been an area that was missed on the initial drench. This stresses the importance of complete coverage when performing a soil drench. The reason why this idea is considered is the older portions of the plant did not have any internal rot, only the one section of newer growth that was likely the original hot spot of the initial fusarium bloom. Fusarium was the likely main cause of the wilting of the plant. (The above identified Alternaria is a likely secondary infection.) This lead to the need to attempt to take corrective action and as a grower the evaluation of risk and reward is always a gamble. The decision to spray for control of the disease was poorly timed with a heatwave, but this was the decision made. In the end, there was spray damage, which as a result made an initial problem worse. The likely spray damage in addition to the active disease in combination with a heat wave, did shut the pumpkin growth down. This resulted in an early harvest and did allow for the grass seed cover crop to be established early. There is something to learn every year and this year was no different. Hopefully, you have enjoyed the season and the science backed approach to this diary.   Saturday, December 31 View Page Even though these pumpkins are now compost it is a great way to remember the 2022 growing season with these three pumpkins on display at the New York Botanical Gardens. 2554 Andrusz ’22 (2365 Wolf x 1885.5 Werner) 2136.5 Sperry ’22 (1806 Sperry x 1940 Urena) 2424 Caspers ’22 (1707.5 Caspers x 2702.9 Cutrupi) I was fortunate to get to talk with Pete and see the 2424 inside and out. I can also ensure no seed was left behind;-)