Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 32 Entries. Wednesday, February 22 View Page Snowing again and bitterly cold. Winchills up to -35. Brrr! We have had a record amount of snowfall so far this year. Think positive. Spring is coming, warmer days ahead. Another positive: I am expanding my backyard growing area! It will now be 15x67 for 1005 square feet of space in my main patch. I entered the 150 square foot challenge so that will be part of it. Just have to decide if the rest of the space will be for 1 or 2 more plants. AGs, FPs, LGs, and sunflowers are my plan for this year.   Saturday, May 6 View Page First plant is in the patch. This is the second earliest date that I have ever transplanted. 2 week forecast is looking very good. Let's grow!   Sunday, May 7 View Page Pic of my 150 square foot challenge patch. It is 10'x15'. Once I get the end wall of my screenhouse built, the patch will have a solid barrier on all 4 sides. The plant will go in the corner of the patch (red dot in pic) and be grown diagonally. I have not decided which of my plants will be my 150 plant as of yet.   Friday, May 12 View Page It finally gave us a good rain here. I've had 4" fall in my pumpkin patch since Tuesday night (5/9) and more in the forecast.   Friday, May 12 View Page I just hope the ground isn't too soggy to get my other plants in the patch this weekend!   Sunday, May 21 View Page Plants are all in the patch now. 1461 Rodebaugh   Sunday, May 21 View Page My 150 square foot challenge plant is the 1952.5 Kogut.   Sunday, May 21 View Page I have some cleaning up to do yet and a final till. And a wall to build but this is a look at my 150 square foot patch.   Sunday, May 21 View Page 1885.5 Werner. I had some major issues early that about did this seed in but it pulled through.   Sunday, June 4 View Page 150 square foot patch is finally finished. 10 feet wide by 15 feet long. 1952.5 Kogut is the plant. Plant will be grown diagonally across the patch and the pumpkin will be set in the corner near the gate.   Sunday, June 4 View Page The 1952.5 Kogut is looking like my best plant so far. Main vine is looking like a cobra.   Sunday, June 4 View Page 1885.5 Werner main vine is stretching out. I had to remove the kickstand leaf to get it to lay down. 2 out of 3 have their main vine down now.   Sunday, June 4 View Page And the 1461 Rodebaugh. It is struggling. It doesn't like the sun and it is just trying to grow straight up. I think it will come around, it is doing better than it was.   Sunday, June 4 View Page Field pumpkins, long gourd, and sunflowers were all put in this weekend. Field pumpkins this year are: 164 Laub 167.5 Treece 168.7 Baggs Long gourd: 123.75" Micheal Sunflowers: 15' 6" Young tall 21" Schnicker big head   Saturday, June 24 View Page Friday afternoon and evening we had 4 severe storms roll through the area, one right after the other, bringing lots of rain, damaging hail, and 8 tornadoes. Our patch got hit 4 times with hail ranging from pea size on up to lime size. The plants in the screenhouse are fine. My 150 square foot challenge plant (1952.5 Kogut) took major damage. Main vine was severed and most of the leaves are tore up. I'm going to try to keep it going and train a new main vine.   Sunday, June 25 View Page 1461 Rodebaugh has a baby pumpkin in the grow tip. Plant is almost 8 feet long with 10 secondaries started.   Sunday, June 25 View Page 1885.5 Werner has a baby pumpkin in the grow tip. Plant is over 8 feet long. Secondaries are starting   Sunday, July 2 View Page 1461 Rodebaugh is 11 feet long x 8 feet wide now. There is a pumpkin at 9 feet that won't get pollinated. The next one in the grow tip should be around 16 feet out when it opens. Probably around july 15th. Growing good but behind where I'd like to be.   Sunday, July 2 View Page 1885.5 Werner is 12 feet long and 7 feet wide. It has a back runner vine, something that I have never dealt with before. It is 6 feet long and throwing secondaries too. There is a pumpkin at 11½ feet with 18 secondaries behind it. The next one down the line will fall around 18 feet. Be around July 15th on that one too. Better late than never I guess.   Monday, July 17 View Page I may be out of the 150 square foot competition. My 1952.5 Kogut is not doing well at all. It hasn't recovered from the hail damage too good and now I suspect it might have mosiac virus. I will most likely remove the plant very soon.   Tuesday, July 18 View Page I have made quite a few pollinations over the last few days and have 2 more in the morning (7/18). These are my potential keepers. We'll see how they do over the next couple weeks. 1885.5 Werner x 1461 Rodebaugh & 1461 Rodebaugh x 1885.5 Werner   Tuesday, July 25 View Page Weekly update: I am out of the 150 square foot challenge. I pulled my 1952.5 Kogut. On top of recovering from hail damage, I suspected it had Mosiac virus and it was only producing male flowers. The 1885.5 Werner is DAP 16 and picking up the pace. The 1461 Rodebaugh is DAP 12.   Sunday, August 13 View Page Phoenix (1461 Rodebaugh x 1885.5 Werner) dap 32   Sunday, August 13 View Page My main vine pumpkin on the 1885.5 Werner aborted at day 32. Bees pollinated this one for me on 8/1. It will be known as "Athena" (1885.5 Werner x Open)   Sunday, August 13 View Page Gonna be growing close together!   Tuesday, August 22 View Page Phoenix dap 40 estimates at 300lbs. Issues in the patch has growth at a minimum. Hopefully she keeps inching along for another 45- 50 days. (1461 Rodebaugh x 1885.5 Werner)   Monday, September 11 View Page Phoenix is dap 60 today. She has been averaging just under 10lbs a day. It's been a tough year but I am happy to still have this one going. Just a couple weeks left until weighoff.   Sunday, October 1 View Page Phoenix is DAP 80 and estimating as the 6th biggest pumpkin I have grown. She has a few days left to grow and is still putting on around 6lbs per day.   Sunday, October 8 View Page Fun weekend at the Wyoming state championship weighoff. Phoenix weighed 607lbs and won the Howard Dill award! She will be carved into a jack-o-lantern in a couple weeks. 1461 Rodebaugh x 1885.5 Werner   Sunday, October 29 View Page Snow and cold! We stood Phoenix up on end and collected her seeds today in the warmth of our garage. She will soon be a jack o lantern! She had a good seed count. 628 seeds. If any clubs would be interested for their auctions.   Tuesday, October 31 View Page Happy Halloween!   Wednesday, November 1 View Page Germination test on the 607 Grubbs seeds is underway!