Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 63 Entries. Monday, April 15 View Page The giant cabbage were planted about 1 month ago. Every year they damped off. I had 5 seed left and planted all hoping one would make it.   Wednesday, May 29 View Page My squash. 753 (left)MacDonald vs 1701 Jutras(right). The 753 was the best looking plant two weeks ago, then decided to be a bush plant. 1701 was a backup planted ten days later and has grown the best in the hoops of all the plants in this cold wet spring.   Wednesday, May 29 View Page 2017 Boyce(right) vs 2363 Holland. I am struggling on choosing this one. The Holland is longer but with a smaller stem and leaves. The Boyce is shorter, but with larger leaves and a monster thick main vine. Is also has better color.   Wednesday, May 29 View Page 1501 vs 1501. My two biggest plants. This is going to a tough call, but one I need to make this week. My plants have confused me a lot this year. I also plant one plant in the hoops around May 1st, and the second 4-7 days later. Normally the early or the late out performs the other. This year two early, and two late are the leaders.   Wednesday, May 29 View Page The runts of the pack. 1224 Macdonald(right) vs 1442 MacDonald(left). The 1224 is the leader at the moment. This year is conspiring against this spot. It is the only spot with heat lamps instead of heating cables. Last year, dryer and warmer, the heat lamps out preformed the soil cables. This year that is not the case. Also I have in the past planted on the other side of the patch because it is dryer, the patch has had standing water a few times over the last few weeks. Compared to last year, I am a few weeks behind. I had 10-12 foot long mains and the hoops off by this point. We are looking at 4 next gets in the 40’s in the next ten. We will see what happens.   Monday, June 17 View Page Pollinated a nice one on the 2363 Holland. No female flowers on my 4 competition plants the same as last year. I did the year plant my backups just for flowers. Glad I did.   Monday, June 17 View Page Tomatoes are coming along nicely. Porkchop needs to be very afraid ;)   Thursday, June 20 View Page 1501 is at about 15 feet and there is a female. The plants are slow but steady   Tuesday, July 30 View Page A nice double Caterpillar mega on the 5.68 porkchop. I am excited about this one.   Tuesday, July 30 View Page Please people practice safe pollination. I was mistakenly under the impression last year that I had nothing that would cross pollinate with my field pumpkins. A few open pollinated while I was on vacation last year and the seed from this one was my largest to scale. I wanted to plant more of my own seed this year, and well you see the results. I would guess summer squash field pumpkin cross. Once the rain stops, I will be pulling two plants to make room for those on the two sides of it.   Tuesday, July 30 View Page Field pumpkin plant that I think crossed last year with something.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page A nice little double caterpillar off my 5.68 Porkchop. I had a 3 pounder going on that plant and cut it off   Wednesday, August 7 View Page Young fruit off the 4.20 Macdonald that I really like the shape of   Wednesday, August 7 View Page One of two choice on the 8 foot high 4.67 Macdonald. Just could get a good set on this plant and it kept growing. The two choices are at about 7 feet off the ground. It will be interesting to see how these develop.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page Largest in the patch at around 700. This pic is a week old. It has slowed a little with 2 nights of temps in the 47-48 range. We will see what comes of this week 1501 seed that I got from the Wisconsin group with my membership in 2018.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page My 2363 is third largest in the patch around 500. Pic is a week old. I kept an early pollination too long and the plant stunted. Second best gainer.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page This is the 1224 sitting at around 600. Pic is from last week. Low long and wide like the pollinator, the 1810 porkchop. Plant is suffering from bad sunburn.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page Poor little 1701 jutras squash. Pic is a week old. Late pollination, 8th of August. Everything kept aborting except this, and a early side vine pollination. Last year my side vine squash didn’t fair well so I went with the main vine later fruit. Sitting around 300. Triple in size from DAP 20. Not packing on the bounds yet but if she hike will be my biggest squash to scale. Going to be wheel shaped.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page My model today with the 1501   Saturday, August 10 View Page The squash AKA Barb. Put on 157 this week to sit just under 400.   Saturday, August 10 View Page Norah put on 200 last week to sit just over 600.   Saturday, August 10 View Page Donnie added 220 to sit right at 700   Saturday, August 10 View Page Ralph added 233 to sit at 826. The pumpkins were named by the model I use and he picked his grandparents names. The gains are not what I had hoped for, but 2 nights in the mid to high 40s and a few days with highs in the low 70s, I am not surprised. Field pumpkin is packing on 5 a day and approaching PB territory. Watermelon is finally on the chat,lol. My double caterpillar tomato is now at 18 inches, 2 inches in the last 3 days.   Thursday, August 15 View Page Hard to see, as my picture taking sucks, but the double caterpillar stem has split and half is going to each side. It is still growing well putting on over 5 inches last week to sit at just over 21. I figure to get it really big, I’ll need at least 28 total inches due to the hole between the two sides   Saturday, August 17 View Page Barb the squash. Up 130 for the week to just over 500.   Saturday, August 17 View Page Norah sitting around 770   Saturday, August 17 View Page Donnie sitting at 870.   Saturday, August 17 View Page Ralph is within a few pounds of 1000. The pumpkins had a down,up, down week. First of the week saw next to no growth, I got the water and ferts dialed in and saw great growth for 3 days, I was ahead of last week as far as weigh gains through 5 days. Thursday night was had 2+inches dumped on us. Friday 3/4 of an inch, today half inch. Growth is there, slow, but the patch is wet now.   Saturday, August 17 View Page The double caterpillar still keeps chugging along. 23 inches today. 7 inches in 10 days   Saturday, August 17 View Page 4.67 Macdonald sitting at 21 inches. This was the 8 foot tall plant. Topped now. Put on 5-6 inches this week. DAP around 25.   Saturday, August 17 View Page 3.88 Macdonald I think will start flashing. Sitting around 22 inches. It is was deeper than the other two.   Saturday, August 17 View Page 13 or 14 DAP 3 lobed beauty. Doubled in size in the last few days. Off the 5.58 (sp) Neiwenhoff. I’ll be keeping my eye on this one.   Saturday, August 17 View Page I believe just a single off the 5.36 Trembley. Sitting at 17 inches   Saturday, August 17 View Page 10 pounds from personal best(49) with a ways to go yet. Batting disaster I hope to beat my old pb a few times ober with the two watermelon plants.   Saturday, August 17 View Page Tall sunflower. Not overly impressed, but should be 11 feet. I only staked it 3 days ago.   Saturday, August 17 View Page 4.67 in the raised bed. Taking off sitting at 20 inches, but the youngest of all the 20+ Inch fruit I got.   Saturday, August 17 View Page Giant tub pepper. There are a few nice giant pepper plants with fruit in the garden. Next year they need more space. The bushel gourds are starting to grow. A late start but weeks ahead of last year. The long gourd needs trimming, and culling, but the longest is stretching fast at 70+. The first field pumpkin is flashing, others are growing well. The marrow is doing ok , maybe 30 pounds. The onions I think are done, largest it’s no just under 20 inches. I need to buckle down and do some hard pruning/culling this week to set up for weigh offs.   Wednesday, August 21 View Page 1224 had a bad kink in the vine.   Wednesday, August 21 View Page A 15 foot ratchet strap was put around the pumpkin using towels to protect the pumpkin.   Wednesday, August 21 View Page Another ratchet strap was used to pull the pumpkin forward   Wednesday, August 21 View Page The vine is a lot straighter and expect that the pumpkin would need to grow a lot more than I think it will have time to to be a problem again. The pumpkin is taping about 950   Saturday, August 24 View Page Barb the squash. Consistent up 130 to 648. Last week gained 131.   Saturday, August 24 View Page Norah up 147 to sit at 916. Last week gained 146.   Saturday, August 24 View Page Donnie up 132 to sit at 1002. This plant amazes me. Half its leaves died from what took me 2 months to realize was grower error in April. I got my first vine bore grub out of the vine this week about 5 feet ahead of the fruit. Lastly, it is in the wettest spot in the patch and has had soggy roots for over half its life. Still growing.   Saturday, August 24 View Page Ralph is up 184 to sit at 1178. I love the shape of this pumpkin, and the color is not half bad. This week has sucked from a weather stand point. For last Thursday to this Tuesday we got 4.25 inches of rain. The temperatures were good, but so very wet. Now we are suppose to get sun, but the lows for the foreseeable future range from 45-55 for the next two weeks. I’d have loved to see what these plants could have done with a week of warm and dry weather.   Saturday, August 24 View Page This is Bob. He is a great mouser, and loves spending time with me in the garden. Because of the ability of he and the two other cats to catch nasty creatures in the garden, he gets a pass for walking on the growing fruit. Overall the garden has coped ok with the weather. I know have 9 tomatoes taping at or over 20 inches, and a lot are still young. One is flashing, and if it goes over 4, it will be an early tomato entry. Over all the tomatoes did not like the wet weather. I lost my fastest growing 4.67 to rot. At 26 days it weighed 3.2 pounds. The watermelons hated the wet, and I think are dying. The field kins, bushel gourds, marrow, long gourds and peppers are all doing ok.   Monday, August 26 View Page Was to be my first early tomato entry. 22 inch circumference, 4.22 pounds.   Monday, August 26 View Page 45 degrees last night and the skin split. Off the 3.88 Macdonald.   Wednesday, August 28 View Page Sad day. The double caterpillar had a section that was rotting. 5.17 pounds and still weeks to grow   Friday, August 30 View Page Marrow too yellow/orange?   Saturday, August 31 View Page Donnie. Up 100 to sit at 1100. Slowing down.   Saturday, August 31 View Page Barb the squash up 125 for the week. A consistent gainer. Can she pack on 225 in the next 4 weeks. The weather will have to get better.   Saturday, August 31 View Page Norah up 127 for the week. My guess is she will pass Donnie. Forgot to take a picture.   Saturday, August 31 View Page Ralph is up 133 to pass 1300. I am hoping for 1500 and not going light. By tape, I am 550 short of 4000 on the big 3. The watermelons put on one inch last week, but with death and destruction all around that is ok. I have recovered from the loss of 3 big maters. Got a bunch going, hoping a few will pass 5 pounds. I have 4 field kin’s that are all in PB territory on 2 plants. One of these years I’ll get it down to one. BG are growing ok, no record breakers, LG are doing ok, trying to prevent sour tip. Marrow is ok.   Wednesday, September 11 View Page I weighed some tomatoes today. The picture is hard to read. 9.81.   Wednesday, September 11 View Page After my son dropped one on the floor, it lost some juice. 5.12 and 4.76. Two biggest I have officially weighed.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page Well Ralph got weighed and came in a little light by 1% at 1396.5. Below my personal best by 45.5 pounds but that is alright. He was a pretty pumpkin. The squash came in double digit heavy at 965.5. An improvement over last year by over 200 pounds on the same seed.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page Would have been a personal best but developed a rot sot before weighoff.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page My tomato that I took to Saratoga. It came in at 5.7 pounds, to beat my personal best of last year by 1.03 pounds. I came in n second to “THE CHOPS” and I am ok with that.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page By the looks of things the inside of Donnie wanted to grow, but the outside didn’t. It went down. I would have loved to have gotten a weight on him with the stem end coming in around 15 inches thick.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page Norah went 5% light and came in at 1088.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page I did get a prize at Saratoga. A nice pack of 5 seeds from the world record maker.   Wednesday, October 2 View Page This was at Saratoga as well. What a monster. Saratoga was fun. I won filed pumpkin, bushel gourd, squash and marrow, second in tomato and long gourd. For the year I got personal bests in n everything but giant pumpkin so I am happy.