Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 55 Entries. Sunday, April 17 View Page Welcome to the Rea Pumpkin Patch! This year's performers will be - 1730 Werner - 1317 Clementz - 1475 Gorichanaz - 1585.5 Werner - 2230.5 Wallace. Come back again soon, to hopefully see exciting things happening here!   Sunday, April 17 View Page The Keeper of the Patch has some new tricks up her sleeve. Some new products - new techniques - new weather protection - and, as always, renewed hope and enthusiasm!   Sunday, April 17 View Page The seeds have been filed, had their 30 minute peroxide solution soak and their 3 hour Essential Plus solution soak. They are wrapped, bagged, and on top of the food dehydrator.   Sunday, April 17 View Page 36 hours later, they have sprouted.   Sunday, April 17 View Page Time to fill the 2 gallon pots with the special seed starting medium. (It's a secret, but go tell a................never mind! That's someone else's line!)   Sunday, April 17 View Page 11 pots are on heat mats. The plants will eventually be narrowed down to 5. 5 super performers!   Saturday, April 23 View Page All 11 seedlings are starting their 2nd true leaves. I put the anti-seed corn maggot collars on early, so as not to cut any roots when pushing them in later.   Saturday, May 14 View Page No sunny pictures of Nana Rea's patch! The plants have been in the ground for a week and are doing pretty well, considering the weather. I was lucky enough to get some dry time between rain cells, to put candles in the huts, ready for tonight's possible frost. Plants will be toasty warm in the morning.   Monday, June 13 View Page Plants covered with shade cloth, helped them get through last week's high temps.   Monday, June 13 View Page Several of you have asked what I was going to do about the farmer spraying his corn with Roundup this year. The corn has been planted in the fields beyond the pumpkin patch. He was nice enough to give me a call before spraying. With the wood frames, I easily covered the plants with plastic. The spraying has been completed and I'm soooo happy to say......ALL IS WELL!   Monday, June 13 View Page Got weeds?..........Got grandkids, nieces & nephews?...........Got enough stirrup hoes for everyone?...........You bet!   Monday, June 13 View Page GO TEAM REA!!   Wednesday, July 13 View Page High temps are causing droopy leaves. Here is my easy way to make a shade cloth tent. These are flower stakes that can be repositioned quickly.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page Voila!   Wednesday, July 13 View Page This is looking across 4 plants - 140 feet. I agree with Lee Zappa.....first year I've had so many sun scorched leaves. I've lined the un-terminated secondaries with strips of shade cloth.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page This is the 5th plant - 1585.5 Werner. Shade cloth and sprinklers are hopefully getting us through this hot and dry spell.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page Are you looking for round pumpkins in the Rea patch? Hmmmmm! 1730 Werner, 10 days old.   Wednesday, July 13 View Page OK....there's a nice round one!   Wednesday, July 13 View Page Maybe not! But it sure is orange! Another Hmmmm! 1317 Clementz.   Monday, July 18 View Page Please say hello to "Last Chance Lulu" - 2230.5 Wallace. A few previous pollinations aborted and this one wasn't looking so good. Today was possibly her last day. But she decided to show a little shine! Keep on shining Lulu!   Thursday, July 21 View Page Pretty girl, 1585.5 Werner got her first measurements at day 20. OTT 197.   Sunday, July 24 View Page 1475 Gorichanaz has been a great plant from the start, and the first to fill it's 30' x 35' space. Looking sweet at 20 days and 192 OTT.   Monday, July 25 View Page 1317 Clementz is my first to reach 30 days and has a 249 OTT.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page Part of this year's program......watching the sun come up every morning. I'm doing a daily, foliar, spoon fed menu, before the sunrise, when temps are cool and stomata are open.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page For foliar sprays to be effective, the air temp should be less than 80. And the temp and humidity added together should be 135 or less. That just isn't happening here in the evening. Spraying was completed before the sun came up over the trees. Now the tarps come off and we're ready for the day.   Wednesday, July 27 View Page One of Mother Nature's ways of saying....."Na-na-nuh-na-na!" I thought I was meticulous at nipping off tertiary buds while burying vines. And 2 days ago, I tip-toed through the plants to catch any stragglers. And this morning.....THIS!!   Saturday, July 30 View Page Pretty girl 1585 Werner hails a 296 OTT at 30 days. Approximately 570 lbs. and 41.8 lbs. per day for the past 5 days. Go Pretty Girl!   Friday, August 5 View Page "Clementine" - 1317 - 40 days - 447 lbs. Oh my darlin'.....don't stall out now!   Friday, August 5 View Page "Marley" - 1730 Werner - 35 days - 433 lbs. There is always a Quinn pumpkin in the Rea patch. Usually, somehow, named after the great grower. But just think of all his lovely wife, Marlene, has put up with all these years! So this nice orange pumpkin will be blessed with her name!   Friday, August 5 View Page 1475 Gorichanaz - 30 days - 486 lbs. My niece, Hannah, has named her "Gorgeous Gorgie"!   Friday, August 5 View Page 1585 Werner - the Queen of the patch - 35 days - 769 lbs.   Friday, August 5 View Page Another view of "The Queen".   Sunday, August 21 View Page The Rea patch is now down to 3 giant pumpkins. This is Marley - 1730 Werner. She is about 800 lbs. and hanging in there at 19 lbs per day.   Sunday, August 21 View Page Gorgie - 1475 Gorichanaz is about 900 lbs. She is just 45 days old.   Sunday, August 21 View Page Queenie - 1585 Werner - is looking like royalty at 50 days old and 1300 lbs.   Sunday, September 4 View Page Queenie and her court..........2 nieces and 2 granddaughters........what a lovely bunch!   Sunday, September 4 View Page Granddaughter Kasey with Queenie. You can see some disease, that I made every attempt to slow down. But it went through the plant like wild fire. I have not had the leaves tested, but think it is downy mildew. All diseased leaves have been removed and some tertiary growth was allowed to grow. Pounds per day have slowed way down. Queenie is a great pumpkin, but not what she might have been.   Sunday, September 11 View Page Josie Brechbuhler, my neighbor's granddaughter, with Queenie.   Sunday, September 11 View Page Josie.........looking for a mouse!   Sunday, September 11 View Page And here is Josie, five years ago!!   Sunday, September 11 View Page I really like this girl, Marley Marlene........not ordinary or boring!.......Muli-faceted personality! Just look at all the curves. She shows her soft side with starbursts to give her sparkle.......overlayed with some strong cantaloping to show she can be tough! What a complex girl. Go Marley!!   Thursday, September 15 View Page Queenie........Where are you going?......oh........the pumpkin graveyard. Blossom end split.   Tuesday, September 27 View Page It's time for our annual pumpkin pickin' party. Easy does it!   Tuesday, September 27 View Page Whew! Made it!   Tuesday, September 27 View Page Granddaughter Kasey   Tuesday, September 27 View Page Brenda and Charlie looking over the One Too Manys.   Tuesday, September 27 View Page The big kids doing their annual pyramid, with Baby Hunter at the top.   Wednesday, September 28 View Page Great nieces and nephews having fun, being silly around Marley Marlene, 1730 Werner.   Wednesday, September 28 View Page Megan and Hannah with a Prizewinner.   Wednesday, September 28 View Page Kasey and 1475 Gorichanaz.   Wednesday, September 28 View Page Kasey and Charlie   Wednesday, September 28 View Page Sun is setting..........party's over!   Wednesday, October 12 View Page "Marley Marlene" grown from the 1730 Werner.   Wednesday, October 12 View Page 1328.5 Rea 16, grown from the 1585.5 Werner.   Wednesday, October 12 View Page A beautiful ending to our 2016 season! I cherish the friendships along the way!