Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 85 Entries. Saturday, March 23 View Page Got myself El-Cheapo 7x7x15’ Greenhouse (Best Choice Products $114) – and set it up as a test site next to my patch. Plan to move it there after rototilling. It was an excruciating experience to erect – total 4-5 hours over a few days to get it right. My wife and I have decades of putting together toys and IKEA stuff – but never like this. The envelope doesn’t fit. Designers probably had the cover cut spects right, but the sewers defeated all their good effort. No instructions, just a stick sketch with numbered pipes. If anybody tries this, it is imperative to position the verticals INSIDE the base layout, or there is no hope of getting the envelope to fit. If do it otherwise, takes forever to take it apart and redo it. Also the corners from outside in are: base pipe, flat end of angle piece, inside pipe. Even with this, had to disconnect the front base pipes and lash into an overlap position to get the zippers all the way down (was 4” spread). Throw away the stakes they gave you and buy 2’ stakes and hammer in securely, zip tied to base pipes and corner extensions, otherwise bye-bye greenhouse with the first wind. However, it IS breeze proof. Zip tie entire cover all the way around the base. The product review that says some guy put it up by himself in an hour must’ve been a company plant. After all that – it’s wonderful.   Saturday, March 23 View Page Outfitted with 2 Amazon Basics 500-Watt Ceramic Personal Heaters ($16@)- (I pay 4Cents/KWH) controlled by a Bayite BTC201 Digital Temp Controller $35 (a really neat gadget). The hanging thermometer is inaccurate with the sun on the greenhouse but accurate after sunset. BUT – best of all, is the little orange gadget hanging behind it – An Elitech GSP-6 constant temp/humidity monitor ($40).. It gives graphs of 24hr temp and humidity and cycles over 12 weeks. Shows what really happening overnight - cool   Saturday, March 23 View Page I hang all the probes at the same level in the middle of the greenhouse, but plan to change the setting on the GSP-6 to change the humidity probe to a 2nd temp probe and put just above ground level. Might even bury it in the patch later. Now let’s see if this is all worth it.   Tuesday, March 26 View Page Raked off some the winter leaf mulch to let soil dry in prep for early rototilling and translocation of EL Cheapo greenhouse (still standing, despite all prediction)– hopefully as soon as I get back my soil sample reports from Western Labs and Penn State (sent last week).   Thursday, March 28 View Page 3/28 PSU Report in. pH 7.4. PO4, K+, Mg and Ca all exceed crop needs. Suggests 75lb/Ac N – so my 800 sf patch could go with a ½ of a 40lb bag of 10-10-10 with a bit left over. Western Labs should be here next week.   Thursday, March 28 View Page I got no new seeds this year. No seed pak from our group, and I forgot to look at the auctions, but what I have left in the bucket should produce just fine. Again, my main candidate will be the 1795.5 McCracken ’16 -2145McMullen’x1625Gantner’15. Have 2 seeds which I will start a week apart. Also have a 1501.5Wagner’17(orange) which I hope is the 1795's companion in the patch this year (again, only 2 vines planned) a 1495.5 Sndyer ’17 and a 803 Clementz from a 1947x2145; Have 3 more seeds from orange kins, 2 >900 and 1 from a sentimental favorite - my first attempt – a 454 from 2015 with that 1717 Kulp'13 as a mom. Several other seeds have nice genetics. There’s potential here – now just gotta be other than stupid.   Tuesday, April 2 View Page Rototilled a section of the patch the size of the greenhouse just to test the soil. Pleasantly surprised – not soggy, tilled nicely. Tomorrow plan to retill with 10-10-10 and construct the planting wells and hills, maybe move El Cheapo in place and stake down and the electric line. If all seems solid, will start seeds 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. Have an issue with upcoming trip – 10 days at beginning of May. Plants will have to be set outside on temp and water autopilot. Hmmm – not optimistic here   Wednesday, April 3 View Page Final Candidates 1495.5 Snyder ‘17; 1613.5 McCracken’17; 1501.5 Wagner ’17 (orange); 1795.5 McCracken ‘16; I may have access to the 1146 Snyder ’17 through a friend   Wednesday, April 3 View Page The final Cut – started the 1501 and the 1613 today. Filed edges of blunt 2/3 of the seed until just seeing the interior seed. I’ve had almost 100% germination doing that. Put them in a wet paper towel in a plastic lunch bag and into the incubator on a heating pad. Covered with a black plastic restaurant take-home container (seems to me, seeds expect it to be dark when they do their work - ? who knows). Keeping the 1795 and 1495 in reserve to start in 7-10 days as insurance against catastrophe due to bad judgement starting the others too early. Actually those 2 in reserve are my favorite entries and nervous about starting them so early. That greenhouse better be worth the price!   Thursday, April 4 View Page Rotorilling in before the 2 days of rain starting tomorrow. Want to get the pH down a bit from the reported 7.4   Thursday, April 4 View Page Initial amendments rototilled in before the 2 days of rain to start tomorrow. Hope to get thenpH down somewhat from thenreported 7.5   Saturday, April 6 View Page Prepping the planting pit. 20 lbs of sterile dehydrated mushroom soil, handful of sulfates to control resulting alkaline pH, kelp meal, full handfuls of mycorrhizae, double pinch of Jack’s 20-20-20 soluble fertilizer and a pail of vermiculite. Heating cables ready to go.   Saturday, April 6 View Page Cables in place   Saturday, April 6 View Page El Cheapo moved from the practice area to the patch and staked down, with all the high tech ready to plant a pair of sseedlings before the end of April.   Tuesday, April 9 View Page The 1501, day 2. Germinated in 4 days. And let the festivities begin! The 1613 McCracken hasn’t moved the dirt yet. Peaked – scratched away the dirt and found the seed swollen and interior bulging – should pop up in a day or so.   Thursday, April 11 View Page Day 4 1501 with first true leaf. Day 1 on the 1603. Decided to get El Cheapo started. Turned on the heaters and heating cables to measure serial temperature over the next few 24-hour cycles at 4 ft above ground and ground level with the Elitech Data Logger and ground thermometers   Thursday, April 11 View Page Just couldn’t wait to start 2nd salvo. The famed 1795 McCracken ’16 and MAGPA Howard Dill Award winner for most beautiful orange specimen Snyder 1495 ‘17. In plastic bags with wet paper towel. Other than filed edges, no other special preparation or potions.   Saturday, April 13 View Page 1501 1613 day 10 after planting. 1795 and 1495 started 2 days ago   Tuesday, April 16 View Page Where is all starts   Tuesday, April 16 View Page Sun out, temp 95 deg in greenhouse, dirt temp consistently 62 deg over cables. Night temps holding in mid 50’s by morning and promptly up to 80 shortly after sunrise. Upcoming temp show 50-60’s – the heaters should add another 10 deg to that, so - - - - - PLANTED the 1613 McCracken to officialyl start the season 3 weeks earlier than last year. Trying to beat the fungus in late Aug-Sept. 1501 to plant in 4-5 days a couple feet to the left in the same hill – choosing the best to occupy the west side of the patch for the summer. East side will keep either the 1795 or 1495. Hmmmm – may wind up with double McCrackens – Dennis, is that good luck or doom?   Friday, April 19 View Page Neither the 1795 McCracken nor the 1495 Snyder seed sprouted. Dug them up – no action. I think I had the heating pad set too high the first day I put them in moist towels in plastic bags and baked them. Still had a final 1795 McCracken to restart and a nice orange 975 Gansert. This puts me a week behind and a potential pickle with my upcoming 10 day trip starting May 2.   Friday, April 19 View Page So, with a delayed second team, I planted the 1501 that I held back in the east facing hill by itself, instead of accompanying the 1613. Warm days and warm nights (50-57) for the next week may give them a good start. Heating cables on, the 1500 watt heater on Thermostat, the 400 watt on constantly (can’t put them both on the thermostat – blows the thermostat fuse – thought I bought a better thermostat   Monday, April 22 View Page 1613 McCracken Day 15 since sprouting; Day 6 since planting. Ground temp 70 with cable on, 62 in area without cable. Temp varying 70 at night to 85-90 during day with thermostatically set heaters and (finally) some sun. Set drip irrigation 20 min every other day.   Thursday, April 25 View Page McCracken 1613 day 15 (error above) – no set backs yet. El Cheapo greenhouse reached 120 yesterday before I remembered to open all the side panels. Overtaken the 1500 and so if a choice needs to be made between them later, the McC wins.   Thursday, April 25 View Page 1501 day 18 and lagging a bit. The 2 stunted 2nd leaves suggests the seedling got too close to the heating element in the incubator early on and slowed growth since – the McC 1795 came up 3 days later and has move than over taken the 1500. Seems to have recovered.   Thursday, April 25 View Page Thank Goodness! a back up has emerged! My last famous McCracken 1795 seed. Whew. No sign of the accompanying 975 Gansert above ground yet. Dug it out – no action. Covered it back over and watered. Routing for the Gansert – nice orange fruit.   Monday, April 29 View Page FROST last night! – temp outside exactly 32 deg at 0730 in shade (sun up). Checked Elitech record of last 10 days of greenhouse temps – green line at ground level middle, black at 4’ middle. Thermostat at 4’ against wall. 1200watt and 400 watt heaters on. All week interior night at set point of 60 deg until last 3 cold nights, 60 at ground, 50 at 4’. Heaters on ground and so blowing warm air at ground level (kins like that), Maybe ground heater cables added some warmth. Last night 46 and 40. Pumpkins and tomatoes look fine this morning. Whew! Supposed to warm up from now on.   Tuesday, April 30 View Page Morning inspection: 1613 started to lay down overnight. Installed supports so that this life trauma doesn’t happen all at once, especially during the cool of the morning, risking a linear main stem split. Leaves 13”. It’s been a fantastic spring for flowering trees and rapidly growing beautiful green grass. Absolutely LOVE this love of year in PA!   Wednesday, May 1 View Page Setting up for enforced autopilot for almost 2 weeks. Decided hot during day much bigger risk than night chill. Last night left 4 of 8 side panels open. Heater kept temp 58-60 with a 60 set point with an ambient temp down to 52 last night. Plants look normal. 1613 looks bigger and resting on supports – lowered supports– so best we can do. Will remove support tomorrow, leave 4 of 8 panels open and hopefully find no surprises upon return. A fellow grower will be checking things along the way.   Wednesday, May 15 View Page Back from vacation, and it looks like El Cheapo green house and cruise control irrigation and heaters did their respective jobs, despite days of cold rain all week. No catastrophes. Main stem on the 1613 does have a kink, however, and a few longitudinal slits. Rest of plant looks great. The 1501 is OK as well. The back up 1795 is small but growing. Stored a tomato plant and 2 eggplants there are too, but gotta get them out; the 1501 is overrunning them. Plan to start erecting fencing very soon. The 1613 will be out of the green house in a few days. Plan to move the entire unit to cover only the 1501, leaving the 1613 out in the brutal world.   Thursday, May 16 View Page 1613: 51”x 46”. Largest leaf- 20”. The 1501 is about 2/3 of that. Growing end 6” from front of tent, will have to leave the lower end of the flap open starting tomorrow and get that fence started – probably a small interior fence and do the final circumference later when have time.   Tuesday, May 21 View Page Day 41 for 1613 – 7’ x 5’ – out in the world 4 days and seemingly enjoying it – 2 barriers of aluminum wind break fencing was welcomed with the high winds and storms last 2 nights. Not much extra fertilizer yet – apply some Jacks 20-20-20 both to ground and foliage a few days ago. That’s about it. Buried secondaries with a mixture of mycorrhizae, kelp meal, 10-10-10 and dry Jacks 20-20-20 Covered area around and under plant with 50 lbs of dehydrated sterile mushroom soil and rototilled it in today. The 1501 is still in the green house. Donated the tomato plant to a friend – was 2’ high.   Wednesday, May 22 View Page The mix for each node when burying vines: 40% Mycorrhizea, 30% kelp meal, 20% 10-10-10 slow release, 10% Jacks 20-20-20 (dry – the rain will make the solution). No documented source.   Friday, May 24 View Page Everybody is out of the greenhouse in into the unabated world. Put El Cheapo away till next year – it did a better job than I had expected and probably shouldn’tv bad mouthed it so much back in March. Really held the temp where it needed to be and protected the electronic surveillance nicely. Didn’t fall apart as predicted   Saturday, May 25 View Page Goes with above note - out of the greenhouse.   Monday, May 27 View Page Temp graphs for last 6 weeks as recorded on my Elitech GSP-6 ($40). The Bayite BTC201 Digital Temp Controller $35 (a really neat gadget) kept night temps at the set point of 60 deg with a single 1200W heater. Day temps routinely got to be >100 with the sides vents open, with or without front flap open. Greenhouse specs for purchase in one of the March entries.   Monday, May 27 View Page Temp graphs for last 6 weeks as recorded on my Elitech GSP-6 ($40). The Bayite BTC201 Digital Temp Controller $35 (a really neat gadget) kept night temps at the set point of 60 deg with a single 1200W heater. Day temps routinely got to be >100 with the sides vents open, with or without front flap open. Greenhouse specs for purchase in one of the March entries.   Tuesday, May 28 View Page First female flower on the end of the first secondary of the 1613. Several other females on that vine and a female on the 1501. Not going to make the mistake to fertilize a female too short on the main – last year did a 10 footer and wasted time and energy to grow it with others growing further out. Will wait to about 15’ this year if possible.   Thursday, May 30 View Page 1613 is 10’L and 12’W and growing normally. 1501 growing in opposite direction, still 2/3 of that, and also growing normally. Many female flower buds, one was at the tip of the 1613 main. Not going to sucked into that again – culled in case of a weak moment setting in.   Sunday, June 2 View Page In 2 days, 1613 grown to 14’ L and 15’ W (9' of the 15' is a huge 1st secondary growing to the south with a female bud). Ground temp 78 deg (no heater cables). Rained every day lately. Burying every vine with nodal app of mycorrhizae, kelp meal, Epson salts, 10-10-10, dry Jacks 20-20-20 which includes boron. Will start some CalVantage soon and phosphite foliage app. THIS WILL BE THE YEAR! Moved wind fence out to final circumference with reinforcing tie downs and tied across and lengthwise, to include every post in at least 4 directions. NOT going to do this twice. 55’x28 ft = 1,500 sq ft. (whew, currently having a beer)   Tuesday, June 4 View Page TOMORROW ! 16’ out on the 1613 main with 17 secondaries behind it. Room for 15’ more growth in the patch. Plan to cross it with the 1501. Another beginning female on the main 2’ further. Hmmm. Any advice out there?   Wednesday, June 5 View Page The deed is done – crossed the male 1501.5 Wagner’17 with this 1613.5McCracken’17   Wednesday, June 12 View Page Got rid of the above pumpkin at lemon size – favoring waiting for something further out. Plenty of female flowers along main vine and secondaries. 1613 is 18L and 20W. Small female flower near the tip. Started an S curve anticipating using this one. The 1501 also has many female flowers. Cut most of them off. 16L x 16W. Plan trying to get 5-250 pounders off this guy to put out front of my wife's swim school. Kids just LOVE pumpkins! Good weather for vine growing so far this year. How novel.   Friday, June 14 View Page Why is the fruit on this female so large with a wide open fresh flower?   Friday, June 14 View Page And why is the pistil so large and so screwed up? Culled the freak because there were more females on main vine further out. Was it going to be a monster or look like an 8-lb tomato?   Sunday, June 16 View Page Think this is the one. 19’ out on the 1613. 23 secondaries behind it. 8’ to the fence in front of it. CalVantage today.   Monday, June 17 View Page 1st foliage application of fungicide (Heritage 0.4gm/1000sf) and a systemic insecticide (Merit75WP – ½ tsp.1000sf). Storms coming all week - the fungus will be on the march.   Thursday, June 27 View Page 9 DAP on the 1613. Plant remains very healthy and relatively huge. 3 growing fruits on the 1501, DAPs 2-6. Polinated 2 more today. Cut ends off most secondaries, as they reach the fence and today cut tip off both main vines. 2nd Application of Heritage, Merit75WP and foliar spray of Jacks 20-20-20. Will switch to Jack 10-30-10 from now on. All buried nodes get the usual concoction. Plan CalVantage tomorrow, and maybe some phosphite.   Tuesday, July 2 View Page Just a pretty picture the single fruit on the 1613. The 1501 has 5 started. Biggest, best, greenest, disease free, beautiful vines I’ve ever had. The difference this year: less watering, much deep burial of all secondaries, clipping off all dendrils and tertiaries as soon as they appear, no organics except kelp meal, special concoction at each buried node including epsom salt, and perhaps most important a month head start with that el Cheapo 15xx7x7 greenhouse and thermal controls right from the start   Friday, July 12 View Page Just got back from vacation – now 23 DAP on the 1613 – circumference – 97”; OTT wt estimate 240 - beautiful stem at a good angle from a mobile vine Yesterday applied Merit, Heritage as a single spray and later, Eight insecticide and Jacks 10-30-20. Poured rain again last night – kin OTT est was 220 yesterday. Today plan CalVantage and a silicon potion. Maybe more phosphite. Unhappily, stepping out of the car from vacation and directly into the patch (did not pass go, did not collect $200) found vine borer damage already. Then applied the 2 insecticides. The 1501 have 5 kins ranging 35-140 lbs.   Monday, July 15 View Page Wt now est 320 (circ 101), that’s 80 lbs in 3 days, 60 of it in just 2 days. Holy Cow! Last night: Foliage sprayed phosphite and separately Calvantage mixed with Jack’s 10-30-20; also drenched stem area as far as I could reach with CalVantage, Jack’s and Earthworks Protein plus. Extra drip hose irrigation last night 45 min and the usual every other day irrigation this morning. Vine still healthy except for evidence of vine borer in areas and stems not buried. Trimming tertiaries ruthlessly.   Friday, July 19 View Page Est wt by OTT – 398. BIG rain yesterday. Gonna be hot, hot, hot next few days. Constructed shade cover out of half the skeleton of El Cheapo greenhouse. 6 really nice orange kins on 1501 Wagner, 100-240 lbs   Friday, July 19 View Page This guy is on the main. cut root at nodes raising vine with styrofoam   Wednesday, July 24 View Page OTT of 518. Full 15 tbs of Jacks 20-20-20 over the entire patch 5/22 but heavy destructive storm that night. Repeated with 5 tbs yesterday. Heritage and Merit today. The 1613 vine looks great. The Wagner 1501 with 6 nice orange kins 100-250 lbs looking pretty ragged – bared the brunt of the high winds last 2 storms. Hope it holds on the end – may be simply a vine of root by end of Sept.   Tuesday, July 30 View Page 606 lbs by OTT – Setting out fans on stems of biggest kins and an extra on the flower end of this on. Bad News – the main stem of the 1613 is rotting – didn’t realize it grew out under the soaker system with too many big leaves to make the view obvious – also the leaves shaded the stem. Cut away the leaves and put out a fan – likely too late. The rest of the vine looks fine and probably has 500 roots at buried nodes supplying the fruit. Daily growth has slowed, however, to about half – maybe it’s just lack of rain and the soaker system is only doing about 30% of the vine surrounding the main. Rain predicted soon. Hit it with another round of Heritage, Merit and 15 tbsp of Jack’s 20-20-20   Tuesday, July 30 View Page Near total separation 4” out of the ground. Plan some surgery tomorrow – cut it open lengthwise and instill plenty of Heritage and insecticide and fill the gap with captan. That might preserve any remaining conduits. Nuts – this sport takes no prisoners – worse than playing golf, and I don’t know why I even do that.   Wednesday, July 31 View Page HERE IS WHAT YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW !! Do you really need the main vine at its base to grow a big pumpkin? Apparently not. I debrided all the dead material from the ground to past the first secondaries, resulting in 4 stumps. The kin 25 ft out with 23 buried secondaries, each with about 10 or more single or double roots emanating from that many buried nodes can still grow at almost 20 lbs/day. Hmmm – now that I write this and look at the picture again, I can probably rip out those big beautiful first secondaries – they’re not attached to anything!   Friday, August 2 View Page Passed through the 700 lb mark today on the 1613McCracken. Vine looks amazing (if we don’t count not be attached to the ground at the stem anymore) The only fertilizers being used is Jack’s 20-20-20, 15 tbsp over the 1000 sq ft of 2 vines once a week and 5 tbsp + some Epson salts once a week. Probably will dose with Calvantage tomorrow (3rd time this season).   Friday, August 2 View Page Meanwhile, the other vine, 1501 Wagner is looking worse – got hammered in a storm 2 weeks ago with no tertiaries available to fill in. Still, 5 orange kins 100-280 are growing nicely – until today. Hadn’t noticed the back side of a 190 pounder rotted. Cut it off and rolled it over to get a better look – mistake – spilled its guts with a gush of rather aromatic seed soup – got my left shoe. Hate it when that happens.   Saturday, August 3 View Page Had to extend the sand and mats – outgrew the 35”x32” original mat. Sprayed fungicide on the dirt after digging room for the sand, sprayed fungicide on the sand and then on the mats. Can’t be too careful.   Wednesday, August 7 View Page The big guy stopped putting on inches for last 3-4 days – stuck at 147 in. and 715 lbs. Worried that ball game over, despite how solid it appeared. Today I found a 30-pounder hiding under the leaves close to the main stem about 10’ short of the big kin. Aha! Cut that sucker off. Applied CalVantage 2 days ago, 15 tbsp of Jacks 20-20-20 with some Epson salt yesterday. Daconil this morning. Protein Plus and KPO3 (0-0-27) this afternoon. Then thunderstorms. Maybe that will get the kin goin’ again.   Wednesday, August 21 View Page 1613 Continues to grow slowly – about 7-10 lbs/day on the abbreviated vine, now 840. With 40 days to Oct 1, that should clear the 1000 lb mark for the first time for me. More triple 20, Epson salts today. Plan Calvantage, Protein Plus and KPO3 tomorrow.   Wednesday, August 21 View Page The 1501 has 4 Kins between 240 and 480 – all looking good, The vine, on the other hand, looks like crap.   Thursday, August 22 View Page Triple 20 yesterday, CalVantage this morning, Potassium phosphite (0-0-27)early evening. Rainstorm 7:30pm - perfect Found area of softening around the node just short of the 855 - nuts; Applied a paste of Daconio and Seven   Monday, August 26 View Page Decided to remove those large left 1st and 2nd secondaries that were attached to nothing – I couldn’t believe how much of the total area of vine they represented – almost a third on the left side! Sure not going to let THAT happen next year – remedy: bury main and connections to secondaries deeper and keep on top of matters when they poke themselves back above ground level where the vine borer wasp can find them; move the soaker hoses much further away from main stem, remove leaves around main stem to let more sun in, install a fan dedicated to mainstem. This is, no doubt, why my big guy is gain weight at a glacial rate – now about 875; 126 lbs to go by weigh-in. Photo shows a small volunteer that appeared on the stranded 1st right secondary growing off its nodal roots – no harm so I’ll leave it for now.   Tuesday, August 27 View Page Can’t wait no more. Planned to start this Sept 1, but with everything down to near a stall, started today   Tuesday, August 27 View Page As an aside - our Night Blooming Cereus - Selenicerceus gradiflourus- bloomed the other night. Blooms only once a year after dark for 8 hours. Pollinated by bats and a limited number of moths in its native tropics. Lucky we saw the 7" bud that evening while having dinner on back porch, or we would have missed it. Another year's care to the next single bloom. I think its the prettiest flower anywhere.   Monday, September 2 View Page It’s gotten to the point of not knowing whats connected to what, and if any of the kins are connected to anything. The big 1613 seems locked in around 925 lbs despite 2 feasts of 7-15-30 and a few waterings during this 10-day dry spell. Had a good downpour this morning but can’t figure out how many secondaries still feeding that guy. The big (flat) orange on the 1501 still around 510 and not progressing. Photo is the mainstem onto which it attached is only 10 feet proximal – completely severed. 2 other 200+’s on that vine and a newby on a lonesome early secondary. Will leave it be. What learned?: setting out irrigation hoses along sides the mainstem maybe an early benefit but a later killer – not next year. Set them further out and hand water the mainstem for a month or so. Remove leaves over mainstem as it pops out of the ground later in the year to keep it dry. Maybe a few fans as well – certainly where it enters the ground, altho the 1501 main is fine where it was originally transplanted – false sense of security. Tough sport.   Saturday, September 14 View Page The 1613 McCracken is Locked in with est wt of 975 for last week, but no sign of rot – stem solid, fruit solid. Most of the main stem is buried and so don’t know about loss of that beyond the devastation near the origin, all signs of the first 3 ft of the vine have long since disappeared. A few volunteers growing here and there on remaining vine, which I’ve kept, like canaries in a mine. Looking forward to the Altoona weigh-off in 3 weeks, if we can survive that long.   Thursday, September 19 View Page Lost the 500 lb bright orange 1501 Wagner to rot – the kin grew over 2 soaker hoses and so remained wet. Never saw that under the leaves – my fault. Not gonna let that happen again next year. The other 2 200+ kins on that vine transported to the entry of my wife’s swim school – the kids are going bonkers over how big they are. We had a “Guess the weight” of the 260 lb. Guesses ranged from 20 lbs to 10,000 lbs (that was the only guess over 1,000 lbs, of which there were several). 3-4 yr olds are easily impressed.   Sunday, September 22 View Page Investigated why this guy wasn’t gaining wt for over a week stuck at around 970– dug up buried feeder, and to no surprise had rotted through – again in vicinity of a soaker. The vine distal to stem was dried out and dead, so cut it off. 2 full weeks to weigh-off. Gonna be close. This season isn’t ending well.   Sunday, September 29 View Page Bad news. Despite applying a paste of Sevin, Captan, Dacronil, the stem has rotted completely. Also soft around the perimeter 6-8:00. Curtains. Weigh-off still 6 days away. Big decision here. Stick with the plan and have the rented front loader put it in the trailer, drive 3 hours to Altoona ( ? leave at 0500 to make the 8-9:00 registration time or the night before to increase costs with a hotel bill) and hope the judges don’t notice or care about a little rot. Or, face the music and display some sense (not known for the latter). Our end game was to display this monster by the front door of my wife’s swim school after the weigh-off and have to kids gasp at its size. Normally however, they climb onto it after gasping. That might result in some kid suddenly disappearing into the cavity – not good PR for the business. Only a matter of time (perhaps minutes after arrival) that the staff will have to shovel off (est) 970 lbs of mush and cart it away somewhere. Not good PR for me. What a shame – by far my biggest ever and lost it the final week. Again, I believe the root cause of this repetitive calamity was too much watering. As I said at the send of last year’s failed season from too much water – that’s NOT going to happen again next year. Probably wont have to decide between the above – it’s gonna collapse right out there in the patch first.   Sunday, October 6 View Page Went to Altoona after all – worth the trip. 25% heavy. 8th place out of 29 entries. The cash prize paid the gas for the trip. Thanks Dan for the encouragement to go.   Monday, October 7 View Page Then resided on the front patio of my wife’s swim school for the kids to climb all over and take a zillion pictures   Saturday, October 19 View Page Then onto the Emmaus Halloween parade – BIG hit. Hundreds more cell phone photos.   Monday, October 21 View Page Back on the patio – this is getting really expensive. Plan to go to the Cherry Crest Farm pumpkin day in Lancaster Nov 2 – for a ride to the top of a 40ft crane and drop onto a car – auspicious ending. Can’t wait for the photo ops.   Thursday, October 24 View Page Patch all tilled to finish the year. PSU soil test showed Ph 6.9; PO4, K, Mg, Ca, all high optimum or in excess. Suggested 75lbs/A of N; (1.7 lbs/1000 sq ft – size of patch) – will do that in spring. Stay tuned for the drop   Tuesday, October 29 View Page Last day here – tomorrow being picked up by Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Lancaster to be dropped from a crane onto a car Saturday afternoon. Hope to have a great picture to post..   Sunday, November 3 View Page Made it to big pumpkin drop in good shape. They repainted it fluorescent chartreuse draped in UV light in front of a few hundred gawkers   Sunday, November 3 View Page 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 – go!   Sunday, November 3 View Page 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 – go!   Sunday, November 3 View Page Splat ! WOW A rather auspicious finale to a wonderful year - and only 163 till I get to file a seed, put it in wet paper towel and into baggy onto a heater pad- and we do it again.   Sunday, November 3 View Page Wait – the season isn’t over after all – found this remnant – and off to the front porch of Swim-in Zone for as long as he lasts. This is really a sick sport.   Sunday, November 3 View Page Propped the chunk up in the field behind the house to see each morning from bedroom window. THE SEASON NEVER ENDS !!   Saturday, December 14 View Page 1291.5Me’19. Can’t stand not to have some action going all the time. Only 123 days till “seeds in”; Incubator “on”. (note leap year in 2020 )The chunk in the field hasn’t been entirely consumed by the night life yet. Probably the chartreuse paint wards them off. Does this define all the conditions of a true addiction?