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Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

I'm starting to loathe this slow growing chunk of orange trash I have growing in my garden (see diary). I can't wait until the end of the season, so i can start soil prep and find some decent seed to grow next year.

8/24/2004 1:20:38 AM

Knopp, Germany

i appreciate your honesty. may not help much, but at least you got something sitting in your garden. many out there due to disease and bad weather have nothing at all.

8/24/2004 1:39:30 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

AHHH Soil Prep and keeping up with the weeding is a big part of this game. Even with decent seed a poor enviroment will still give you poor results. Do not blame the pumpkin.. If you were expecting to throw a few seeds in the ground and get a prizewinning pumpkin. Reality can be a hard thing to face. I agree with Owen, be happy you have a healthy plant and not so bad looking pumpkin. Atleast it is Round and Orange. The complexion of it looks like one that has not been shaded.

8/24/2004 7:49:33 AM

Ypsilanti Michigan

What you should be doing is hating the weather along with the cool temps we been getting. German pumpkin is right, better to have something than to have nothing at all.

8/24/2004 8:23:40 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

I still hate it.

8/24/2004 9:05:58 AM

[email protected]

Funnel the hate into productive work & get the most you can from what you are dealt. It is the ONLY way to get even. We're not competing with anyone else's pumpkin. We're competing with our own limitations.

8/24/2004 10:46:31 AM

Cologne / Germany

Well said Steve. But some people just get out of patience before they have the chance to correct their mistakes next season. Next season means next year and that always sounds like "still a long way to go":-)

8/24/2004 11:21:49 AM

Aldie, VA

Lawman,

FWIW, I think that is a gorgeous pumpkin you have growing there. Hell with the skin -- she's got a shape that would put Marilyn Monroe to shame. If she were a pumpkin, that is.

Dang, too bad you're in Vancouver 'cause I'd like a chance to talk you into handing her over to me. She'd make an AWESOME carving for Hallowe'en. I bet there are some pro-carvers in your area (assuming you don't carve!) that could make you feel a whole lot better about it. Heck, you could even get it carved and donate it to Children's Aid or something. Might help you get the warm fuzzies aback again, Lawman.

Hugs!
Roan

8/24/2004 11:44:56 AM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

I know how you feel Lawman, I jumped into the pumpkin growing game with a pack of AG seeds I bought from Wal-mart. I think most of my situation is the same as yours, difference is I have 4 pumpkins growing and the largest is only 30 pounds, with daily growth sitting at a lowly 2 pounds. But don't go throwing around the word hate just yet. If you're anything like me you've got thousand ideas in your head for next year, any of which should improve your pumpkin growth for next year. Call it a learning experience, and come back next year with a vengance!

8/24/2004 12:03:38 PM

In the shade - PDX, OR

There are many of us that are lickin' our wounds from an unkind, unproductive season.

Your hate is probably due to unfulfilled expectations of growing a big one. Seeing as how there was a serious lack of site preparation I don't think you can REALLY expect too much from your plant or fruit.

Try some experiments on it if you really don't care....like see if you can blow it up. Might increase you take aways from this season.

8/24/2004 12:38:45 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Too funny!! After growing a 577.5 lb and a 511 lb on the same plant last year, I expanded my garden, brought in loads of manure and compost, got some great seeds and decided to grow 2 plants. All fruit aborted on one plant and had to rip it out. All fruit on the second plant had stem splits and cracks that were nursed for weeks and now after growing steadily and looking like I'd end up with two decent fruit, they both go down to blossom end rot. I'm down to a late pollination fruit that may end up being a good carver for my daughter at halloween. Count yourself as lucky that you have managed to grow 2 fruit in a small area with little to no soil prep. I'd trade with you in a heartbeat.

8/24/2004 4:04:35 PM

New Brunswick

Holy cow guys...I take back every mean word I have said to my 4 pumpkin plants this year. Each one is producing a 100 pound plus pumpkin and two have pumpkins on them that OTT over 200 pounds! I, too was discouraged because last year I had one plant produce two weighing over 400 pounds. Lets face it...this is one mother of a poor growing season. Cool weather, late starts...well it is enough to start one drinking! I am taking two of mine to the Fredericton, N.B. exhibition on Sept 05th. I will probably have the smallest ones there but hey..at least I have something. I feel bad for you guys with nothing. (Mine are growing on the south side of our house, on a side hill, in 100% horse manure in various ages of decomposition. So far this has worked for me...I always end up with something.) I also had back up plants which I culled at the very last moment....after they have had female blossems set.

8/24/2004 10:42:33 PM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

I guess it's probably doing as well as I can expect, given that I have no idea about the seed that's growing it, and yes, little to no soil prep. And yes, it will make a nice carver come October. And true enough, I AM lucky to have a pumpkin at all given some of the horror stories. So i guess I don't hate it. I do dislike it, however.

8/25/2004 1:43:24 AM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

It's perfectly reasonable to dislike (or even hate) your little pumpkin. You don't visit a site called bigpumpkins on a daily basis to learn how to grow a 100 pounder. Sure it's nice to have something at the end of the year to show for your troubles, but if you ask me, I'd rather have a 500+ pounder go down to rot than to have a pretty little 100 pounder to carve at Halloween.

8/25/2004 9:22:30 AM

Ypsilanti Michigan

Some of my pumpkins are not big as I wanted them to get, but Lawman atleast we can say we grew them and they will put grocery store pumpkins to shame. I had one plant that aborted every pumpkin that came so that plant and was a waste. Atleast we have something out in our patch.

8/25/2004 9:27:38 AM

[email protected]

On Halloween night I am always reminded why I got back into growing these things. It's the look in the children's eyes. Even a "little 100-300 pounder" isn't so little to the folks that come from miles around to Trick-or-Treat at your house. Even some parents claim to have waited in long anticipation of seeing what we've accomplished. Especially in a child's eye, you're still a hero. To me that's almost as rewarding as the scales at Topsfield. Almost. LOL

8/25/2004 11:12:22 AM

Ypsilanti Michigan

Pumpkins always look bigger to the kids and they always get a kick out of them.

8/25/2004 8:30:45 PM