Well it is getting close to the 2018 season so I thought that I would run a full diary from start to finish. My season started at the beginning of February with the planting of carrots which were followed by Parsnips and then Kohlrabies and finally fodder beets.
Parsnips are the feature vegetable for the Royal Winter Fair this year so I am going to give them a try. They all start out so slow unlike AG's which are ready to go in just a few weeks after germination. I start three or four plants in each pot and then remove the lesser plants and keep the most aggressive plant.
Halloween is always fun for pumpkin growers because we get to have the biggest jack o lanterns on the block.
My 108.5 field pumpkin ended up in the lobby were I live. I was not able to be there because I was at the Royal Winter Fair weighing giant pumpkins.
My 11% light 925 lb. pumpkin got carved by Phil Hunt. Apparently it had very soft flesh which would account for it's light weight
Phil and Jane's 1959 lb. pumpkin got the professional carver treatment. It created a lot of attention along hwy 35. and drew a lot of people in to take pictures.
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was the last stop of the season for me. The number of entries was down this year but there were some big entries. I took first place with a 48.8 lb. fodder beet and my other field pumpkin took first place in the newly created field pumpkin category at 104.4 lbs. My giant pumpkin came in at third at 1024.2 lbs. and my Kohlrabi came third at 27 lbs.
I was very happy with my new personal best parsnip which also took first place at 13 lbs. For a parsnip that is a big one as the world record is listed at 17.3 lbs.
I was able to fit all of my Royal entries along with Phil and Jane's on Saturday. We were happy with the weights or at least how heavy they feel. Looks like we are going to have a battle of the giant root veggies.
My field pumpkin will have to ride shotgun with me until next Saturday.
Last Saturday was the Wellington weigh-off. I had nothing to enter so I went and was also the main judge as well. It was a lot of work because of the high number of entries but with help from Phil Joynson I was able to get the job done.
Unfortunately I did not have my camera and missed a great opportunity with so many orange pumpkins lined up at a weigh-off. Several personal bests were had with Harley Sproule taking first place at 1761.5.
The patch is looking a lot better now, all cleaned up and almost ready for 2019. The weather has become a real problem now with very cold nights and relentless winds making plant protection a real problem.
Pulled out my big fodder beet due to a large area that was rotted out on the back side. It weighed just over 60 lbs. and despite an area missing due to rot it could have set a new Canadian record at the Royal.
My alternate fodder beet. much smaller and I guess around 30-40 lbs. will be my Royal fair entry this year. Unfortunately I know of another one that will give me a run for fodder beet bragging rights.
The Woodbridge weigh-off was a lot of fun and despite the dark skies we only had a few light showers. The turnout was great and there was a lot of great pumpkins weighed. My 2624 Willemijns weighed a disappointingly 11% light at 925 lbs. and ended up in 7th place. Maybe things will turn out better next year.
Phil and Jane Hunt and their 1959 lb. pumpkin. It was great to see it finally get weighed and the door is still open for a 2000 lb. pumpkin maybe next year. Congratulations Phil and Jane.
Al Eaton with a ridiculously impressive long gourd at 148". Only 1.5 " short of his world record. Awesome job Al.
My last and smallest pumpkin is loaded for the Woodbridge Fair. There was a reason why I even kept it on the plant in the first place and I am glad that I did otherwise I would only have one pumpkin to weigh. The male pollinator was the reason. The worst kept secret this year for sure.
Good luck Phil and Jane at Woodbridge Saturday.
It took a little extra work but it was safely loaded today. A huge thanks to Matt Leach. I can't imagine trying to lift this pumpkin with my tripod.
Big pumpkins need big tractors. Hopefully it will be a personal best for Phil and Jane.
Port Elgin Pumpkinfest was again a great experience and although my giant pumpkin was not too impressive it did manage to place ninth at 1053.5 lbs.
The 1053.5 Lyons 2018. 2624 Willemijns x self. It went a little light and was only 73 days old when I cut it off the vine.
The stars of the show. The 1855 Matesa on the left and the 1871.5 Bryson on the right. Lots of other great pumpkins there as well.
Things have really gone downhill during the past few weeks so I decided to suck it up and load a bunch of not so giant vegetables for Port Elgin after work today. I'm not expecting much and I am really only going for fun. This will be my 29th consecutive year at Port Elgin and only once did I not take a giant pumpkin. I can't imagine not being there and I am looking forward to seeing everyone there.
Its been a rough year, have lost many plants. Yours look great.
Jim
Saturday was the first weigh-off of 2018 at Bracebridge and since I had less work to do in the patch and a big tomato and field pumpkin I decided to go. Had a great time at a great fair and weigh-off and set a personal best for tomato and a first place field pumpkin at 116 lbs.
At 5.36 lbs. it is a personal best by .04 lbs. It was grown off the 5.68 Porkchop and is a Domingo variety. I have another on the same plant that is coming along well at 23" cc.
It's Pepper power time now. The bell peppers are getting to world class size now. The one on the right is a Willemijns which is growing long bell peppers and on the left are the Nieuwenhoff world record peppers. I have no idea how they will weigh but they are big.
The 2624 Willemijns twins are still alive and growing at a less than great rate but they are over 1000 lbs. for sure. I gave them their last feeding of the season today and I still don't know where they will be going to be weighed. I should know by next weekend.
Growing giant pumpkins can be a cruel endeavor for many at this time of year with many big ones going down without warning. The crazy weather swings like we are experiencing now make it very difficult to manage the aging fruits and plants. All we can do now is be vigil for possible problems and hope for the best.
The 2118* Jutras at day 65. When I pulled the sheet off on Saturday I new it was done. The colour had faded and a quick look underneath revealed that the blossom had finally split open. Not a big surprise but it could have been special. Ended up just under 1200 lbs. and is an absolute boulder.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 54. All that I have left now is the Willemijns twins. I have some doubts about whether they will make it as well due to a bad bottom shape on this fruit in particular.
It's still growing OK for September but the extreme weather shifts make me wonder if I should push it or let it coast in for the last few weeks.
My largest fodder beet is really big and seems to be in good shape. It will be a personal best for sure but it has a long time to go before it gets weighed.
My carrots and parsnips are all very large at the surface now. I pulled one rotten carrot that was around 5 lbs. I won't know what any of them are like until they are harvested but I'm sure that some of them will be big.
That's tough Chris. It's been a really frustrating year for most. Lots of rib splits and blowouts this year. Speaking of which I have a worse sag in a rib than you have and I'm pretty sure I'll be adding to the compost pile as well. Thanks for doing a diary this year. I enjoyed the Sunday night updates all season.
The beginning of September and the Labour day weekend always brings a sense that the season is drawing to the end. The battle between summer and fall is well underway now and it means that anything can happen without any warning.
The 2363 Holland at day 70. Down and out with a small rib split. I did not see it coming so it was a surprise for sure. It was 401" or about 1421lbs. on the tape and growing at 15 lbs. per day.
One last look before it heads off to the compost pile to join the 2269 Paton. Since I have lost my two biggest pumpkins I only have a few little ones left to take care of.
The 2118* Jutras at day 60 today. It's now over 1100 lbs. and still growing well and is now my biggest fruit in the patch. I was sure that I would lose this one first but I guess that I'll have to start talking nice to it now.
Side view of the 2118*. I had to widen the Condo roof since it is over 5.5 feet wide now.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 47. Estimating a little over 900 lbs. and with a little luck and some really good September weather I could get a respectable pumpkin out of it.
My best shot at a big tomato in a while. It's another 5.68 Porkchop Domingo variety. It has been growing very fast and if the heat over the next few days does not cause it to ripen it will be big.
The Domingo variety do tend to go a little light to the chart so I am keeping that in mind.
The patch cleanup is well underway. It will make for an easier fall clean-up. The big green pile on the left is what is left of my largest Kohlrabi. It developed a rotten area that had worked it's way inside. Probably was over 30 lbs.
A few cool and overcast days seems to have slowed things down for the past week but seeing that it is the last weekend of August this is what is expected for this time of year. The above seasonal temperatures forecasted for early next week might give a bump to some of the fruits.
The 2363 Holland at day 63. Estimating over 1300 lbs. Still no issues at all with the plant or pumpkin.
The 2269 Paton at day 41. R.I.P. Was almost 900 lbs. but sometimes bad things happen to good pumpkins. Lots of fresh material for the compost pile.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 41. The fastest surviving pumpkin in the patch this past week. It has almost caught up to the rear fruit which has slowed up considerably.
The 2118 Jutras at day 51. Still growing well and estimating well over 900 lbs. Still holding together underneath and if it holds together I will have a PB for sure.
A new personal best cucumber at 8lb. 6oz. Hoping for one much more heavier by the end of September. Cucumbers are a learning experience this year but I think that I have it figured out now.
Heavy bell peppers. They were very slow out of the gate but it looks like I could get a decent one.
The 2269 Paton at day 34. It is at 302" OTT or 636 lbs. It grew at an average of 40 Lbs. per day for the past 7 days. If the blossom doesn't blow out I could get a good late pollinated pumpkin out of it.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 34. This is the late pollinated one near the front of the plant and averaged 33 lbs. per day and could catch up or surpass the earlier pollinated pumpkin near the rear of the plant which has slowed down again. Yes two pumpkins on one plant.
The green machine. The 2118* Jutras at day 44. Still growing well and almost 800 lbs. It should be sitting completely on it's rear by next week so I borrowed the Hunt's inspection camera to look underneath. No problem so far and we will see what happens.
Another week of almost perfect conditions has allowed almost everything in the garden to grow at there best possible potential. A little more rain would be nice as I am using more water than I ever have before. I have been able to keep my soil at or above 40% throughout the summer which seems to be the ideal level for the soil conditions and hot and humid weather.
The 2363 Holland at day 56. It is growing around 22 lbs. a day for the past week and is estimating around 1200 lbs. now. Nothing to complain about the plant or the pumpkin.
The past week was not too bad for growing with good daytime temps although there were a few cool nights mixed in. Mid August usually starts to bring on the signs that the fall is not really that far away and changes are in the air. So far it appears that good conditions will hang on for a while yet.
The 2363 Holland at day 49. It has started to slow down a little to 27 lbs. a day and is measuring out at 1043 lbs. Still no issues with the plant or the fruit.
After hours of weeding this is what it looks like underneath the 2363 canopy. I really want to maintain all of my plant's health late into the season and since the rest of my pumpkins are Young it is important to start here. It will be a huge challenge to get the rest of the patch to look like this.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 39. This is the original fruit and since it kicked in and started growing at 30 lbs. a day for the past week it will be the one I am going with.
The 2269 Paton at day 27. It has taken off and is already averaging 32 lbs. per day for the past week.
The 2118* Jutras squash ay day 37. It is now averaging over 33 lbs. per day over the past week. The photo does not do it justice to show what a bad shaped fruit it is. Love the colour and I am really keeping my fingers crossed that it holds together.
One of my Domingo variety tomatoes. This one is on the 5.68 Porkchop plant and is about 20" CC.
It's cucumber season. I need to get a grip on them and start thinning them down to two per plant. So far the largest I have weighed was about 6.5 lbs.
The return of hot and humid weather for the weekend along with no new rain has been keeping me challenged again. The heat slows me down a little and gives me no choice but to use more water which has to be trucked in. The plants don't seem to mind and for the most part are doing well.
The 2363 Holland at day 42 on Saturday. Still running at a little over 30 lbs. per day and is estimating about 850 lbs. Should be over 1000 by next weekend if it holds together. It's shape has not changed much since it was around day 20. It just gets bigger.
On the other hand the 2118* Jutras is getting greener and it's shape is becoming hideous. It's at day 30 and it's growth has been Ok but nothing special. I'm not holding my breath on this one. If it survives until the fall I will be surprised.
The 2269 Paton at day 20. Better late than never and growing at 6" a day circ. The pumpkin was set on a large and completely terminated plant and one back up on the other side already blew open. I am slowly removing the pumpkin behind it so I hopefully don't blow up this one.
The 2624 Willemijns back up at day 20. It is also growing at 6" per day circ. The original pumpkin on a rear side vine was not showing good numbers on day 32 so this is the chosen one now. Would have been nice to have one like this about 3 weeks ago but we will see what happens.
Finally there is a chosen pumpkin and even a backup on the 2269 Paton at day 14. It will have to do some serious growing to become a decent pumpkin. It is on a side vine near the front of the plant and has a good shape and large stem.
The "Cull de sac" from the 2269 plant from the past week. Dozens of pumpkins pollinated over a five week period. Not sure what the problem was besides the heat but Phil Hunt and myself are glad this phase is over.
The 2118* Jutras at day 23. It appears to be getting greener but I think that it will end up as a blossom down fruit as the top is growing faster than the bottom.
The giant kohlrabi. It is almost twice the size of it's neighbor and is also about twice the size that my 33.6 was at this time last year. Hoping for a personal best here.
The wacky weather roller coaster has been a challenge as we went from excessive heat and drought to outright soaking wet in the span of a few days. Even the brown and dormant grass came back to life in a few days.
The rain gauge has not had this much water in it in a long time for a week's worth of rain. The soil moisture level in the patch was sitting at 45-50% on the weekend so it needs to be dried out a little before I resume regular watering.
The 2363 Holland celebrated it's day 35 birthday on Saturday. So far I really like it's shape and it was a little over 300" OTT. It has been growing at about 35 lbs. per day for the past 10 days and although I was hoping to get a faster weight gain it is easily my best day 35 estimate.
The 2624 Willemijns at day 25. It has become a nose down pumpkin but it will be orange. I should know in a week how it's going to turn out. There is a back-up near the front of the plant just in case. The leaves in the foreground were burnt during the heat wave.
Yes, all very nice plants Chris...