It looks like 2021 will be an interesting season for me and I have been keeping a low profile until I was cleared to work in the garden again. My shoulder has improved significantly over the past few months and although it won't be 100% I think that it is good enough for me to grow a few pumpkins this season.
I was able to get the planting sites and hoop houses up early although my cover crop was really sparse after the chickens spent weeks eating the seeds. Only two AG's this year for me and maybe a field pumpkin tomatoes and some other vegetables
The heater cables have been tested so everything is a go. The soil PH is at 7.6 now so the patch will need a major application of sulfur to bring it down a bit. The wind fencing needs a lot of work but I am still not ready to pound in "T" posts yet and I am concerned about potentially damaging winds on Friday.
I suddenly found myself with more space at home due to a change in my life so the plants were brought into my living room from the usually hot solarium. In the past there was a problem with them becoming leggy from the heat and it looks like it is working. The 1450 Fifolt plant on the left is one of the best starts I have ever seen and the 2226.7 Boonen/Herman beside it is looking good as well. There are several mangel wurzels and a few kohlrabi plants that are ready to go in the ground now as well. I am tempted to plant the pumpkins this weekend but I need a reliable heat source in case of a deep freeze in the coming weeks.
As the 2021 growing season rapidly nears an end I can look back and look at what an unusual growing season it was. I would like to blame something other than myself for the final results with the pumpkins and I think I found it.
The weather roller coaster this past season with extreme heat, cold, dry and wet as well. I was not able to capitalize on the great September conditions due to the health of the plants but I feel fortunate to still have my two pumpkins still intact at this point in the season.
The 2226.7 Boonen/Herman at day 90. Not surprising that it is barely growing now with most of the plant gone. I have not had much luck in this part of the patch and it is the largest ever grown here. It is heavily shaded now in the morning until almost 11:00 am.
The 1450 Fifolt at day 93. It's doing better, probably because it still has some of the plant still working. I really did not think it would still be in one piece at this time in the season.
This is my 103 lb. field pumpkin that won at the Bracebridge weigh-off. It was grown off the 174 Mackinnon and is one of the best looking field pumpkins that I have ever grown.
I picked four ripening tomatoes on Tuesday. They were all over four lbs. and one was over five.
This is now the 5.21 Lyons 2021 UOW grown off the 5.36 Lyons.
Bottom side of the 5.21 UOW.
This is the third and last tomato on the 5.70 MacDonald plant. It has a small pink spot on the top but is still growing. I am not sure how all this late season rain is going to affect the tomatoes but it's probably not going to be good.
So far September is not looking bad at all. The pumpkins are still alive and growing and the tomatoes are coming along well. The most important thing is the weather outlook looks good until the end of the month with no cold snaps on the horizon which is a huge bonus.
The 2226.7 Boonen/Herman at day 80. Although I have lost about half of the plant's leaves to various diseases and issues with powdery mildew it continues to plod along. Certainly not very fast now but the good weather should help it gain a little more weight.
The 1450 Fifolt at day 83. The plant is also in so-so shape but most importantly it is still holding together so I'm OK with the slower September pace especially if it continues for a few more weeks. This pumpkin has been an interesting one from the beginning and it now has the largest circumference of anything that I have grown.
I was fortunate to be able to weigh a few more big tomatoes this past week. This is now the 5.97 Lyons 2021 grown off the 5.70 MacDonald plant. It was the second on the same branch as the 7.88 was on and there is now a third on the same branch that is also doing very well now.
This is now the 5.03 Lyons 2021 grown off the 8.10 MacDonald. It was a giant single blossom tomato. My tomato plants are still the healthiest I have ever had in September and I hope to carry a few more good ones into October.
The closing out of August brought with it relief from the hot and very humid conditions. Unfortunately the humidity brought a wave of powdery mildew that hit the pumpkin plants in just a few days leaving me scrambling to stop it's spread. I have never seen it so bad before so it was a surprise and although I think I have it under control the damage is done. That and some soil diseases have slowed the growth of the pumpkins significantly.
The 2226.7 Boonen/Herman at day 69. It only averaged about 16 lbs. per day during the past 10 days and it now sits at 397" or about 1384 lbs.
The 1450 Fifolt at day 72. It's still on a slow and steady growth averaging 15 lbs. per day for the past 10 days. It now sits at 402" or 1431 lbs.
On the other hand my tomatoes are the best I have ever had on the go. This one on the 5.70 MacDonald plant was the branch mate of the 7.88 tomato. It isn't deep and it estimates about 5 lbs. now. I am watching a few others that could be special if I get a few more weeks of growth out of them. The cooler nights should help prolong the growth cycle now. I have never had tomato plants that were as healthy as they are this season.
big congrats Chris on the new Canadian record !
Very nice tomato Chris! Congratulations on the new Canadian record.
Congratulations Chris on setting a NEW Canadian Record!!
Congrats on your new Canadian record Chris! Nice tomato
The 5.70 MacDonald tomato started to ripen, especially on the bottom so it was time to weigh it.
It is now the 7.88 Lyons. A personal best for me and a new Canadian record. It was a lot of fun to grow and although I was hoping for 8 lbs. I am happy with what it weighs.
I'm just waiting for it to ripen now so I can get the seeds out. Hoping for a good seed count.
We are now in a prolonged heat wave which would have been fine earlier in the season but it will probably cause problems at this stage of the season. I am now experiencing some soil borne diseases in the pumpkin plants that were possibly made worse by all the saturating rain back in July. So far it's not a big issue and the effects on the growth have been minimal.
The 2226.7 Boonen/Herman at day 59. Still poking along in the low 20's last week and is sitting around 380" or 1230 lbs. It has been putting on a lot of growth at the stem end giving me some issues trying to keep the vines slack.
The 1450 Fifolt at day 62. Slow and steady may not win the race but maybe it will allow it to make it to the finish line. It grew about 20 lbs. per day last week and is sitting around 387" or about 1300 lbs. I had to widen the cover structure due to it's girth oriented growth. It also has been growing forward into the vines.
The 174 Mackinnon field pumpkin is all but done growing at day 35. A real nice looking one for sure. I have pollinated a few more on the plant now.
The 5.70 MacDonald tomato or the big green jelly bean as I call it. Still green for now but I am sure it will finish sooner in this heat.
If it gets much larger I will have to alert the GPC. I am certain that it is past the 7 lb. mark now. It will be interesting to see how it ends up.
Trying to navigate the changing conditions this season has been challenging, but so far I have been able to keep up with the large weather swings. With some nights into the single digits and a stretch of hot and humid conditions, the growth of the giants has been up and down. Overall I am still happy with the way things are proceeding.
The 2226.7 Boonen/Herman at day 52. It gained about 270 lbs. over the past nine days and is sitting at just under 1100 lbs. Still no issues with this pumpkin it's just weed and feed.
The 1450 Fifolt at day 55. The patch problem child but it is still holding together for now. It gained about 250 lbs. over the past nine days and is sitting around 1150 lbs. It's growth has really been up and down and that is not helping it. It also has a small stem split for the past few weeks but so far it has not been a problem
The 174 Mackinnon field pumpkin at day 28. It is starting to turn orange but is still growing. It estimates about 100 lbs. I think the stretch of hot weather may have speeded up the ripening process.