So sorry to see this. Sincere condolences to his family and friends 💔.

Huge congrats Jim & Kelsey!

1167 Jarvis* is now the 1299 Jarvis*. Crossed on the 1472 Kline* (thanks again John Butler;), this squash may have some potential...might save some seeds from this one🤔.

1337 Butler is now the 1361 Jarvis. Crossed on the 2005 Heist & 2021 Marshal (technically open I know) but many thanks to John Butler helping me out with a male shortage and getting this one pollinated. but may be woth a try next year

@Chris L big congrats Chris, that's a nice one!

Hope you have a stellar year Jane and Phil. You've been a permanant fixture in this 'community' and we are sure your experience, help & direction will continue to be valued and sought out in the years to come. Thanks for all that you've done! Have a great year, and all the best in the other adventures to come:)

Lemons?...Hope it's not Lemons...please say it's not Lemons, 2020 should have been Lemons🤔.

Those are some nice beets Jeff, big beet congrats;)!

@jeff craig ...yes Jeff,there in 'monster sunflowers' in the patch from seed recieved from fellow gvgo'er John Butler this spring. I surrounded my patch with these and have lots of seed if you want some;)

Nice ones Jeff..looking good. Have you tested the ph of your water? If soil ph and calcium levels seem fine, you might look into acidifying your water a bit for the blossom end rot issue🤔.

Some great day 20 #'s Butler!👍🏼👍🏼

Hey Jeff...didnt know you were on here....come for a visit sometime if you still venture to st.thomas....can easily 'physically distace' here'....how's the plants in the office looking...miss those Friday visits;)

Growing with "company"...be a few more potatotos and turnips thrown in just in case the focus turns off toilet paper🤔

K, thanks...understood. Great newsletter btw, the interviews will hopefully be helpful.

Hello 'GVGO executives'. I will sleep better if this question gets asked;) WIth so much apparent support at the seminar and from the results of this survey, why is the "one tonne challenge" being axed? If its a monetary decision to keep the club alive i totally understand and would say this is a nessesary choice. As a motivating force for growers to 'press on' to break that 2000 lb barrier (from the growers I talked to) this "was" a great initiative, and there is more than a handful of growers at this point in the clubs history capable of achieving this goal. Is this a 'done deal'? Should i cancel my order for heating cables😔? Respectfully. Joel

If nothing breaks or comes untied i'll be there🖒.

And you did a great job in explaining and clarifying Todd. Your replies and insight are much appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you all in Port Elgin😊. ..

For clarity..i was not "complaining" about the current rule. The question was 'can a soft/wrinkled tip gourd that has firmed and dried be entered for competition?'...the answer was basically "No" from GPC... and that decision is accepted. The dried up tip is in fact cut off rendering it dmg by todays rules. No complaining here, just thought it was a dicussion worth having. For reference, this gourd previosly had a 4" soft/wrinkled /rotting tip 2 weeks ago.

Agree with you John...thus this discussion. So lets not forget the principal behind the rule and a huge objective as giant vegetable growers...Larger/longer/heavier healthy fruit. Do we want the 165" long gourd staying home on weighoff day and have a 120" gourd win because its 'flawless'...or do we want those 165" seeds in circulation to get to that next level in years to come? For the record, i dont know of any 165" fruit out there but it would be my first choice for seed, scabbed, wounded or wrinkled if someone does ;)

The 'verbage' in the rules is 'rotten, shriveled or rubbery should be left at home'...what if there's no rot, theres no shriveling (starting to sound funny now;), and the gourd is firm? Not trying to be difficult but wondering if 'nipping the tip' at an early age of a pointy gourd (they seem to be the problem ones) may avoid the problem?...we do it on AG's if the blossom end looks like the're going to pose a problem. Will leave you with a scar on the bottom of the fruit but a solid fruit. For the record i see non viable seeds in shriveled tips that would indicate a problem with pollen transfer or nutrient transport, not a genetic predisposition.