Will be tilling soon if we can get the garden to dry out, right now everything is in pots)

After a few setbacks, 'keepers' seem to be set. Growing "local" this year. Two 1167 Jarvis squash (didnt meet color requirements at 2020 weighoff). And two 1367 Butlers. Great color and produced one of Johns largest fruit:) see how it does here🤔. July 22 1337 Butler day 28 A few coor nights have slowed things a bit, but pumpkin and squash are both hitting their respective 'benchmarks'. Have yet to water here...maybe today🤔. 1167 Jarvis day 20 August 15 1337 Butler Continues her march...gota be 800 lbs;) 1137 Jarvis..a bit of a blob but still growing.

So this is it The last hurrah The final week to grow We've gotten this far The year has been full The weather most will like More time at home Hoping our fever doesn't spike For me no records No personal bests An early frost in September Has the patch a real mess The giants are present though The squash have done well Where they finish in the standings Only time will tell Cover your face Don't forget your mask The weighoffs are upon us Fruit to scale the final task All the best and safe travels To your chosen weighoff site Watch for train tracks and potholes And hope nothing goes light (1167 Jarvis*) (1217 Jarvis)

Not much to report Still plugging away Nothing spectacular yet Still growing okay Insect pressure is alive and well Bees are quite healthy though There's no pesticide to smell One small catastrophe Growers have even cried a bit One of the pumpkins fell victim To a blossom end split All is not lost though I shall suppress my dismay Will hold on to the hope The rest of the fruit Stay green, blue or grey;)

With weighoffs debatable And competitions in the air Now maybe the time to try Tecniques kind of "out there" Swinging for the fences Hoping nothing goes pop Have taken "Coaches" advice At pollination all 'growth was stopped' The theory makes sense 'Lengthen the days to divide' Extenuating conditions though Can reduce your overall size No fear no worries Of fame in the fall No record breakers here No extra shopping at the mall Beetles and borers Have taken over the plants The size of the fruit will suffer At the end of this dance With holes in the vines And leaves bearing curls Housing bees on the property Has made me a little more conscious of our world (1217 Jarvis @ 600lbs) (1167 jarvis* gota be 500;) (Priorities in a pandemic) (Food over fame;)

Not a lot to say The pounds will be coming soon With the heat and the water Surprised nothing's went boom Looking for a nice day 30 A good 500 lbs on the scale It won't happen in my patch They're growing like snails With no chemical pesticides And bugs all around I'll be fortunate on this day If I hit 300 pounds Not my best day 30 numbers Of course it's just for fun A little smaller than other years But again, stilll larger than some (1626) (1163*)

Pollinations look good The fruit appears set Sand under orbs The eventual winner A wild bet A bend in the vine With attention not to crack When you hit 1000 pounds You'll appreciate that slack Unbridled heat will test the deepest of wells Summer is here It's quite easy to tell With dust storms present And obvious stress in the lawn Keep those giants hydrated And you'll be packing it on

Plants are filling in Their terestrial home The heat of the sun Encourage giants to roam Flagging and burning is this month's twist Water a little more Don't forget to mist A proliferation of males are now out on the plants Scanning the scene It feels like a late night dance Patience is a virtue As the vine heads unferl Distance is key when you meet that special girl Finally you see her The stage has been set Pistil caresses stamen And they've only just met! (1217x1409 lyons)(1626x1409 Lyons) (1163*xsib*) (1163*xsib*)

The thermometer swings The vines won't lay down It's the middle of June And yellow beatles are around We know it's still spring And the wind's not soft But why does it blow so hard When the hoops come off? Quick, We need more blankets Without heaters they'll freeze! Hold on a minute... We're back to thirty three degrees

I want a big pumpkin I can barely stand it The challenge this year I'm growing totally organic No pesticides, no herbicides Shelf the 2-4Dees they'll be no chemicals For the sake of the bees :)

Being at home And feeling fine as can be. There's more time to garden As many may see. Shopping has been a challenge And gatherings offensive With nothing to loose, I'm "swinging for the fences"🙄 Growing 1626 Jarvis, 1217 Jarvis and 1167. 1217 rearing up...hope it lays down without snapping😯

Balloons' on the march. If this heat keeps up, the possibility of early maturing light weight fruit could become a reality. Growing degree days is a real thing;)...Some late to the game can catch up and land a big one!...hoping for the latter for all friends;)

(Tryin "minimal-no till" this season;)

Pictured is complete cessation of soft /wrinkled tip using a 'nutrient bath solution' developed by gvgo members. We ask only for the same consideration given to most other other giant fruits and vegetables. The request in short,.... Can a 'healed' gourd be accepted for competition, regardless of where the 'soft spot' was previously?

Grower 1- "Looks heavy!"... Grower 1- "Front looks a little wonky though,...think its gonna hold?" Grower 2- "Nope!"... (For the record, i slept good that ;)...(meet the 1309 dmg ;)

Bad shape & color needs some 'progressing' ....at 500 lbs. this is an 8th generation squash. My belief/hope is that the color will progess to a darker green on this young squash if given an opportunity to mature. For he record, green on an immature Red Delicious does does not make it a Macintosh...these are Red Delicious apples, even if they're half green right now...color progression is a thing;) 1094 Butler...guessing around 900 lbs...no color progression required;) Squash= "pumpkins ugly little cousin"...i dont think so. This ones a beauty! 1512 Butler. Around 1000 lbs. Dont know what Butlers putting in his seeds, but they're packing a color punch this year;) 1354 Jarvis. Around 1100 lbs. Growth has slowed with the cool nights...will have to coast in from here😕

Thought i was done several weeks ago with plant/leaf deformities across the board. Looked like viral or chemical related mutations. Plants seemed to have grown out of their 'funk' and seem to be doing o.k now all things considered. If nothing else, fellow gvgo'er and neighbor John Butler has some 'pretty producers' in his seed bank;). 1512 Butler sits at 7-800 lbs. 1354 Jarvis- a bit of a 'blob' but still marching on estimating 8-900 lbs. 1 1095*** Butler squash. Not massive (yet), but is a real green beauty...just has to get bigger. Currently sits at 6-700 lbs.