Good luck everyone!

Stuart,

Greetings pumpkinistas from San Diego. I just wanted to say hello to everyone I met last year at the weigh off and wish everyone good luck this year. The Fredricks patch is up and running. The seed of choice this year will be my own 980 Fredricks 2011. She is growing well so far as you can see in the photo.


Jim Fredricks, San Diego

The Grays' Irrigation System

Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!

I received these very interesting pictures of the Grays' irrigation system from Susan Gray and her comments:

"Hi Stuart, Saw your pictures with your watering system-looking good.Our pumpkins are holding their own and doing well so far. Also thought I would show you some of our ways of watering. The square is Mike's home-made watering ring and the long tube is where the water will go for the trenches when the vines start growing. Until next week keep growing! Mike and Susan"

There are so many ways to grow giant pumpkins. The only limitations are your creativity and ingenuity. A big thank you to Susan and Mike Gray!

The seedlings have survived!

 Overhead view of the battery-operated water timer

The tank on the right is the water supply for the pumpkins. 

So far, so good!

Good evening, Pumpkinistas!

At a Still Undisclosed Location Somewhere in Southern California-The boxes are off the plants and mounds, and the automatic, 500-gallon, gravity-fed watering system is in place! 

I am very encouraged to report that the giant pumpkin seedlings have survived their first week. The rather upright geometry of the seedlings can be directly attributed to me for not removing the boxes that were sheltering the newly planted seedlings until this afternoon. The saying that the best fertilizer is the shadow of the gardener/giant pumpkin grower is so true. (In a few days, the leaves will grow more horizontal/descend, I hope!) 

Because the soil is so sandy, it absorbs water like a sponge with a leak. So, the current watering program will be 2 hours/day, starting at 6:00 a.m.. The watering time would be normally 15-20 minutes/day this time of the season. But, since I am relying on gravity for water pressure, the water flow is much more gentle than in previous seasons and locations. One of the features of the system is there some algae growth in the tank. So, I am hoping that watering with some plant material will help combat the very sandy soil.

Good luck!

Planting time at the Grays!

Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!

Here's the latest update from the Grays: "We finally got to planting day today, all is in and looking good. Saw your pictures and you are off to a good start also. Good luck and we are all officially on our way. Until next week, Mike and Susan"

Thank you very much!