Martha Treadway Visits the Orange County Fair and the Santa Ana Zoo!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

It's fair time! Martha Treadway has been a very busy educator and pumpkin grower! Martha sent in these pictures from the Orange County Fair, happening now, and the Santa Ana Zoo:

"Hi Stuart,

One of these pictures shows the entries for the Giant Pumpkin contest at the OC Fair. It was for 'Big Mac' pumpkins. I guess these must have been from last year's crop and kept 'safe'. The Fair is also giving away free seeds!

The other picture is a vine that is growing at the Santa Ana Zoo! I wish I could say that I planted it, but it was the Master Gardeners. However, I will take credit for talking to the Zoo Manager, Kent Yamaguchi, since last fall and encouraging this venture. Anyone visiting the Santa Zoo will be able to see it in the Crean Family Farm near the train station. Pumpkinmania is spreading!"

A big thank you to Martha for helping the cause!

Eric Vossbrink: 50 pounds!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

My apologies to Eric Vossbrink in San Diego! Eric had e-mailed me July 2nd with his update, and I missed it!

"Stuart-

The pumpkin is starting to ripen this week. It’s creamy orange and has excellent shape. My estimate is that it about 50-60# right now and may peak at 100# maybe a little smaller. The rest of the garden is thriving however and insects are keeping the place a buzz with activity.

Seen here: http://erichasissues.wordpress.com/2009/07/02/shots-from-the-garden-and-a-pumpkin-update/"

Thanks for your patience, Eric!

Gary Tovey: Balancing Act

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

The Orange Revolution continues! These pictures of a very clever and innovative way of planting and watering giant pumpkin vines were sent in by Gary Tovey. Note the path/configuration of Gary's soaker hoses. Judging by how green and healthy his plants are, it seems to be working very well.

"Hi Stuart,

Here's a few shots from our pumpkin patch. We have a pumpkin mound at each end with 2 plants in each. They seem to be doing well so far. We'll be thinning down to one plant in each mound shortly. We got a really late start, hopefully there's enough sunny days left in the season to grow something big.We've got some corn and tomatoes going too, we'll have to wait and see how everyone gets along.

Gary"

Bravo!

Back to Glazier Elementary School!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

Martha Treadway, the instructor at Glazier Elementary School that arranged for a giant pumpkin workshop and transplanting on May 7th, sent in these pictures of their vines on July 10th, and an update:

"Hi Stuart,

Thought we should update you on how our vines are doing at Glazier School. The biggest vine has 5 pumpkins on it so far.....we probably won't cut any off because we like getting LOTS of pumpkins. The 2 longest vines are those you planted during the workshop. The smallest vine is one I started in April---a whole month before the May workshop. We think it had a 'late start' because it didn't get into the ground until the end of May. There were 2 in that peat pot, but only one is taking off.

Our only problem so far, is the grasshopper munching on leaves....and possibly a gopher or mole tunneling around the garden. However, we have 3 'resident' Cooper hawks in nearby trees so they may take care of the critter.

Congratulations on your LEED. My brother, who is an architect in Florida and a 'pumpkinmania', also took that test (and passed). I am told that the test is very intense and geared so that only 30% pass on the first try! (He was studying since January!)

So, again, congratulations!

Martha"

Jim Fredricks: Back from the hospital, back in the fray!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

If you look in the dictionary under giant pumpkin dedication, the name Jim Fredricks should appear.

"Stuart,

Here are a few pictures. I had a hard couple weeks, ended up in the hospital for 4 days with a bacterial infection in my gut. Patch took some neglect, but survived. I'm doing better but still gaining my strength. Looks like my hopes of a monster will go unfulfilled this year unfortunately. Pumpkin just wants to grow slow and steady. We'll still grow it as big as we can get, but there is always next year's hope for a monster. The pumpkin is day 26, gaining around 18 to 20 lbs a day.

I would need to be over 30 lbs a day for that special fruit!

Hope all is well!

Jim"

Hope you are 100% again very soon, Jim!

Dispatch from Todd Slinde, PhD!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I have a special treat this morning. Todd Slinde, one of the senior managers at Kellogg Garden Products, and frequent workshop attendee, finally succumbed to growing a giant pumpkin this year. After suffering an early, puppy-related setback, Todd regrouped, and sent in these pictures of his vine and very impressive sunflowers.

From Todd:

Summer greetings!

Here are some long overdue promised pictures for you of my Giant Pumpkin Plant.

A beautifully organically amended and fertilized hole (Kellogg, Gardner & Bloome and Dr. Earth of course!), with the help of my growing partner Adam, is producing good results so far. If you’ll remember my first attempt on the full moon of May 9, the seedlings were dug up by my son’s new Boxer/German Shepherd Mix puppy named Bailey. More seeds were planted and transplanted on June 3rd. These are the pictures of that plant.

I planted a mix of various sunflowers around the plant for three reasons:

I love sunflowers and it adds to that summer / fall feel.

To distract the puppy. It worked the puppy did dig up two sunflower plants but never touched the new pumpkin plant.

The bees love sunflowers and I am hoping that having them near by will attract enough for good pollination of the pumpkin.

There is plenty of sun, water, good soil and bees!

I’ll send you more as the season progresses.

Take care and we’ll talk soon friend!

Todd Slinde PhD (Pumpkin Hole Digger)
http://www.kellogggarden.com/

Bill Liston: Going to Great Lengths for His Pumpkins!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received these great photos of his vine and pumpkins (July 9, 200) and message from Bill Liston about his recent trip to Alaska in search of the freshest and most effective organic fertilizer:

"Hi Stuart,

Here's a few photos of the pumpkin plant. (one of the full plant, and one of the 2 pumpkins) You can see the vine running under one of our Fuji apple trees. I'm trying to get it to grow down the back of the yard - so far so good. Also, a photo of some King salmon in Alaska. L-R in the photo: me, (Bill) my 16 year old son Kevin, and my friend Glen. All of the fish were 20-25 pounds, and we caught a few Coho salmon too.

Bill Liston"

I can completely understand about wanting to find the only the best materials to grow better and larger pumpkins.

The Ackers in San Martin, CA!

Good morning, Pumpkinstas!

It's a rare workshop attendee who actually does locate a backhoe, digs a 5-foot deep hole, and then follows directions. Jim Acker is one of them.

Here's Jim's progress report and a link to his own blog that chronicles his season so far. It's fascinating reading.

"Stuart,

Attached is a photo of our main vine, currently known as P1. This is just ONE PLANT and it's currently about 25 feet wide or so. We have about 8 healthy vines coming off the main root. Just last week we found several new pumpkins on the vine. Do you think we are still on-schedule to get a large pumpkin by contest time?

Feel free to share our picture on your blog if you want to. We have also blogged our entire project. Check us out at http://blog.acker1.com/ .

I will post a new entry tomorrow showing our backup vine, P2. It has a really weird mutated vine that is huge. You might enjoy seeing it.

Happy growing!

Jim Acker
San Martin, CA"

A Request from Ray Villafane!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

Every once in a while, I receive a very interesting communication from someone in a pumpkin-related area. Yesterday afternoon, I received this e-mail from Ray Villafane, an internationally-known sculptor who happens to need a few 40-150 pound pumpkins at the end of August to carve in Anaheim. Since pumpkin growers are some of the most open and helpful people around, I let Ray know that I'd help him as much as I could. So, if you're interested in helping Ray, please let me know by contacting me at: sbs33@cornell.edu and I'll put you in touch with him.

"Hello, Stuart,

My name is Ray Villafane. I am a professional sculptor working for Warner Bros./DC Comics (Batman and Superman people). Anyway, each year I carve pumpkins and they are a hit with many people. I won the Food Network Challenge show for pumpkin carving and have had my pumpkins featured on Yahoo's main page, national TV shows and more. You can see some samples of my work at

http://www.villafanestudios.com/pumpkins.htm

http://www.myspace.com/villafanestudios

I was recently invited to Anaheim CA to participate in a huge video gaming convention hosted by Blizzard Entertainment. They would like me to carve some pumpkins at the show. The show is during the last weekend in August and I would need to locate possible pumpkins in the area. The size pumpkins that I find ideal are between 40-150 lbs . Despite being so early in the season do you think you might be able to supply me with a few pumpkins when the time comes? I am in Michigan and need to arrange things before hand. I am simply trying to hunt down possible heavy quality pumpkins.

Thank you,

Ray Villafane"

Dispatch from Dark Horto!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

One of the concerns of many would-be giant pumpkin growers is the space that a vine may require and the potential hole-digging and mound preparation. Dark Horto, previously known as Rob Smith, San Diego, CA sent in this image of his vine and growing area as of July 7th. Dark Horto has addressed both of these potential issues by growing his vine in a trash can.

Here are Dark Horto's own words:

"My humble vine seems a bit of a late-season afterthought. Boo-hoo...but I hope that the growing season lasts long enough that it can mature. I can already envision a vine of some 100 ft. in length, winding around the planter beds, if it can sustain itself on the diet of water and fish hydrolysate I'm force-feeding it. Thought you might enjoy a progress report.

Dark Horto"

Not to worry, DH!

As you can see, Dark Horto's vine and leaves are quite healthy: big, very green, with no insect damage or leaf droop. Since his seedling has been in the ground for roughly a month, he's right on track for a very nice pumpkin by Halloween.

Jack LaRue in Yelm, WA: Here's how!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

Do you recall that the legendary grower, Jack LaRue was the celebrity guest speaker at the giant pumpkin workshop at Gordon's Garden Center, in Yelm, WA May 24th? I received these very interesting photos and Jack's comments late last night:

"Hi, Stuart,

Here are a few pictures of our pumpkin plants and ducks. The cups you see in one picture are covering the male flowers before we pollinate. The cups are put on the night before the males open.

Jack"

If you're wondering what role the ducks play in the giant pumpkin growing season, you're not alone. I've asked Jack if they are there to guard the vines, provide fertilizer, or perhaps both. I'll keep you informed!

Here's Jack's response:

"I use the ducks in the off season to de-bug and clear vegetation. So I guess you might call them employees, you may have noticed that child (duckling) labor is permitted in our patch The fertlizer is a bonus."

Elizabeth Castillo: Then There Was One!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received these photos of Liz Castillo's pumpkins last Wednesday, and they were actually taken July 2nd. I have since learned that the less round of the two pumpkins was grilled and eaten as part of the Castillo's 4th of July barbecue. I will receive an updated picture in a few days since the survivor has already grown a lot larger.

Who says that giant pumpkins aren't edible?

For more of Liz' gardening adventures, please visit:

http://www.max-eli-bugworld.blogspot.com/

Have a great week!

The Mc Guirks in Ventura Have Planted!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received this update from Lisa earlier this week, but have been remiss in not posting it sooner:

"Thank you Stuart for all the info. I attended the Ventura talk you gave. It did go on long, but I found some live ladybugs to bring as a present to the little girl’s bd party I was late to go shopping for and bring my little one to attend.

Fate decided I would not be putting this plant in the ground the next wknd after the talk, as planned. First, the people hired to get rid of my 2 yr old's "mountain", and dig out the old Jacuzzi hole underneath, didn’t leave it unfilled (pic 1). So hub had to dig out a hole in a different spot (pic 2). It took awhile for him to get to it as he was not looking forward to digging in our soil which is almost pure clay. Not knowing exactly when the hole would get done, I put off planting seedlings until I saw the whites of his eyes above an empty hole.

Okay, so the hole got dug, like 7 bags of Amend, manure, etc. got mixed into it, but I was reluctant to put the seedlings I planted in the ground due to the weather we have had – fog, chilly wind and temps never getting above around 70 (even with the recent heat wave). And the plant just really liked sitting in its corn seedling container in a plastic bag at night and out in the sun when it came out.

About 2 wks ago, I finally did transplant and had the first unround leaf already popping thru before transplanting, but forgot to plant the plant so the vine would grow opposite it, so the vine will probably head toward the fence. Other than that, the plant couldn’t be happier. Except for white flies. Hub just sprayed with Safer soap, so I hope Mr Pumpkin will be okay. Three new leaves past the transplant with the first one getting really big. Here are the preliminary pics. Will update. Lisa"

Thanks Lisa! The key is that you've planted your seedling and it sounds like it's doing well!

Passed the LEED AP Test!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national rating system for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings (www.usgbc.org). LEED addresses all building types and emphasizes state-of-the-art strategies in five areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resources selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Part of the implementation of the certification for green buildings may be the involvement of a LEED AP (Accredited Professional). The test for becoming a LEED AP under the 2.2 version expired yesterday, June 30th. Naturally, I avoided the absolute last-minute rush by taking the exam in Diamond Bar last Sunday, June 28th. Instead, I was part of the last-minute rush. It was a 2-hour, 80 question test, with a possible score of 200, and a required passing score of 170. I squeeged by with a 180.

So, I'll be incorporating some of the water savings concepts into future workshop content. Plus, I can add the LEED AP title after Giant Pumpkin Kahuna on the next order of business cards.

Tim and Sammi: Growing great in Santa Barbara, CA!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I have a great dispatch from Tim and his granddaughter Sammi today. What a nice looking vine! They have lots of male and female flowers and are already planning which pumpkin they will keep. (That's Tim in the lower right-hand corner of the bottom photo...)

Thank you very much and good luck to you both!

Lockeford, CA: June 23, 2009

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

The seedling that was planted at the Kellogg Garden Products' Lockeford, CA (remember the refrigerator box?) is coming along quite nicely. This picture was taken yesterday. The wire cage looks like a good addition to prevent any unwanted nibbling by deer or other large herbivores. Plus, it's getting plenty of sun.

Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!

Two vines have emerged victorious at Yamagami's Nursery in Cupertino! Here's the latest on the saga:

The seedlings of Camelot are thriving. Land use is at a premium even in Camelot! There is only room for one ruler in Camelot. Guinevere and Arthur were dominant in their race to control Camelot while Lancelot lagged behind. Sadly, that meant Lancelot was beheaded as he was starting to cramp Arthur and Guinevere’s style. So now the race is on between Arthur and Guinevere for Camelot domination. The Godfather, Alan, and Waterwench, Poli, are carefully monitoring their growth and waiting for next week to determine who will rule. Both vines have grown over the walls of Camelot, spilling over into the neighboring kingdom.
Come visit Camelot and watch them grow! Check our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Cupertino-CA/Yamagamis-Nursery-Garden-Center/63172657808 for more frequent updates and photos.

Nice looking vines!

John Rector: 9 for 11!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I have a dispatch from John Rector, near Seattle today:

"Stuart,

Here is my status report.

Loretta and I wandered into your giant pumpkin lecture at Furney's Nursery in Des Moines, WA. We received 3 packs of seeds and a bag of fertilizer. I bought two more bags. I soaked two packs (11 seeds) for 48 hours (changed the water about 6 times). Of the 11 seeds I soaked and potted, 9 sprouted. I suspect the other two were not cared for properly. Loretta and I have planted 2 sprouts each. 4 sprouts went to family and friends. 1 is still in a pot. 3 people want it.

Everyone is a little excited about growing big pumpkins.

Thanks,

John Rector"

Thank you very much for your update, John. 9 out of 11 is a very good germination rate. How are you going to decide which of the three will receive the seedling?

Eric Vossbrink: Dispatch from San Diego

Good afternoon, Pumpkinistas!

I have just received the latest update from Eric Vossbrink in San Diego:

"Pumpkin update…

At about week 4 and the pumpkin is maybe 25# set 7’ down a 15’ vine. I haven’t fertilized much yet and there has been no real sunshine or heat up to this point in the season so it’s slow growing. Not a whole lot of leaves or secondary vines.

Seen here: http://erichasissues.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/updated-garden-shots/

With school out this after this week, I can sleep easy know that the vine is safe from little feet during the day.


Eric Vossbrink"

There are some great photos on his blog of some sunflowers that Eric's growing this season too!

The Olivas Adobe, Ventura, CA

Hello, Pumpkinistas!

I stretched my legs for a few minutes on the return drive from San Luis Obispo and visited the Olivas Adobe in Ventura. I noticed the historical marker when I was in Ventura a few weeks ago, and thought I take a look around. The home is located about 5 minutes from Victoria Avenue and the 101 freeway. The 2-story main house has an enclosed courtyard in the rear with an outdoor cooking area. There was a wedding feria about to begin. I thought the grape arbor would be a nice place to an enjoy a summer afternoon (and a very large staghorn fern).

There seems to be just about everything for sale

Dr. Joe Sabol, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Cara Crye, Farm Supply Company

Final 2009 Tour Stop: Farm Supply Company, San Luis Obispo, CA!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

The 2009 Extreme Gardening: How to Grow a 500 Pound Giant Pumpkin Workshop World Tour wound up for the season at Farm Supply Company in San Luis Obispo on Saturday. Seventy or so very motivated individuals showed up and all of them went home with giant pumpkin seedlings germinated by Dr. Joe Sabol, retired ag education professor of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a packet of giant pumpkin seeds as a back-up.

The Farm Supply Company is hosting a giant pumpkin weigh-off October 15, 2009, so drop by if you happen to be in the neighborhood!

Mission San Luis Obispo

The Mission Museum

An afternoon in San Luis Obispo

Good evening, Pumpkinistas!

The drive to San Luis Obispo went smoothly. In fact, I had some time to look around the downtown area this afternoon. I visited the mission, and then walked down Monterey Street.

Summer Solstice on Sunday!

Good morning, Growers!

Yes, summer officially begins on Sunday, June 21st, 2009 at 4:45 A.M. PDT. It's the longest day and the shortest night of the year.

Ancient pagans celebrated summer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

Consequently, Lauren and I will be practicing leaping and long jumping Saturday evening, so we'll be ready to go Sunday morning. Fortunately, since we're going for weight, as opposed to height, we should be okay. I am planning on a small bonfire.

The weather's supposed to heat up this week-end in Southern California, so you may want to give your vine a little bit more water than usual.

Elizabeth Castillo: Visual Dispatch

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received these images, taken June 17-18, from Elizabeth Castillo. It's amazing how much her vine has grown from last week!

Is it just my vine, or is everyone experiencing early season wilting?

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I thought I'd post photos of my vine as of yesterday, June 18th. The recent scorching 73 degree Huntington Beach weather seems to be taking its toll in the form of vine wilting for me. It's strange. I think that the vine may have been getting used to the 64-67 degree weather and the slight temperature rise stressed it.

Thankfully, it's still early in the season.

Alfonso and Katharine Lepe: Max' In The Ground!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received this dispatch from Alfonso and Katherine Lepe, workshop attendees and seedling winners:

"Hello Stuart,

My wife and I attended your event as you know and it was very informative. Thank you for that. My wife won the seedling that you were showing everyone and it is planted. We have some pictures we'll be sending you and it's looking good. We did pretty much everything you recommended as far as preparation of the soil and pointed it in the right direction and it's growing everyday. We just started the garden area and we re-landscaped our entire backyard as well. It was a lot of hard work but we are motivated to grow a giant pumpkin. The vine's name is Max and I can't remember what my wife Katharine is going to name the pumpkin itself but it's something like Cucu. Anyway we'll keep you informed on the progress we're making.

Thanks again,

Alfonso"

(I'll be updating this posting when I receive some photos from Alfonso.)

Gary Tovey in Dana Point, CA: On The Cusp of Greatness

Good evening, Pumpkinistas!

I have just received the following update from Gary Tovey of Dana Point, CA:

"Hi Stuart,

Thanks for your very fun and informative workshop at Batavia Gardens!

The seeds you gave me germinated nicely and I have four really nice looking seedlings ready to go in the ground. Two extra large holes are awaiting planting tomorrow. Now I just have to decide which two seedlings to go with and which two go in the compost pile.I'll keep you posted as things progress.

Thanks again,

Gary"

Here's my reply:

Hi Gary!

Thank you VERY much for your update! Nice job on germinating your seeds. I think you might be surprised, given your recent experience, that one of the biggest challenges of commercial pumpkin growers is seed germination. I have a suggestion. Plant two seedlings per mound, and cull down to one plant in 10-20 days. The remaining seedling for each of your mounds will be much healthier because of the early competition with the other, 'sacrificial' seedling.

This way, you can use all of your seedlings for good purposes, and let nature decide which ones will remain. It's a little Darwinian, but it makes good sense.

Have a great evening, and thank you very much again for your update! Two mounds is ambitious!

Take care,
Stuart

Eric Vossbrink: In the Mix!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

After a multi-year hiatus, Eric Vossbrink in San Diego, is growing giant pumpkins again!

Here's the latest from Eric:

"Stuart,

You and I spoke face to face and by email maybe 5 years ago when you were making the rounds in San Diego. I read that you were making the rounds again this year.

This is the first opportunity to grow big pumpkins in a few years due to kids and the yard that they require. I’ve got one pumpkin set about 10 feet down the vine, and it’s about basketball-size right now. The pumpkin is in a school garden so it requires no space in my backyard, and I have 320 helpers…if you can call it help.

Seen here: http://erichasissues.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/shots-of-the-garden/

Good luck spreading the word,

Eric Vossbrink"

I knew Eric wouldn't be able to keep away! Thank you very much for your update!

(This is great, Jim Fredricks and Eric Vossbrink are both back this season.)

Dispatch from The Taylors!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

I received these images and update from Wendy and Stacey Taylor, and they are impressive!

"Hello Stuart,

I hope all is well with you. We have a month of growing progress and I thought I’d share our status.

We planted two plants on 5/15 with another plant in our corner patch on 5/28. The most current pictures were taken 6/13. We have blossoms ready to bloom soon. These plants are much healthier and larger than last year when growing Thorette. They are absolutely amazing to see the growth that occurs on a daily basis.

Best to you,

Wendy and Stacey"

Nice looking leaf and vine! The fish-eye lens/effect is great!

Dispatch from Fortress Huntington Beach: Scott Green and Linda Hales!

"Hi Stuart,

Here are a couple pictures from my friend Scott Green. He is growing one of your pumpkin seedlings at his home in Huntington Beach. The vines look pretty good, and I am expecting great things from him. Alas, I wish I could say the same about my pumpkin. Two days after I planted, it was unearthed by one of the creatures of the night. Yesterday I planted another one, guarded by a fence and the pumpkin gods' hex.

I will keep you posted on our progress.

Linda"

Thank you very much Linda, for reporting, and Scott, for growing! You're absolutely right, the vine looks very good. The hardscape is particularly impressive. I hope it helps protect the plant from enemies. A moat, guard tower, and drawbridge are probably slated for the next construction phase.

Every spring, for the last 6-7 years, I've germinated many giant pumpkin seedlings. It's always fascinating, and the seedling germination season provides a certain rhythm to life. These seedlings are used in many ways, but mostly as door prizes for workshops and to give away to interested gardeners and clients. I seldom hear from the individuals that receive them. So, it's very gratifying to know that some of them have found new gardens and are thriving! This season, more than ever before, I am hearing about where they've ended up and how they are doing, or not, in the case of Linda's first seedling. (There's still time to get another seedling going!)

Thank you very much again, Linda, and the best of luck to you, Scott! The anticipation grows!

Jim Fredricks: Back in the Game!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

After a 2-year hiatus, Jim Fredricks is back in the game, and sends us this dispatch:

"Hi Stuart,

Just wanted to say hi. I took a couple years off growing and am now back in the game with a new patch. My old patch was at a friend's house and it got sold! Ouch! It was a great place to grow and produced big fruit. This is my new area, next to my house. I have questions on soil fertility and some more shade than I want in the morning and evening, but gonna give it my best to go big. My plant does not like the hot sun, so I put up shade cloth of 40% over the patch, along with misting if it needs it on hot days. I just pollinated at 12 feet out and have two more fruit that will flower in a week on the main.

Hope your season is going well!

Sincerely,

Jim Fredricks, San Diego, CA"

Thank you very much, Jim! So far, so good!

J and J: Just Having Fun!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

Judging by these pictures, Jo Ann and Jessica, two first-time growers, certainly had a great time with their transplanting efforts! The face mask was a very nice touch!

Keep up the spirit of fun and good luck!

The Welburn Farm Gourd Festival, June 27-28, 2009!

Good morning, Pumpkinistas!

The anual gourd festival in Fallbrook is coming! If you've never had a chance to attend this fascinating and very interesting event that includes gourd crafting and instruction, a gourd competition, gourd crafts, music, food, hula dancing and other performances all under the oaks at the Welburn Gourd Farm in Fallbrook, CA, you've been missing out. It's a wonderful way to spend a day or afternoon. My only suggestions is try to arrive early. You may need the extra time to see everything. Here's the link for more information, directions, admission, and hours: http://www.gourdfestival.com/

This year, there will be a display of gourds made out of glass. (They are pictured above!) The only other place that I know that has botanical materials made of glass is the Harvard Natural History History Museum's Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/the-collection-of-glass-flowers/visiting-the-galleries-2.html

It looks like it will be a lot of fun again this year.

Elizabeth Castillo: Pumpkins Happen!

Good morning, Pumpkinstas!

I received these pictures, dispatch and link from Elizabeth Castillio:

"Hi Stuart,

I'm sharing pictures of my pumpkin vine with a tiny pumpkin on it. You can check out my blog below and see how far my vine has come! While I've planted pumpkins in the past, this year the vine looks it's best and it's growing strong.

http://www.max-eli-bugworld.blogspot.com/"

Thank you very much, Elizabeth! I think that this might just be the first fruiting of the season!

Here are some additional details from Elizabeth, updated June 16, 2009:

"I planted them directly into the ground on May 5. At first I watered twice a day because I wasn't to sure if water was getting through the weed guard. I had cut a small "X" for each of my seedlings to poke through. Then about 2 weeks later, I saw the weed guard raising from the ground. It was seedlings growing but not fitting through the X. So I cut the X bigger and carefully lifted the plant through and took a picture.

With the light rains we got a few weeks ago, I didn't go out there and water, but then I realized it began to droop. The overhead watering was too hard on the sad leaves, so my husband purchased me a soaker hose which I now turn on, on a low volume and let it soak for about an hour or so every other day or two. The weed barrier really warms up the soil under the pumpkin vine, and once yet the water seeps down quite nicely. I placed a fence around it to keep my toddlers and chickens out! Although I quickly learned that chickens and fly up to five feet when they really want to get food. So my husband built them a coop far away from my vegetable garden.

It's funny, I planted a mixed variety of pumpkin seeds just days apart from my giant pumpkin seeds and the vines are no where near the same size. In fact my other seeds, still look like seedlings! I wish I would have taken a picture of both plants next to each other.

I'm so glad you posted my pictures up. I love sharing my info with others, although for the first three years I did more killing than growing (in all stages). My first year I planted my seeds and forgot where, so I was watering the whole yard, only to later find out my garden had pulled it out thinking it was a wild pumpkin weed! But little by little we're getting better.

PS: I found a place that has free steer manure:
13101 Rosecrans AveSanta Fe Springs, CA 90670
(562) 921-5712 ‎

For a $15 tip, they'll fill up a truck load with a giant scooper! Plus, it's so cool to go there and check out hundreds of cows here in LA County. Besides here, I only see them at the county fairs. Make sure to take your own shovel and bags/buckets. And if your out of milk or cheese, they have a dairy store.

We purchased the painted lady (native) caterpillars at the Kidspace Museum and I have a small butterfly garden in hope that they will return and lay eggs one day.

http://pedrozafamily.blogspot.com/

myspace.com/lizandeddie"

Thank you very much for your additional information, Elizabeth!