A Note to my Darling Wife

Dearest, I know you sneak over here and read the blog every once in a while, even if you don't admit it. So...

I know it makes you a little sad that we don't talk much any more. Did I tell you that Jemimah1 had a new worm on her yesterday? Don't worry, I killed it. And I finally got the sprayer to spray the fish fertilizer just right. Oh, and don't go in the back yard, it sort of smells.

But anyway, how are you? Have the girls, darn it can't think of their names, you know, the little one and the bigger one, gone back to school yet?

Well I've gotta run. You know where to find me if you need me - out in the pumpkin patch!

Disappointing Growth

Both girls are over 50 pounds now, but they're slow, slow growers by pumpkin standards. It must be taxing this somewhat wimpy plant to try to grow two fruits at once.

But I slugged the plant with fish fertilizer and gave the girls their first calcium bath, as long as they don't ripen for a while they'll be just fine.

Pests, Pests, Pests!

Caterpillars on (and in) the pumpkins - I killed another one tonight.
Grubs taking out the leaves.
Pesky powdery mildew.
The white flies are back.
The deer came grazing again last night.

It leaves plenty of room for improvement next year I guess.

These things certainly don't grow by themselves!

Then again, the girls added 6.5 and 8 pounds apiece yesterday. With some hot sunny weather maybe we can bump that up to 20 pounds a day soon.

A Picture of the New Georgia Record

That's the 920 Taylor 08 you're looking at. Shattered anything ever grown down South. Ssshhh, keep your voices down, just stand back and gaze in awe.



















PS. Jemimah2 gained 9.5 pounds today. She should really be packing them on these next two weeks, if I can just hold the plant together...

It's a Race Against Time

I guess it always is... How big will the girls get before the dying leaves have a big impact? What about the shortening daylight hours? Is this weird August weather good or bad?

Things I've learned recently:

• If you don't have a fungicide program, you're going to be hurt by powdery mildew.
• If you don't have an insecticide schedule, you're going to have to deal with evil bugs all season.

But in the meantime, the kids continue to pack on the pounds despite my fretting:

This Plant is a Fighter

The oldest leaves are starting to die, as they always do. So the plant has decided to send out a new vine from the stump and get a new crop of leaves going!



















Meanwhile, the deer keep gnawing back the vines at least once a week. But for some reason, they only visit one side of the plant. But if the deer forget to visit for a couple of days, new vines burst out in a hurry.

Another Day and All is Mostly Well

More decisions need to be made. It's time to decide which pumpkin to cull, Jemimah1 or Jemimah2. Much to my surprise, Jemimah2 is significantly bigger. She's the one on the side vine, which isn't preferred. And then today two worms eat their way into Jemimah1 before I found them and blasted them with insecticide.

But you know what? I think I'm going to keep them both. That will keep me from having one incredibly huge pumpkin and will also make me an embarrassment to the sport. But after nearly two years of disasters, what's going to happen if I cut one Jemimah off, and then Fluffy eats the other or the stem splits?

I have at least 4 growing pumpkins now and more on the way, but I'll start taking off the new ones in a day or two. Here's a picture of Jemimah2, who you haven't seen before because she was supposed to be smaller and she hides in the middle of the patch. Her estimated weight is 9.6 pounds.

Strategy and More Strategy

This is a thinking man's game, to be sure. Yes, with two fine pumpkins I'm winning this war, but the skirmishes continue...

First of all, I lost three good leaves to caterpillars just today. They are various kinds of caterpillars that bore into a flower stalk or a leaf stalk and kill the whole thing. I've never seen any like these before.

So I turned the back yard into a toxic waste site tonight. I'm going to win this battle.

I pulled one of the worms off of Jemimah1 too. I think by tomorrow the fruit cold have been killed. Close call!

Next, the deer come and trim the vines on one side of the plant nearly every night. Why don't they go all the way around and finish the job? Only because they are carnivorous idiots. Carnivorous? They are eating my daughters, for crying out loud!

Two more baby pumpkins bloomed today! I let the bees have their way with them. I'll probably be cutting them off anyway. Another baby will bloom tomorrow.

Sweet Growth Today

I think the twins are much bigger today! Form the Day 3 to Day 5 pictures they didn't change that much, but on Day 6 the girls are a lot bigger. I think they may be a bit ahead of where Bessie was at this stage.

I still don't think a picture every day is needed, but let me know if you want one - it's not any trouble.

Meanwhile, the (human) kids just went wandering in the woods alone... how many times have I told them not to do that??? Anyway, they reported seeing Fluffy - and she has a baby fawn! I've gotta run, gotta grab my M-80's and go hunting!

I really have no use for a hurricane

After all, the irrigation system already runs four times a day, and the wind would be Really Bad News. But this storm is going to go way to the east of us and we probably won't even get much rain.

At day 5, the girls look fine:



















And just for the heck of it, I'll repost why I named both girls Jemimah...

In the past, I've waited until I've pollinated a fruit before I officially named it. Not this year. This year's monster is going to be Jemima.

Why Jemima? Well, all pumpkins are female to begin with. I like a good southern name, and all the better if it's a name you associate with a big old gal. After all, I'm trying to grow A BIG OLD GAL!

Beyond that... before she was immortalized by the Syrup Cartel, Jemima was a daughter of Job. That's right, the Job from the old testament. Now Job I can relate to... I figure I've suffered about as much in my pumpkin growing as he did from disease and pestilence. Anyway, at the end of the story, God rewarded Job with the three most beautiful women on earth for his daughters. One of those daughters was Jemima.

So to sum it up, I'm planning to grow a big old Southern syrup-lickin' beautiful pumpkin, and we will name her Jemima!

Day 4, Growing Well...

But we don't *really* need a new picture every single day, do we? Both Jemimahs are noticeably larger and laying down on their pink Styrofoam now.

The 7-Up can is there to give perspective. Without another object in the picture, it's hard to get a feel for the size. When the pumpkins get bigger I switch to milk jugs... and then to neighborhood children.

I wish I could have found my lucky Mellow Yellow can. Lots of caffeine, maybe to pump up the growth? A can of Jolt or something would be even better.

The 2006 world record holder chimed in about the pumpkin being so far down the vine:

"Your weather and temp from here on out means a lot more that the distance out on the vine. At 33 ft out you will have plenty of food factory to feed the fruit."

It's sort of cool to be noticed by such a celebrity!

The Jemimahs, Day 3

This is Jemimah 1, the fruit on the main vine. I measured her at 33 feet from where the seed was planted. I know people normally want the fruit closer to the stump, but I don't know how much it really matters.



















Looking at the measurements from last year, she should be about 2 pounds after a week - but about 40 pounds at the end of week two!



















Jemimah 2 is already laying down. I thought her stem had broken when I first saw that.

The Twins - Day Two

The second day, and all is well. Well, except for the latest threat - powdery mildew:


















But fungicide should control it. Anyway, the girls both slept through the entire night - Most Impressive!


And I swear, this kid in particular - is she the spittin' image of her father, or what!?!? Look at that long, long stem. She'll be an easy pumpkin that won't rip herself off the vine.

Welcome to the Twins!

I was going to wait a couple of days and make sure they survived the birthing process, but what the heck... the twins were born today!

I was a little late working on the pollination and really had to fight the bees for the flowers:




































But in the end they are beautiful children. They'll more or less sit for 3 days or so, and then hopefully take off and start growing like weeds - I mean like pumpkins.

Pictures From the Patch

I wonder what this creature is... and whether it's responsible for the new caterpillars that are eating the flowers?



















And the REAL question: how could a pumpkin get this close to blooming and then fail to complete the deal???

I've Got No Idea

How a female bud could get this close and then decide not to bloom:


















I'm changing tactics and have gone back to fish and seaweed fertilizing today. Maybe the extra nourashment will convince a couple of pumpkins to set.

I'm Going to be a Father!

But... but... but... I don't know if I'm ready.

This is all happening so fast...


NOT!!!

This is the day we've been waiting for since Baby Magnolia was eaten last July. Saturday morning will be Pollination Day for Jemimah. The weather will be a touch cooler and she'll have ice blocks nearby to help keep her comfortable.

The plant may not be quite as strong as last year's, but it's not bad. It will be grateful for the seaweed baths I can start applying again next week.

It's time to get this party started!

Fluffy Attack!

She struck during the night this time. Thank goodness she prefers new tender growth instead of the old tough leaves.

These vines needed to be terminated anyway, so no major damage, no big deal. She could have left a couple of extra leaves on there though. But the main vine was protected, and she only clipped the vines on one side of the plant.

Running with Vengeance

That would be a good Indian name, don't you think? Anyway...

The vines look great; spreading and filling out the back yard. But I can't get a pumpkin to set. It's either too much fertilizer, or too much heat. As in, day after day of 95 degrees without a cloud in the sky. There's still time, and we're waiting to see what Preemie #4 does in the next couple of days.