Sunday, August 30

I thought I had a linebacker in my backyard

She’s short – only 22” or so, so she can’t be a middle LB. She'll have to play outside LB I guess.

But at 237 pounds, she can certainly plug a gap.

Her time in the 40 is a sore spot… it varies depending on how steep the hill is.

But then she gained 40 pounds in three days, so I’m going to have to move her to the defensive line!

Saturday, August 29

Lulu's a Big Girl Now!

She can't wear her Daddy's shirts anymore. I keep her covered with a couple of old t-shirts to protect her from the sun. Sunlight and the heat make fruit ripen. And I don't want a ripe pumpkin - I want a growing pumpkin. But old t-shirts can't do the trick any longer - I switched to an old sheet today.

She really has had a great week, just plugging right along!

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Hey Alicia - thanks for the note the other day! Decorator by day, AG grower by night, huh? I have a buddy in Ga. near the Florida line who grew somewhere around 900 pounds last spring. Amazing! Anyway let me know how your patch is doing sometime.

Tuesday, August 25

Mid-Life Crisis

Sometimes I toss and turn in the early hours of the morning, unable to sleep.

"Eight pounds a day... is that all there is? Isn't there something more out there somewhere?"

Then I sigh a big sigh and remind myself, "It'll be ok John. After all, that means Lulu is gaining over 50 pounds a week."

My family tries to be supportive. "Honey, it's a very pretty pumpkin!"

Well family, this isn't a beauty contest, she isn't an 'it', and you might try calling her by her real name, you know.

But I'm just being grumpy because of my mid-life crisis. I think I'll go gulp down my meds and then go spray some fertilizer.

Friday, August 21

I Love the Smell of a Growing Pumpkin

Come on, you think it's easy coming up with a title every time I post? If you can do better I'm all ears.

Anyway, Lulu weighs in at 190 pounds now. However, she's still got that quiet, gentle disposition that attracted me to her in the first place!

I better quit trying and just post a picture:




Wednesday, August 19

Thoughts from the Patch

So it was 3 days ago that I said the next two weeks would be crucial. Since then, Lulu has packed on 42 pounds! And today was her best day ever. She is only a tiny bit ahead of the bigger Jemimah from last year, but Lulu is going strong and Jemimah was on her last, um, leg. This is looking halfway decent!

Tedd, I have no white flies. I had a few earlier in the season. My systemic insecticide may be what killed them. Pick up a bottle of Bayer Tree and Shrub at HD or Lowes, mix a tablespoon in a gallon of water and pour on the roots, and repeat. It's not real cheap, but one bottle will last you forever.

Is it unusual for an Atlantic Giant to grow upside down, with the stem end down and the blossom end up? Guess I'll mosey on over to bigpumpkins.com and try to find out.

Sunday, August 16

Nothing new to Report, So...

I'd like to introduce Indigo, the Unloved Polly Pocket. The kids didn't want Indigo any longer, so they spray painted her blue. She doesn't have anything to do with growing pumpkins, but some days can be sort of slow around the pumpkin patch. (I bet you didn't know that!)


Slow and Steady

Well sorry, but I don't *like* slow and steady. It's better than being eaten by killer deer, but slow and steady doesn't win the race. That saying is nonsense, "slow and steady wins the race". It really ticks me off now that I think about it. Slow and steady growth gives you a small pumpkin. Why can't we try Explosive and Dynamic instead?

Lulu's estimated weight is now 138 pounds. The next two weeks will be crucial. If the vine will hold together 300 pounds is still possible.

It's sort of hard to get a good picture of her at the moment, but here she is:



Thursday, August 13

While You Were Sleeping...

LuLu was growing. She is sort of a night owl and does most of her growing at night. Or so the experts say.

Actually, it is unclear whether Lulu really has the hang of this growing thing. Maybe a good night's sleep will do her good.



Tuesday, August 11

100 Pounds and Going Strong

Neither of my human children ever grew like that. But it's ok, I love all my kids the same and I promise to try to never treat Lulu like she's better than the others.

Monday, August 10

Green Shoots?

Even the stump of the vine is trying to leaf back out, a testimony to modern fertilizer and genetics I guess.




And 3 days later, we magically have more leaves to help feed energy into Lulu.

And speaking of Lulu, she's gaining 10 pounds a day and may be picking up steam. I'll get a picture up tomorrow. Prepare to be impressed... or at least pretend to be so you won't hurt her feelings!

Thursday, August 6

Slow and Steady Doesn't Win the Race

Lulu's growth is... well, acceptable. Pretty good one day, not so good the next. I must have spent an hour today chasing that darn squash borer moth with a tennis racket and then with insecticide, trying to kill her before she can lay more eggs and kill more leaves.

She is a darn cute baby, even if she looks nothing like her father!

Monday, August 3

Those Darn Squash Vine Borers

They're not as bad as deer, but still the damage they leave behind isn't pretty:




By popular demand, a picture of the plant. The pumpkin is under the blue tarp in the back. The new heavy growth is all on the left; I wish there were more new vines on the right side.

Sunday, August 2

Day 11 and All is... Wet.

Darn it, there were some really cool mushrooms out in the patch this morning. So delicate looking, almost translucent. I went to take a picture this afternoon, and they're gone. I can't find them, anyway. Well it should dry out some next week but for now us growers have all the water we need, right Tedd?
So instead of a picture of pretty shrooms I'll have to entertain you with the latest picture of Lulu, who grew nicely yesterday.


So Tedd wants to know why I've never drunk the bottle of pumpkin ale in the pictures. Dunno. Never thought about it. Maybe I've been too busy drinking all the weaker bottles? In any case, I now officilaly dub this the Lucky Pumpkin Beer Bottle! I plan to either drink it or throw it away unopened on Halloween depending on how the rest of the season goes!

Saturday, August 1

We Have a Winner!

Lulu out-grew her baby sister and is now an only child. (Now don't tell her this, but I'm a little disappointed with her growth. But any pumpkin is better than none I suppose.)



Meanwhile the new vines have forgotten about the horrors of being eaten and are striking out on a cross country trip at a rapid clip.