Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 37 Entries. Sunday, April 14 View Page Greetings from Earth! Here is my 2024 lineup, finally got the seeds started today. Thanks to all the great growers who shared their seeds with me. I have room for 3 plants, thinking about joining the 150 square foot contest with one of these so the other two can have lots of room   Sunday, April 14 View Page Doing a couple of giant watermelons too, started these a couple weeks ago. Going to try to make sure I don’t kill them this year. I have a tendency to put them out in the cold too early   Thursday, May 9 View Page Finally got some of the plants in on Thursday. Pretty late to be getting them in, I’ve been laid up with nasty bronchitis for the last week. They’re kind of pale looking too so hopefully some hot weather shows up soon and I’ll have 7 foot mains by the weekend   Thursday, May 9 View Page 2140 Pritchard. And oh yeah that last one was the 2501 Bernstrom. I have them on a square of black plastic under my patented row cover enclosure. I haven’t gotten my 150 square foot plant in yet but hopefully in the next few days   Thursday, May 9 View Page Doing a couple giant watermelons again this year too. This is my only one in the ground so far, the 256 Bennett. Now this plant looks much happier! The last time I grew these two years ago they were already dead by this date so I’m glad I’m making improvements lol   Sunday, May 12 View Page That last post should say the watermelon is the 256 Brussel, not Bennett. I think a worm got into my brain, ate part of it and then died in there but I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe I’ll even be president someday   Wednesday, June 12 View Page Finally getting around to making a few posts. Plants are finally on the move after the late start. This here is my 2140 Pritchard, about 6 feet long now. Got it out of its small enclosure today and upgraded it to a bigger hoop house. Found and killed the first two squash bugs today on my other winter squashes, let the battle begin   Wednesday, June 12 View Page The 256 Bennett watermelon is doing well too, other than getting blown around by the wind the last couple days. It’s getting really dry here now too, with no rain in the forecast for the next 10 days and ninety degrees coming all next week   Wednesday, June 12 View Page The 209 Miller watermelon, I almost pulled it a week or so ago because it looked so unhappy but I’m glad I didn’t. It’s coming along nicely now and still has plenty of time to grow a good one   Saturday, June 22 View Page The next series of photos are of my 150 Challenge plant. It’s my first time in the contest, and it allows me to give ample space to my other two plants. I’m growing the 2124 Cyrus in this 6x25 foot space. It will be completely enclosed by floating row cover, so no part of the plant will be able to sneak out of the area   Saturday, June 22 View Page The metal “hoops” I’m using are exactly 6 feet apart. This is one end of the hoops   Saturday, June 22 View Page And this is the other end. The stump of the plant is just under the row cover in this picture   Saturday, June 22 View Page Here’s what the 2124 Cyrus looks like today. Off to a slow start but when I start terminating side vines at 3 feet, the main should grow fast. Not sure yet how I’m going to position everything for the fruit in such a narrow space but it should be interesting   Saturday, June 22 View Page This shows the 6 foot wide space enclosed. I’m going to add length to it as the vine grows until it’s 25 feet long   Saturday, June 22 View Page You can’t read the tape measure in this photo but this shows that I measured the space out to exactly 25 feet. There are metal stakes at each end of the tape measure. 150 Challenge, let’s do this   Saturday, June 22 View Page The 256 Bennett watermelon is spreading out now   Saturday, June 22 View Page 209 Miller watermelon doing its best to catch up   Saturday, June 22 View Page Oh yeah I’m doing a giant cantaloupe too for only the second time, the 52 Bennett   Tuesday, July 2 View Page Finally got my first pollination this morning on a giant pumpkin plant. Actually a few days earlier than I thought it might be. It’s a 4-lober on the 2501 Bernstrom, pollinated with the 2124 Cyrus at 14 feet on the main.   Tuesday, July 2 View Page It’s tough to get pictures of full plants under my makeshift row cover setup this year, but this is the 2501 Bernstrom plant. We had .9 inches of rain for the first 29 days of June, and then got 4.67 inches dumped on us on Sunday. Everything in the garden is taking off like a rocket now   Wednesday, July 3 View Page Got another one pollinated this morning, July 3rd. The 2140 Pritchard crossed with the 2501 Bernstrom at 13 feet 4 inches, 4 lobes   Wednesday, July 3 View Page This is the 2140 Pritchard plant, not very big yet and has short leaf stems and paler green leaves than my other plants. Could be genetic, all my plants are treated the same and the vines are still growing at a normal pace. If memory serves me right, the 1142 vanKooten back in the day grew the same way for me several times and it still packed quite a punch   Saturday, July 6 View Page The 256 Bennett watermelon plant, looking pretty good. In the foreground is the 7 day old fruit, pollinated June 29 with the 209 Miller. Surviving the heat just fine, we’ve been having days in the low 90s here with super charged humidity. Being close to the Delaware Bay keeps the temps from getting outrageously hot during the day but we stay in the mid 70s at night a lot   Saturday, July 6 View Page 52 Bennett cantaloupe. Probably still 2 weeks away from pollination   Saturday, July 6 View Page Oh yeah I planted a 320 English bushel gourd. Should have a fruit going by Christmas   Saturday, July 6 View Page Expanded the cover on the 2501 Bernstrom plant this evening. Humidity was at approx. eleventy zillion percent. You can see the 5 day old fruit over there somewhere in all the weeds   Thursday, July 11 View Page Oh no I’ve got a dilemma on my hands, the good kind. These are the fruit I have set on the 256 Bennett. The one on the right is 2 days older and had a 35 inch circumference on day 10. The one on the left reached day 10 today with a 38 inch circumference. It is longer than its older sister, which I like, but does that matter that much? Which one would you keep? Or is the type of vine it’s on more important? Going for a state record here, so no pressure lol   Tuesday, July 23 View Page Well I made the decision a while back to keep the longer melon on the 256 Bennett. I just couldn’t resist that shape, and it looked like it was starting to fill out and get wider so I went with it. Time will tell how it ends up, but it’s off to a good start with a 139.5 inch OTT 22 days after pollination. And her name is Charlotte   Wednesday, July 24 View Page Ok so all this time I’m still calling the 256 Brussel plant the 256 Bennett. It is actually the 256 BRUSSEL. I will go flog myself now so I stop making that mistake   Saturday, July 27 View Page My 150 square foot challenge plant, the 2124 Cyrus. Has filled in the area and finally has a fruit set on it. I’m leaving the plant uncovered from here on out because squash bugs got inside there and I need to wage some war against them. This is the only pumpkin plant I still have going unfortunately. The 2501 Bernstrom looks like it has YVD, and the fruit aborted. The 2140 Pritchard ended up being a sterile plant, couldn’t get a pumpkin set on it and the male flowers all appeared to have almost no pollen   Saturday, July 27 View Page Here’s the little fruit on the 2124 Cyrus. Pollinated with the 2501 Bernstrom on July 19th. Probably around 20 feet out on the main but I haven’t measured. Hopefully I just end up with a mature fruit so I can harvest seeds from this cross for next year   Saturday, July 27 View Page Meanwhile the watermelons are doing pretty well. This is the 209 Miller x 256 Brussel. 123.5 OTT on day 21, named Wilbur   Saturday, July 27 View Page And this is Charlotte on the 256 Brussel x 209 Miller. Just shy of 150 OTT on day 26   Saturday, July 27 View Page And this is Charlotte on the 256 Brussel x 209 Miller. Just shy of 150 OTT on day 26   Friday, September 20 View Page The 209 Miller fruit, named Wilbur, reached day 75 yesterday. Still growing, estimating about 174 now. Boy has it been dry this month. The only rain we’ve gotten in September has been .3 inches last Wednesday morning   Friday, September 20 View Page But the real prize of my patch this year is the 256 Brussel fruit, named Charlotte. She hit 80 days old yesterday and is also still growing. Currently estimating 216, that puts her a couple percent past the NJ state record of 208.5. The plants aren’t looking so hot at this point but we are still supposed to get another week or two with low temps above 55 degrees. I’d love to take the melons to Saratoga but I really want to squeeze out every pound I can get, and I’m worried Charlotte will go light. I’ll measure again late next week and reevaluate I guess. One thing I’ve learned this year is I’ve got very good soil and climate for growing big melons!   Sunday, October 13 View Page Well, we did it! Took my two melons to Frerich’s Farm yesterday with my 2013 Niagara Convention shirt on for good luck, and Charlotte came in at 212 pounds for what I believe is the New Jersey state record. The cross is 256 Brussel x 209 Miller. Wilbur weighed 192 pounds, cross is 209 Miller x 256 Brussel. Made me feel pretty good to impress people like Joe Jutras and Steve Sperry lol. Had a fantastic time with a great bunch of people, big thank you to all of them for putting on such a fun weigh-off!