Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 55 Entries. Friday, February 2 View Page New patch, I hope that this month we can install the greenhouse. The earth is not fully prepared, but I have added 2 sand trucks and one compost truck. The patch is next to my house, and I have electricity, and quality water. It’s a greenhouse for 2025, but maybe I’ll have time to grow something here in 2024.   Friday, February 2 View Page Here when we add the silica sand.   Wednesday, February 7 View Page I need help, I need nice photos Of people on top of a big pumpkin, beautiful photos, I want to put together a video of photos, to encourage new growers. Can you help me? You can send me the photos to the email ruben@valtierra.com or for menssenger. the photos I receive before the 9th I will include them in the video. Cindy Tobeck you don't need to send, I've already taken them from Facebook lol ?? please, send me very much photos.   Monday, March 11 View Page 25 seeds, to try to grow 3 pumpkins. The seeds in the fridge don’t do anything, you have to give them a chance. I’m looking for 9 for the 3 holes. (3, more 6 backups) and 6 pollinators. Only the best will make it. My favorites are 2365 and 2183, the third will be the best of the rest of the pots, and the next ones the bacups. Pollinators, I have tried to look for the best of the moment, and of different genetics. My favorite is 1357 Wolf. (Plant of the father of 2365). In a week we start , seddling the pollinators. I hope they are all born well and put me in trouble choosing the best ones. I love the 1780 Melka and 1893 ureña and 2560 Travis, if it is a good plant I will have to decide between the 2560, 1893, the 1780, the 2610, 2502, 2447x 1707, 1727x it will be very difficult to choose the third. It’s fantastic!! Lol   Monday, April 8 View Page My 3 plants are in the ground. And in 3-gallon pots, I have the pollinators at the moment, then I will switch them to 20 gallons, and the bacup 1780 Melka is fabulous, a 2183, and 2501 bestrom. Every year I put the bacup on the ground near the plants I want to grow, but Travis, one of the nights we were having dinner, told me it’s a mistake. That the roots come together a lot, and that when you remove the bacups, those roots die, and can cause some disease to the roots of the plant that you continue to grow. It’s common sense, I understood it when he perfected it. So from now on the larger potted bacups, in case any of the 3 o’clock plants have a problem (2183-2560-2365)   Sunday, April 28 View Page 2560 grows very well, it is the only one that does not have heating cables on the ground, the guide is much faster, but it comes out thinner. It will be very interesting to know the benefits of the heating cable. 3 plants on the ground, 2560, 2365 and 2183. The 2183 is one of the best I’ve had. The plants have improved a lot, they were very cold the first week after the transplant, but I think they have already overcome it, and they are also acclimatised to cold nights. It is the year that I have the driest soil, I water every 4 days, and it seems that the roots are going down quite deep. I have separated this year the first drip hoses at 45 cm, so that the secondary guides do not touch the water, and the main guide will be raised to 15 from the ground, far from the hoses, and I will try not to cover it much with earth, I do not want any disease in the main guide this year, I have become very maniac, I have already corrected 9 drip hoses, which had just the drip under where the main guide will go, it is better than this at 17 cm on each side of the guide. The 3 seeds were born from the pot after 3 days, sow directly in the pot.   Sunday, April 28 View Page Pollinators are also doing very well. 1780 Melka, 1357 wolf, 1959 and 1965, in addition to 1875 mendi and 1727 caspers, which I later planted as bacups, or pollinators. In the light 5 other plants wait anxiously, already 9 days since I planted, they are bacups, of the bacups.. lol. Possibly some elderly gardener will grow them in my village, I will tour the orchards to deliver them, if the 3 that are now on the ground continue as they go.   Friday, May 17 View Page 2560 with 18 secundaries before. In 7 days i will pollinate.   Tuesday, May 21 View Page In 2020 and 2021, I did the same thing. Bleach all the soil under the plants. Do you know why?   Tuesday, May 21 View Page I can’t put CO2, but I want to increase photosynthesis a little. The leaves do photosynthesis on both sides, but at the bottom of the leaf, it gives it practically no light, so apply perlite so that the light reflects and gives it to the lower area of the leaves. It also has 3 more advantages. It holds a little more moisture in the knots, so that they take roots better, my soil with high temperatures will not cook, and also some fewer herbs will come out.. I’m sure they come out, but where I have put more thickness they are very weak.   Wednesday, May 22 View Page PuIt will undoubtedly be the hardest week of the year.. with respiratory problems, very cold, and covering knots on my 3 plants and setting up the new greenhouse. Whoever said we were crazy, was right. I want to plant some tomatoes in that new greenhouse this year, yesterday I planted them in pots.   Sunday, May 26 View Page Yes!! It’s already finished. It’s half the size of the Paton brothers, but it’s enough for me, I don’t have a twin brother, and the one I have; he prefers to make brooms, to grow pumpkins lol. Search Mendi Brooms, or Mendi Store in amazon. (I have asked my brother for lucky brooms for this greenhouse, and has he told me to make a post about his brooms? :))   Sunday, May 26 View Page today i pollinated my 2365. with 5 good flowers of 1959 Anderson,   Sunday, May 26 View Page My plants are strange this year, I think with much less energy. I’m putting very little water, not still diseases, but the roots are also very still. From dap 10, I will start watering more, and putting more fertilisers.   Sunday, May 26 View Page 2365 wolf.   Wednesday, June 5 View Page 1707 caspers. This is a plant that will give very heavy pumpkins, the ideal plant for pollination. I had it in a pot to pollinate, but my friend Salvador ran out of plants, and I gave it to him this and one 2183. Today he sends me this photograph, I hope he manages to pollinate some pumpkin of that plant.   Thursday, June 6 View Page It is the most complicated year since 2016. My soil analyses told me that I had nutrients, to grow pumpkins in the same soil, about 10 years. But in the first leaf, I got only 0.17% potassium, very little calcium and very little magnesium. It’s very strange. The leaves are small, all facing the sky, on floor 2365 and 2183. The 2560 is fine, beautiful leaves but not very large. 4.90% nitrogen. I tested with nitrate and magnesium, I have tested with iron, the tests have given me all the micronutrients well, and now I am testing with potassium. I think the mistake was in the planting well, which I didn’t add almost nutrients, and I put too much perlite and non-fertilisation substrate. I don’t know how I’ll do it, but I have to do it, I have to get bigger leaves. And with colour Black Green. (Photo 2183) . Update, I just received an email from the Laboratory, asking for forgiveness, Potassium is 5.4%. So I don't know what it will be, it can be mn, mg or calcium.   Thursday, June 13 View Page 2183 x 1780 will be orange, very orange. Dap 17 today. The plants are very bad, I should not have grown again in the old greenhouse, I have already lost the main stump, and there is some node with rot of the main vine, but at the moment the pumpkin grows well. There are 3 months left for the weigh off, for me it is millions of light years, I hope even if it grows slowly, it will endure a pumpkin for that day, if it is small, that at least it is very beautiful. It has an incredible shape.   Thursday, June 13 View Page The 3 plants are very strange this year, both 2183 and 2365 and 2560.. I have done something wrong, after pollinating the plants have no strength, very thin and slow guides.. I wait for the soil analysis for next week. Small leaves, very raised, there is no excess nitrogen. Today I have added azos to the irrigation, a package dissolved in water, we will see if it helps the plant to take more nitrogen   Thursday, June 13 View Page Here are the guides, which have run out of strength. The 2560, only grows for the Nights, by day it doesn’t get fat. I started very well, but it has slowed down a lot Growth dap 20 130 pounds.   Thursday, June 13 View Page 2365 dap 13, it’s the strangest plant, it started very well, but I can’t cheer it up. I have also lost the stump, But as my friend Stewie tells me, you don’t have to stop fighting... it’s not nice to bury, and work many hours on plants that you don’t like, but that’s life, better years will come.   Thursday, June 13 View Page SI lose the pumpkins, I have planted a watermelon in the new greenhouse.. and I want to plant 30 tomatoes, I can’t be a summer without working.. I can’t. I have not put anti-grass mesh, I will put perlite, to try, and that the knots of the plant enter the Perlite, to see if some can take root.   Thursday, June 13 View Page This is the greenhouse. It’s the Last year I grow here, I will let the earth rest for 4 or 5 years, planting mustard, turnips, cereal... for me it will be very sad. I will go from a greenhouse with sandy soil, to another with clay soil, but I have time to add compost, perlite, to the new greenhouse. If God wants, I will return to him in 5 years, I hope the earth recovers well. I have to read a lot, study, about biology, I’m sure that adding biology to the soil, maybe I can come back in 3 or 4 years with an incredible soil.   Monday, June 17 View Page 2183 x 1780 Ainhoa, dap 21 196 inches. There is a beautiful pumpkin on a plant that has felt something wrong for him, I don’t know what it is... the disease of the stump for sure, but in addition to that there is something else, some fungicide, some nutrient, it has felt bad for him. I have 3 doubts, foliar methyl thiophanate, an insecticide that I added to the soil, or perhaps the excess of sulphate in the soil. The plant grows very little, the pumpkin is doing well, let’s see how many days the pace lasts, but much should improve the plant so that it goes up to 40-60 pounds a day.   Monday, June 17 View Page Stump look dry, methyl thiophanate paint, works well, if you watch all the nodes, in some rot and put fan. It is a powerful fungicide that is able to cure rot. But first you have to clean everything bad, before painting   Monday, June 17 View Page This is 2183   Monday, June 17 View Page And this is 2183 Ainhoa. 4 lobes. Look the shape of 2517 but a little more long.   Saturday, June 22 View Page Nick Mccaslin worry, I'm coming for you. :) lol!!   Saturday, June 22 View Page Ainhoa, 2183 x 1780. It slows down growth. I have not seen more rot in the plant, yes.. I have put 9 doses of fungicide in 3 weeks, 5 of them biological, and 4 systemic (signum, 2 times methyl thiophanate, switch, and on Sunday second dose of signum). I am convinced that fungicides slow down growth, they drive the plant crazy, but if I want a pumpkin to reach September, I must do it, at least to save the new growth.   Saturday, June 22 View Page Ainhoa and Anabel. For me, there is nothing more beautiful in the world.:)   Saturday, June 22 View Page I think it will be the first year that I do not fill the space of the plants before July, this year if there is luck it will be in August. The plants have suffered a lot, and they stop the growth, now it seems that several secondary ones are starting to grow.   Saturday, June 22 View Page 20 Giant Tomatoes are in the soil. I will remove plants, to leave more space to those I see with megablom. I hope to get a couple of good tomatoes.   Thursday, June 27 View Page 2183 x 1780 dap 30. Pretty pumpkin   Thursday, June 27 View Page It is growing by about 500 sq feet. Now the secondary ones begin to grow well, after solving the manganese deficiency   Sunday, June 30 View Page 141 Monfort 2017. 20 days in the soil, On the perlite. I’m impressed with how the knots take root in the perlite   Sunday, June 30 View Page I have not taken care of the plant these 20 days, I should have done pruning, and keep all the nodes on the perlite, I hope I can fix something the plant the Next few days.   Monday, July 15 View Page My pumpkins are abandoned, I wanted to remove them from the old greenhouse but Anabel tells me to try to save some for the September weigh off, I don’t know if it will be possible. They will be at 600-800 pounds, but the plants are sad, they have the leaves and roots with disease. This greenhouse deserves a rest of 4 years, possibly I will remove the plastic and make a greenhouse only with a shading net.   Monday, July 15 View Page MI Watermelon Potra Salvaje, I only have one plant, which I had at the beginning of June in a pot, without grafting, and a seed of my friend Monfort 141 monfort (272.5 neptunes x 318.5 kent) is doing really well in the new greenhouse, 17 days and it is already at 54 pounds, with an average of 5.75 pounds the last 4 days. The extra roots that the plant has in the perlite I think are helping. I’m loving watermelons right now, but with 105-110f inside the greenhouse it’s not easy.   Monday, July 15 View Page It is growing in the first tertiary of the first fat secondary.. it is the only watermelon that had a good shape. I have pruned the entire plant, except for several tertiary from that secondary, trying to get the plant to send energy to that area.   Monday, July 15 View Page Without Mccaslin’s help it would be impossible to try, it is helping me a lot. Thank you Nick!!   Monday, July 22 View Page Yesterday, Sunday, 6 hours of work to remove the 3 plants and the grass. From 6AM, but I am happy, I have been able to go 2 days to visit Salvador in Barcelona! This summer I’ll be able to travel quietly.   Tuesday, July 23 View Page Day 25, 90 pounds. With temperatures of more than 105F last week the daily weights have decreased, but I am happy. Growing up in a tertiary, and plant without grafting, it looks healthy, I hope it lasts well 50 more days, until the day of weighing, I think it can reach more than 200 pounds easily, if it continues like this. I’m watering very little, I don’t want diseases. And I want the plant not to age, but with these temperatures, I imagine that both the plant and the watermelon will mature quickly.   Tuesday, July 23 View Page This seed is from a Jorge Monfort watermelon that was weighed in the Weighing of France in 2017, we took a small bag of seeds, and the French people, caught many bags of seeds. We still have for more years, I think it’s a fantastic seed.   Sunday, August 4 View Page Dap 37, 139 pounds. Last month watering only with chlorinated water, from the village. Someone told me that watermelon loves chlorine, maybe he’s right lol Yesterday I added some amino acids to the soil, I hope that They feel good. There are 40 days left for the weigh off, and it is growing the last 5 days, 4.15 pounds a day on average, if I have a little luck, I think you can get more than 220 pounds for that day. Traditional seed.   Sunday, August 4 View Page I remember that it is traditional melon, 2017 seed, by Jorge Monfort, winner in the weight off of France, 141 monfort (272.5 neptunes x 318.5 kent). And growing up in a tertiary of the first secondary It was the watermelon that had the best shape.at 6 feet of hole.   Tuesday, August 27 View Page This season I have lost the 3 pumpkin plants, when I saw that I could not get anything with them, I planted 20 giant tomato plants, a disease has ruined almost all the tomatoes, and also planted a watermelon plant. Today is the 60th, the watermelon is at 210 pounds, I could have easily achieved the Spanish record, and possibly if I hold it until October I would have achieved 300 pounds, but the destination of 2024 is to stay blank, it’s sad, but nothing happens, I’m waiting with all my soul for the Weight off of Valtierra, to be able to have a few beers with all my friends, I think Stewie thinks the same as me. Now with this watermelon, I don’t know what to do, risk and try to get to the weight off with a watermelon dmg that weighs 240-250 pounds in 17 days, or save it and lose weight but be Valid in the weighing. What I am clear about is that in 2025 I will grow 4 watermelon plants, I think my climate is very good for them.   Tuesday, August 27 View Page The saddest year, Anabel with a photograph of a watermelon lol...I didn’t let her get on top..   Monday, September 16 View Page They have been incredible days, we have enjoyed a lot with all of you who have come to the Weigh Off of Spain in Valtierra. Thank you very much to everyone who participated and helped us organise that important day. Now it’s time to rest a little. Today I will upload the data to GPC. I hope the other pumpkins of the brothers go heavy. And we will start walking again, to try to lose those kilos that we have gained these last 4 days.. a lot of food and a lot of drink. Lol   Monday, September 16 View Page Photo for a new Video! Leire, Poti’s daughter in the Pumpkin of the Paton brothers   Monday, October 28 View Page The watermelon did not reach the weighing, cracks came out in the flower on dap 56, and I endured it until dap 65. This watermelon grew like a whale. The goal was to get the watermelon of more than 220 pounds, and in the end it got 237.5 pounds dap 65 (+6%) I could not take it to the weigh off, but even so, it is the largest watermelon that has been weighed in Spain unofficially. I am very happy, and in 2025 I will grow 2 or 4 watermelons, with the soil better prepared.   Monday, October 28 View Page Damn splits.. watermelon has less skin than pumpkin.   Monday, October 28 View Page The colour and flavour were amazing, very sweet.   Monday, October 28 View Page In the new greenhouse, I have already added quite a few amendments, and this week I added the perlite, and I have already sown the rye and the vesa.   Monday, October 28 View Page I have found a perlite factory in Spain, with prices of up to 50-60% cheaper than what perlite houses of agricultural supplies. My new clay soil needed the perlite, this beautiful greenhouse deserves it.   Tuesday, November 5 View Page My 40-foot truck container next to the new greenhouse, is starting to look like a good Warehouse. lights on, shelves placed, I’m missing a cabinet for pesticides, and a good laboratory table, a refrigerator for cold drinks, and I think everything will be perfect.