Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 26 Entries. Friday, March 15 View Page Great success at the auction this year. 9 seeds from >2000 pounders, several from both sides >2000 pounds. 3 in the high teens. Plan starting a pair in 2 weeks and then another pair each week x 2 to get 2 great vines growing in opposite directions for the season – outgrowing the 15’ greenhouse by May 15 and get somebody pollinated before June 20. Well, at least that’s the plan.   Friday, March 15 View Page Oops - goes with above 3/15 entry   Sunday, March 17 View Page Yeh – this sport breeds sick people – couldn’t not have a vine to care for, so started these 2 in the house Jan 26 and 28. So far 6 ½ feet up the curtain pulls, starting across the curtain rod, and along a line to the hanging lamp. Then the trail will lead back to the curtain rod and onto the corner cabinet if all goes well. Using Jack’s 20-20-20 liberally, now watering every day and moving to Jack’s Blossom Bloomer 10-30-20 this week. Prior years produced several flowers – makes a nice window treatment. My wife thinks this is really dumb. Doubt any readers here would agree. Perhaps we start a trend.   Saturday, March 30 View Page Tilled in amendments – Awesome soil report from Western labs. Only needed 40 lbs 10-10-10; 5 lbs S (ph 7.0) and a little Mn.   Monday, April 1 View Page Goes with 3/30   Monday, April 1 View Page We have achieved HANGING LAMP! – Day 62 post emergence – 8 ½ ft. I propose a new category to be added to the 150 sq ft – vertical family room across curtain rod.   Friday, April 5 View Page The Recruits – left row all 2,006-2,537 seeds, most parentage >2,000 lbs. Right row 1,502-1,843, some with <2,000 parents. Gotta get something here.   Friday, April 5 View Page The final cut, Team 1 started today-- 2537 Crews’22 by 2365Wolf x 300est Crews (all readers know how THAT coulda happened) and the 2117 Bryson23 by 2332Patton x 2144Barron; (have a 2nd 2117 in reserve) Team 2 to start in 1 week – 2037Crews’23 by 2006 Wolf x 2537 Crews’22 and the 2028Bryson’19 by 1871Bryson’18 x2528Geddes (a bit concerned about that geriatric seed) Team 3 to start in 2 weeks – 2006Bryson’21 by 2014Paton x 1871 Bryson and the 1596Butler by 2147Marshal x 1940Urena. GO TEAMS 2024!!   Tuesday, April 9 View Page Family Room endeavor hit 10 feet today and has had 4 flowers. Wife becoming more accepting, now with a few flowers.   Wednesday, April 10 View Page Created and amended planting hills. Took the most interesting additions from this international narrative, looked at what was obtainable and affordable, and tilled it in at what seemed to be appropriate ratios, based on how much was left in the bag for future use. Seemed as scientific as most of what I’ve read here. Peat Moss, Kelp, Mykos, Soluble MAXX, Merit, tore open 4 bags of WOW Super Starter Paks and dumped that in as well.   Thursday, April 11 View Page Cables in. Used the idea of fellow grower to lash the cables to solid mesh. Did that watching basketball and not bent over the dirt. Also, used a snow shovel to carve out the flat landing squares in the multitilled soil. Ton’s easier than a normal shovel, easily sliced out a few added inches of depth, keeping a flat bottom. Permanent system herein. You Southerners with no snow shovels - eat your hearts out.   Tuesday, April 16 View Page 4/15 Bad news – the first 2 starts, 2537 Crews and 2117 Bryson failed – I think it got too hot in the germinator where I had the seeds in moist baggies. Started team 2: 2037 Crews and 2028 Bryson.   Wednesday, April 17 View Page Normal Garden . Plant garlic on Columbus day; harvest 4th of July   Thursday, April 18 View Page Changed plans re Team 3 after total loss of Team 1 – change to my extra 2119 Bryson seed and 1596 Butler. All cards are now on the table.   Monday, April 29 View Page The Lone Ranger – 2119 Bryson post emergent day 6. 3 seeds won at auction failed to germinate – likely my fault. Filed and soaked the 2040 McQuay and 1565 Kline for next attempt. Moving the Bryson to the outdoor tent – 80 deg predicted today   Saturday, May 4 View Page WAAAAYYY behind this season – first pair of seeds a bust, 2nd set got 1; 3rd set 4-days in pot – nothing yet. Tent all set, but alas, nothing planted yet. 2119, now 10”, ready to go when the temp improves later in the week – 85-90 deg last 4 days, now 55-60. Back to 80 in 3 days and in the ground it goes. Usual equipment, heating cables under both hills (90 deg already – likely put them in too dense and too shallow – can’t fix that – actually, not willing). Commercial thermostat set 60-67deg; 3 cheapo heaters, Elitech Logger to record temp every 20min – will look at the graphs in a couple of days.   Thursday, May 9 View Page Finally in the ground – and that’s all I got – the back up 2117 – slow to germinate, slow to grow in the incubator, lanky. Just sprouted a 1565 3 days and a 2040 is lagging almost 9 days – peaked at the seed and it’s sprouting (sideways) under the mix, so haven’t given up. Something must have happened to them in the mail. This season is shaping up to be rather ugly.   Monday, May 20 View Page So, this is all I got – a scrawny Bryson 2117. A so-so young 1565 Kline (orange) back R, heading in the other direction and a nice looking 2040 McQuay (took forever to pop up) back L, just transplanted today. What at start. Was ashamed to even post this – but this sad documentation should make next year’s start look great! Normally, the vine is growing out the door of the green tent by May 15. Let’s see what happens.   Friday, May 24 View Page The result of my $10 bet with my son that he couldn’t grow a 1 lb pumpkin on his pool deck. Looks like the bet’s likely toast, the only saving grace is that there aren’t any female flowers on the 12’ vine yet. Seems dirt’s optional   Tuesday, May 28 View Page Puff of wind, greenhouse upside down, the 2117 was ripped out of the ground. After 6 seeds started, Left with 2 – the young 1565 and the infant 2040 – the 2040 transplanted in the other direction (actually, that one looks pretty good, just small so far). Gave up on the greenhouse and put up wind fence on what I had still in the ground. Can’t believe anyone is following this disaster of a season, except those nasties wondering if I’m the first out. Why do we do this?!!   Thursday, June 6 View Page Finally, the 2040 is showing signs of being a decent, growing healthy plant (no, I never use the Oxford comma – would add too many keystrokes per lifetime)– not bad for May 10 – unfortunately, it’s June 6. Hand weeded the interior of the temporary fencing – didn’t want any fresh Round Up on the proximal soil – but will Round Up the forest covering the rest of the patch. Finally got some rain last night. Jack’s 20-20-20, Merit, Soluble MAXX.   Sunday, June 9 View Page FINALLY – a normal looking vine! – the 1565, Day 30 post emergence– should be day 45 covered with male flowers and maybe a female or 2. Well, just thankful for this. The 2040 has developed a large ribbon main stem extending about 2’ with a kink – no split (yet) – had these in the past – they never finished a season – developed all sorts of anomies with bunched side shoots, splits, rotations. If I had a backup, I’d cull it. Anyway, happy with what I got. This year adopting a new secondaries care technique seen in other diaries – not bury sides, but just cover the nodes from a pile of special prep soil – includes 50:50 MC Potting mix-mushroom soil; 10-10-10. Kelp meal, Myco, dry Jack’s 20-20-20. Merit. 10-1000x faster than burying sides!!   Monday, June 17 View Page 2040 is finally looking encouraging. The 1565 i- not so much and still growing weird – thick ribbon main, screwed up nodes and attempts at secondaries. I think its DNA is all mixed up.   Thursday, July 4 View Page Both vines, 2040 and the 1565 (1 week younger) appear to finally be growing normally and reaching confines of fence– a good number of females, pollinated 4 so far, earliest 6/28 on the 2040. Wildlife camera shows 4 buck in velvet (3-6pt and 1 4-pt -and their entourage of ladies and kids roaming the soybean field along my fence line most nights – No attempted entry so far.   Thursday, July 11 View Page Patch 7/11-2040 reaching some limits of fence and starting to clip off secondaries – most have female flowers. 1565 had less space and has reached limits all the way around. Less female flowers. Jack’s 10-30-20 plus Jack’s tomato 13-15-30, sprayed together, Merit/ Daconil sprayed together, CalVantage sprayed alone – afraid that 8% soluble Ca++ would bind and screw up the other formulas.   Thursday, July 11 View Page 2040 DAP 13 – circ a hefty 18’"– Well, maybe not so hefty – but that’s the best I got. Today’s ferts should help. (forgot to start the chart - waited a almost year for something to write on the sign - and forgot.