Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 12 Entries. Saturday, March 21 View Page First year growing - advise welcome! This year's effort will be modest. It's a new plot of land in the UK, Hertfordshire, which gives additional space to grow the odd giant pumpkin, but the land (now grass) is still very much being set up. Between burying the odd vine, completing interests like fencing, irrigation and windbreaks are all being worked on this year over 1/2 acre. It's not going to be an extravagant year for the pumpkin this time around. Positives are: South-facing, plenty of sun, plenty of manure Negatives are: New plot being set up, therefore late start, windy site! Seed order placed from Howard Dill � Monday, March 30 View Page Seeds have arrived from across the pond - Big and Orange � Monday, March 30 View Page Seeds have arrived - big and orange! � Thursday, April 23 View Page Fencing up � Saturday, May 2 View Page (Lots of) manure in. Laid on top of existing pasture - leaving the worms to take it in. No dig not specific to growing pumpkins, but whole area. Still a way to go before any pumpkins go in! � Sunday, June 21 View Page Bit of guess (backdated entry) - Transplanted 755 Berard, 1297 Ansems seedlings into the main patch. Windbreaks provided, bit windy here. It's a bit late...but the patch itself was still being created, manure levelled! � Sunday, August 2 View Page Ansems 1297 - Main vine is at 13ft & longest side shoot is 6ft in a spider pattern. First female flowers - as planted so late, a balancing act of having a plant that's big enough to support something vs too late to get something going! Open pollinated, self pollinated, pollinated with Berard 755... fingers crossed � Saturday, August 8 View Page Looks like it's taken... � Thursday, August 13 View Page Wow. This looks promising progress in just a few days. Off on holiday for a week, so plant will need to look after itself for a bit. Removed mini (unpollinated) pumpkins on side vines and main vine - so concious that I'm playing catch up, that I think this one will have to be it. No pumpkin selection other than - you're first, you're it! � Monday, August 17 View Page Dicks Tips 2 & Holland Giants DVD ordered. � Friday, August 21 View Page Back from a week's holiday, with slight trepidation - did the shade cover come off due the wind / huge further expansion!!? No. Bit of a marginal increase here - At 26, 34, 26 it's off the chart - sadly at the bottom end! Still trying to jiggle pumpkin around a bit, but whole main vine stem section now moves with the pumpkin. Will trying give it some support, and doing it again on a warmer day. The plant itself has expanded - majority of side vines have now reached the side and will be trimmed shortly and I'll see what ground it covers � Friday, August 21 View Page The plant in it's full glory - actually now quite sizeable given where it was at the start of Aug. 2nd Aug - 13 feet main vine, 6 ft vines, 22 Aug - 20 feet main vine, over 10ft side vines each side Pumpkin is set at 10 feet on the main vine. With the marginal increase in size over the last week (not sure of weather tho) and the increase in plant size, most of the side vines now stopped above the pumpkin. Main vine and little side vines ahead of the pumpkin left as they are. Hope that's about right! Suggestions welcome �