Welcome To Brian's Insanity

2004 Diary

2005 Diary

My Seedlist

Links

My Carvings

About Me

Welcome To My 2004 Diary!

December 17, 2003.

This is a picture of my plot plan for the 2004 season. (Thank you Don!) The ground has never been farmed and the snow we've been having has made it hard for me to get any work done. I've just been focusing on research and irrigation planning during these cold winter months.

December 17, 2003.

This is a picture of the drip line I plan to run underground to deliver fertilizer and water directly to the roots. This product and specific details regarding it can be seen at Drip Works. (Thank you for the link Mr. Gipe!) The drip line is capable of 40 gallons per hour at only 8 psi, making it perfect for a gravity fed system. Its design also prevents root intrusion and reduces the chances of clogs when fertigating. The system I plan on setting up will run at around 6 psi, depending on the final tower height.

For those of you who are interested in knowing how to calculate the pressure to expect given a certain tower height, here's how:

pressure = (gamma)(h)

Gamma is the specific weight of water and h is the measured height from the surface of the water in the tower to the ground. The specific weight of water changes with temperature, but it can be assumed to be about 62.3 lb/ft³. Using this equation, we can solve for the height required to deliver 1 psi of pressure.

1 lb/in² = (62.3 lb/ft³)(1 ft³/1728 in³)(h)

Dividing both sides by (62.3 lb/ft³)(1 ft³/1728 in³) yields h = 27.74 inches.

Thus, for every 27.7 in of elevation, you gain approximately 1 psi of line pressure.

27.7 in of water = 1 psi

December 17, 2003.

This picture shows the mister head I plan on using to keep the plant temperature down on hot days to prevent wilt. The misters will be above the plants and will be on a timer to automatically turn on for a short amount of time multiple times per day. The goal of the misting system is to prevent leaf wilt by cooling the air around the plant while still keeping the leaves dry. A dry leaf is a disease free leaf!

If leaf born disease does become a problem, seaweed emulsion and other more powerful remedies can be delivered to the entire plant via the overhead misting system, making disease control easy!

December 17, 2003.

During these winter months, I have also been focusing quite a bit on what I need to do to get the soil in top form for the 2004 season. Thanks to the guidance of many experienced growers at BigPumpkins.com, I have learned that the first step in soil preparation is getting a soil test! This is probably the single most important step a grower can take to ensure his/her soil is right for the Atlantic Giant's.

The results of my soil test were quite encouraging. Since my plot has never been farmed, the soil seems to be in balance. The area that needs the most work is my low organic material content and a nitrogen deficiency. To help raise the OM content and introduce an excellent natural supply of nitrogen, I plan on incorporating approximately 15 yards of composted cow manure. The manure is an excellent source of nitrogen as well as organic material and should give the pumpkins a steady supply of nitrogen as it breaks down.

In addition to the composted cow manure, I also plan on making a trip to the coast to pick up a truck load of seaweed. The addition of seaweed promotes good soil health and provides numerous nutrients plants need to thrive. For a good article dealing with seaweed and its benefits, click here.

To view my soil test results, click here. I was fairly disappointed with this particular lab. The results are very easy to read but the thoroughness of the test is something to be desired. I plan on using A & L Labs for all future tests.

December 18, 2003.

The picture above shows my plan for the t-tape system. The valves will allow me to turn on more and more of the system as the pumpkin plants grow. Using a t-tape system like this should allow me to keep the soil at the proper moisture level all the time without a lot of hassle.

The underground watering system will not be on a timer. The water will enter the system from the 6 40 gallon barrels in the water tower. My hope in setting up a system like this is that the relatively cold tap water will have a chance to warm up before being applied to the soil. This should help keep soil temps up. This system should also make fertilizing an easy task.....I hope!

March 6, 2004.

Here is a picture of one of the four pits I've dug to help the roots at the stump expand easier. I'm hoping this extra work helps the plant establish a larger root system in my well compacted soil. It's current depth is around 3 feet, but it will be refilled with a foot or so of gravel for drainage before being topped off with composted cow manure, crabshell, worm castings, and molasses.

March 6, 2004.

Here is another pit. You can see the large pieces of sandstone I had to dig through to get to a reasonable depth.

March 6, 2004.

I came up with this fairly large pile of rocks after a couple of long hours with the pick and shovel during the 40 degree weather we had not too long ago. Quite the heat wave!!

March 6, 2004.

Here is a nice shot of the larger portion of the patch. This picture shows approximately 1200 square feet of the 1600+ square feet of patch.

I'll be growing 4 plants in this patch in the Christmas tree pattern shown in an earlier diary entry. Thanks to a plot expansion, I should now have ample room for 4 plants instead of 3.

March 6, 2004.

Here is just a few of the products I'll be using in the patch this season. Five gallons of Neptune's Harvest Fish/Seaweed, five gallons of molasses, and fifty pounds of Neptune's Harvest crabshell. The crabshell smells horrible but if it helps increase the calcium level in the patch, I guess the smell is worth it.

March 6, 2004.

Cattle grade molasses guaranteed analysis. The addition of molasses helps increase microbial action in the soil. Believe it or not, it's also a fire ant deterrant!!

March 7, 2004.

Top choices for the 2004 season: 801 Black, 833 Ruff, 1230 Daletas, 760 Pappas, and 794 Wronski. Thank you to all the growers who helped me attain these great seeds!!

March 9, 2004.

Here is one of the containers of seeds I keep in the freezer. They're cheap and the rubber gasket helps keep moisture out of the container which prevents freezer burn. I also throw a couple of desiccant packs in each jar to keep the seeds nice and dry.

I know there's been some debate about what method works better.....freezing, refrigerating, or storing in a cool dry place. I don't personally don't know, but this method keeps the seeds dry, safe, and out of the way. That's good enough for me.

March 13, 2004.

Here's a picture of my new all steel water tower/lightning rod. The platform where the 40 gallon barrels will sit is 10 feet off the ground and the tower is sitting level on foundation blocks for stability. It's also grounded via the grounding rod at the power meter so I don't get zapped with static electricity every time I touch the darn thing. All that's left to do is install the 1 1/2" plywood floor and secure the barrels.

March 13, 2004.

Here's a better picture of the tower. There will be 3 barrels on each side of the walkway in the center of the 5' x 5' platform. When the barrels are empty, the built in ladder will make it easy for me to climb up and down to fill the barrels, add liquid ferts, etc.

March 16, 2004.

Now that I'm done with this terms final exams, I had some free time to kill this afternoon. I decided what better way to spend my time than working outside on the water tower!

This picture shows the 40 gallon plastic barrels I'll be using in the tower for a total of 240 gallons. I still have to get the walkway between the barrels done, plumb the system, and secure the barrels but I've made good progress.

And don't worry, those are phone and cable wires right above the tower......not high voltage!

March 16, 2004.

Just another pic of the tower. It's secured to the wall with 2x6's to ensure it can't tip over. Solid as a rock!

March 27, 2004.

Here's a picture of the aged manure I hauled from a horse stable today. Moved approximately 20 yards of manure for myself and one 4 yard load for the neighbor.

Best of all, all it cost me was $60 for the dump trailer rental! Can't beat that with a stick.

March 27, 2004.

Another picture of the pile of horse mess. Most of it is 2-3 years old so it should be perfect for a spring addition. I'm thinking of adding some gypsum along with the manure to absorb any excess salts brought in with the manure.

March 27, 2004.

Here's a picture of the dump trailer behind my Bronco. You gotta love Ford. 192,000 miles on the 351 Windsor and still going strong!

March 28, 2004.

Here's a close up of the soil in my pits as of earlier today. The aged horse manure really helps fluff up the soil. The larger white things in the pic are some of the larger pieces of the crabshell I added. I also watered in some molasses and seaweed fertilizer to make the good bacteria happy.

I also have a few more test seeds soaking that I'll start inside using soil from the patch to be sure everything is good to go. Hope the seeds like the soil!

March 30, 2004.

Here's a picture of my high tech seed starting method. As you can see it's simply a heating pad with an adjustable thermostat, a ziploc bag containing a moist paper towel and the soaked and filed seeds, and an expansion thermometer I borrowed from my fish tank. The temperature stays right at 82-85 degrees and I've had very good success with this method so far.

I'm thinking about contructing a heated box to ensure successful germination this season. More to come soon.

April 2, 2004.

Here's a picture of the materials necessary to construct a seed germination chamber similar to the one I've built. The chamber temperature is thermostatically controlled and the entire box is insulated with the foam insulation shown above.

Here's a picture of the outside of the completed chamber. All of the electrical is contained on the lid so it can be completely removed if the need arises. The box measures 48" x 16" x 16".

This is a picture of the inside of the completed "hot box." It should work very well for germinating this year's pumpkin seeds and it's big enough to allow me to start my other vegetable seeds at the same time. I'm thinking about using grow light bulbs rather than white light bulbs to supply heat as well as light for the plants after they emerge from the soil but I would much rather have the seedlings outside during the day to get the real thing if possible.

I would be happy to supply a parts list and basic instuctions to anyone interested in building a similar chamber. The materials cost me a little less than $40......a bargain considering what you end up with after a few hours of labor.

April 8, 2004.

I know this isn't pumpkin related, but here's a picture of myself, my wonderful mother, and my beautiful girlfriend Jessica at Lake of the Woods, OR a few weeks ago. What is she doing wasting her time with me? :-)

Please note that the two pictures in this entry are fairly large. I apologize to those of you on dialup, but I got tired of grainy pictures!

Here's another non-pumpkin picture of us in front of the fireplace trying to warm up. It was great to see my Mom for the week she was here and I look forward to being able to go back home sometime in the near future to visit with the whole family......if they remember who I am!?!?! Don't mind the red eye!

April 18, 2004.

OK, back to the pumpkin pictures. Here's a picture of one of the many rocks I had to dig out while tilling the plot. This area is very volcanic so there's no shortage of large rocks to tear up the tiller tines.

Here's a picture of the patch as it is right now. I tilled the virgin soil as deep as the tiller would go before spreading any of the manure. I then added approximately 4 inches of aged horse manure, 50 pounds of crabshell, watered in molasses, and tilled it all again. The result is a very fluffy soil that looks pretty good. Of course, there's always room for improvement.

A shot of the other part of the patch. Don't worry Dwaine, those white dots you see in the soil are NOT synthetic ferts! It's actually marble sized hail that began to fall before right before the picture was taken. If you look closely, you can actually see the hail falling(white streaks) in the picture. Old man winter is still trying to ruin the fun.

I'll be sending another soil sample in this week to see where I stand. The fall soil test showed that I was only lacking Nitrogen and organic material. The aged manure should help in both areas. All that's left to do now is build the cold frames and set up the irrigation. Time is running out, but I'll get it done.

April 25, 2004.

Here's a picture of the cold frame 2x4 bases. They should be more than heavy enough to hold the frames down in any wind we get.

A picture of the ends of the cold frames. I decided to go with the triangular shape to help hold the heat in at night and also allow the "convertible" design to work.

A picture of the completed cold frame. I used 6 mil plastic with strips screwed to the frame to ensure the plastic doesn't go anywhere in the strong wind we get up here from time to time. The frame measures 5' x 7'. I hope that's big enough to make it past the frost danger!

Here's the "convertible" design I mentioned earlier. The sides are attached with hinges to the 2x4 base frame to allow me to open them completely on nice days. The sides can also be opened until they're vertical to make a great windbreak while the plants are young, allowing me to open the frames on warm days without risking wind damage.

A picture of the thermometer in the cold frame. The outside temperature when this picture was taken was 75 degrees.

Here's a picture of two of the 4 cold frames as they sit now in the patch. They all have the convertible design, making it easy to open and close them very quickly.

April 30, 2004.

Here are the top choices for the 2004 growing season.

833 Ruff (801 Black x self)

801 Black (888 Mombert x 620 Black)

1230 Daletas (705 Stelts x 846 Calai)

VWO 2004 contest seed: 752 Blair (845 Bobier x 1260 Weir)

The above seeds were filed this evening and are currently bubbling in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water. I'll place them on the heating pad in a ziploc tomorrow morning and once the roots begin to peek out, I'll transfer them to the pre-warmed 85 degree sterilized soil in the germination chamber.

Once the first true leaves make their showing, out to the cold frames they'll go.

May 1, 2004.

Here's some pictures I took through the living room window this morning. The deer in the pictures are 15 feet or so from the cold frame that will house the 1230 Daletas. The top picture was taken through the blinds to show just how close these guys are to the house. Needless to say, it's beginning to make me nervous! I've lived with them to this point, but the fences will have to go up as soon as the plants outgrow their cold frames.

May 2, 2004.

Well, after 30 hours in the 85 degree temperature in the germination chamber, the 801 Black, 833 Ruff, and the 752 Blair have sprouted. Still waiting on the 1230 Daletas......

More updates soon.

May 2, 2004.

Here's a picture of the 801, 833, and the 752 right before being transferred to the sterilized 85 degree seed starting mix. The 752 was the fastest to sprout but I won't be giving up on any seed I've started just because it seems slow.

Still waiting on the 1230. It seems to have "bulged" so that may be a sign of things to come. This is my top seed for the year so I'm hoping it doesn't let me down.

May 3, 2004.

Well, I couldn't think of a better birthday present. I woke up this morning to find that the 1230 had finally sprouted. 48 hours is a bit slow but I'm just happy it germinated. All 4 seeds are now in the hot box in their 85 degree soil. I hope to see emergence in a couple of days.

May 6, 2004.

Here's a picture of the slow to germinate 1230 Daletas. All four plants I started came up with their seed coats attached so I had to carefully remove them. It should spread its wings today.

The 801 Black is doing very well. Looks nice and healthy.

The 752 Blair was the first to germinate. I'm guessing the sead coat being attached upon emergence deformed the cots. I don't think it matters very much though....

This is a picture of the 833 Ruff. It should also begin to spread its cots out today. All four plants are under a 4 foot shop light with one chroma-50 bulb and one plant and aquarium bulb. Hopefully mixing a full spectrum bulb with a wide spectrum will give the plant the type of light it needs. It seems to be working because these are the stockiest seedlings I've had to date.

May 8, 2004.

Here's the 1230 Daletas as of this morning. It's been a slow mover, but I'm not giving up on it. I have high hopes for this plant.

Here's the 801 Black. It's been the fastest grower of the four and is already starting to form its second true leaf. I need to get them planted in their cold frames ASAP.

The 752 Blair seems to be doing well. You can see my extremely high tech pot design. Cheap and dirty....just the way I like it.

The 833 Ruff was the last to emerge from the soil but it's slowly catching up to his partners in crime. All of the plants were outside getting some sun today in one of the cold frames while I was spreading 240 pounds of gypsum and watering it in. Thanks for the advice guys!

All that's left to do now is till the patch once more and get the t-tape system installed. My goal for the weekend is to have the entire irrigation system squared away and have all four plants planted in their cold frames. More updates to come in a few days.

June 12, 2004.

Because of lack of server space at my previous site, most of my 2004 diary was posted on BigPumpkins.com. Rather than moving every last picture here, we'll fast forward to June 12, 2004.

Here's the 801 Black on June 12. This plant is 39 days old and the main vine is now over 8 feet.

The 833 Ruff rapidly outgrowing its 5' x 7' cold frame.

The 1230 Daletas crowded in its new home. The vine is just shy of 7 feet and growing fast. It should last another week inside the frame which should give me enough time to get the permanent wind break up.

June 29, 2004.

We just got hit hard by a violent summer storm. Here's a picture of the 801 from upstairs as the storm rolls through. We had a lightning strike every 1-2 seconds, a power outtage, strong winds, rains, and marble sized hail that wouldn't quit. The pics below show the damage.

The 801 Black after the storm.

The 1230 Daletas.

The 833 Ruff. What a mess!

July 17, 2004.

Here's the 1230 Daletas at 16 feet on day 10. Measures in at a decent 22" circ. I'm not expecting anything spectacular.......I'm just hoping to make it to 500 pounds this year. :-)

Here's my new 8 foot tall windbreak that surrounds the entire patch. The wind is awful on the top of the hill and this should help keep the plants from blowing away!

July 18, 2004.

Here's the 801 Black at 15 feet on day 10. It measures in at a humble 21" circ. Could they move any slower? LOL

July 22, 2004.

Time for some overhead shots. Here's the 801 with a massive curve in the main. The pumpkin may not get large enough to need it but a guy can hope can't he? The line of hail damaged leaves in the center doesn't seem to have bothered the plant at all. I'm also starting to taper off on secondary length for a true Christmas tree.

Here's the 1230 with a little orange globe making an appearance. Big and orange sounds good to me! It may not end up "big" by most of your standards but any pumpkin I grow will be big to me and I'll be damn proud of it. :-)

The 833 Ruff. As you can see, the secondaries grew much faster than the main! Most of them are already terminated so the main should pick up the pace again. The good thing about that is that there's a ton of large secondary tap roots already established. Hopefully that pushes the little pumpkin along nicely. It's easy to see the hail damaged leaves in the center of the plant from above.

July 27, 2004.

Day 20 for the pumpkin on the 1230, AKA Teras, has finally arrived and I'm pretty darn happy with its progress. Teras is Greek for "awe inspring," and that pretty much describes how I feel about it. The measurements on the morning of day 20 are: 63" circ, 46" side to side, and 45" end to end. Total: 154" OTT. Not spectacular numbers but I couldn't be happier. It's steadily gaining over 5 inches in circumfrence daily and I'm hoping it keeps it up. No ferts in over 2 weeks but the seaweed and calcium applications will be starting soon. I want to actually have one to take to the weighoff so there'll be no high potassium ferts here. The naturally occuring potassium levels found in liquid seaweed will be all I use. Go Teras go!!

July 28, 2004.

Here's the pumpkin on the 801, AKA Helios, on the morning of day 20. Comes in at 62" circ., 44" side to side, and 45" end to end, for a total of 151" OTT. I just hope and pray they keep on growing. I have nightmares of coming down one morning to measure the daily growth and seeing that it hasn't grown at all. Scary!!

August 6, 2004.

Here's Teras on the morning of day 30. Measurements are: 96" circ, 70" side to side, and 66" end to end, for a total of 232" or about 263 pounds. We didn't quite make the 100" by day 30 mark on this one but the average growth between day 28 and day 30 was 17 pounds per day. Considering the low temps we've been having lately, I think I'm lucky to get that. Come on warm weather!!

August 7, 2004.

Here's Helios(801) on day 30. Just barely made the 100" by day 30 goal. Here's the measurements: 102" circ, 68" side to side, and 68" end to end for a total of 238", or about 283 pounds. Just 217 pounds from my goal for the season but if it keeps growing I'll certainly let it! The temperature when this picture was taken at 8:30 this morning was 52 degrees. The low temp last night was 43 degrees. For once I hope the weather man is right and that warmer weather makes it here today or I'll need to get the pumpkins some earmuffs.

August 16, 2004.

Teras(1230) is now 40 days olds today. Here's the measurements.....circ: 115", side to side: 88", end to end: 80", for a total of 283" or 468 pounds. Growth average between day 35 and 40 works out to be 21.4 pounds per day. Teras became the slow mover in the patch awhile ago but is still holding steady. I just hope it keeps it up!!

Here's a good picture of the slope I have to deal with. Wouldn't you know it.....both keepers ended up on the downhill side of the main vine. Just my luck! I would much rather have it tilting towards the main rather than away from it. Luckily there's still lots of slack so lets just hope Teras doesn't decide to get froggy and roll down the hill. Also, I just wanted to send a special THANK YOU to the PGVG and all its wonderful members for making this weekend's patch tour an experience to remember. I got to talk with some of the nicest (and best) growers out there and see some absolutely beautiful pumpkins. It was definitely worth every bit of the 13 hour drive time and I look forward to making the trip again!!

August 17, 2004.

Here's Helios on day 40. The measurements are, circ: 128.5", side to side: 84", end to end: 81.5" for a total of 294" or about 523 pounds. I can't believe it happened but I've just made my goal for the season!! Helios' average growth rate between day 35 and 40 works out to be 24 pounds per day. The day 30 to day 40 average also works out to be right on 24 pounds per day. If they both keep growing like this I'll have to think about getting a shelter up over the plants for the slow month of September to keep them both growing. We'll see how it goes!

August 26, 2004.

Here's Teras (1230 Daletas x 801 Black) on day 50. Unfortunately, growth has slowed quite a bit but the warmer weather should be back by Friday. She comes in at 311" OTT or about 618 pounds today. There's still over a month to go until the weighoff so I just hope she holds together.

August 27, 2004.

Here's Helios(801 Black x 1230 Daletas) on day 50. She's relly getting some nice ribs but the skin still looks young to me. Here's the numbers, circ: 143", side to side: 93", end to end: 87.5", for a total of 323.5" or about 694 pounds per the 2003 chart. We just barely missed the 700 pound mark but thankfully the warm weather has returned. Hopefully the faster growth will also return!

August 31, 2004.

Teras (1230 x 801 Black) turned 55 today. She has slowed substantially but I'm hoping she still has some growth left in her. She tapes at 319.5" or about 669 pounds. Average growth rate has dropped to just 10 pounds per day. Helios(801 x 1230) is still plugging along though. I'll post her day 55 numbers tomorrow. The picture shows the patch as it is today. The frame on the left is over the 801 Black. I have plastic and infrared heaters ready for those cold nights to come. I just hope they both make it to the weighoff. It's going to be a looooong nervous month!

September 11, 2004.

Here's the 801 Black this morning. The last measurement showed an average daily gain of around 9-10 pounds per day. 20 more days until the weighoff!!

This is the 1230 wheel this morning. She's also still growing but there's no cover over this plant so it's all over when the first frost hits.

September 15, 2004

Here's a current upstairs shot of the patch. The 801 Black x 1230 Daletas is on the left and the 1230 Daletas x 801 Black is on the right. They're only gaining about 8-9 pounds per day right now.....and there's only 16 growing days left until the weighoff!! Gotta finish up that lifting ring. :-)

September 20, 2004.

Here's the 801 Black this morning. She's still growing....but just barely.

Here's the 1230 Daletas this morning. The cantalouping has really taken its toll on her overall look but I still think she's a darn cool looking wheel. She's 100 pounds behind the 801 Black.

October 1, 2004

The 801 Black on the trailer.

The 1230 Daletas on the trailer. I love the shape and color!

One final picture of the pumpkins with their official weights. The 801 Black x 1230 Daletas on the front of the trailer measured 351" OTT and weighed in at 833 pounds. Weighed about 5.9% light...but that's OK! I had a blast growing it. The 1230 Daletas weighed in at 765 pounds. Unfortunately I did not get an accurate OTT measurement before loading her up. The pile of sand I had to use just to keep her from rolling down the hill would have made it impossible to get a real good estimate anyway. I'll see if I can't unload her in the garage and place her directly on the concrete to get some good numbers for the EST vs. actual comparison.

Well, that pretty much wraps up my 2004 diary. Thank you for reading!!