Cool August Weather Slowed the Weight Gain - Updated 08/24/18
Below normal temperatures this past week really took a toll on the giants weight gain! The two are still packing on weight, but no where near potential. The 1733 did have one day before it got chilly where it put on 20 pounds in one day. Great except that potential is MUCH more!
In two weeks this pumpkin has put on 188 pounds (measured not weighed) of which 97 pounds occurred this past chilly August week. Here is that 252 pound pumpkin this morning...
A comparison over the past 2 weeks.....
That deformation at the blossom end is filling in a little but will take away from the final size/weight.
The 1522 pumpkins continues it's "slow" and steady growth and this morning was measured at 212 pounds, or a gain of 60 pounds this past week.
With the trouble there has been with the pumpkins on the 1861 plant (4 have pollinated and grew a little before aborting) I wasn't sure I would have ANY pumpkins on that plant. It's a shame too as there are strong genetics with that plant! Recently there were two pumpkins that pollinated (open and probably self pollinated). One pumpkin was around 15 pounds this morning and other younger one was about 8 pounds. Here is the bigger and it's interesting that this plant is producing really round pumpkins...
With these 1861 pumpkins starting so late in the season (7-8 weeks late) the potential growth is small. But hopefully one of them (which ever I let grow and assuming they do grow and not abort) will be big enough and mature enough by frost to allow me to get some seeds for another season.
All three plants are exhibiting a little bit of disease/insect damage but overall not too bad. The vine growth is vigorous! Here are two of the plants (1861 in the foreground, the 1522 in the back)....
As I usually do, I've got seven field pumpkin (traditional jack-o-lanterns) plants growing but don't know how many actual pumpkins are in the jungle of vines. One in particular though has my attention! Last year I had around 40 pumpkins and one was pretty big (~32 pounds). I took the seeds from that one and those are what I used for this season. The one pumpkin that has my attention is already 35-40 pounds and shows no orange color (meaning it will continue to grow). Here is that pumpkin (hard to judge size in this image - but it's pretty darn big!)....
BTW, the world record field pumpkin is 200 pounds.
I also grow okra and some of those plants are out-of-control tall! There are a couple that are about 10 feet high! I have to grab and bend them down to get the okra harvested...
In two weeks this pumpkin has put on 188 pounds (measured not weighed) of which 97 pounds occurred this past chilly August week. Here is that 252 pound pumpkin this morning...
A comparison over the past 2 weeks.....
That deformation at the blossom end is filling in a little but will take away from the final size/weight.
The 1522 pumpkins continues it's "slow" and steady growth and this morning was measured at 212 pounds, or a gain of 60 pounds this past week.
With the trouble there has been with the pumpkins on the 1861 plant (4 have pollinated and grew a little before aborting) I wasn't sure I would have ANY pumpkins on that plant. It's a shame too as there are strong genetics with that plant! Recently there were two pumpkins that pollinated (open and probably self pollinated). One pumpkin was around 15 pounds this morning and other younger one was about 8 pounds. Here is the bigger and it's interesting that this plant is producing really round pumpkins...
With these 1861 pumpkins starting so late in the season (7-8 weeks late) the potential growth is small. But hopefully one of them (which ever I let grow and assuming they do grow and not abort) will be big enough and mature enough by frost to allow me to get some seeds for another season.
All three plants are exhibiting a little bit of disease/insect damage but overall not too bad. The vine growth is vigorous! Here are two of the plants (1861 in the foreground, the 1522 in the back)....
As I usually do, I've got seven field pumpkin (traditional jack-o-lanterns) plants growing but don't know how many actual pumpkins are in the jungle of vines. One in particular though has my attention! Last year I had around 40 pumpkins and one was pretty big (~32 pounds). I took the seeds from that one and those are what I used for this season. The one pumpkin that has my attention is already 35-40 pounds and shows no orange color (meaning it will continue to grow). Here is that pumpkin (hard to judge size in this image - but it's pretty darn big!)....
BTW, the world record field pumpkin is 200 pounds.
I also grow okra and some of those plants are out-of-control tall! There are a couple that are about 10 feet high! I have to grab and bend them down to get the okra harvested...
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