Speed-Carving and Re-Cycling

Was gone the weekend before, so didn't have time to pull off something like this:
http://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2012/halloween/index.php

But did manage to get some folks over on the 30th to help carve up a few smaller pumpkins, and work on the Mustache/Cowboy theme that Sorrel chose for this year.

Tough to see in this light, but the sheriff and deputy have cowboy hats on.  Added another robber the next day with a gun, trying to break their friend out of the 165 lb jail.  =)

Second to last phase was harvesting the pumpkin seeds from the big one.  There were about 150 seeds or so, some not fully formed.  Took them, dried on newspaper for a few hours, then on drop clothes.  Will mark them 165 and note the lineage, and use them in future years to see how they do.  If anybody would like me to send a couple seeds to try on your own, just email me your address.  Happy to share =)

Trophy has been officially dog-tagged for this year:

All that's left to do is add them to the compost pile, and pick this hobby up again next year.  So, long, pard'ners

*** 2012 Weigh Off ***

The long-awaited day has finally arrived.  Dave helped me lift the pumpkin into the jeep on Pumpkin Dolly 2000 (tm), and headed off to Mark's place to weigh it on the industrial scale.

Mark had designed a great pulley system to weigh the pumpkins in a tarp.  Tested it first on my two smaller MT 76.0 seed pumpkins, to make sure that the tarp/pulley weight was the same as using just netting.  The first one came in at 16 kgs, or 35.25 lbs.

The next one was 52 lbs, just 6 pounds shy of my personal best, using a seed from Mark's 76 lb pumpkin last year. 

Next up is the biggie... the Hester 953 seed-

I'm just centering it on the tarp... there's no way I can lift it... =)  My best estimate was ~130 lbs based on circumference measurements.

And... pull!  And.... pull!!!

And... it tips the scales at 165 lbs!  (We backed out 1 lb for the tarp and pulleys)  

Based on the OTT of 188.25", it should've been 150 lbs, so it went 10% "heavy"

 Next up is the favorite from Mark, a big guy that just kept getting bigger...

Cutting it of the vine, on to the dolly and over to the tarp

And... PULL!!!

Tipped the scales at... 154, a 103% increase in size over the largest from last year.

Final weights, Chris 165, Mark 154, over 100% improvement for both pumpkins over last year.  Quite an accomplishment on both.  The trophy heads back to the Arends household for a year.

A preview of what Mark's place will look like in the front yard next August?  =)

Harvest Day!

Well, today is the day... the vine is all but dead, the pumpkin hasn't put on any size for a couple weeks... time to display it on the front porch instead.  Weigh off postponed until the 13th.

Cutting it off the vine.. always a little worried when you turn it over... will it be a slug hotel?  Other holes?  Luckily, perfectly flat and healthy.  And heavy!

Dave helping me move it. Pumpkin Dolly 2000 worked perfectly for transport.

Lined up with the others from this year.  Estimates are probably 15, 30, 50 and 125 lbs.

World Record Falls... twice

Sorry for the guy that was 1845... since Wallace went 2,009 lbs over the weekend...
Big Pumpkins - World Record Pumpkin

Here's others that have come in so far for 2012, as well:
GPC Weigh Results 2012

Looks like Mark and I have a long ways to go... and at least one farm to buy before we get there.  =)

Misc Late Season Updates

Aside- my pepper harvest... round 1 of 2.  Turned into 6 pints of awesome medium green salsa.

One of Mark's leaves... he definitely averaged larger than mine...

As you can see, with still a couple weeks to go, the Arends plant is in serious decline

A friend of mine's kid - look what we found on our farm!  About 65 lbs =)... would be nice to have full sun/space.

Pumpkin hammock working out well for a late season MT 76.0.

Final look for this year's hester... will be coming off the vine this week, as growth has stopped, and most of the plant is dead.

Pumpkin hammock visible in the background, harvested the MT pumpkins on the right and left.

Giant sunflowers turned out great- the one closest is probably 16-18" in diameter.  Will dry, harvest, salt and package the seeds.  =)

Final design for Pumpkin Dolly 2000 - cartop cargo net, and longer dowels to hoist it into the car.  Will test out this week.

MT 76.0 in the back (about 50 lbs), about 35 lbs to the left, and small Prizewinner.  Harvest #2 for salsa batch #2 in the front.

Final chart before weigh off.  We leveled off at about the same time, but unfortunately I couldn't maintain any late growth as my vine started dying.  That will be the key for us in future years, growing the pumpkin throughout September.  OTT measurements indicate that Mark's should fall around 175 lbs, and mine should be about 135 lbs.  Will update following weigh off.

Chart Nerd Update

Slowly closing in for the weigh off... leaves are starting to die off or succumb to mildew now, though.  I think it's probably true that both of us will have about 1 lb or pumpkin for every leaf we grew on the plant.

Pumpkin Transport

The weigh off date is tentatively Oct 3rd, 1 month from now.  Between now and then, I have to figure out a way to transport it, safely, to Mark's house.  After a visit to harbor freight for a basic moving dolly, and some elastic netting, I used other 'found' materials around the house...

Step 1- dolly and cargo net

Step 2 - reinforce the top of the bed

Steps 3-4, reinforce the bottom of the bed, and add handles to lift it into the Jeep.

Step 5 - added padding (thermarest) to keep from too much jarring, and tested cargo net in order to keep the pumpkin in place... but since the pumpkin is about the size of 5-6 basketballs, will need one more cargo net and will tie them together.

Visit from Mark

Mark checked out the pumpkin over the weekend.  After putting a spell on my pumpkin, it only managed 1/2" of growth for the weekend.  With 85-90 degree temps the next several days, however, am hoping to close the final 5" gap between our pumpkins in the last 4 weeks.

Overview

This gives a little perspective on the size of the pumpkin at this point... on a slope, which I'll do better to correct next year, with a stronger platform.  You can also make out some the powdery mildew that will take over all of the leaves in few more weeks.

Weekend Update

A reminder of what this pumpkin is growing off of, 2 feet from the main root... the main vine snapped in half, and still held on.  Good lesson not to give up early.

This was an MT that never really put on any size... but being near the compost pile and moisture, was really just a matter of time before the slugs took over.  ~25 lbs.

Overhead shot... I need to put something near it for scale.  Should be ~118 lbs here, 73.5" around.

The MT at 44.5" (~40 lbs) below a mammoth sunflower

Closing the gap ever so slowly... but Mark's is likely a bit heavier due to the thickness of his skin.  We're both battling powdery mildew at this point, too... using GreenCure on a weekly basis to try and knock it down.

Breaching Hundreds

Shows the true size of Mark's pumpkin, pushing over 130 lbs with really solid (like knocking on a tree) side walls.  Measured 78" yesterday.

At ~100 lbs and almost 70" this morning, my pumpkin is outgrowing the platform on one side, and too big to re-situate at this point without risking breaking the main vine.

So I added reinforcements of mill fabric around the side and shoulder today - ready for 10-15" or more of additional growth.  =)

Busting through 60"

As a present for our increasingly large pumpkins, I ordered two new tapes that go to 120", instead of 60".  This is my measurement this morning, from stem to blossom.

Couple more MT 76's on the other vine - the other vines are growing really well, but the Hester vine has stopped growing completely.

My second largest pumpkin has the classic MT shape, about 25 lbs right now.

Propped up for support on the slope, and to ease pressure on the main vine.  Also found that my soaker hose has a leak, so this is also keeping the board out of a puddle of water... =\  Sprayed for powdery mildew again this morning, as the older/crispy leaves on the Hester are starting to fade...