Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 39 Entries. Wednesday, April 2 View Page Alright, I'll try a diary again. If it's really slow to upload my posts, then I probably will quit this one again! This Year is going to be great, I've already got a good feeling. 1300 Sq ft greenhouse up plastic on next week-ish, heat cables in, mini 5×8 greenhouses up, rye to be tilled as soon as it dries, and seeds to start Friday potentially?   Friday, April 4 View Page Seeds went into bags before I headed off to the GVGO seminar! Greenhouse plants are started. I'll get more pics when I start my outdoors plants, too busy today.   Saturday, April 5 View Page Forecast isn't great in my 10ish day range for transplanting out in my 4 inch pots. I may have to use half gallon pots to get a couple extra days... depends how well my bug greenhouse helps once it's up   Sunday, April 6 View Page 1668 butler popped in 45 hours, into the pot and under the lights now. Hoping to be in the garden within 14 days.   Monday, April 7 View Page The 1507.5 sproule has popped a root! Into a pot. Expecting seed to pop from the soil in maybe 2 or 3 days?   Monday, April 7 View Page Getting less and less excited. The one problem with germinating this way... 2117 Bryson popped today. This was the 1 I want most. Hopefully gets more exciting with leaves and growth soon. My heat cables have the ground very warm, my mini greenhouse was almost 5°C (like 10° F) above exterior temp this morning. So should be warm enough to plant soon. Not sure exactly air temp you guys look for... guess I'll ask.   Wednesday, April 9 View Page Plastic is going up. More pics to follow over the next few days as I finish it.   Wednesday, April 9 View Page Giant Radishes. This is a first for me. We'll see how this goes.   Wednesday, April 9 View Page Giant Beets. I bought a bug assorted lot from PECPG auction last year, and this happened to come in it. So I tried it last year and got a 20 pounder, so now they're definitely going to be a regular in the garden.   Wednesday, April 9 View Page Giant Beets. I bought a big assorted lot from PECPG auction last year, and this happened to come in it. So I tried it last year and got a 20 pounder, so now they're definitely going to be a regular in the garden.   Wednesday, April 9 View Page Giant Swede (Rutabaga). Tried these 3 or 4 years ago, and grew a 40 pounder first try. Since then I think I've weighed 3 40+ pounders. Trying for 50 or 60, but they never get a ton of attention. They're pretty easy, I like them.   Friday, April 11 View Page First pumpkin popped, took 7 days from sanding the seed. Could I do it faster? Definitely. If I keep the soil warmer instead of going from paper towel to room temp, if I adjust moisture in baggies, if I soak the seeds, I'm sure it would be faster than 7 days. But I frankly don't care, the extra 2 days, doesn't matter to me. Unless it improved my germination rate, but I get 90% most years, so doesn't matter too much to me.   Saturday, April 12 View Page Greenhouse up and tilled. I'll make up walking boards and fork the spots I had to walk on tomorrow. Ready for pumpkins once I maintain 12° (55°F) air temp at night.   Saturday, April 12 View Page Damn sideways pics! Let's see if this works better   Tuesday, April 15 View Page Got watermelon up!   Tuesday, April 15 View Page My 1507 sproule seed cots got stuck in the seed casing, but I think I can save it, it'll just be a week or 2 behind   Saturday, April 19 View Page Start day for outdoor squash   Saturday, April 19 View Page Start day for outdoor pumpkin   Saturday, April 19 View Page Start day for bushel gourds   Monday, April 21 View Page Pumpkins out. 2117 Bryson vs 1664 Butler. I want the 2117, but it has something weird on its first true leaf so it's real stunted. Hopefully it can grow, but idk. About 3 feet ill cut one   Monday, April 21 View Page 1040 Butler squash also out, looks good. No competition as the 1507.5 sproule got caught in the seed cot and got stunted. Hoping to still have it out as an outdoor plant   Monday, April 21 View Page Here's the roots. Pretty much right where I want it. Hopefully the outdoor plants are like this in 2 weeks too.   Monday, April 21 View Page Got cabbage out today too. Also rutabaga, beet, radish, parsnip. Shaping to be a good year   Monday, April 21 View Page Put a little cover over the cabbage beet rutabaga parsnip & radish for the next week or so as the temperature warms up.   Saturday, April 26 View Page Pumpkins last 5 days are amazing. Never had this good after transplant. Greenhouse and cables are helping tons. Hopefully can ramp growth higher over the next few days. I'm excited for this year. Putting little bit of calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, seaweed on here with each watering.   Saturday, April 26 View Page Squash also looks great. Transplant hasn't shocked plants at all, and I'm real hopeful for a June pollination on a full plant from both greenhouse plants.   Saturday, April 26 View Page Picture of pumpkins dunno why it didn't post   Saturday, May 3 View Page The 1664 Butler is the chosen plant for the greenhouse, and it is OFF!!! Hard to get a good picture with the mini cloche on it, but it's growing well. It was trying to throw secondaries already, but I trimmed the first 2 off as they were too close to the stump.   Saturday, May 3 View Page The 1040 butler squash had 2 leaves snap when the wind blew its mini cloche onto it... still growing, hopefully it won't set it back too much...   Saturday, May 3 View Page Transplant for outdoor plants. These won't grow much due to no heat cables, so I'll probably not update till June. Here's a stunted 1517 Sproule SQ (seed cot got stuck and rotted)   Saturday, May 3 View Page Here's the North patch, 1123 sproule SQ. Looks okay, about 2 days behind where my 686 was last year, so could be good for me still.   Saturday, May 3 View Page 1123 sproule 'B' from the centre patch. It's also about on pace where I've been previously   Saturday, May 3 View Page 719.5 DeVisser in south patch, it's also nearly on pace with my previous fruits.   Saturday, May 3 View Page 1439 Pitura, also in south patch, this is a few days behind, but shouldn't matter come June.   Saturday, May 3 View Page 1728 Johnson is the last plant in the south patch. It looks okay too, so hopefully I can get 2 or 3 6-700 pounders out of this patch. That would be great   Saturday, May 3 View Page First batch of tomatoes starting. Sooooooo many seeds to chose from!!! I'll probably do 5-10 plants each week for the next 5 weeks, I think we have space for 24 plants outside, so I want 35 seedlings or so. Hopefully I can time these for weighoffs this year. That's always my struggle.   Tuesday, May 6 View Page Started 45 hours ago (it's cold though, so it's a bit slow) first signs of growth on my JMS (Jadam Microbial Solution). Little bug in there, I should probably fish out but idk if it'll ruin the Microbial culture. Anyway, hopefully this works, if it does my pumpkins will be insane! Hopefully ready to apply tomorrow PM?   Wednesday, May 7 View Page The JMS is looking good, real slow because of the temperature I'm going to wait till tomorrow afternoon and hope that's not too long. Maybe it has to wait 2 more days   Thursday, May 8 View Page Seemed done to me. Fizzed a lot when I poured it into the watering cans. About 2/3 cup per gallon, put it on all the giants.