61" as pf 9/19/05

The squirrel has been taking bites out of my pumpkin! grrrrrrrr
I sprinkled cayenne powder on the spot where he's been eating, hopefully that will discourage him from any more snacking.

My hanging pumpkin is still pretty round and still hanging. I've noticed that the part that is not hidden by the lycra is starting to turn orange.

58.5" as of 9/13/05

I think my pumpkin is as large as it's going to get. It's been 58.5 " for 2 days in a row and today has really cooled off, it's cloudy and in the 60s.

My other pumpkin that is growing off the ground is getting some heft to it and it. Maybe it's good that the growing season is ending cause I don't think the trellis could handle much more weight, it's already starting to sway

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54" as of 9/7/05 - and the pumpkin sling

My pumpkin has slowed down it's growth the last few days to about 1"/day. I've also noticed that it's starting to change color from yellow to more orange. I also discovered another pumpkin hanging from the top of my bean trellis so I had to rig up a kind of pumpkin sling to keep it from falling off the stem. Unfortunately I did not document the pollination date for it so Martha may have me beat for that category.

My plan was to keep the vines on the ground but I was not as dilligent as I should've been trying to keep the vines off the trellis so this one snuck by me.

The vines have pretty much taken over 3 of my raised beds so I wanted to document the growth so I will remember to plant these beauties in a different location next year. I will admit to being sucked into the giant pumpkin mania and even pulled up my bush beans to make more room for my pumpkin. That is a pretty severe sacrifice on my part since I look forward to string beans and fresh tomatoes every summer. Dave has accused me of getting addicted to the mania of these vegetables.

Dave also thinks that my pumpkin may come in at 50# which is pretty reasonable for a first year attempt.

The competition - as of 9/4/05

Here's the competition we're up against - Neighbor Dave's pumpkin at 71". As you can see he's a tough competitor.........

46" as of 9/2/05

It's still growing despite the nights dropping below 50 degress.