Re: I'm back.
Welcome back Barb, we have missed you.
Bob A.
COMPUTRESE@aol.com wrote:
> Hi, all!
>
> Sorry for a long hiatus, but a sudden, unforeseen health problem precluded my
> presence on the list. It's good to be back. After going through over 500
> messages, I was happy to learn of Mike Nep's new GA record and sorry to hear
> of the pumpkins that were lost at this late date.
>
> Earlier this month, I did manage to visit Ontario, Canada to see the patches
> of Al Eaton and Paul McIntyre. Both patches are meticulously maintained and I
> was delighted to see these growers' plants and fruits as they are developing.
>
> I must make special mention of Paul's patch. He has followed suit this season
> with many dark orange, large fruits on the vine. Paul has a gorgeous
> homestead with a vegetable garden adjacent to his patch. Paul uses sunflowers
> to mark off each plant's growing space. He even engraves wooden signs for
> each of his plants. There is no doubt that Paul's garden has thousands of
> sunflowers in full bloom. It's a spectacular sight to see. Paul grows the
> Russian Giant sunflower variety, many of which are over 10 -12 ft. tall with
> huge heads.
>
> Paul is definitely a force to be reckoned with. He has quite a few beautiful
> fruits in his patch and will make a great showing in Ottawa this fall.
>
> Paul also grows handsome sweet Spanish onions, growing in perfect rows, all
> the same size (larger than a softball!).
>
> Al has some lovely shaped fruits in his patch. His plants' leaves are waist
> tall, which amazed me. I also saw Jurassic vines, which were pruned with
> precision. There was no doubt about Al's professional plant management
> skills. His pruning techniques are unique and effective.
>
> While we toured Al's garden, he cut open a culled fruit to harvest seeds. It
> was a handsome fruit with enormous seeds and superb parentage.
>
> The day we visited Al and Paul's patches, the temps were easily in the higher
> 80's with a slight soft breeze. This was a regular August day in Ottawa.
> Should be a great season for our fellow Canadian growers.
>
> As usual, we received a warm, Canadian welcome and look forward to returning
> to Ottawa soon.
>
> It's good to be back and to all you fellow southern growers, cooler weather
> is coming. The leaves in the Adirondacks around Saranac Lake and Lake Placid
> are turning and fall's just around the corner.
>
> Barb
>
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