RE: Best all time genetic characteristics

Hi Marc & All,
I have to share a story with you on my 878 Beauchemin plant last season. Around mid July I was doing some late evening pruning. Yes it was dark but I needed to get it done. Well with the combination of darkness, and my burried vines I made the biggest mistake of my Giant Pumpkin Growing resume. I cut the main vine completely off about 4' from the stump. (I never thought I would admit to this but yes I did). How would I prove my own seed now? What a Dummy I thought to myself. Well, the beach ball sized pumpkin I had, soon aborted. On July 22nd I pollinated one more on the main vine just for the heck of it. Now remember this main vine pollination isn't even attached to the stump! Well, it took off and it prospered right to the end. It ended up weighing 538lbs. I can only bigin to wonder what it may have done with a stump, and all the first 4' of side vines? I'll be trying it again thisYear!
878Beauchemin = 1020Kuhn x 846Calai
Take Care,
Jim Beauchemin


From: "Marc Sawtelle" <clarion500@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: pumpkins@hort.net
To: "pumpkins@mallorn.com" <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Subject: Best all time genetic characteristics
Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 13:50:05 -0700

I'm looking for other growers can share any information about their own all time favorite plant {s}. Everyone knows what the hot seeds are to try to obtain, but lost in all the good stories are the plants which had some adverse environmental obstical to deal with. Weather is usually the culprate, but soil problems, over applications of this or that, vandals, and other problems have hampered everyone over the years somehow.

Any information is helpful, mainly what seed you would look back on, and remember distinctly how impressive it was to grow. My own story is on the 810 Dill. It didn't start out like my best genetic ever, but July 18th hail pounded and wiped all my plants out, right down to the stems {even caved in my hail screen}. All fruit sets soon aborted, and I almost tilled everything under. I figured it was better to try to get something salvaged from the season by trying to re- grow sides and teritaries out, and setting fruits to maybe get seeds and a few small fruits to display. The tip of my main plant was luckly shaded and protected on the 810's next female flower, as we had yet another hot dry summer, and about a week after the hail it opened and was selfed. I was lucky to get most plants back in gear in about 3 weeks to the size they were before the storm, but didn't know we would have the same frost and freeze problems eveyone else had in the middle of September, so my days were!
really numbered. Most of my plants still grew 300 to 400 pounders, which is pretty good under those circumstances.The 810, however, did much more, as it reached 666.6 {yeah, maybe it was a sign of something... LOL}, in that short time. That plant will be remebered as one of my best plants, if not the best ever.

Looking on the AGGC, you might not ever realize how good of a plant that was unless you read this post. I would appriciate your own short story of the best plant you have grown over the years, as everyone can look back over the years and remember one that exhibited amazing characterisitics from one or two plants. If you have been lucky, your best plant isn't remembered as one of those "what if/ would have/ could have/ should have" plants, but either way, it might help others who are trying to determine what to grow in 2004. If you rather send a personal e mail with your info, please do so by all means, or just post what info you have to share on this subect. Any and all information will be most appriciated!!! Thanks...


Marc Sawtelle
clarion500@earthlink.net

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS


_________________________________________________________________
Check out the great features of the new MSN 9 Dial-up, with the MSN Dial-up Accelerator. http://click.atdmt.com/AVE/go/onm00200361ave/direct/01/

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pumpkin-growing archives: http://www.hort.net/lists/pumpkins/
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE PUMPKINS

Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index