Patch Update: Mimi The Magnificent

After the endless rains and an overcast windy start - then a
week long heat wave, Mother Nature smiled on my patch and
suckled the plants with perfect pumpkin growing weather. 
Gently coddled in the big Mom's arms, against her warm nursing
breast, they responded by growing quickly into brash teenagers,
all juiced up with hormones.

We all know what that means.  The patch is now filled with a
noisy menagerie of demanding infants all competing for more
attention... The earliest crop I've ever had.

In the Back Patch, there is Mimi the Magnificent (997 Zunino)
and the Goofy Goliath (981 Zunino).  What can I say about
Mimi... aggressive, obstinate, gorgeous and wow, wow, wow, wow.

Best plant I've seen - dragon roots, large leaves, heat
tolerant and did I say aggressive, 17 feet long and 16 feet
wide on day 40.

The Goofy Goliath (981 Zunino), seems a bit submissive next to
Mimi.  He grew in his goofy bumbling way - a bit slower, but
still is no slouch.  The first sidevine was a double that grew
straight up 3 and a half feet.  He then started throwing
females on the main every few leaf junctions starting at 9
feet.  The first one was 31" circ. at 10 days and perfectly
round - goofy but he likes to throw big....

The Yin and Yang patch, I ceded to my kids this year.  Amanda
has Artimus, a 670 Daigle, and Olivia is growing Pipi
Longstockings, a 981 Zunino.  

The Daigle was disappointing from the start, small puny leaves,
small sidevines that grew straight up - then split when they
dropped and a slow grower. The first pollinated female on the
main leaned over turned yellow and croaked... 

Then something magical happened, the pumpkin gods took pity on
her, blessed her - and made her immortal I guess. The plant
just literally blossomed overnight.  Everything that was wrong
was made right.  A beautiful six lobe female that is the
perfect embodiment of the greek goddess Artemus opened at 14.5
feet on the main and already hunts with her nymphs in the
forest of the canopy.  This is now one to watch for she knows
more than just the secret of immortal life...

And last there is Olivia's plant, Pipi Longstockings.  Pipi is
no ordinary girl.  Pipi is cute - pigtails and all.  Large
leaves, good grower and looong fruit. Pipi may surprise us all
later on - you never know what she's gonna do.  Olivia doesn't
give her near enough attention, but Pipi does pretty well all
on her own....

Check out Mimi and her friends at:  http://mimi.zunino.net

That about sums it up, just wish the weather wasn't so nice in
Napa too. There's gonna be some big pumpkins in California this
year.... really, reeeelly big pumpkins...

vince
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