Afghanistan entry

One of the entries for this year is international. This is an email (courtesy of Goober) sent from one of the growers' sons (This guy is Framer Franks son, in the Air Force, on loan to the Army, stationed on top of a mountain in Afghanistan.)


I know it is a late-start but I want to throw my hat in and add an international element to the great pumpkin contest '07. One of my roommates is a Department of Agriculture rep and after assisting him with clearing a plot of land of landmines for his garden (by running around and stomping hard with steel toed boots) we've agreed to grow pumpkins. I don't think our mujhadin security guards have ever seen a pumpkin, so I'm afraid we might start a pumpkin craze. (Until a pumpkin is used as an IED), I think it's open season for pumpkin growing.
Ryan
p.s.
Dad, can you spot me an afghan handicap and send some prized seeds?

First 2007 photo

First photo May 29, 2007. I think I'm ahead...........

not looking so good in May

punkins went in the ground just in time for the last snow. covered them with a bucket. time will tell how it goes..............

Hawkeye ate my pumpkins

Herbie started 10 pumpkin seeds and 5 germinated. We had to give 2 plants to Wayne because he was in Turks & Caicos when the seeds needed to be started. Herbie then moved our three plants to the dining room (south facing) to get optimum sun until it got warm enough to plant them outside (which has yet to be done as of 29 May 07). Hawkeye (the parrot) got off his cage in the family room and walked into the dining room, climbed up the table and proceeded to eat the leaves off of two plants. He pulled one out of it's pot. We think all three have survived and hopefully soon we will get them outside. Our last snow was on 22 May 07

And it begins...

So here we go again. Another year of triumph and heartache as we all try to surpass Brett's 70-some-odd pound pumpkin from last year. I guess I'll start us off with the first pictures. These were planted in the ground on the 19th of May (I think).

Only 2 of the 4 seeds we started with germinated so we have 2 plants that will hopefully give us pumpkins larger than Brett's. Matt took over the garden preparation this year since we've planted them at his house.

He has a lot more room as you can see in the pictures. We won't have to worry about the pumpkins taking over my grass this year. Matt tilled in 40 bags of steer manure into this garden area. These pictures were taken on the 21st of May. I'll make sure I put the pumpkin names with the pictures next time.