August Giant Pumpkin Update

It’s been awhile since my last giant pumpkin update post and a lot has changed in the pumpkin patch! I have been learning everyday as the season has gone by and have been taking notes for the future. I knew going into to this little project of mine that growing giant pumpkins is a lot of work and for the hard core gardener and oh is that ever true! Each week I give my pumpkins a fish emulsion or water soluble fertilizer. Once they started to put out fruit I have been feeding a little potash each week as well. I have been watering several times per week too. Bugs have been a much larger issue than I initially thought. I was prepared for the possibility of squash vine borers so I put down precautionary beneficial nematodes a few times and injected them into the vine. You can see me in the picture with my bucket of nematodes lol! Yes that is a soup ladle, I needed something to spread them around with! I have had several other types of bugs that I have been controlling for. There have been squash bugs, which I think brought in yellow vine disease to one of my vines, but part of it is still growing. I also have had cucumber beetles and Japanese beetles. I spray eight every few days and neem oil which has been helping control everything.

Mid July and August have been the fun time for pumpkin growing because I have been able to watch them grow weekly and document the process. I have two weeks left until the entry day for the Minnesota State Fair. I am hoping my pumpkin adds many pounds before then. I plan on increasing my watering schedule. I know I won’t have the largest pumpkin, but it has been a fun personal challenge this summer to see how big I can grow one.

#GiantPumpkin

My Favorite Dahlias

My dahlias are nearing their peak. New varieties are blooming each week and my favorites of the season are emerging. Each year I try several new varieties. My favorites so far are: Blizzard, Sweet Nathalie and Islander.

Blizzard: This variety produces the longest stems out of all my dahlias and they are perfect for cutting. My Blizzard plants are always loaded with blooms, the most out of any of my dahlias. I love cutting a handful of Blizzard dahlias and putting them in a vase. The creamy white color looks so pretty and brightens up any room.

Sweet Nathalie: I was finally successful growing this variety this year after several years of plants dying early in the season. This dahlia is so worth the wait and all the hype. Sweet Nathalie produces beautiful medium sized light pink/lavender blooms. They seems to last longer in a vase compared to other varieties. I also have never had a dahlia that was closed upon cutting bloom. Sweet Nathalie actually opened up over the course of a few days cut which was really cool to see.

Islander: Islander is one of my only original dahlias that I have. It is for a good reason. The huge, bright pink blooms add drama to any bouquet. They are also prolific bloomers with long stems. A vase full of Islander blooms is just show stopping!

What is everyone’s favorite dahlia? I am always looking for a new favorite!

Summer in Stillwater

Summer in Stillwater Minnesota, nothing better in my opinion! Jake and I love Stillwater which is one reason why we got engaged in Stillwater earlier this summer! Anyways, we recently went on our annual riverboat ride. It was a picture perfect summer day, sunny and a blue skies.!

After our riverboat ride we had to stop at Leo’s malt shop! This is a must stop of us, no matter the time of the year. Their chocolate raspberry malts are the best! We spent a good hour afterwards sitting on a bench by the river watching people and enjoying the beautiful day.

If you have not been on a Stillwater River Boat ride I highly recommend. The lunch cruises are two hours long. They also have dinner and Sunday Brunch cruises. The food is good and the price is family friendly. You can sit indoor or outdoors on the boat. The river boat rides depart from the downtown Stillwater area. For the lunch cruises, the boat typically goes south down the river for an hour, then an hour back to downtown.

As you can see Stillwater was busy! This was so fun to see one of our favorite places busy again with happy people.

Our last stop was Kathe Wohlfahrt which is a German Christmas store located next to Leo’s. Each time I go to Stillwater I get a glass bird. I have quite the collection now! I hope to have enough Christmas birds to fill an entire tree someday!