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43.841677 , -79.086692

2011 will be my second year growing.... I want to challange a grower who is a member of a major club and with 5 years or less experience. This person also had to maintain a diary.
The loser has to buy the winner a 2012 membership to their home club. Biggest pumpkin wins and weights will be pro-rated to reflect the top ten average for their province or state.

Anyone game?

11/13/2010 1:35:19 PM

Annapolis Valley Nova Scotia

Chris it might help if you could explain what you mean by Pro-rated. Just a thought.

11/13/2010 3:07:32 PM

43.841677 , -79.086692

Simple Phil.
As you know not everyone lives in the "sweet spot" for growing.. Take Colorado for example. Extreme weather, hail etc. Their state top 10 average is 1185. In Ontario it is 1417. 1185/1417 is 0.836. I will give someone from that state a handy cap. My weight x .836 versus their weight.

Get it?

11/13/2010 4:02:00 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

The same seed?

11/13/2010 4:49:14 PM

[email protected]

Take on the Biz, I don't think he's actually grown anything, His Brother the Wiz does it all and the Biz takes the credit for it, Seen that in the past. Ask his brother, He'll tell ya, But you would have to get the Wiz to promis to stay away, I know I have the Biz in the cross hairs for next year.

11/13/2010 6:27:01 PM

43.841677 , -79.086692

I said a challange Eddy... If I wanna take candy from a baby I have 2 here.

11/13/2010 6:35:30 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Chris...by the looks of those piles in your driveway....you are either gonna really grow em big next year or gonna bust em all trying....lol

So with your pro-rating Ontario vs British Columbia we would be looking at 1221/1417 = 0.8616

Chris @ 1030 lbs x 0.8616 = 887 lbs
Glenn @ 808 lbs ...........C. Delany....the winner!!

Let me ponder this one...looks like an interesting wager!!

11/13/2010 7:05:12 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Wayyyy too much mushroom compost.lol

11/13/2010 7:08:52 PM

43.841677 , -79.086692

We had a similar deal here between a couple GVGO guys and I lost. Had to buy a membership. Sure was fun chanting "go light, go light" at the weigh offs. Hahahahaha

11/13/2010 7:10:57 PM

East Jordan, MI

One question, Does it have to be a GPC weigh off? Because I will take my biggest one to Circleville Pumpkin Show -- which is not a GPC site.

This is my second year also. I think I'll have to give you the handicap. Northern OH raises the average for our state. If I figured it correctly the top 10 average this year for OH is 1484. So 1417/1484 is .955.

11/13/2010 7:19:49 PM

43.841677 , -79.086692

I dont think it matters if it is GPC.....

11/13/2010 7:41:13 PM

[email protected]

I'm game. I've been growing 5 years.

11/13/2010 7:53:22 PM

El Paso TX.

Hmm - guess that would mean a guy from Texas might have a pretty good chance since the State record here is 657 lbs - that's a pretty good size handicap ! Though if I lived about 50 miles further west in New Mexico would get an even bigger handicap with the new state record there this year sitting at 421 lbs.

11/13/2010 8:08:11 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

lol

11/13/2010 10:38:32 PM

Alabama

You think TX is bad Alabama's state record is 534 lb.

11/13/2010 11:43:04 PM

East Jordan, MI

OK You're on then! Mine will beat you by .955 handicap or I buy your club membership for 2012.

11/14/2010 12:28:10 AM

Las Cruces NM

yea JD, got me thinking .. so our ratio is .29 ... so if I grow a 500lber, he'll have to gro a 1725. Frankly I think we can do 500+ but at the same time I know I ended up empty handed this year :( .... I'm game!

11/14/2010 1:06:56 AM

Ohio

OHHHHHH MAN EDDY!,,HA!!! Biz, you gonna let him talk to you like that?,,

11/14/2010 4:02:11 AM

43.841677 , -79.086692

Well it looks like PA Punkin' Pharmer is on.... He was the first one to commit. I have seen his diary and he is bad a$$. I am a little scared. Looking forward to it. I will work out the details later but he is from PA so he probably owes me a handycap.

11/14/2010 8:32:27 AM

El Paso TX.

SW - Yea I think 500 - 600 should be doable - I wound up with a 320 and 187 lber on the same plant this past year as a first year growing with pretty bad soil and no misting\shade at all (just a lot of visits to the yard to water every few hours during that month straight of 100+ temp afternoons. So should be able to do better next year. (still have one more 851 seed that did well last year)-- Only thing was I planted way to early this year so it didn't hold up long enough to make it to an october weigh off and I know a lot of others had problems like you did with getting anything to set at all a bit later in the season so not sure what to think - but it would make things a bit more interesting (though it would mean spending more time keeping up with the weeds that took over the patch this year - amazing that those things actually grow faster than the plant when given access to a bit of water !)

@ Pickering and PA -- good luck to both of you this upcoming season and will definitely keep watching the diaries to see how things progress

11/14/2010 9:24:05 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Now BrookZster....Be nice to Brotha ICEMAN>....

11/14/2010 9:31:10 AM

Georgetown, Ontario

Go PA Punkin' Pharmer.......oops...did I just print that out loud. ;)

11/14/2010 9:49:49 AM

43.841677 , -79.086692

Kevin is lucky. I don't have any top seeds to plant :-)

11/14/2010 10:18:26 AM

[email protected]

Chris, yes, I will owe you the handycap. I can send you some of my seeds from this year if you need some good ones! haha

Do we use this years average or the average after next season to calculate the handycap?

It looks like this could be fairly popular. I know I like the idea. Have growers who want to challenge each other pair up, or you could even have groups/divisions. We then could setup it up so you have a ranking system, like college football, where your pumpkin x your handicap would determine your point value. Then all the growers would be ranked at the end of the season using their point value. So you would have your in season rivals and an overall champion at the end. Each grower would have to keep a diary up to date and get an officail weight on their pumpkin, either at a GPC or one of the non-GPC events. What does everyone think of that?

11/14/2010 11:30:20 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Now thiZ is something Ole WIZ watchin this one closely.......YO

Handicap.....NICE....Barry Van San Bagus has talked about altitude being a BIG factor in weight and siZE.....I believe Barry may be on to something....Barry our new CHAMP has been growing longer than anybody in Colorado......so one may want to consider that for a handicap factor.......Just a thought......

11/14/2010 12:01:29 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

HEAT factor too....

11/14/2010 12:02:29 PM

El Paso TX.

Like the idea PA - since you mention having seeds from your 2010 line up, would you have enough seed out of one of those to perhaps provide a couple to each person that would want to compete (if they sent you a Bubble) and then have a group of growers all in different areas under different conditions growing the same seed and judge the results based on that handicap -- maybe each participant could provide some sort of local item as a prize for the winner. As an added bonus it might give us a bit more info on what effect the growing area\conditions play on the results given the same genetics.

11/14/2010 2:02:46 PM

43.841677 , -79.086692

I know Kevins growing skills are far ahead of mine but thats what I wanted.... A challange. Knowing I am up against a guy like him will push me. If nothing else it will build comrodery.
I dont need your seeds Kevin. Forgot I had these in the fridge......

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i309/pickeringwoodworker/IMG01084-20101114-1708.jpg

11/14/2010 5:35:04 PM

[email protected]

That is quite the seed collection you have! I got nothing like that. I have just two of the seeds you have there, but I won't grow either of them next year most likely. I will grow mostly new seeds next season with a few proven ones thrown in.

11/15/2010 12:03:17 AM

[email protected]

JDFan, some of them yes, others now. It would be tough to get people to agree on one seed most likely. If you or anyone else is interested in growing one of them however feel free to shoot me an email.

11/15/2010 2:20:29 PM