Topic: Winning the smallest pumkin competition

[carolinej]

I did once read that big Pumpkins are often  vandalised, isn't that awful.

Who would kill a baby.

If all goes to plan, no one will be able to find our pumpkins to vandalise them!

Can I enter my 8 yr old son.

The more the merrier!

[Jeannine]

I can't stop laughing and my husband thinks I have gone nutsXX Jeannie

[Jeannine]

Hey, Leonnie, have they have had the littlest before, is there a procedure for running a competition,XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Well an update on progress in the Smallest Pumkin competition.

I am just getting ready to repot  my plants, not an easy task when working under a large medical illuminated magifing glass,in  a greenhouse,however we have made progress, my plants now have  8 pairs of true leaves, they a wonderful deep green colour and are very sturdy.I think I will need to pot them on this weekend as I have a sewing class on Monday and need my thimbles back.,I have to pot them on into 1 1/2 inch  pots, the ones I usually use for planting shrubs for my dolls house. They will be a little lost as the pots are far too big  but as I could not find enough eye baths to pot on all I had I didn't have much choice.

I hope you are  all making equally good progress, and are still enjoying the challenge of coming second.

A sincere good Luck to you all,I love these friendly competitons don't you?

XX Jeannine

PS You will need to put in your order to get your scale soon as they are running low in the shops. I felt I needed to order the one that went down to 1/10 of a gram, of course you may not need one that goes so low, so they are not so scarce.

[carolinej]

Well Jeannine, you certainly have been busy :o

I too have been thinking about the difficulty of weighing the pumpkin and have come up with a solution for pumpkins much smaller than the ones you are growing. I will take 10, weigh them, and then divide that figure by 10 to give me an average. That way, I can weigh pumpkins much smaller than the ones you are growing ;D

Do you put 3 or 5 plants per thimble? I find 5 is better, as otherwise they seem a bit lost in such an oversized pot. I have some planted up individually in half paracetamol capsules. It was quite easy, I just pulled the two ends of the capsule away from eachother,emptied the powder down the sink, and had created 2 perfect pots. They should also dissolve when I plant them out into the thimbles later.

Is anyone else having problems watering? I find that an eyedrop dropper works great, as long as you only give 1 drop every 3 days. Dont want to waterlog them now, do we?

I am hoping to get a special macro lens for my camera before the end of the competiton, otherwise, I wont be able to prove to you all how small my pumpkins are.

Oooh, this is getting soooooo exciting! I'm just off to ignore my pumpkin plants for a bit. Dont want to overy stimulate the growth hormones in there by chatting to them!!

cj

[Leonnie]

Hey, Leonnie, have they have had the littlest before, is there a procedure for running a competition,XX Jeannine

I don't believe they've had a smallest competition before ;D

No procedure for running a comp, just make your own rules and go on from there :D

[Jeannine]

Hi Caroline, so my ploy to find out how you are doing worked a treat,the old paracetomol container eh,I should have guessed,I underestimated you, you are one tough cookie I didn't think that  method was widely known and I am wondering if you have been corresponding with Thomas Thumb for some of his secrets.

I admire your determination but feel it only fair to point out to you what Mr Thumb does not always admit  and that is  the full details of his very expensive growing plan in case someone actually beats him, so please  be careful which paracetomal capsules you use.eg if you use the co-codamol meds with the paracetamol and 8 mg of codeine added you may find that they seem to do well in the beginning but the codeine has the effect of bunging the plants up so that  they actually  weigh heavier than they look.

I share this with you in the spirit of fairplay, and because I don't enjoy winning anything  by default.

I must admit I am very impressed with your watering method, that one is new to me.

I do talk to my plants , I feel it is being supportive, they are only babies after all and they do work so hard at their areobics when they are being transplanted, their little roots waving in the breeze,it makes one proud to be a gardener.

I wish you continuing luck,

XX Jeannine

[carolinej]

Well, that's very sporting of you, Jeannine.

Here's to an exciting competition ;D Do you think we should set up a pumpkin cam, to show everyone how the pumpkins are growing/not growing?

 Anyone else got any tips to share?

cj :)

[Jeannine]

Well how are everones babies doing, I still have spare Jack be Little seed if anyone needs it.

I see CarolineJ is going for broke, she has been really researching this project,it is not going to be easy to beat her.

I did hear of a much smaller seed that Jack be Little a few days ago that is a pumpkin, used as a bead apparently, I am trying to find a seed source so am hopeful. Not sure if I should mention the name or not.............NOT................well not yet anyway. I might if I find it.

So come on mini folks, hows your plants XX Jeannine

[carolinej]

Hello

I have a problem!!!!!!!

I have lost my pumpkin plants :o I know I put them in the greenhouse somewhere, but I cant find them as they are soooo small ::)

I have tried using a microscope, but to no avail ???

My friend, who works for ICI is going to bring his electron microscope home tomorrow evening to help me search. Hopefully they will then be found, as they are getting a bit potbound and will need potting up. I have ordered special tools for the job, so shouldnt be too much of a problem......if only I could find them.

I will let you know how it goes tomorrow evening. If I dont find them then, I will just have to wait a few more weeks to let them get a bit bigger.

Hope everyone else is having lots of success! A tip from me,.....if you put your plants down, mark the area clearly with something, or you will end up with the same problem.

cj ;)

[Jeannine]

I think those ones on the news last week, seen crossing the Welsh border heading East, when interviewed on CNN they claimed abuse and were running away from home, apparently they were made to live in a drug environment and no one talked to them. Shame...

XX Jeannine

[Hyacinth]

Ladies, an update please?

Caroline, did you find your babies or are you still bottom-up in the 'house searching? Or perhaps they left home and are making their way to Lilliput? Have you alerted the Port Authorities? Worth a try :-\

Jeannine, quite enough talk of drug environments and abuse. Please stop  casting nasturtiums  ::)- ....play fair now :o

[carolinej]

Great news! The electron microscope did the job. I have now put the plants on the green house staging, with a circle drawn around them. I wont get caught like that again.

So much for Jeannine's assumption that the pumpkins on CNN were mine. I knew it couldnt be mine, as they are so small it would have taken them at least 6 months to get to the welsh borders.

I have now installed greenhouse shading and an air conditioning unit into the one end of my greenhouse reserved for mini pumpkins. I caught one trying to knit itself a scarf with my garden twine. I promptly removed the twine, before he had managed to warm himself.

 I have heard that there are drugs you can give to hyperactive children to calm them down. I am going to look on the internet tonight to see if I can get hold of them. I reckon that if I water them with a solution of this drug every morning, they will be even slower to make pumpkins. Then, just before the end of the season, I will withdraw the drug. They will realise how far behind they are (a bit like me and my ironing pile!) and use all their energies to make a pumpkin, which should be tiny.

I am also considering binding the pumpkin, a bit like the chinese used to do to their feet. Jeannine, if you decide to try this method, I would advise elastic bandage, as that would work best.

Is there anyone else who has any tips, as we'd all like to know them. I hope you dont give us any red herring tips. I wouldnt dream of doing that ::)

cj :)

[Jeannine]

Not me Lish, it is Caroline who is growing hers in paracetomol capsules. I have personally found that drinking straws cut down to size are adequate and their little rootsie tootsies can wriggle.

Caroline have you found them yet,I am getting very concerned,

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

Well Caroline we are on similar wave lengths, I have heard that the same process that is used for shrunken heads can work,personally I have never had to worry about shrinking my head at it is petit anyway but I am willing to look for the sake of science.

I see abuse is still your main means of  rearing, I am not sure what to say here, a bit like Bonsai i suppose,you are for it or against it.

I am still on the hunt for the tiny seeds I menyioned earlier,and of course I will share them.

Somewhere I have a picture of one I grew last year, the mother of our seeds, having a problem putting my hands on it  but will do  a  search.

I wish you continuing luck.

XX Jeannine

[carolinej]

Jeannine,

I know you are getting concerned about my pumpkins, but dont think I am unaware of your devices. The tub of "Slowgrow" you sent me for them looked a bit suspicious. I picked at the name area on the tub, and found that you had applied a very convincing sticker over the real name, "Miraclegrow"!

By the way, have you used any of the slow release growth retardent that I sent you yet? I would advise that you use it liberally. Sorry it isnt in the original tub, but it got damaged by slugs ::)

cj :)

[Jeannine]

Oh Caroline I fed that to the sqush nI didn't realise it was for that.

I hope you have had a good Easter and things are going well for you, we have been at the lotties for 8 hours today,just haveing an A4A peep before dinner.

Got to rush. XX Jeannine

Oh, did I tell you my squash all have flowers on them.

[coznbob]

OMG! Have only just caught this thread and I haven't laughed so much in ages! ;D

Please, please carry this on as I now can't wait to see the results and read the replies. You have made a very tired person very giggly ;D ;D ;D

[Jeannine]

Well  Coznbob,I am very pleased we have lightened your load for today and made you laugh but I think I speak for both Caroline and I this is no  laughing matter,we are very gentle people as a general rule but we are in for the kill on this one, we are both determined to win this very prestigious competition.Not for us the huge monsters which are easy to grow, we are going for the delicate, the petite,the almost invisible, and I for one intend to breed mine smaller and smaller  as the years go by,like the big guys do. Did you know they can get 20 quid a seed, imagine what we could get if one of us grows  one that would balance on the head of a pin!! Blimey we could become famous, even Blue Peter might be interested.

As you can see we support one another,  share our ideas and sorrows.

So please do join us, but don't take sides theres a pet...well not unless you are on mine.

XX Jeannine

PS , you can be my chief cheerleader if you like , but not a word to Caroline, she is a canny lass that one..ssshhh

[coznbob]

 ;D

Well, I think I have got some Jack be little seeds somewhere, so may well give them a go!

Couldn't use the pumpkin that you sent me as its getting HUGE!!!

As for cheerleading, after 4 kids the mini skirt could be somthing of a bad idea!