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Grittyville, WA

I should have said "did not get wet until today" there was a lot of aphid scuzz that we washed off the top of the pumpkin so thats why the pallet is wet.

Aphids- too much nitrate and chloride in the ground apparently (sap analysis guru John Kempf says this is ~90% linked to aphid problems.) Maybe all the yummy nutrients in the coffee grounds didnt get washed out by the rain, and this made the aphids extra pesty...

Last note, the nylon/poly twine here isn't rated for much weight but 20 poly lines x 200 lbs each = 4,000 lbs. I dont use a lifting ring I just loop them over the hook on the ratchet. Technically this probably cuts the rated lifting strength in half, they could fail if there wasn't a safety factor of 4x.

The cardboard strips keep the poly line from carving into the pumpkin. Maybe other ways are better but this has been working for me.

10/17/2025 3:02:03 AM

Bethlehem CT

Looks goood Brandon! Have you measured it? ANy idea of what it should weigh?

10/17/2025 8:30:06 AM

Syracuse, NY

LK, I have a winching arrangement from MANY years ago and I realize today the reason I've rarely used it is because of the potential damage to the fruit from the cords. Silly me to not have updated it in a smaller scale, butt from that comes this shameless plug, whereby some skinnier insulation could be substituted-in, lol:
https://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2021&grower=24151&action=L
Folks, he's keeping us HANGING! Ahhh, we don't mind, lol---eric g

10/17/2025 9:25:14 AM

Grittyville, WA

Will find out soon! Its gonna be a pumpkin! (I feel like a dad who just found out his baby's gender.) Found a bit of orange on it still and the PGVG judges are by the book.

eric g, yeah I like your ideas I did try foam once and that might work better for some people or maybe there is a 3rd idea out there.

[Last edit: 10/17/25 10:13:19 AM]

10/17/2025 9:51:29 AM

Syracuse, NY

(*_*) eg

10/17/2025 9:21:36 PM