[GUS]

Just went down to my local patch this evening.

I thought i'd get the gen on growth planting varieties this year.

He's happy with size BUT it's been an awful year for growth & he's only got a fraction of last years, & as a result ..they're all booked up & sold!

which means a possible pumpkin price premium!
SO get em while you can.
I've arranged to go & trawl the field to reserve likely contenders / offenders.

(a sharpie marker & flags on poles).

I think the phrase we're looking for is "get in there" !
So mine are free / reduced as i'm carving for them again.
Sweet!

...except for the fact that I need some trad flicker howlers!

[MooBoo]

I contacted my local farm today to see when the kins would be ready, and they won't be out until mid october and they said they aren't expecting the same crop they had last year
Looks like i will have to get what i can, when i can.

[GUS]

yup mines only got 4000 available, that's NOTHING!

[monstermash]

4000!!!!!!!!!! Me and Matspud have got to fight over about 100.
I just emailed my local patch ( by local I mean 40 miles away but its the closest I can get). They are very disappointed with their crop and say there aren't many bigguns. I'm so sad I could cry.
Theres a chance that an guy in my Aunts village might be growing this year. He's 300 miles away but i'd take the trip if I can't get any in Scotland.

I'm putting alot of work into my kin display/wall thing so I really need good kins.

[matspud]

You may have them all to yourself this year MM I just got news that my niece is being Christened the 23rd October so that means that weekend , and the monday after ,are out for gutting etc. I also have commitments for the tuesday and wednesday so can't see much getting much done the weekend before Halloween as this is when Matthew wants to have his birthday party

[GUS]

4000!!!!!!!!!! Me and Matspud have got to fight over about 100.
I just emailed my local patch ( by local I mean 40 miles away but its the closest I can get). They are very disappointed with their crop and say there aren't many bigguns. I'm so sad I could cry.
Theres a chance that an guy in my Aunts village might be growing this year. He's 300 miles away but i'd take the trip if I can't get any in Scotland.

I'm putting alot of work into my kin display/wall thing so I really need good kins.

Monstermash, why don't you speak to my farmer if you hget caught & arrange fora pallet to be clingwrapped & delivered by a lorry?

got to be cheaper than driving 300 miles?
OR look for local growers to you via big barn or similar?

[GUS]

Monstermash

http://www.bigbarn.co.uk/producers/

put in your area & then widen the search, ring producers & brazenly ask .

[monstermash]

When I go onto thebigbarn site my I get the "internet explorer has found an error and has to close" message so no luck there. I did do a search when I got into ZP carving properly but there were no other results for kin growers near me. I might have been going down in to see my Aunt mid October anyway so I'd be killing two birds etc.

I will email the kin farm I go to again in a few weeks and see what their progress is.

MATSPUD: Sorry to hear that your carving plans may be going down the drain. People are so selfish, dont they know how important halloween is!!!
Mind you, all the more for me By the sounds of it, i'd be better of with shriveled old turnips.

[GUS]

Link working fine at this end, maybe your settings?
cleared cookies / caches today?

[matspud]

The link did the same for me at work and at home but it finally opened. Couldn't find much in my vicinity but will give it another go when I have more time.
Don't panic MM they WILL have pumpkins - maybe not very big and might rot quickly but they WILL be there.

[matspud]

Made a quick trip to check on the pumpkins today MM. They are quite small. I would say the biggest ones are about 1/2 to 2/3 of the size we usually get from there and there are fewer of them at that size. Oddly there are still some flowering vines. Just pray the frost stays away and we get some more good weather

[monstermash]

Made a quick trip to check on the pumpkins today MM. They are quite small. I would say the biggest ones are about 1/2 to 2/3 of the size we usually get from there and there are fewer of them at that size. Oddly there are still some flowering vines. Just pray the frost stays away and we get some more good weather

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???!!!!!!!!!!! Are they really that small? That sounds terrible.
Would you say you could fit a pattern on them easily without resizing?
I'm so annoyed that they don't just have a bloody polytunnel. I know the weathers not their fault but I'm still annoyed.

[GUS]

Why don't you just settle for a pallet between you? ..do you want me to enquire as to 1x pallet to scotland inc transport?

[matspud]

MM - I am probably underestimating them a little probably 2/3 is more like it. In general the biggest ones are a bit bigger than the biggest ones I have ever found in tesco. The vines are still good so they are still growing - a couple of weeks good weather and no frost would make a huge difference.

GUS thank you for the offer but I imagine we would just be wasting your time and our money to a certain extent. There would be no guarantee that the pumpkins we would get would be bigger that the ones here. They would likely get damaged in transit and I have no idea how many would be on a pallet. MM what do you think? It sounds great but I am ever the pessimist

[GUS]

MS / MM ..don't be daft how do you think stuff gets to market!? ..a pallet of kins wigh alot & are sent out in "BINS" ..the same ones as they're picked in unless it's for tesco's ..i'm off down the field & my farmer knows exactly what i'm after.

In fact last year I'd really swear blind there weren't any as small as the supermarkets, they were pumpkins ythat ate pumpkins in true ZP tradition!