Yes, I’m Growing Pumpkins Again

Since last summer, the one question that's been repeatedly asked of me is, 'Are you growing pumpkins again this year?'. My usual response was a sharp 'noooooo.' Not because it wasn't a blast growing 1.5 acres of them with my best friend Tammy, but because I didn't feel like working that hard two years in a row.

Enter my brother. He sent me a text several months back that stated his intention to grow an 'award winning' pumpkin to which I responded with my very best wishes. Then, as his updates and pictures increased in frequency, so did his taunts. I pretended to ignore them until he challenged me to a pumpkin duel. I accepted.

Epitome of human decency that I am, I offered my brother advice on his efforts after seeing several of his pictures, but he declined to accept them. He said he cannot beat me using 'my tactics'. I tried to explain that the process I used wasn't my own but knowledge gleaned from the experience of 1000's of farmers before me but my protestations fell on deaf ears.

We haven't exactly defined what constitutes the winner but I'm sure we'll figure it out before the official contest end date of October 31, 2015. I thought about including some of the pictures he's shared with me over the past few weeks but I don't anyone to point out the SEVERAL mistakes he's made already and confirm what I've been trying to tell him.

Instead, marvel at my magnificent sprouts:

Make no mistake, I will win this contest. I've harnessed the knowledge gleaned from last year's efforts on which steps to take and which to avoid. This year's harvest will be more amazing than the stellar crop Tammy and I enjoyed last year and you can bank on that, KEITH AD'CROCK'.

If you missed last year's video documenting our first efforts, I've included it below.