Growing Giant Pumpkins

I've always wanted to do this and I found this great article on the Burpee website. Thought I'd post the link for any other wannabe pumpkin farmers out there!

http://www.burpee.com/jump.jsp?itemID=528&itemType=CONTENT_ARTICLE

I tried growing pumpkins last year - and it ain't so easy. In the heat of the summer the leaves burned up, then the rains came and the pumpkins just rotted in the mud. This year I reserved a bowl of seeds that I pulled out of a 50 lb. pumpkin, so I could sow them next summer. I had the bowl of seeds on the front porch to dry out and the dog ate them!!
I think this year I will plant some pumpkins on a slope near the creek, where they will have better drainage and a bit of shade in the summer heat.

it looks fun, i might try it with the kids this year.

It is a lot of work for just one pumpkin though...

just one? I was thinking if they grew well I would share them with friends and neighbors. Pumpkins also make good feed for my animals!

I grew Big Moon pumpkins that were 80 to 100 pounds. These were very thick and kept well.....plus you don't need anything more than a wheelbarrow to haul them in from the patch....a nice choice for the less zealous gardener.

I don't have much room so I'm going to divide my very small back yard in half and give one side to the pumpkins and the other side to a few other veggies. I've always wanted to grow a few really huge ones. I also ordered seeds for the white one called "Lumina" and for a squatty red one that was allegedly the model for Cindarella's carriage.

I always grow lots of pumpkins, the 'one' i refered to was the giant one. The article link was about growing a GIANT pumpkin, and according to the article, you have to cull all the fruit except one per plant. I guess that is the way to get the crazy 100-500 lb pumpkins.

Very interesting article!

That and plant Dill's Atlantic Giant to start. For southern growers, pumpkins are one of those crops that do better in the north. I f I remember correctly, the record was grown in Nova Scotia.

What is Dill's Atlantic Giant? I really do want to grow one GIANORMOUS one!

http://www.howarddill.com/ This is the original source. But there are lots of vendors carrying seeds of this cultivar.

$12 a seed, plus $5 handling!

Still it does look fun.

Oh wow! That really does look like fun! I think I'll order a book. Even if I never grow a thousand pounder, it'll make for an interesting collection to the gardening "library". This summer will be my practice pumpkins. It's so hot and wet here in summer. This will be a real challenge. Thanks for the info Farmer!

Here you can get "generic" if $12 a pop is too much.

http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/us/product/731/1?SA=1113

Also vended By Pinetree http://www.superseeds.com/home.htm
Johnny's http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/subcategory.aspx?category=1&subcategory=465 Vesey's http://www.veseys.com/store.cfm?cat=93 New England Seed http://www.neseed.com/store/pumpkins1.html and several others.

I have some great directions from a guy who won the biggest fair pumpkin at something like 400 pounds selling his Big Max seeds on EBAY. There is some other info included that is not on the informative Burpee post above. I didn't read the whole link in here, so please forgive if I am repeating myself here, but these pumpkins can grow 25 pounds in ONE DAY!!!! The info I have is too long to post in here, but if anyone would like me to d-mail, please let me know. Also, I have heard that Atlantic Giant and Big Max are 2 very good seed choices for huge pumpkins. I bought the Big Max at Walmart and the kids and I are going to give it a whirl this Spring.

Megan