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Anyone else growing giant pumpkins?

DoobieDuck

Senior Member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Shack..hope they pull out of it, they still look good. My punks are not getting as Big this year..most likely as the seed was from one last year that may have crossed with another variety I was growing..but they are growing still..todays images..4" pot for size referance..DD
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shack

Active member
Looking good there ,Doobie D.Are you feeding them any thing special.?
My pumpkin quit growing,and then started to rot.I got some seeds out of it(as they are good genetics)but I don't think they are mature.I'm gonna dry them,and give them a germination test.If they are no good,I'll have to buy some more for next year.
You might be right Lola,it could have been the heat.But damn,out of ten plants I should have at least one pumpkin still growing.
Next year I'm gonna start a brand new patch,gonna have the soil tested,then add the proper nutrients and get the ph just right.
It seems the harder I try,the worse it gets,and it ain't suppose to work like that.
I've read the" how to" books, been to a couple seminars,and still can't get it right.But I won't quit.Its the principle of the matter now.
Ok,i'm done crying the blues.
Are your still growing, Doobie?
They still look healthy.Good luck to you bro.
 
L

LolaGal

Lola's tips for big pumpkin growing:

Place each baby pumpkin on a bale of straw to keep it off the ground and prevent rot.

If possible grow under some greenhouse that can be air conditioned . Pumpkins seem to like it in the 70s at all times.

of course, pick off all the baby pumpkins on each vine but one pumpkin.

Let the vine go wild. Don't cut it.

I gave mine 5 gallons of MG ferts every day, and they loved it. If only I had a/c and shade on mine.

The best I did was over 7 feet, 9 inches in diameter and was 174 if I remember right.

IT WERE BIG>


Good Job Doobie! Yours reminds me of mine.

Shack: Sorry about the news. damn. I dug a big hole and filled it up with rabbit shit and MG soil, they like that. Old rabbit shit is the bomb!
 

shack

Active member
Thanks for the tips Lola:respect:
The very first year I tried growing giant pumpkins,I had put alot of aged sheep manure on the garden and tilled it in.I used MG also.I grew a 490 lber.The second year(in the same soil)I grew a 504 lber.
Then for the third year I put a couple tons of fresh chicken manure on the garden and tilled it in,and that is when my problems started.Then the 4th year I grew in a different patch,but loaded it up with fresh chicken manure(in the fall),and had the same problems.
This year being my 5th year growing giant pumpkins,I went back to the original patch,added some Urea, and Lime.Used MG to start then switched to Neptunes Harvest Fish and Seaweed organic fertilizer.And had the same problems.
Its driving me crazy.
I even thought...Now this is gonna sound real crazy..
That my problems usually start when I start a thread and start taking pictures.I was thinking that possibly,taking the pictures was messing up the pumpkin.
Didn't the American Indian and the Amish,refuse to have their picture taken because they thought it would take their soul?:chin:
I don't really think the pictures had anything to do with it,but I over think things sometimes.
 

DoobieDuck

Senior Member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Shack good to see you back..sorry for your troubles, Lola..some tips I've heard before and follow..yours..only one per vine. I use miracle grow but only once a week and now, the finish, not at all. I root the vine right at the spot the little pumpkin starts by scraping the vine a little, burying it with peat and dirt..thus it roots and shoots energy right to the fruit. I pull off all the female fruits and also the male flowers on the vine I am growing the pumpkin on. It has been over 100 here for almost a month and they slowed growth considerably since. I cover as much of the root system with straw as you can see. I think these seeds this year are a cross from my Atlanta Giant last year and another variety I was growing as they are much more orange and smaller...but I'm happy! DD
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L

LolaGal

they look awful purty DD!

I wish I had a garden this year. Maybe next year. I just love to grow them big punks.


Shack: I reckon it is just a coincidence, the pics and all. Try that rabbit poo it works great!

I really thought I was gonna win the year I grew mine, but the contest winner from Burpee was like 640 pounds that year... durn...

I even took mine to a certified scale and had it weighed at the cattle auction barn... lol.

Took 4 guys and a blanket to get it on a truck. :) That is a pumpkin.

I would die if I grew one as big as ya'll have! WOW!
 

aceofspades

Member
I am in no way trying to grow a huge pumpkin this year, theres are just two regular old pumpkin (jackolantern) seeds that I sprouted and they have been doing well.

Here are a few pictures from when I went out today and propped the pumpkins up on top for some wood to save them from rot or soft spots.

Enjoy!
BTW if I did want to grow a huge pumpkin, are there special seeds you can obtain?

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Also why are my pumpkins still green?
 

DoobieDuck

Senior Member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Picked Um..

Picked Um..

Sad day in the patch..the pumkins are plucked. The largest one weighing in at 40 pounds..here are the guords, the tiny pumpkings and my larger ones on the steps to our home..see you in the patch next year...DD
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the_man

Member
nice collection DD I'm on year two of pumpkins but not having much success but better then last year. I started pinching all the extra flowers off this year that helped. Just have one ten pounder right now.

I did do better with my water Mellon's

shack maybe try a shade net

it did get pretty warm outside the last few weeks
 

PhenoMenal

Hairdresser
Veteran
Here's the current world record holder, Joe Jutras with "his 1689 pound pumpkin weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA on September 29, 2007. Joe grew this monster on the 998.6 Pukos 2005 and crossed it with 1225 Jutras 2003."

P9280602.JPG
 
L

LolaGal

nice pic Doobie! Veery autumnal! Too bad no big uns! But 40 lbs. ain't tiny... heehee.

Ace: Get Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Seeds. That's what it's all about.


see ya'll in the pumpkin patch next year I hope.
 

DoobieDuck

Senior Member
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thanks The Man..And Pheno great picture...Lola that's the kind...mine cross bred and so the result was a nice orange color less 400 pounds..lol..next year! DD
 

homebrew420

Member
Hey folk my kids just took f1st and 2nd place at the local nurseries largest pumpkin contest. Weighed in at 153 and 134lbs respectively. Not the largest by and stretch but still really cool for them. Not too bad for our first time growing them. Fed a whole lot and watered about 3+ gal of water a day. I will get some picts up soon.
 

thekingofNY

Cannasseur
I'm curious how big the root system is on these GIANTS? is it as big as a 500lb tree? Granted i doubt 500lbs would be that much for a tree, although i have no idea really.

Either way keep it up... Maybe i will be able to grown one next year.
 

Balazar

Member
This is cool. Has anyone here ever tried growing anything in a mold? How about outdoor hydro for pumpkins? or any other fruit for that matter? I can imagine a DWC with dumpsters sunk into the ground instead of buckets and a res the size of a small swimming pool made with pond liner.
 

hazy

Active member
Veteran
seems like you'd have to put those big giant pumpkins on a pallet while they were still small and growing.
 
Here's the current world record holder, Joe Jutras with "his 1689 pound pumpkin weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA on September 29, 2007. Joe grew this monster on the 998.6 Pukos 2005 and crossed it with 1225 Jutras 2003."

P9280602.JPG



every year the topsfield fair hosts that i went this year and it was 1416 pounds i believe. its pretty incredible at how big some of the fruits/vegetibles get at that growing competion.

its a great place to go to...all that is there is food stands...gotta love it when u got the munchies
 

dubwise

in the thick of it
Veteran
I am hoping to get to my local fair this weekend, I'd love to see what people around here are getting as far as size/weight. I'm going to try again this coming spring to get a big 'un growing.
 
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