1. do you use special seeds?
Yes! Atlantic Giant seeds are the only variety of pumpkin seed that will get over 500 pounds and the Atlantic Giant seeds you get in the hardware store probably aren't going to do it for you. You need seeds that have had controlled crosses of the best seed stock to get the real giants. With them to grow a pumpkin over 100 pounds is not very difficult. If you haven't already started some seeds now is a perfect time! Get seeds from the Pumpkin Man at http://seeds.denverpumpkins.com.
2. What do you feed a giant pumpkin?
A well composted soil that is balanced is key to growing a giant pumpkin. Most of what will determine if you are going to grow a giant pumpkin happens before you even put the plant in the ground. A great soil comes through some hard work and soil tests to make sure the levels of nitrogen, potassium, potash and calcium are in the right ratios.
3. What do you do with the pumpkin at the end of the season?
I'll usually put it on display in the driveway until Halloween. It is real hoot to see people's reactions when they drive by.
4. How much time does it take to grow a giant pumpkin?
Most competitive giant pumpkin growers will spend about an hour a day on a plant. Wives/husbands of pumpkin growers are referred to as pumpkin widows during the growing season.
5. What is the secret to growing a giant pumpkin?
The real secret is that there are about 1,000 little secrets. Giant pumpkin growing is wonderfully complicated. Soil sciences, genetics, plant biology, chemistry and more go into growing a state or world record. Rarely does a giant happen by accident. The good news is that most growers will tell you anything that you want to know about growing a big pumpkin if you ask. As a matter-o-fact you probably won't be able to get them to shut up once you get them started. Lol
Got a question for The Pumpkin Man? Leave a comment by clicking the Comment link below.
2 comments:
I have a question I read that " Varieties such as Atlantic Giant, Big Max and Show King are often listed as pumpkins but are more properly called pumpkin-squash or squash- type pumpkins.". So Atlantic giants are not really pumpkins?
Atlantic Giants are a variety called Cucurbita maxima that were origionally bred from Hubbard squash. All pumpkins are a squash technically so you can't really differentiate between the two in that way. For competition purposes squash are green and pumpkins are not green.
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