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How people grow GIANT 2,800+lb pumpkins...
While the biggest pumpkin I've personally grown is only ~200lb, an underground community of giant pumpkin growers exists around the world, all trying to grow an elusive 3,000+lb pumpkin...
Here's how they do it...
It starts with seeds: without the right genetics, you're doomed from the start. Almost all record-breaking pumpkins come from the 'Atlantic Giant' genetic line, which is a variety we actually carry at our seed brand @BotanicalSeeds (ours will get to a few hundred lb at most tho)
To solve for genetics, growers use seed from previous Atlantic Giants, specifically a line bred by Howard Dill of Windsor, Nova Scotia which has now been 'improved' by growers around the world
"Improved" is a gardener's term for "selected for favorable traits" over time
These seeds are NOT cheap! It's around ~$50 for a seed with a pedigree, aka FROM a pumpkin that is verified to have weighed a certain amount.
So assuming you can get your hands on seed, here's what you do next...
You need to live in the "right place." In the giant pumpkin world, that means:
- Temperate climate (warm days, cool nights)
- 130+ frost-free days
Climates like this tend to be in Alaska (long, temperate summer days) or areas of the midwest, but it's not MANDATORY
With seed and location locked, the work starts the season before, with soil preparation.
Pumpkins are heavy feeders, and giant pumpkins even more so. Growers will test their soil for nutrient deficiencies, amend, and even grow cover crops to protect their soil + add nutrients..
As the fall becomes winter, growers continue to add organic amendments like manure, compost, or leaves to the soil, as adding them well in advance of planting gives them time to decompose.
Plants uptake nutrients at the elemental level, so these organics NEED to break down...
As spring comes, it's time to get the seed started. Giant pumpkin seeds are well, GIANT, and have a hard coat, so scarification (scratching the seed coat) helps with germination.
The goal is to have 1-2 perfect seedlings ready to get in the ground when there's no more frost...
Transplanting time! Ideally done when the pumpkin plant has 2-3 sets of true leaves (the leaves AFTER the 1st leaves that comes out of the seed).
Temps need to be >50°F, fertilizer is applied, irrigation is set up, and pest control may start now too...
This is where it starts to get CRAZY. The pumpkin will produce:
- Main vine
- Secondary vines (offshoot from main)
- Tertiary vines (offshoot from secondary)
- Male and female pumpkin flowers
Growers begin by carefully structuring the growth of the main/2nd/3rd vines, BUT...
THEY BURY THE STEMS! Pumpkins can root from their main, secondary, and tertiary vines at specific nodes, and more roots = more water and nutrient uptake = bigger pumpkin.
Here's a video I made explaining why...
After pruning and burying, growers will train all vines to maximize photosynthetic area, aka PUT THE MOST LEAVES IN THE SUN AS POSSIBLE. This sometimes ends up in a "Christmas Tree" vine layout.
Watering becomes crucial here as the plant starts to grow rapidly, 50+ gallons/day
Pumpkin plants usually grow >1 pumpkin, but giant pumpkin growers don't allow that - they select for the best pumpkin and cut off EVERY other one, investing 100% of the plant's resources into one giant
At this plase, 100+ gallons of water/day is common and fertilizing ramps up
As the season ramps, pumpkins will be putting on 30+lb of growth per day and need support underneath them so they don't collapse under their own weight.
Here's my "giant" pumpkin which I named Craig "Pucci" Johnson on a bed of sand. It's a small guy but illustrates the concept.
As growth slows to single digit lbs/day, experienced growers tend to taper off watering as it can help harden the skin and prevent the giant pumpkin from cracking.
Most of these giants get transported and weighed at shows, so the last thing you want to do is break it!
The current world record is held by twin brothers Ian and Stuart Paton at a weight of 2,819lb, grown THIS MONTH.
To date, NO ONE has grown a 3,000lb+ pumpkin, but I suspect in about 2-3 years someone will crack that number.
My name is Kevin, I love growing plants. I run a company called @epicgardening that teaches you how to grow plants. I sell 750+ varieties of organic & heirloom fruits veggies and herbs at @BotanicalSeeds and I don't care if you buy them or follow me. Thanks for reading :)
@epicgardening @BotanicalSeeds P.S. There is A TON more nuance and technique I could have gotten into, but this is pretty long & nerdy already. Rest assured these pumpkin growers are absolutely obsessed with maximizing yield and will go to crazy lengths to get it
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