Well this year is my year to make the "GREAT PUMPKIN" Charlie Brown or at least try! I have day dreams of using the neighbors tractor to lift my pumpkin on the trailer and head to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival this fall.
I started with around 20 yards of horse muck from a neighbors stables and composted it over the winter.
Then I found an older gentleman giant pumpkin grower on the Internet and bribed him with a few jars of my wild black berry jam. He sent me 31 seeds from his arsenal for me and my son to try. The seeds came from pumpkins that weighed from 1,253 pounds to 602 pounds. So, these are some high power seeds/genetics. Wish me Luck!!
So last night the project started. I decided to let them germinate in 2" soil blocks as right now I'm having fun playing with my soil block maker.
Here are the blocks with an empty 3/4" hole in the top.
I learned a trick from the giant pumpkin growers web-site and sanded the edges (not the tip) of the seeds to make it easier for them to push the outer case off when they germinate.
Here are the soil bocks with seeds ready to wait for the first sign of the "GREAT PUMPKIN"
Well now I'm like a father in the waiting room of the hospital waiting for that cry of joy when I see my babies for the first time. LOL!!!
Have a Great Pumpkin of a Day!!
Frank
How exciting!! Oh, to have the room for GIANT pumkpins!
Are you going to do the whole milk-fed route or just use the old-fashioned "water and sunshine" method?
Stacy,
Lots of land is that bad news good news conversation.
I'm behind on doing the final pruning of 110 grape vines, the weeds are up and I need to mow, Oh, the irrigation system needs work on the orchard before it gets too hot..... But, the good news is I get to garden and garden till I'm tired and want to jump in the pool to cool off.
Well I'm not a "milk-fed route" type of guy but I've got a 50 gallon compost tea brewer that is going to be working overtime this season between the garden and the pumpkin patch.
Here is video of one of my first attempts and brewing compost tea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnNBZe_c47g
I hope that I end up with a least one decent 500+ pumpkin to take a picture of with my son sitting on top of it.
Have a Great Day!!
Frank
Do the soil blocks get any credit? 
Well Justin, I guess they could be listed on the Birth Certificates as the surrogate mother's since the seeds aren't going directly into the pumpkin patch. LOL
Have a Great Day!!
Frank
I wish I was talking about pumpkins but, I'm still battling with getting them going. Out of the first batch only one germinated and it's shell damaged one side of the plant that is just starting to get going now. I did a quick start (pealed the outer shell off and started the seed wrapped in a paper towel in a warm plastic bag) with on 4 more seeds and it looks like 2 mite be going. So to be honest my Hubbard squash looks ten times better then the Giant Pumpkins.
Have a Great Day!!
Frank
I will take pictures and I'm hoping that the pumkin is lager or I'll have to use photo shop to zoom.
Have a Great Day!!
Frank
Well I've been layed up with a broken foot and a nice friend has been tending things for me.
But I couldn't tke it any longer and limped out on my crutches to take a picture.
These two 75 pounders are on the same vine. The leaves are wilted from the noon sun but pop back each afternoon.
One more week on crutches then slowlly back into the garden.
Have a Great Day!!
Frank
