How to grow GIANT pumpkins

Fall is a unique season, and personally my favorite, especially for farm families as they’re harvesting their crops. While many families enjoy carving pumpkins together, sipping hot apple cider, and then splurging on a giant piece of pumpkin pie, fall creates the perfect atmosphere for such activities. Especially for those competitive pumpkin growers as they work towards breaking the next record for the world’s largest pumpkin. Growing the next award winning, giant pumpkin can happen in your very own backyard, so take note because the next giant pumpkin could be grown by you!

Like anything else, beginner pumpkin growers receive an overwhelming amount of ideas and opinions of how they should conduct their pumpkin growing. Even though there seems to be one specific way to grow a pumpkin, many growers have varying tactics at how to grow their individual giant pumpkins. Among the varying opinions three staple hold true; one must have good seed, good soil, and above all good luck. Some pumpkin growers even attempt to set sail in their giant pumpkins.

pumpkin grower sailing in his giant pumpkin

To grow a giant pumpkin in your backyard, growers should invest in Howard Dill’s patented Atlantic Giant variety. No other variety has been the world champion since 1979 so the odds of having the next giant pumpkin would be in your favor. These seeds do extremely well in soil filled with organic matter. In the early spring add two to five yards per plant of cow or horse manure as these fertilizers work best. In the fall use chicken manure sparingly. The soil pH should be between 6.5 and 6.8. If you have found success managing a small vegetable garden, you will be able to handle growing giant pumpkins.

Start with a pH test in the fall by adding sulfur to lower the levels and lime to raise it. Plant one to two pounds of winter rye per 1000 square foot area to be plowed in the early spring. When starting the seed, they should be planted inside in six inch pea pots about four weeks before your last spring frost date with the pointed end of the seed facing down. Soil temperature should be between 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds should emerge within five days. When the first true leaves begin to show, you can now transplant the seedlings but keep them sheltered from wind and frost.

Next, the first female flowers will appear so if you want to get a jump start on growing bigger pumpkins you will have to hand pollinate these flowers in the early morning with a freshly opened male flower. Remove the outer flower petals, exposing the stamen and fresh pollen. Then gently swab the internal parts of the female flower with the pollen laden stamen. It is crucial to set the pumpkin before July 10 as they can gain 25 pounds a day. This is a crucial growing season.

After setting the pumpkin, the vine placement becomes very valuable. The stem should be perpendicular to the vine for optimal growth. If your pumpkin is not at the right angels naturally, coax it for about a week until it’s in that position. Be sure not to injure the fragile stem as some pumpkins may die at this early phase. After this you will begin to see the actual pumpkins growing. Now it’s time to choose the pumpkin you want to continue growing. Young, round, tall pumpkins usually grow the fastest into giant pumpkins so those are the ones to keep around. You should remove the rest of the pumpkins so you can focus on growing the giant.

Prune each main vine when it has reached 10 to 12 feet beyond the pumpkin. The side shoots should be no longer than 8 feet before pruning them back as well. Train side shoots so they are perpendicular to the main vine to accommodate access to the vines and pumpkins. Bury the ends of the cuts veins to reduce water loss. Seedlings thrive under a high phosphorus fertilizer. Use a formula that stresses potassium towards the end of July. Do not overfertilize. This could harm the plant more than help it. Finally, keep track of the growth of your pumpkins. Circumference gains can average 4 to 6 inches in a 24 hour period. Measure the circumference of your pumpkins first parallel to the ground around the entire pumpkin, from blossom end to stem. Next, measure over the top in both directions: from ground to ground along the axis from stem to blossom end, then perpendicular to the stem-blossom-end axis. Add these three measurements together, then multiply by 1.9 to give an estimate of the pumpkin's weight.

giant pumpkins

I hope this is helpful as you begin growing your very own giant pumpkin!