Anyone growing Atlantic Giants ?

[pete JB]

Hi,
I`m new to the forum !

Is anyone growing the above this year ?
I managed 2 pounds short of 500 last year and I`m hoping to get over 1000 this time.
Does anybody here grow for competition ?
I`m interested in methopds of cultivation etc.

Cheers

Peter

[Robert_Brenchley]

I have some in seed form. I haven't done very well with Big Max, probably because of the weather the last couple of years, so I may well try it.

[Dadnlad]

We've got 2/2 Big Max to germinate , but no show on the two Atlantic Giants - are they trickier to grow 

[Uncle Joshua]

I have grown Atlantic Giants for a few years, I tend to feed mine a can of beer every few day once they get to a certain size. (Tesco value will do.)

[Sparkly]

I am growing Atlantic Giant this year. In Bernard Lavery;s 'How to Grow Giant Veg' book he recommends planting on a 'mound' with a huge amount of manure/compost and then letting the stem root with the fruit growing after the rooting. Hand pollenate the fruits and limit to 1 per side root. I think it was a maximum of 5 sideshoots. Eventually down to 1 pumpkin at the end. Support the stem for each fruit. Even cover with a blanket in cold weather. If you are interested I will get the book out and summarise what he says.

[FennelandFern]

The first vegetable I ever grew was a giant pumpkin. It was amazing, and this year I'm growing them again as a way of tempting my husband into gardening. I've made a special raised bed for them filled with horse manure in the winter, and over the past month I have been burying my kitchen scraps at the bottom of the raised bed, just as you might do for runner beans. Pumpkins are happiest growing on a compost heap, so I'm trying to replicate that.

Once they are growing (I am starting the seed indoors in newspaper pots to give them a good start and avoid root disturbance when they are planted out), I will feed them once a week with homemade comfrey fertiliser and apply a mulch of spent hops which have soaked in water for 24 hours (some nice small breweries give these away). I feed my sunflowers beer, but have never tried this with pumpkins. Thanks for the tip!

Also love the idea of tucking the pumpkin up under a blanket...any more wisdom from the giant veg book is much appreciated.

www.fennelandfern.co.uk

[saddad]

Welcome to the site Peter...
I grow some AG's and Big Max as well as consumption squash and the big boys go into soup... by the gallon. Don't know what I'd ever do with 500lb or more though!! 

[OllieC]

I've never bothered before, as they take up so much space for something you're not going to eat... boring!

Last month we were in the garden centre, 3 year old daughter saw the packet and asked if we could grow them. "There's no point in growing them, what would you do with it?" I asked. A puzzled look from my daughter as she explained, "I'd probably just use it for sitting on" (The puzzled look at needing to have a reason for doing something fun).

So this year we're doing them. I have a builders bag full of year old manure (with a hint of Aminopyralid). It doesn't get full sun but should still be okay, I reckon... well, hope really.

[cheerfulness]

3 year old daughter saw the packet and asked if we could grow them. "There's no point in growing them, what would you do with it?" I asked. A puzzled look from my daughter as she explained, "I'd probably just use it for sitting on" (The puzzled look at needing to have a reason for doing something fun).

Oh I love that! Aren't 3 year olds wonderful. They remind us what lifes all about - just having fun sometimes! 

[steve76]

Hi all
Just found your site ( very good)
Me and my little lad grew some atlantic giant's last year for fun managed to get one 134lbs ..... Lad was well happy with that would love to get bigger this year so any help on what to feed etc would be helpfull.
Had a load of cow poo as my kids call it droped at my plot but its very fresh would that be ok to put in the hole 1st??
Thanks steve.

[saddad]

Welcome to the site Steve... as long as the little plant wasn't in direct contact with it you should be OK... the heat will get it going.. 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Put a layer of soil over the muck, and plant into that. It'll be fine.

[Doris_Pinks]

I am holding a competition on our site to grow the biggest pumpkin...........the seeds I have given out were Atlantic giant, so yup I am growing them!
I found this pumpkin site which has some good info............

http://www.merebrow.com/home/mbgp/how_to_grow.html

as I am setting the competition, I feel I have to try get a big un!  (OH would be horrified if I fed it beer, tho have heard of this before, just never tried it!)

[Sparkly]

Has anyone got their pumpkins planted out yet? My are hardening off maybe I will get them in on Sunday. We have covered the area with woven weed suppressant membrane. Dug under the area are trenches filled with composting material. We have made a mound of compost and grass clippings wiht some soil over where the actual plants will go in. I think I will cut a few slits in the membrane and pin down the shoots to let them root once the fruits set. I am also going to surround the plants with a cube made of acrylic (no lid) until they have had chance for the roots to establish. I think I might try giving a feed with beer occassionally too! Fingers crossed. Have never grown the large pumpkins before, although we have been successful with smaller varieties.

[saddad]

The rest is sound... but drink the beer yourself!! 

[Sparkly]

The rest is sound... but drink the beer yourself!! 

It's okay I don't like beer, so it is only Ant that will miss out! hehe

[chriscross1966]

Welcome to the site Peter...
I grow some AG's and Big Max as well as consumption squash and the big boys go into soup... by the gallon. Don't know what I'd ever do with 500lb or more though!! 

Make a lot of soup?

[Squash64]

Hi,
I`m new to the forum !

Is anyone growing the above this year ?
I managed 2 pounds short of 500 last year and I`m hoping to get over 1000 this time.
Does anybody here grow for competition ?
I`m interested in methopds of cultivation etc.

Cheers

Peter

Welcome Peter  .
If you grew one of almost 500 pounds, I don't think you need any advice from us! 
Last year I came first, second and third in our site competition with AGs of 166, 138 and 134lb. but their combined weight wasn't even close to 500lb
This year I'm growing Sumo as well as AG and planted them all outside last week.

[tonybloke]

the start of something big?

[Sparkly]

Could be Tonybloke! Mine have similar small fruits! Really hope I manage a decent one.