Topic: Giant Pumpkin - would you use these seeds?

[Squash64]

I will be supplying the plants again for next year's giant pumpkin competition at our allotments.  This year I used Atlantic Giant seeds which were kindly given to me by a seed company. 

The chap who won this year with one of 233lbs has given me seeds from another one he grew but did not enter.  It looked even bigger than the winner but was not eligible because it wasn't supplied by me.   He grew it from seeds he had saved from a previous year.

I am wondering whether to use these seeds for next year or to buy AG. 

What would you do?

[Robert_Brenchley]

Use the seeds from the biggie if you've got enough of them, or alternatively seed from your biggie.

[Dandytown]

I love growing pumpkins and will be using about two thirds of my allotment next year for pumpkins and squashes.  I will be growing: Japanese Black Futsu (delicous!), snowman, bluemoon, Cinderella, Marina di chioggia (delicious!) and some squash (loofah and pattypans).

More to the point, I have also sectioned off 800 square foot for the growing of two giant pumpkins.  I have grown Atlantic Giant pumpkins from seeds from the garden centre but as I understand it, to grow large you need good genetics and that means seeds from a previous big one. 

233lbs is a respectable size but if you realy want to grow big then you need better seed.  To obtain some I suggest you log on bigpumpkins.com and look in the 'growers diaries' for UK growers.  You will be amazed at the size of the pumpkins that these enthusiasts grow.  If you contact some of them I am sure they will forward you some seeds for the price of postage or may sell you some for £5 or so.

I have obtained seed from a 978 lb pumpkin and have been sharin g these at my allotment in the hope that we can have our own competition although some plot holders are a little reluctant to give up growing space for something inedible.

My advice: source some better seed.  Another good way would to be joining the EGVGA, by becoming a member you get 3 newsletters a year and a large package of giant veg seed of all sorts, there are also competitions within the club.
 
http://www.freewebs.com/egvga/

good luck.

Peter

[saddad]

Welcome to A4A Peter...  :)

[Dandytown]

Thank you!  Just trying to work my way around the site whilst I should be working ;)

[slyfox-mal]

getting the right seeds is important im a member of both egvga and also bigpumpkin.com some real nice people on both them sites and also the very best growers any where in the world well worth a look atb mal

[Squash64]

Welcome to A4A Peter, and thank you for your reply.

I will look at both the websites you mention, thanks for telling me about them.

I wasn't sure about using saved seed, I haven't done it before because I've always bought seeds in the past.  This year I asked people to order AG plants(and pay £1 each) which I supplied at planting-out time.  I grew about 30 so you can imagine the space I needed!  We all felt it was much better doing it this way because everyone started off on an equal footing.

Have you had giant pumpkin competitions on your site in the past?  You say that people are reluctant to grow something which is inedible - our site is very multi-cultural and many of our West Indian and Asian plotholders were only too happy to take slices of the giants home.  One Asian family gave some to their local shop to sell and donated the money back to us.

[slyfox-mal]

hi squash64  the only way i would use any saved  pkn seeds is knowing 100% that it has been a closed pollenation  i would not risk planting seed that may have cross pollenated with other  pumpkins or squash or you may be just wasting a complete growing season when growing giant veg of any discription genetics is king
as some of the good growers in usa say you cant polish a turd well you can try but it will always be a turd no matter how shiny best of luck  next season and ps if you get stuck for seeds send me a message  atb mal

[Squash64]

hi squash64  the only way i would use any saved  pkn seeds is knowing 100% that it has been a closed pollenation  i would not risk planting seed that may have cross pollenated with other  pumpkins or squash or you may be just wasting a complete growing season when growing giant veg of any discription genetics is king
as some of the good growers in usa say you cant polish a turd well you can try but it will always be a turd no matter how shiny best of luck  next season and ps if you get stuck for seeds send me a message  atb mal

Thanks Mal, I will get 'good' seeds, hopefully.  Thanks for the offer - if I get stuck, I will let you know.
 ;D at the polishing bit!

[Dandytown]

Hi Betty,

I guess I am being a little dismissive by classing the large ones as inedible, its just that I find they lack in flavour.  However, a little culinary genius would no doubt make a tasty feast out of the pumpkins.

when do you plant your seeds betty as I have read that growth can be stunted through transplanting.  I planted mine at the beginning of April and they were pot bound for a while due to frosts and were rather large by the time I planted them.  Best advice, so i have learnt is not to sow too early but then again after waiting a whole winter for spring to arrive i am not (Pause for breath and consideration of punctuation)..... I just can't help myself.

I checked out your allotment website and it exudes that community feel.  We have some lovely people on our site which is much smaller than yours.  Step by step i hope to convert them all and maybe engage the council to start allotment competitions which I believe they use to hold in the past.

What i would really love is to find a competition up here.  The nearest serious one i belive is in Mere Brow.  google is for more pumpkin information.

By the way a useful book is How to Grow Giant (or World Class?) pumpkins by Don Langevin.  I have not purchased yet but hope to over the winter to learn as much as I can.

Coming back to your 30 plants, I guess for it to be a fair contest for all and not to be a seed lottery, then it is best to use the same batch of seed for everyone

[Digeroo]

I grew a giant pumkin from a plant someone gave me.  I also have a couple a real giants with pedigrees which someone on this forum kindly gave me but due to problems with the manure I decided to wait until next year.  As it was the chosen spot had no manure issues and I grew a good sized pumpkin.  Actually I rather liked the flavour - I sauteed it.   I gave quite a lot away and it ended up in soup.

There are a large number of pumpkin recipes.  Fried until soft and then with added herbs and perhaps onion, with tomato and cheese and grilled it is delicious.  Also with spice as pumpkin pie, can also use instead of courgette in cakes etc. 

I think you are right to source some good seed.  The large one might produce a larger one but to be fair you everyone you  need to provide an equally good chance of success.  Mind you with so many giant marrow plants in a small area I would expect your allotment s to produce some good fathers.    Perhaps next year you should use two known parents and do your own pollinating. 

[aj]

Of course you only have his word that they were from the big pumpkin  :-\

I'd only accept them if I knew they were hand pollinated - to be honest.

[Digeroo]

Yes I suppose I only have someones word they are from a giant but the seeds are humungus much much bigger than commercial available ones.