Giant pumpkin

[reddyreddy]

I want to grow a giant pumpkin for my children next year and am just planning out beds. I have a 4 pallet compost heap (ie about 1 metre square) which is covered with black weed membrane, do you think that would be big enough to plant it in?

[reddyreddy]

[chriscross1966]

I want to grow a giant pumpkin for my children next year and am just planning out beds. I have a 4 pallet compost heap (ie about 1 metre square) which is covered with black weed membrane, do you think that would be big enough to plant it in?

Should be OK but it won't get really huge..... you should be able to get close to 100 lbs though.. would you like some Atlantic Giant seeds?... I have spares....

chrisc

[reddyreddy]

would love some, will pm my address. Out of interest roughly how big (as in diameter) would 100lbs look like?!! Sounds huge to me!

[chriscross1966]

100 lbs would be nearly two feet across... My brother holds our family record at 96 lbs and it was about that size....IIRC the absolute record is over 3/4 of a ton for that variety.

chrisc

[Digeroo]

My brother holds our family record at 96 lbs

How much manure do you use?  Are they still edible or is the flesh all stringy?

[reddyreddy]

2 feet across!!! That's flipping enormous!! Wowzers!

[chriscross1966]

Brothers record grew on a 2 ton heap but with little attention, I plan smaller heap but lots of BFB and chicken pellets plus protection and I have a sunnier spot to grow it in... It will also get a lot of potash...

AG's aren't particularly good eating it has to be admitted.... I'm growing Baby Bear and a bunch of other squashes for eating....

chrisc

[susan1]

I grew one last year, actually by mistake, thought it  was a normal one was just planted on the allotment and given no special treatment and it grew to 84lbs............. never did get to eat it thou tried to give it to local schools for halloween but schools around here don't do halloween and I left it outside and it got frosted :-[

[chriscross1966]

2 feet across!!! That's flipping enormous!! Wowzers!

Not really.... the big ones need HIAB's to move them..... this countries record is norht of 1500lbs, the world record is more than that (American IIRC, over 1700lbs...).... The race is on for the 1=-ton pumpkin...

chrisc

[amphibian]

This is a big pumpkin.

If you want to grow them really big, you need to get seed from a big pumpkin. There are websites where people sell seeds from record breakers.

[Jayb]

 :o :o :o

[yorkielondon]

folks.... reading all the messages on here about Giant pumkins..
ive got to give this ago. only got lottie this spring..and looking forward to next year, big time... but where do i start with the Giant pumkin thing... many thanks..  ;) ;)

[Andy H]

I left a water butt dripping next to the pumpkin plant and planted it in a hole that I dug out and filled with manure. I grew it to 138lb which just fit in the wheelbarrow and did a guess the weight for charity and auctioned it off, gave another to kids for harvest festival!

Lots of food and water and let about 3 vines grow to 30ft before you let ONE or TWO fruits grow and pick the rest off daily!

[Jayb]

folks.... reading all the messages on here about Giant pumkins..
ive got to give this ago. )

Yep, I was thinking of having a go next year too ;D. I guess the starting point is seeds and a gurt big dollup of muck!