From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Ohio, Grove City

i need big time help on growing a giant pumpkin if anywone would be kind enough to help me i would aperate it alot thanks!

6/17/2003 11:45:36 PM

Ga.

Just start reading all post sappy..Everything you possibily need to know right here..

6/18/2003 9:05:48 AM

Montoursville, PA

Advise depends on the degree of real desire you have to grow a really big one your first year! More important would you be willing to work at it all summer and fall getting a really good patch ready for the 2004 growing season? If the answer is yes many here will agree to the following:

First get the book second edition How To Grow a Giant Pumpkin by Don Langevin. Second join your Ohio Giant Pumpkin Growers Association and make a local association with an Ohio Grower. Third start right now getting a five to seven hundred square foot patch marked off for each plant. Grow only two your first year! Fourth start hauling manure by the pickup truck loads and till it in. You can use four or five healthy loads per patch. Fifth get help to adjust your PH in the patch to 6.5 - 7.2. This will require a soil test. This fall add as many leaves as you can possibly till in. Three feet or more is not to many. Till the leaves in and plant annual rye as a cover crop.
...Continue to come here and read the grower diaries while chatting for help or asking for advise as you just have.
...This would be a start at building a super quality patch from which something really nice should appear.

Your other option is to throw a seed into what ever conditions you have now where upon you will most likely end up wishing you had built the patch first and studied up anyway.

I did it the latter way last year. My advise is from personal experience. You may read my diary if you wish as one with some patch building observations and comment.

6/18/2003 9:18:48 AM

In the shade - PDX, OR

I find that most of the fun in learning something new is in the "discovery".

Some advice:

1) Get Don Langevin's books
2) Check out the 'How to' section here on BP.com - for a few good topics.
3) Check out the Featured growers transcripts
4) Make a list of topics that you want to learn more about & do a site search here on BP.com ie. pruning, growing patterns, patch prep, etc.
5) Check out the 'Links' section - I like Henry's Hole.

Good Luck & Happy growing.

6/18/2003 11:54:55 AM