Pumpkins are not supposed to do well in cool weather. But mine are going crazy this year. One of them is a variety that I don’t recognize. Could one of my saved seeds have gotten mixed up in my seed box? Could I have planted a “giant pumpkin” by mistake?
A couple of years ago, someone gave me several seeds in a plastic bag that was labeled “giant pumpkins”. I never planted the seeds because I was being pessimistic and thought I would lucky to get pumpkins of any size to grow in our coastal climate. But now, appearing in my small pumpkin patch, nestled among the rose trees, are the strangest looking pumpkins I’ve ever seen! The vine that is producing them is 20 feet long. The largest pumpkin growing is 12-14″ in diameter. It is larger that my regular pumpkins and lighter in color. It appears to have a thinner skin and is flattening out on one side. I’ve given it several turns so that it won’t become too deformed but in turning it, I may break it from its stem and prevent it from reaching its full potential so I am extremely careful.
When I first noticed this odd “giant” pumpkin, it was about the size of a cantaloupe. It resembled a cross between a large yellow crookneck and a pumpkin. I convinced myself that some cross pollination had taken place behind my back. I cut it off and baked it as I do small pumpkins, by cutting it in half and removing the seeds, then placing it face down on a cooking sheet and baking it for about an hour. I scooped out the “meat” after it was finished cooking, mashed it, added a little butter and salt and pepper. It was quite delicious!
I wish I had realized what this vine was going to produce. I would have followed some procedures to give it a chance to be a contest winner. There are some techniques to growing “bigger than big” pumpkins. You must let your vine have two or three pumpkins until they reach the size of a volley-ball. Then you must remove all but the fastest growing one! Put a piece of plywood or cedar under your selected fruit and protect it from critters and the hot sun. Feed your pumpkin a well-balanced fertilizer until your fruit is about 12″ and then cut back on nitrogen. Water is critical at this point! Competitive growers of giant pumpkins all have secret formulas for getting their pumpkins to reach 1200 pounds ! You must help your pumpkin get all the nourishment it can absorb. You must pinch off new baby pumpkins (ouch) and remove any new shoots the plant sends out.
There is an annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off to be held at the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 20. There is no entry fee but you must complete an entry form to enter and to win any of the prizes. Entry forms are available from any of the Farm Supply stores. Too late for me this year, but perhaps you may have an entry worthy of a trophy!
Lovely! I didn’t plant any pumpkins this summer but I had some volunteers come up near the front door. They are tiny, smaller than softballs and very cute. The vines don’t take up much real estate, an added bonus for my tiny garden.