SOGPG

Good Seed
Good Soil
Good Luck
Preparing the Soil
Sowing the Seeds
Transplanting the Seedlings
Protecting the Seedlings
Pollinating the Flowers
Pollination Problems
Repositioning the Pumpkin
Selecting a Pumpkin to Grow
Pruning
Fertilizing
Keeping Good Records

*Information obtained from ThePumpkinMaster.com

If you are a beginner then this is a must and what you must have to compete. For the more advanced growers family trees are very important. Good parents are essential. Some things to consider when picking a seed are:

-Make sure the parents weighed in higher than their estimated weight,

-Make sure the fruit was not green; this would make it a squash,

-Seeds that have large parents and grandparent will most likely produce large offspring, and

-Seeds that have been grown before and have produced large offspring are a good pick.

Make sure the seeds you receive have a name such as 405 Sanchez 99 (See the Pumpkin Pedigree). This means that the pumpkin weighed 405 lbs, a grower with the last name Sanchez grew it and it was grown in 1999. If a seed doesn't come with this info you will have no idea what its genetics are. Most growers will give you their seeds for free and give you the genetics. Many companies will charge you for seeds with no genetics that could be 10 years old. That is most likely the reason that people who buy from them are disappointed upon receiving there overpriced, non-labeled seeds which have been found to have poor germination rates.

A good link to try is The Backyard Gardener. Click on mailing list and you can email growers who will send you seeds for free with genetics. They will also give you advice on how to do almost anything with your pumpkins.

These are just some basic rules for growing giant pumpkins and will be a good foundation for any beginner or experienced grower. But as one moves on and becomes more daring, he might want to try using unproven seeds from the previous year on a gut instinct.

The key to growing a giant pumpkin is definitely in the soil preparation. For the beginning grower, buying compost and peat moss along with a good water-soluble fertilizer should do the trick. More experienced growers do soil tests and refer to the mailing list at The Backyard Gardener for advice on how to amend their soil. If just beginning, try buying bags of compost, till them into the soil a month or two before one is ready to plant. If you are starting late, tilling them in on the same day you plant is ok. Just make sure it is compost and not manure. As for the amount, try laying the bags of compost on the ground until one can't see the ground, then cut the bags open and till (removing the bags of course). Most experienced growers use even more than that, but for the beginner who is just feeling things out this should do the trick. Also, tilling should be done 3 to 4 feet down for best results. The roots can easily go that deep and a looser soil allows for roots to develop a larger system. Many top growers also test their soil to see what nutrients are missing and to find out what the pH is. For anyone who wants to compete with top growers this is recommended. The soil should be about a pH of 7.

The type of soil is also very important. Some have very sandy soil and some have more of a clay type. Sandy soil is definitely preferred. If one has a hard clay soil, it would be a good idea to buy some topsoil to loosen the soil up, as well as using compost and peat moss.

If you can grow a good vegetable garden, you have the skill to grow a world-record pumpkin. Newcomers have been known to grow 500-pound pumpkins their first year with good seed, some rudimentary help from an experienced grower and a lot of luck. With the right preparation and strategy now and in the spring, next year you might just be a contender for the world championship!

Start with a pH test in the fall and adjust your pH to between 6.5 and 6.8 by adding sulfur to lower the pH or lime to raise it. Apply three to five yards of composted manure per 30-foot-diameter circle where you expect to plant next spring. Plant a cover crop of winter rye in fall to be turned under in early spring, broadcasting one to two pounds per 1,000-square-foot area.

Start your seeds indoors in six-inch peat pots about four weeks before your last spring frost date. Plant the seed with the pointed end of the seed facing down. Keep the soil temperature at 85 to 90 degrees F. Most seeds will emerge within five to seven days.

Transplant seedlings into the garden once the first true leaves appear or when roots begin to grow through the peat pot (usually only a few days after germination). Handle with care because pumpkins are easily set back during transplanting. It is important to get your seedling into the ground early. Roots want to get spread out and keeping the seedlings in a small container will hamper their success.

Place a "mini-greenhouse" over the seedlings for six weeks to shield plants from wind and frost. These mini-greenhouses can be as simple as two storm windows nailed together to form a teepee or as elaborate as a four- by four-foot wooden structure made from 1x2 lumber nailed together with 6-mil clear plastic stapled to cover the frame. Once seedlings outgrow the mini-greenhouse, use a temporary fence to screen wind. Some use "conservation" fence, which is bought with wood end stakes attached and is commonly used at new construction sites. A 100-foot roll cut into three pieces is enough for three 11-foot-diameter areas.

At about 60 days after germination, the first female flowers will appear. They're easy to distinguish because they have a small pumpkin at their base. If you want to ensure you lineage, you'll need to hand-pollinate the flowers It is a good idea to place plastic or paper bags over the male and female flowers that will be opening in the next morning so that no early morning bee's can pollinate your flowers with any foreign pollen. Next, in the early morning, locate a freshly opened male flower. Pick it and remove the outer flower petals, exposing the stamen and fresh pollen Locate a newly opened female flower and gently swab the stigma (internal parts) of the female flower with the pollen-laden stamen. Cover the flower back up so that no late bees can put foreign pollen in them. One major problem with pollination is the heat. For a detailed explanation of how to deal with heat stress, which leads to pollination not occurring,

Getting a pumpkin set as early as possible, preferably before July 10, is key - this now varies due to location. Some growers in Florida start as early as February planting and pollinate in April. Others in hot climates that are not as severe may just want to start a month earlier and pollinate on June 10th. But for growers wanting to compete in festivals, growers in the east and the growers in Canada must pollinate in July so they can have a maximum amount of growing time before the early October contests. So for eastern growers who can start as late as July 10th, the earlier you set a pumpkin, the longer it has to grow until harvest. Since these monsters can gain 25 pounds a day, losing 10 days in the early part of the season could put you well down the list at your local pumpkin weigh-off.

One major problem with pollination is the heat. If temps are near or above 90 degrees, your giant pumpkin, or any pumpkin or fruit will most likely not be pollinated. The solution to the problem is to create a microclimate that is cool. This can easily be done with some Styrofoam, ice, and a tomato cage. Simply put the tomatoes cage over the pollinated female and rap the Styrofoam around it. Place ice inside the cage, around the outer edge so that it is not touching the female. Ice may need to be added throughout the day but the result is worth the work.

Once a pumpkin has set, its position on the vine becomes extremely important. Most often the stem grows at a very acute angle to the vine. However, for optimal long-term growth, the best position is to have the stem perpendicular to the vine. If yours is not at a right angle to the vine naturally, coax it gradually, over about a week's time, until it is in that position. Be careful, because at this early stage pumpkins may still abort or you may injure the fragile stem. More importantly, if one adjusts their pumpkin too much it may just snap off. To minimize the risk of a stem snapping, only adjust it during the warmest part of the day. A warmer stem is a more pliable stem. One also wants to curve the vine away from the pumpkin. The vine should be in a "U" shape above the pumpkin.

If one plant has three strong vines, you could have as many as seven or eight pumpkins set and growing. Now you must choose the best pumpkin and remove most of the rest. Measure each pumpkin's circumference at the widest point weekly or daily with a cloth measuring tape. Choose the one that's growing fastest. Often, two or three pumpkins may be growing at the same rate, or at nearly the same rate. If this occurs use these guidelines: Pumpkins on the main vine have the most promise. If one has a choice between a pumpkin on a secondary vine or a main vine, choose the main vine pumpkin almost every time. his is not to say there are not exceptions, but if one is playing the odds, go for a main vine pumpkin. Another consideration is the pumpkins stem. Long straight stems are more desirable than short and/or curved ones. Also, relating to stems, picking a pumpkin that has the vine trained away from it. This will become important when the pumpkin grows in size. This will prevent the vine from rubbing on the shoulders of your pumpkin and will prevent the dreaded stem stress. Also, when selecting a pumpkin, one may want to consider the place the pumpkin is on the vine. Another hypothesis is that a pumpkin 12 to 16 feet out on the main vine may have the most promise. Also, keep an eye out for the optimum shape. Young pumpkins that are round and especially tall grow the largest. Another important point is to make it a gradual process when cutting the pumpkins one doesn't think are the most promising. This means that instead of just cutting the stem all the way through in one day and taking the pumpkin inside, one might consider slowly cutting the stem off for a period of a week or so. Some growers hypothesize that when one cuts a pumpkin all at once, the plant puts all the energy it once had for two or more pumpkins into one. This could result in splits and no pumpkins!

Begin pruning vines early in the season to discourage random growth and an out-of-control patch. Let side shoots off the main vines get no longer than eight feet before cutting off tips. Train side shoots so they are perpendicular to the main vine to accommodate access to the vines and pumpkins. Bury the ends of cut vines to reduce water loss.

During the growing season, most fertility needs of pumpkins can be met by applying water-soluble plant foods once or twice a week over the entire plant area. Give seedlings a fertilizer that stresses phosphorus, such as 15-30-15. Shift to a more balanced formula, such as 20-20-20, once fruits are set.

By late July, use a formula that stresses potassium. Some competitive growers will err on the side of over fertilization. But too much fertilizer can hurt more than help. If the pumpkins start growing too fast, they will literally tear themselves from the vine and explode. Whenever you feel the urge to over fertilize, remember, "Slow and easy wins the race."

Measure your pumpkins at least weekly. Early on, one may want to measure their pumpkins daily, but as growth slows, frequency of measuring should too. Gains in circumference can average four to six inches in a 24-hour period. Measure the circumference of your pumpkins first parallel to the ground around the entire pumpkin from blossom end to stem. Next, measure over the top in both directions: from ground to ground along the axis from stem to blossom end, then perpendicular to the stem-blossom-end axis. Add these three measurements together, and then multiply by 1.9 to give an estimate of the pumpkin's weight

Now even though this seems like a lot of information, for the competitive grower, these are just the basics. nd now that there are growers all over the United States and the world, different planting techniques and strategies to deal with bugs, disease, and weather are used and have to be learned through experience.