Tips on how to grow Giant Pumpkins?

Question

I want to grow some giant pumpkins this year and was wondering if anyone had any tips or hints to help me grow a mammoth pumpkin....

Answer 1

It takes 125 to 130 days to grow a giant pumpkin, & it is started indoors in spring. Start with the right variety. 'Dill's Atlantic Giant' has set many world records. 'Prizewinner', 'Big Max', or 'Big Moon' are also good.

Start early in spring. "The more competitive growers start their seeds inside and have them ready for transplanting when the plant is in the three-leaf stage," says Howard Dill of Nova Scotia, breeder of 'Dill's Atlantic Giant,' a variety that's produced many world record holders.
But don't start them too early, Dill warns, "because the plant may become spindly and have a weak root structure." Also, bear in mind that "transplanting can stunt pumpkin seedlings' growth." Even under the best conditions, it may take up to two weeks before a transplant finally root in and starts growing.

Whether you start with seeds or seedlings, give them plenty of room to spread out—25 feet from each other. They are vigorous growers and heavy feeders, and good soil is important. Enrich your planting bed with any type of aged or composted animal manure. Dill strongly favors cow manure but other pumpkin growers have used other kinds of manure.

Of the 125 to 130 days it takes to grow a giant pumpkin, "the first 60 are very important," Dill says. "That's when the plant extends itself, flowers begin to appear and the fruit begins to form." To achieve record size pumpkins, you must select one or two of the first few on the vine (typically those with the best shape) and remove the others. Also, pinch off any that form later.

During the second 60 days, the fruit may grow 8 to 20 pounds per day. To fuel that growth, "organic gardeners can feed with manure tea or compost tea after the fruit is set," Dill says. Weekly feeding is essential for growing giant pumpkins.

To become an eye-popping behemoth, your pumpkin has to grow at a good steady rate. So, do everything you can to protect its leaves. They supply nutrients to the stem of the pumpkin. If you're growing in a windy location, plant a few rows of corn around your pumpkin patch to keep the plants from being damaged.

Pumpkin leaves need lots of sun, but direct sunlight on the pumpkin itself will harden its outer skin, limiting its growth. You can construct a shade out of burlap or other lightweight material.

Temperature is important, too. Daytime highs around 80 to 90 degrees F are ideal for growing giant pumpkins.
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-16-164,00.html

Give the vines 25 feet in each direction,
Water it, regularly, daily even
Feed it: composted cow manure or compost tea, weekly.

Here's another site on growing Giant Pumpkins:
http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants.htm
Good luck! Hope this is helpful.

Answer 2

Pick one flower on the plant than cut off all the rest.It will put all the energy into that one flower that will produce the fruit.While the fruit is small put it inside a pair of panty hose and raise it off the ground to keep bugs from putting holes in it.When it grows too big for the panty hose cut the hose off of it.Keep the plant mulched with cedar mulch(it repels bugs)keep it well watered and fertilize 1/2 strength every other week.You don't want to over fertilize because it will make the plant grow huge and not really do too much for the fruit.Good Luck! also choose a type that produces huge pumpkins.

Answer 3

There are seeds you can buy for them - im not sure if normal pumpkins could grow that large. The trick is to plant the seeds, use a ton of miricle grow and fertilizer, the one on the vine that grows the biggest, cut the rest of the pumpkins off and feed just the one- my pop grew some one year- we needed a bord to roll it into the persons car that bot it.

Answer 4

it's late in the season for punkins unless you live in the south. but when I grew them I pumped milk into them thru the stem each day with a hypodermic needle when there about the size of a softball

Answer 5

This should help ,http://www.backyardgardener.com/wcgp/tips/10steps/10steps.html RScott

Answer 6

man that just takes a lot of TLC and a green thumb, got those!

Answer 7

miracle grow will do it lots of water