Optimist Club and Giant Pumpkins

Spoke to the local Arvada Optimist club this week on how to grow giant pumpkins. I wasn't sure going into it how many of them would be interested in the topic, but nobody fell asleep and they all seemed very interested. I asked who wanted seeds and almost everyone asked for one so I figured they must have been into it.

2010 Seed Lineup

I believe I have finalized my 2010 seed lineup. Very grateful to the kind growers who gave me the seeds! Especially grateful to Eddy for the 1385 Jutras. I'm sure I got way more from him then I gave to him. Lots of generous growers out there.
The finalists are: 1385 Jutras, 1236 Harp, 1128 Orleck, 1316 Harp, 1528 Starr and 1019 Grande. Hoping that one of these will get me over 1,000 pounds and beyond.

Niagara Giant Pumpkin Seminar

This last weekend I went to the pumpkin seminar in Niagara. The three day event was a lot of fun and very informative. After arriving in Buffalo the Biz, Wiz and myself went to the Anchor bar with Schweigert to get some of their world famous wings. The Anchor bar is famous for being the inventor of buffalo wings. At the Anchor bar we met up with Ron Wallace, former world record holder and a really nice guy. I had many highlights on this trip but being able to sit down and ask Ron a whole list of questions was a real highlight and he was gracious enough to thoughtfully answer everything asked by everyone.

Off all of the seminars at the conference the most interesting for me was John Tabernas on soil. I've spoke with John last year after Thad Starr had hooked me up with him and it was a real pleasure. Talking with John about soils is like drinking from a fire hydrant. 70% of the time he is over my head, but what John has been doing this last year with his lab is soil and tissue sampling on Atlantic Giant pumpkins with top growers to determine what these pumpkins really need. Some of the things he said really turned the heads of a lot of heavy hitters. Like suggesting that we are over watering the pumpkins late in the season. I video taped this section of the conference and I'm going to need to watch it a lot of times before I can start to fully grasp the ramifications of his suggestions.

Another highlight from the trip is the little prank pulled on the Biz. Eddy and the Wiz had hatched a little plan over the last couple of months that I was a part of but didn't know all of the details until it had happened. Eddy was talking at the table and said he wanted Jim's 1019 Grande seed. Jim said he didn't bring any seeds so I pulled out of my pocket the 1019 that the Wiz had given me for the joke and I said, "Well I've got one for you Eddy." Eddy then handed me a 1385 Jutras that he had promised me but the exchange looked like a trade. Gary then said, "I've got a 1019 for you too" and handed Eddy the packet. Eddy then handed back a packet that I only got a glimpse of but it looked an awful lot like a 1068 Wallace packet. Once it was in the Wiz's hand I looked closer and it was a 1068 Wallace packet and the envelope was sealed. I'm not going to say what was inside that packet but there will be some good genetics in Colorado in 2010.

At the conference the top growers from last year were honored. Of that group I got some time with Don Young who grew two 1,600+ pound pumpkins this last year. He was a really great guy and more than willing to talk and share ideas. It was fun watching the segment of him on Conan Obrien this last fall with him.

Patch prep time is just around the corner now and the warm Denver, Colorado weather of the last few days is getting all the locals hungry to start planting. I started with some minor patch prep yesterday.

It must almost be pumpkin season

The warm weather has brought out the pumpkin growers in full force. Had a nice visit with Joe "the master" Scherber. He made a 1068 Wallace mold and made a gold key ring. Very cool. If the dental thing doesn't pan out for Joe he can always do jewlery.

Also had a nice visit with the Menzines of Arvada this week. They are looking to grow big and I can tell they have the will to do it.

I have been thinking about my planned crosses and the more I think about it the more I like the 1236 Harp x 1385 Jutras cross. If you follow the gentic lines you will see that there is a world record pollinator on each side of the cross. You then go back one more generation on both sides and you see another world record pollinator. You can even go back one more generation on the 1236 side and there is another world record pollinator. Hopefully that all translates to a new Colorado state record seed next year.

Niagara Seminar in March

It has been way to long since my last post. Things have been crazy busy with my website design business and with my wife going to the Olympic games. I am looking forward to going to the Niagara Pumpkin Seminar in mid-March. Should be a lot of fun. There are some excellent guest speakers and a lot of good people to meet.

I've got almost everything I need now to put up the hail netting in the pumpkin patch. I hope to start putting up the structure in late March if the weather will dry out. Predictions are for a wet spring though.

Hail Netting in Hail Capital USA

Did you know that one of Colorado's titles is Hail Capital USA? From experience I know it is a fact. I've been working with a great company out of Italy for getting hail netting for the 2010 pumpkin season. From sad experience I learned to be a competitive giant pumpkin grower in Colorado you need to have hail netting. The hail netting I'm getting is unique in that the "threads" are clear which allows for a more strength and a tighter weave to keep hail from getting through, but it still lets light through. This particular netting provides a 14% shade which will help reduce heat stress during the sometimes hot summer days and will also reduce UV damage to the leaves. Denver's UV light is 21% higher than at sea level and that level or UV rays can make pumpkin leaves less productive and a little crispy as the season goes on.

2010 Pumpkin Seed Lineup?

Over the next three months many pumpkin growers will agonize over what seeds they will plant next year. Many will use pumpkinlink.com to help them determine what seeds to grow. So far the following seeds are my front runners in no particular order. This list might change a little over the coming months but these are the seeds that have caught my eye so far:

1129 Orleck (985 Werner x 1041 Mckie)
The 1284 that Dan grew from this seed was an impressive 19% heavy, it had a great shape with light ribbing. Almost everything you would want from a pumpkin. The question is can this seed perform consistently and does it have the power to go really big. I think it does. The 1041 on the male side was the same pollinator on the 1528 Starr and it went about 12% heavy. The rainbow that landed on the 1284 as we were loading it onto the trailer wasn't a bad sign either.

1385 Jutras (1068 Wallace x 998 Pukos)
This seed has quickly proven itself to be one of the top 5 seeds of all-time and it has done it in just two years. The 998 pollinator in this seed grew the former world record 1,689 pounder. This year a 1385 Jutras grew the new world record 1,725. Need I say any more? A seed with great potential.

1236 Harp (998 Pukos x 1385 Jutras)
The cross for this pumpkin would be enough for most anyone to want to plant it but the pollinator is what makes this cross especially interesting. This 1385 was THE 1385 that grew the world record 1,725 pounder. The seed is of course unproven but I'd like to be the one that proves it. Genetically the seed is 75% 998 Pukos with the remainder being a very good 1068 Wallace.

1019 Grande (651 Grande x 1385 Jutras)
This seed grew the new Colorado record at 1,283 pounds. Jim's plant seemed to do fine in Colorado's changing weather and he busted the state record in what most consider a relatively poor growing year. The 1283 went an impressive 11% heavy. It had some structural flaws but it was so thick it didn't become an issue for it.

546 Zaychkowsky (898 Knauss x 1068 Wallace)
I bought this seed a year ago because of the interesting cross. I'm not aware of anyone having planted it yet and I'm not aware of any cross of this kind ever being planted. But the cross is intriguing. The 1068 went down but according to Eddy it was doing very well when it did. I see potential in this seed being used as a pollinator since it is genetically 75% 898.

1048 Scherber (1343 Lyons x 1385 Jutras)
By Joe's standards this was a bit of an off-year for him but the 1048 was a good looking pumpkin that went a touch light on him. The intriguing thing for me about the 1048 is the 1385 pollinator. The 1385 unfortunately went down in late July but it was by far the most impressive pumpkin in Colorado at that point of the season. Hard to saw what it would have done but since it appeared to be a week ahead of the Biz's pumpkin just before it went down it could have been another state record for Joe if fusarium hadn't gotten to it. Both pumpkins had a nice shade of orange to them so good color is a potential added bonus from this seed.

1528 Starr (1350 Starr x 1041 Mckie)
This seed produced two 1,400+ pound pumpkins this year and Thad's went around 12% heavy. The pumpkin had great shape, shallow ribbing and had a really nice shade or orange. The 1528 for Thad was salad growing beast and the pumpkin would have gone over 1,500 pounds if he didn't decide to take it to an earlier weigh-off because it was still putting on 5-8 pounds of day when it was picked.

1161 Rodonis (1231 Pukos x 1450 Wallace)
This was probably the top performing seed based on percentage grown over 1,000 pounds in 2009 and there was a number of really big ones grown from it this year. You have to love the cross in this seed. The 1450 pollinator in the cross of course grew Mr. Rodonis' 1566 two years ago.


Wish I had more spots to grow on because I would grow them all if I had the chance. Nothing wrong with any of these seeds. I think there is one more seed coming from a kind grower back east that might change my lineup this year but if I were to plant today and pollinate tomorrow this is probably what I would do:

1385 Jutras x 1236 Harp (75% 1385 genetics with a world record growing pollinator on each side of the cross. This is a cross that I could see building some great genetic lines from IF I can show some promise from either of them by growing a 1,000+ pounder from either or both of them.)

1236 Harp x 1385 Jutras (reverse cross of the above)

1129 Orleck x 1385 Jutras (Put some heavy into the 1385 and mix 4 of the best genetics together: 985 Werner, 1041 Mckie, 1068 Wallace and 998 Pukos.)

I guarantee this lineup will change 5 times between now and April. I still have a lot investigating to do and questions to ask before I make some final determinations. I'll probably plant 6 of the seeds with 3 being used as backups. What germinates, what is growing well, what pollen is available and what catches my eye between now and July 1st will be the determining factors. Hopefully I make the right decisions. After not having a pumpkin go to scale last year I am more inclined to just make sure I have a pumpkin over 1,000 pounds then to go after the state record.

Send My Good Wife to the Olympics!

Okay this is a pumpkin blog, but my good wife (AKA the pumpkin widow) is a finalist in a Microsoft blogger contest to be sent to the Olympic games as an accredited blogger to blog about the games. She puts up with a lot during the pumpkin growing season and I would greatly appreciate it if you would go and vote for her. It only takes about 10 seconds. Thanks for your support!

Vote for Amber here: www.officewintergames.com/vote.aspx

Happy Halloween from Colorado

About 20 inches of snow that fell up until yesterday morning. In the high 50s today and 80% of the snow is already gone. Sure glad my patch prep was done a while ago.

New World Record Pumpkin

It is official. A new world record pumpkin. Christy Harp of Ohio grew the heaviest pumpkin ever put to a scale. The pumpkin weighed an amazing 1,725 pounds. Congrats to Christy and Nick on such an amazing feet. The pumpkin was grown from a 1385 Jutras seed.

A New Personal Best Pumpkin for the Kids

My children set a new personal best at the Arvada Festival of Scarecrows yesterday with a pumpkin the weighed in at 85.5 pounds. That beat last years pumpkin by 1/2 pound. They got a nice 2nd place ribbon, award certificate and $30 gift card for their pumpkin. It was a really cold day but we had a good time.

Congrats to My Kids on their Pumpkin

My two kids grow a pumpkin this year together. This is Bode's first year. Their plant didn't have a leaf on it after the hail storm and even though it didn't get wattered for a week it rebounded over the course of a month and on August 31st they finally got a pollination. To look at the plant the end of August you wouldn't have known there ever was a problem until you took a hard look and saw a quarter of the main vine gone in a couple of places and some remnant thrashed leaves grouped in with the new leaves. In all the kids did very well. After growing just 40 days on only 100 square feet and only a couple of weeks of descent weather they have a pumpkin that tapes about 90 pounds. We will put it on the scale tomorrow at the Arvada Festival of Scarcrows weigh-off in Olde Town Arvada. Good luck kids!

The pumpkin may be used by a professional carver at the Food Network's competition in Denver next week.

They Grow Big Pumpkins in Oregon

Thad Starr was kind enough to let me stay with him on my trip to Oregon to go to the big weigh-off. Thad had a beautiful orange pumpkin that he grew from his own 1528 seed. Also got a chance to meet and help load up the pumpkin of Dan Orleck on the trip who also had a great pumpkin grown from his own 1129 Orleck (985 Werner x 1041.5 Mckie) seed. Both of their families were super nice and I had a great time at the weigh-off meeting a lot of great growers.

Fall Patch Prep is Done

I tilled in the sudan grass today along with about 3 yards of compost and a little gypsum. Didn't need anything else as my NPK is a touch high for everything right now. The middle section of the patch still shows a fair amount of grass popping up because I lost two bolts in the handle of the tiller while I was tilling so I had to go quickly over the remaining area for fear I would break something.

I'm really happy with where the soil is at right now. Much better than where it was at in the spring. The tilth is greatly improved and the organic matter should be much higher. In the Spring I'll add a little more compost from a pile I started this summer.

Friday morning I'm going to sow some winter rye and put clear plastic sheets over it to heat it up and get it growing. Tomorrow night it is supposed to get down to 30 degrees. I'm going to cover the kids pumpkin plant tonight and put a couple of light bulbs under it in the hopes of keeping it alive. It has been making some nice gains the last couple of days and I'd like to keep it going 1.5 more weeks. Right now it is estimating at about 72 pounds which is close to my daughter's personal best of 85 pounds last year. If it can survive tomorrow I'm guessing she and her brother can get it up to 100 pounds.

Check Out the October Issue Of National Geographic

This pumpkin grower is in the October issue of National Geographic. There is a small article that I'm quoted in. I don't remember saying the quote, but hey I got into one of the most recognized and respected magazines in the world. Had to smooth things over with the wife a little. Lol

Congrats to Jim "The Biz" Grande on a New Colorado State Record Pumpkin!

Jim Grande smashed the previous Colorado state record set by the Master Joe Scherber by nearly 150 pounds yesterday with a giant pumpkin weighing 1,283 pounds. The pumpkin was grown from his own 1019 Grande seed. The weigh-off at Jared's nursery yesterday was a great event. To see video highlights from the weigh-off go to www.pumpkinlink.com/rmgvg2009.html.

4th Annual RMGVG Pumpkin Weigh-off, Denver, Colorado

The Rocky Mountain Giant Vegetable Growers are pleased to present the 4th annual giant pumpkin weigh-off. The biggest weigh-off in Colorado. It is fun for kids of all ages:

Saturday, September 26th 11:00AM
Jared’s Nursery & Garden CenterLocation: Jared's Nursery and Garden Center 10500 W. Bowles Ave, Littleton, CO

10:00 Junior Division Weigh-Off.
11:00 AM Adult Division Weigh-Off

Galleria of Ghouls -- Free Large straw maze -- Free Straw obstacle course -- Free Music --
Pumpkin Pie Baking Contest -- Face-painting $3-$5 --
Junior Division Pumpkin Weigh Off

Food will be available from:
Magill's Ice Cream , Papa Johns, Tommy's Subs, Woody's Hot Dogs

Directions from C-470 and Bowles: Go east on Bowles to Oak St, go south to the 2nd entrance turn left into our bulk yard, there will be parking attendants. West on Bowles from Kipling: OR Go 1/2 mile west on Bowles to Oak street, go south on Oak to the 2nd entrance.
PLEASE DO NOT PARK AT THE CHURCH LOT

Grow Lights Gone Wild

A friend recently bought a home as an investment. The home was previously used for the illegal growing of a controlled substance. My friend called me and said, "there is lots of hydroponic and grow light stuff, take anything you want."

I belive last year my seed starting lighting didn't have enough wattage so I was excited by the opportunity to get some additional lighting. Apparently the operation at this house was very large. Some of what I got wouldn't work very well for my needs. For example, the 1000 watt HPS light bulb is very cool but would be a little bit of overkill for six pumpkin seedlings. My wife would certainly kill me when she saw the electric bill.

Compost for the Pumpkin Patch

I got about 3 1/2 yards of really nice composted cow manure today. It is three-years-old and just perfect for what I need. My nutrients were on the high side in my last soil test. Since then I turned the soil three feet deep so I suspect I am now more in the normal range. This mature compost should add the organic matter I need without adding a lot of extra NPK to the patch.

Putting on the Pounds in the Late Season

Today's high was about 54 degrees and the over night lows for the next two nights will be in the low 30s. This is pumpkin killing weather. Pumpkin plants don't like frost in the least and when there is frost your season is done. More than likely your pumpkin will survive the frost okay but there is a risk of splits. The leaves however are another story.

In an attempt to keep the kids' pumpkin plant growing I've covered the small plant with clear plastic and then put two light bulbs in with the plant to add a little heat to the space. I don't know if it will work or not but I figured it was worth the 15 minutes to set it up and give it a try.

The best way to protect the plant late in the season is the way Pete did it with remay wrapped around a wood structure (see picture in previous post). It costs a little but it adds warmth and frost protection late in the season to keep the pumpkin growing a couple of extra weeks.