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 These Giant Pumpkins are amazing! With the right seeds and care they can grow to well over a thousand pounds. In fact, the current World’s Record is 2323.7 pounds. Another was grown in Switzerland in 2013 that weighed 2328 pounds but because it had a small split it could not be officially recognized as the World Record.
To get these extreme weights it takes a combination of great genetics, detailed soil preparation, careful pruning, sustained weeding, good weather, adequate insect & disease control and of course some good luck. But you don’t have to grow a world record to enjoy this hobby. Invest the time and effort that works for you and enjoy growing the biggest pumpkin you have ever grown and likely the biggest one you have ever seen.
Beni Meier of Switzerland with his 2328 pound pumpkin (at 84 days of age)
This site is where I explain how I grow our pumpkins. It is intended to help my friends and customers who have decided to grow giant pumpkins, but my way certainly isn’t the only way (and probably not even the best way). When you are first starting out though, it is sometimes helpful to have a single plan and just follow it. Too many options can prove vexing or even disastrous when you are new to the hobby and unfamiliar with all the jargon and details.
When you are ready for more information, the absolutely best place on the planet is the web site www.bigpumpkins.com . Here you will find discussion forums, grower diaries and chat rooms with many of the best growers from the US and around the world. In the late fall and winter, this site also hosts a number of seed auctions where you can obtain seeds from some of the biggest pumpkins grown in the world. There are also people on this site who will provide free seeds if you send them a stamped self addressed bubble envelope. All around it is a priceless resource.
Another good site is http://tools.pumpkinfanatic.com/ . Here you can see the pedigrees and progeny of thousands of pumpkins that have been grown over the past thirty years. It is a great resource when you are trying to decide on which seed(s) you want to plant.
Seeds from Shewmaker Genetics
What We Are Growing in 2015
The Pumpkin Calendar (coming soon)
Growing Guide (coming soon)
Basic Pumpkin Genetics (coming soon)
Various “How To’s”
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