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October 2, 2009

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater…

Our local farmers’ market has a giant pumpkin growing contest every year. This year I decided to buy some seeds and register. I gave some seeds to my father and sister, and my husband gave some seeds to both of his brothers. We’re all getting ready to plant our seeds and there has been much discussion about where to plant them. I mean, how big will they grow?

My father reckoned his pumpkins would grow big enough to use as houses for his pigs. The townie part of the family (that would be hubby and his brothers) are more worried about fitting the pumpkins in their gardens. So far we’ve planted the seeds in seedling containers, and we’re waiting for them to germinate.

Have you ever tried to grow giant pumpkins or other giant vegetables?

20 Comments

  1. RKCharron

    Hi Shelley :)
    We used to have pumpkins in the garden.
    They never grew huge though.
    Loved scooping one out every Halloween & carving the face & toasting the seeds.
    :)
    Thanks for the post,
    All the best,
    RKCharron
    xoxo

  2. Christina Phillips

    Pumpkins are one thing we’ve never tried growing.

    Not a veggie, but back in the UK we used to grow giant sunflowers. I have a great pic of the kids, and the sunflower towers over them!!

  3. sandra cox

    That’s great. Keep us posted on how they grow.

  4. susan leech

    My father in law grew pumpkins every year and sold them very cheap for kid’s jack o lanterns and one year the vines went crazy and we had almost doubles. We never really went for large ones but did have some huge ones anyways. susan L.

  5. Helen Hardt

    I love to grow fresh veggies — but have never tried pumpkins. Best of luck!

  6. Mary

    I’ve never tried to grow large pumpkins. But I live in an apartment, so we don’t have a garden area.

  7. Shelley Munro

    I should have mentioned that I watched the weigh-in earlier this year and some of the pumpkins were so big they arrived on their own trailers and required four hefty men to put them on the scales for weighing.

    We don’t do pumpkin carving down here in NZ. We don’t really celebrate Halloween at all, although trick and treating is coming in.

  8. Shelley Munro

    Mary – I had a vision of a pumpkin pushing you out of your apartment! somehow I don’t think giant pumpkins would be the thing to plant!!

  9. JOYE

    Never lived where I could grow vegetables but I have made plenty of pumpkin pies and roasted the seeds. yumm

  10. J.K. Coi

    I love making pumpkin pie! But usually that means I just go to the store and buy a pumpkin (ok, I open a can of pumpkin) I’ve never actually tried growing my own :)

  11. Shelley Munro

    RK – I think they’re a special breed of pumpkins. I know you’re not meant to eat them. You just oh and ah about the size of them. Evidently size does matter! :mrgreen:

    Sandra – I’ll definitely keep you all up to date on our pumpkin antics.

  12. Shelley Munro

    Christina – I really like sunflowers. I remember seeing fields of giant sunflowers when we traveled through Turkey. They were stunning en mass.

  13. ANNA SHAH HOQUE

    Hey Shelley,
    I wish I could grow something :cry: I have a perpetual black thumb…I have a hard time keeping potted plants alive…I’ve always wanted to grow herbs inside my apartment…I live in a apartment in downtown Ottawa so no a lot of opportunity to grow large fruits and vegetables…Although, our rooftop garden has plant boxes that we can sign up for, I’ve never really gone for it…I just might next season…

    Happy Reading!!!
    Anna Shah Hoque
    [email protected]

  14. Fedora

    LOL! Shelley, I tend to avoid trying to grow anything, much less giant anythings! Since the black thumb of death lives at our place, we discourage people from even gifting us with plants of any kind :) It sure it neat reading about those huge squash though!

  15. Linda Henderson

    I’ve never tried pumpkins but I decided one year to grow gourds and I bought seed to grow these bushel gourds that were supposed to be huge but they didn’t work out that well.

  16. Shelley Munro

    Anna – I can hardly talk since my husband has the green thumb in our household. I have to admit though, that there’s nothing better than fresh vegetables. We’ve been eating lettuce, celery, herbs, and brocoli recently.

  17. Shelley Munro

    Fedora – I don’t have many houseplants either – mainly because they’re a pain when we go off on our travels.

    Linda – I’ve never grown decorative gourds either, but when ever I see them for sale they’re quite expensive.

  18. ANNA SHAH HOQUE

    That’s funny Shelley…My mum is the green thumb in my family & it completely baffles her how it managed to miss me entirely….the women on my mum’s side of the family have always been known to be major green thumbs… As usual, I have to be the black sheep in this as well…and have the most complex case of black thumb possible!!! :razz: :grin:

    Happy Reading!!!
    Anna Shah Hoque
    [email protected]

  19. Colleen Love

    Good luck, Shelley!! They are lots of fun to grow!
    My MIL just brought her harvest of pumpkins here for the kids. We love having them to celebrate Halloween and the Harvest season!

    Have fun with it!

    C~

  20. Shelley Munro

    Anna – Hey, I think black sheep have more fun!! :grin:

    Colleen – All the discussion has been fun. I’m eagerly awaiting developments. The seeds are germinating at their own pace!