May 1, 2018 - The seeds have been started
The pumpkin growing has started! The goal this year? It's lofty!
Last season the biggest pumpkin was 542.5 pounds which earned 2nd place at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS. The goal last year was for a 500 pounder so I met that goal. This growing season I'm shooting to have my name etched in the Kansas record book. So, that will have to be at least 1,035 pounds (unless someone has one bigger this year, of course). Unfortunately I'm already about 10 days behind schedule. We'll see...
The seven seeds that I started will definitely have the potential. Below is the start as of May 1...
The seeds I started all have the potential to go big! I did a little research during the winter and came across a couple of sources. The first was from Ron Wallace - who has had a world record pumpkin at one time. I ordered two seeds from him that came from a 1,733 pound pumpkin grown in 2017. They were the most expensive that I purchased. The 1,733 parents were plants from a 2,145 (McMullen) crossed with a 2,230 (Wallace). It's interesting that the 2,145 was the parent to the world record pumpkin grown by Mathias Willemijns from Belgium! That beast of a pumpkin was 2,624.6 pounds!
I also ran across a grower from Wheaton, Illinois. I discovered an ebay offer of 5 seeds grown from a 1,442 pounder. When I inquired about it's parents, the grower (Joe Adkins) was shocked that I knew what to ask. He was very informative in some email exchanges and sent me more than I ordered! BTW, Mr. Adkins does some incredible carving of pumpkins. His web site is: http://www.gourdheadz.com/
So, Mr. Adkins sent me seeds from the 1,442 pounder (that I purchased) but also seeds from a 1,522 pound pumpkin and from an 1,861 pounder. He sent me others (including giant watermelon seeds) but it was these three that I started. The 1,861 pumpkin (grown by him) was the offspring from that same 2,145 pounder crossed with the 2,230 (mentioned above). The 1,442 grown last year came from that same 1,861 x 1790 (Wallace). The 1,522 was from a from a 1,790 x 1,861, using the 1,861 as the male pollinator instead of the other where the 1,861 was the host female plant. So, there is potential in all!
1,861 (Adkins) - parents were:2,145 (McMullen) was the female,crossed with 2,230 (Wallace)
1,733 (Wallace) - parents were: 2,145 (McMullen) was the female, crossed with 2,230 (Wallace)
1,522 (Adkins) - parents were: 1,790 (Wallace) was the female, crossed with 1,861 (Adkins)
1,442 (Adkins) - parents were: 1,861 (Adkins) was the female, crossed with 1,790 (Wallace)
Mr. Adkins also let me know about a testing lab in Idaho that has a soil test geared exclusively for the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin strain - the variety that I'm growing. That helped me to determine what I needed to add to the soil. Locally I went to Pride Ag to purchase some of the fertilizer. One of their guys gave me some of the micro-nutrients (at NO COST!) to add to the profile. I hope that all helps - and it should.
I also made a contact with a guy that works with Agrinos, a global company that specializes in micro fertilizer nutrients. The gentleman that I'm working with was very gracious in delivering product at no charge. I'm very excited to see how the products will benefit - and I'm confident they will. Microbial processes should be very beneficial and I believe I have the right strain of microbes to do the job.
So, now I wait. I did everything I needed to get the seeds to germinate quickly (filed the edges, got the right seed starting media, and by placing them with an 80 degree heat source). Hopefully they all will germinate quickly.
The next "issue" will be what plants to pick out to place in the garden. I have room for just 3 plants (they take up a minimum of 300 square feet). I really want to get the 1,733 and 1861 in the ground. so hopefully they will all germinate, at least. But, out of the 1,522 and the 1,442 I'll pick the most healthiest in 2 to 3 weeks.
So, we'll see what happens. Southwest Kansas is VERY harsh to growing giant pumpkins. The people that grow the GIANTS are farther north in latitude (longer daylight during the growing season), have less heat AND way less wind!
Last season the biggest pumpkin was 542.5 pounds which earned 2nd place at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, KS. The goal last year was for a 500 pounder so I met that goal. This growing season I'm shooting to have my name etched in the Kansas record book. So, that will have to be at least 1,035 pounds (unless someone has one bigger this year, of course). Unfortunately I'm already about 10 days behind schedule. We'll see...
The seven seeds that I started will definitely have the potential. Below is the start as of May 1...
The seeds I started all have the potential to go big! I did a little research during the winter and came across a couple of sources. The first was from Ron Wallace - who has had a world record pumpkin at one time. I ordered two seeds from him that came from a 1,733 pound pumpkin grown in 2017. They were the most expensive that I purchased. The 1,733 parents were plants from a 2,145 (McMullen) crossed with a 2,230 (Wallace). It's interesting that the 2,145 was the parent to the world record pumpkin grown by Mathias Willemijns from Belgium! That beast of a pumpkin was 2,624.6 pounds!
I also ran across a grower from Wheaton, Illinois. I discovered an ebay offer of 5 seeds grown from a 1,442 pounder. When I inquired about it's parents, the grower (Joe Adkins) was shocked that I knew what to ask. He was very informative in some email exchanges and sent me more than I ordered! BTW, Mr. Adkins does some incredible carving of pumpkins. His web site is: http://www.gourdheadz.com/
So, Mr. Adkins sent me seeds from the 1,442 pounder (that I purchased) but also seeds from a 1,522 pound pumpkin and from an 1,861 pounder. He sent me others (including giant watermelon seeds) but it was these three that I started. The 1,861 pumpkin (grown by him) was the offspring from that same 2,145 pounder crossed with the 2,230 (mentioned above). The 1,442 grown last year came from that same 1,861 x 1790 (Wallace). The 1,522 was from a from a 1,790 x 1,861, using the 1,861 as the male pollinator instead of the other where the 1,861 was the host female plant. So, there is potential in all!
1,861 (Adkins) - parents were:2,145 (McMullen) was the female,crossed with 2,230 (Wallace)
1,733 (Wallace) - parents were: 2,145 (McMullen) was the female, crossed with 2,230 (Wallace)
1,522 (Adkins) - parents were: 1,790 (Wallace) was the female, crossed with 1,861 (Adkins)
1,442 (Adkins) - parents were: 1,861 (Adkins) was the female, crossed with 1,790 (Wallace)
Mr. Adkins also let me know about a testing lab in Idaho that has a soil test geared exclusively for the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin strain - the variety that I'm growing. That helped me to determine what I needed to add to the soil. Locally I went to Pride Ag to purchase some of the fertilizer. One of their guys gave me some of the micro-nutrients (at NO COST!) to add to the profile. I hope that all helps - and it should.
I also made a contact with a guy that works with Agrinos, a global company that specializes in micro fertilizer nutrients. The gentleman that I'm working with was very gracious in delivering product at no charge. I'm very excited to see how the products will benefit - and I'm confident they will. Microbial processes should be very beneficial and I believe I have the right strain of microbes to do the job.
So, now I wait. I did everything I needed to get the seeds to germinate quickly (filed the edges, got the right seed starting media, and by placing them with an 80 degree heat source). Hopefully they all will germinate quickly.
The next "issue" will be what plants to pick out to place in the garden. I have room for just 3 plants (they take up a minimum of 300 square feet). I really want to get the 1,733 and 1861 in the ground. so hopefully they will all germinate, at least. But, out of the 1,522 and the 1,442 I'll pick the most healthiest in 2 to 3 weeks.
So, we'll see what happens. Southwest Kansas is VERY harsh to growing giant pumpkins. The people that grow the GIANTS are farther north in latitude (longer daylight during the growing season), have less heat AND way less wind!
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