Another go at a giant - 2021 Season

 Last season, despite a lot of issues, I still managed to grow a personal best 595 pound Atlantic Giant pumpkin.  I also had one go 505 pounds (it also had issues).  Late last fall I broke out a new plot and in the original plot I added ~14 tons of sand and planted a winter cover crop.  I have yet to add sand to the new plot so I'm sure that will make a difference.  The winter cover crop (mostly crop or field rye) was consumed consistently by rabbits throughout the winter.

Also during the winter I was able to purchase several pumpkin seeds with tremendous genetics but they came with a price.

Through an on-line auction I was able to obtain a seed from the 1,990 pound state record Kansas grown pumpkin from last year!  Jacob Marintzer is the grower.  He was selling the seeds for $60 a seed but I was able to get it for $45 through bidding in an on-line auction.  That particular pumpkin was grown under a green house and I don't ever expect to have that type of result as mine are grown subjected to the harsh southwest Kansas weather.  The plant that produced this giant was from the seed from the 1989.5 Daletas (2017) female crossed with 2416.5 Haist (2018).  

The 1989.5 Daletas grown in 2017 has been used to produce many giants.  The availability of the remaining seed is scarce but I noticed that one seed was included in an on-line auction in Iowa.  I bid and won that seed at a steal of only $40.  The guy running the auction told me later that it should have sold for well over $100.  Lucky me.

Another seed (actually 2) was from a 450 pound pumpkin.  That is "small" for an Atlantic Giant but that particular pumpkin (grown by Mark Clementz in Michigan) has tremendous potential based on the genetics. 

I was also able to obtain a seed from the 1612 pound pumpkin that was grown by Jacob Marintzer last year but I will not attempt to grow that one until next year.

So, on April 16th, I started to grow the 1990 Marintzer, 1989.5 Daletas, 2 of the 450 Clementz, the 595 pounder and the 505 pound pumpkins I grew last year.  Out of the six plants, I was planning on putting 4 in the ground this year.

On May 6 (last year it was May 7) I planted the 595 Hutton, 1989.5 Daletas, 1990 Marintzer, and the 450 Clementz.  This time I built mini greenhouses over the plants as the May weather was once again particularly chilly! 

This is what the two plots looked like on the 7th....

 

Either it is the soil or the cover, but for the first time in growing giant pumpkins the plants are WAY ahead of previous years as of today, the 27th!  They even have 2 to 3 foot of vine growth!  That just blows me away!

But there is an apparent issue with one of the plants.  

Yesterday evening I covered the pumpkins as a large hail threat appeared imminent (thankfully it passed just west).  They were only covered for about 1 1/2 hours or so and then  I got them uncovered before sunset.  This morning the 595 plant did not look so hot.  Later this afternoon the pumpkin plant looked down right sick.  I don't have an explanation as there is no apparent damage to the stem or vine.  Just in case I planted the 505 Hutton beside it (but it is not a healthy plant as far as current growth).  We'll see what happens.

Here is that pumpkin plant that suddenly started to wilt (I need to check for a vine borer)...

The 1989.5 Daletes is looking very good at this stage!

The 450 Clementz looks the best - it is VERY healthy...

And the 1990 Marintzer...

One final piece to the puzzle for this year is the purchase of drip irrigation tape.  I've used a soaker hose and drip emitter tubing in the past but with this system I will be able to place water exactly where the secondary vines run (and of course along the main vine too).  Although it's on backorder, I will also use a fertilizer injector system in conjunction with the drip tape.

So maybe I've made the right steps in the direction of growing my goal of a thousand pound pumpkin.  Obviously time will tell but as far as the stage in the game for May 27, the progress is way ahead of where I have been in the past.  With that said, the target date for the first pollinated pumpkin for this year is June 20. My earliest pollinated keeper pumpkin was July 8.