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New Brunswick

I have a smallish pumpkin patch and was wondering how much space there should be between pumpkin plants. I have all sorts of room for the vines to run but the actual tilled up space is fairly small. This year I grew 100 + pounders and the 5 plants were about 6 feet apart. Would the pumpkins grow bigger if they were not so crowded? Also I have used seeds from my own pumpkins for the past two years. The first year I had a 136 pounder....seeds from it produced a 190 pounder and seeds from that one produced a 140 1/2 pounder this year. I had several other 100 + pounders also. Original packet were A.G. seeds from Veseys and I have just kept saving seeds. Is it ok to use these same seeds or should I plant seeds from an entirely different pumpkin in the same patch for cross pollination?

11/5/2002 9:12:26 PM

Deer Park WA

I would say 300 sqft minimum to 1200 sqft maximum, no matter how big of patch, you need to prune the plant to "balance" fruit and vine. I grew my 644 in 500sqft in 2001 with no tertiary vines.

11/5/2002 9:51:29 PM

New Brunswick

Prune the plant? How does one do that? (I let mine run wild.) I also had two plants that produced 2 100 pound pumpkins each. Should I have removed one? I will measure my patch and see just how big it is for sure. Did you have just the one plant in your 500 sq ft?

11/5/2002 10:05:39 PM

Puyallup, WA

Desert Storm....I'd wager that you did not grow a 800 pounder either! If you read, "How To Grow Giant Pumpkins", you would know that you NEVER let the plant "run wild"!!

11/5/2002 10:28:21 PM

Puyallup, WA

PS. Don't worry....most first year growers make that mistake! They let the plant "intimidate" them. Next year, show it "who's the boss"!

11/5/2002 10:39:44 PM

Caceres, Spain

Hey Desert Storm, That's the way to do:
1) Get the book, doesn't matter wheter you have to steal or to kill
2) Read the book, at every hour, even with a candle light
3) Learnt the book, until every little concept, and do not forget anything... never!
4) Visit some good patchs to compare and check if you are doing your job well.
Because this is the top growing plant in the world, nothing has to grow so fast and so controlled in the vegetables cosmos as a Giant Pumpkin plant and his little, medium, large, big, huge, giant fruit.
Aren't all the succesful growers agree with me?
Best wishes Desert Storm.
Don

11/6/2002 1:40:33 AM

Caceres, Spain

Of Course I mean:
Don Langevin, "How to grow world class giant pumpkins II". Annedawn Publishing, Box 247, Norton, MA 02766. 508-222-9069
The author have visited all the heavy hitters patches and grew by himself a 953 lb pumpkin this year in MA.

11/6/2002 1:47:22 AM

New Brunswick

Giant pumpkins are rare around here and I did not know about the pumpkin growing book. Would it be available in a bookstore? (I also let my tomatoes produce without pruning and I have literally pails of tomatoes.) Guess that won't work with pumpkins huh... There are no pumpkin patches to look at around here. Believe it or not, noone seems to know what they are doing around here. We just play it by ear. Got to get me that book.

11/6/2002 7:55:07 PM

New Brunswick

Aha...Just went in to look at Dill seeds and found the very book that Don mentioned....available in Nova Scotia. I never even thought of getting a book....duh..... anyhow I suppose it will tell me all about fertilizing and other tips? I must check Veseys seeds out and see if they have it also. Thanks you guys....Now my needed help will soon be in my greedy little hands. The book.... gotta get the book....

11/6/2002 8:13:52 PM

New Brunswick

Aha...Just went in to look at Dill seeds and found the very book that Don mentioned....available in Nova Scotia. I never even thought of getting a book....duh..... anyhow I suppose it will tell me all about fertilizing and other tips? I must check Veseys seeds out and see if they have it also. Thanks you guys....Now my needed help will soon be in my greedy little hands. The book.... gotta get the book....

11/6/2002 8:13:52 PM

New Brunswick

I just ordered the book from Veseys seeds. I ordered the exact one you mentioned Don. I never even noticed that book when I ordered my garden seeds last spring. Thanks again

11/6/2002 8:49:51 PM