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Indiana

Hey guys,
I have been thinking of ways to be able to devote more time to growing giants.....all of my time in fact. Since I am in college, I cant get a great job anyway.
So I had this idea, and was wondering if anyone would be interested.

I live in farm country, and can grow plants in our field. As most of you know I do genetics work, and will continue to do so. Since I will be planting out there anyway. I thought I may be able to help out other growers and myself by basically growing plants from seeds that others give me for specific purposes....to get more seeds from a prefered cross.

I can grow a single plant for about 50 dollars.

What it would take is payment up front for the plant. I would simply promise to get fruit on the plant, otherwise i would send you the money back. So if I failed, all you would be out it the seed. I would be selling my time and resources....a service basically.

I would expect most people to also pay for a second(pollinator plant). So basically for 100 dollars, i could make a cross both ways.

It is also possible to set more than one fruit on a plant, so additional crosses could be done on the same plant. I would do that for 40 dollars a fruit.

Where I would make a little money for myself would be extra fruit on the plant that I pollinate, and extra open pollinated fruit set later in the year for sale to customers.

I would expect a small number of seeds from each cross. I dont know what a fair number would be, but maybe 10?

If the pumpkins failed to have more than 100 seeds, I would refund the money.

I am sure I can build on even more specifics in the future, but I want to see how many people would be interested.

Please email me privately if you are interested so I can determine the feasibility of my idea.

Thanks,
Tom Beachy

12/13/2002 6:25:39 PM

Kentucky - USA

Tom,

Don't mean to sound critical of your idea.. but I think most people wanting a specific cross would probably grow them thier selves. I will say though that's just my opinion and you will never know if idea would work or not until you try it. Goodluck..

Tim

12/13/2002 8:24:57 PM

North Ga

Myself, not to be an a-hole but the reason i am growing is that I get satisfaction from growing my own fruit. Paying someone to do it just doesn't cut it for me.

12/13/2002 8:43:06 PM

Indiana

No offense taken guys. I am just seeing if anyone is interested. Heck, if only 1 person is interested, I will do it for them. A lot of people do grow for personal satisfaction, in whatever way that may be is up to them. My idea was that for those growers that have room for 1-2 plants in their back yard. They dont have space to do some of the things they want to. If you had room for 2 plants in your back yard, would you grow a 935 lloyd and a 865 Mettler to make 500 seeds that you want, or would you grow the 723 Bobier, and the 845 Bobier and get a few 1000 pound fruit?

Tom Beachy

12/13/2002 9:08:38 PM

Deer Park WA

I will grow a plant for FREE in the best area of my patch with the best of everything, Sun, Seaweed, Water, Fertilizer etc, for anyone that sends me a 845, 703, 567.5 (hee, hee) or any extremely rare seed. I have 30+ years as a gardener and 9 acres to fill. Thanks for the idea Tomman.
PS serious replys only as I am not kidding!

PPS I will split all profits from weigh offs and seeds evenly!

12/13/2002 9:13:29 PM

Ontario

Tom,

I fear you have opened a can of worms here. I have no opinion on this idea but I think this thread will go on for quite sometime with postive and negative comments. Will be interesting to watch.

drew

12/13/2002 9:17:17 PM

Indiana

Drew,
I may have. Oh well.....LOL

Tom Beachy

12/13/2002 10:12:22 PM

New York

Tom,
I like your idea. I would love to grow my own seeds next year and see how they do. Unfortunately I'm just not willing to take such a chance on them...with the time and money invested during the season that comes only once a year. The idea of someone growing my seed for "me" is interesting. I could find out certain characteristics in the seed....color, shape, splits, even size potential based on how other plants do in the same area. Alan

12/13/2002 11:56:29 PM

Caceres, Spain

Hey Tom, the idea is not bad itself, as I see. Most of the people won't be interested, but you'll find some that couldn't grow one partucular year, because they have to travel or are waiting a baby, or they have to move to other town or to a new patch, and they are impacient to watch what come from their crosses. Others will want you to repeat for them the 845 cross, while they are growing the 845 themselves. I understand you should not only offer growing others seeds but particular hot seeds you can get to make custom crosses. How many plants do you think you can grow?
Don

12/14/2002 1:12:02 AM

Roanoke Il

Tom's quite an young entrepreneur great idea.

12/14/2002 8:18:58 AM

Webster, NY

I pretty much agree with Alan. It would be neat to see what my seeds do, but I have limited space and can really only grow 3 plants. However, the good seeds I look for are usually the ones that I get from Alan, and other generous people. I'm pretty sure $50 is cheap considering the time you would have to put in. Personally, I wouldn't be interested, but I'll be interested to see if anyone is. Good Luck..

12/14/2002 11:56:06 AM

Montoursville, PA

Tom Great idea! Hang in there. I will bet my bottom buck that something will come of this if not the original intent in every detail. Dare to be bold and different. Caution, you are being creative and very much alive. Good for you!

12/14/2002 7:12:47 PM

Puyallup, WA

Well Tom, now you have a dilemma to face should one of these pumpkins grow large enough to be worthy of entering a contest. It seems that we will have to develope an entirely new description for classifying a grower.....Surrogate Grower!!!!!!!!!

12/14/2002 8:58:37 PM

Indiana

Stan,
The intent is not to grow a pumpkin for these other growers to take to contest. I want to help make people to accomplish some of their dreams by making that dream cross. I know you have a cross in your head that you want to make some day.

I am not denying the fact that I will make a little bit of money, but I feel 50 dollars to grow one pumpkin is more than fair. I live at home with my parents, and do not need to make 50,000 dollars a year. I can live on 5K.

Basically I am growing a pumpkin for them. Kinda like the guy down the street that wants the biggest jack-o-lantern

I appreciate everyone's opinions. Good and bad. It looks like the deal is on, so I will be doing it for sure.

Tom

12/15/2002 12:45:20 AM

Knopp, Germany

what about a service for the following; i am a new grower, don't know the first thing about what to cross with what. if i send my seed list to you, for a nominal fee, would you do the leg work to figure out what would be the potentially best seeds to cross? how much would that cost? just an idea.

12/15/2002 12:53:42 AM

Caceres, Spain

I don't believe you'll find anybody to ask money for that Owen.

12/15/2002 1:57:52 AM

Ga.

owen,,this looks like a winner to me...
741 Carter X 707 Toftness
876 Handy X 719 Carter

12/15/2002 8:34:44 AM

Knopp, Germany

thanks for the input Jeff, i can only grow 5 plants this year, now i gotta figure out what are the best five, cross that with what are the best crosses, and make a wise decision. LOL and to think that i just threw em in the ground last year......

12/15/2002 11:18:24 AM

French River,P.E.Island, Canada

Tom ,,Good for you....Hell of an idea.....Peter

12/15/2002 12:48:43 PM

Indiana

Owen,
It would be foolish fo you do do anything but plant your best seeds. I would never charge for giving you my opinion. If you let me know what seeds you have, I would be glad to tell you what the ones I would plant are, and how I would cross them.

Tom Beachy

12/15/2002 3:45:50 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Hey Beach, I congratulate you on your ingenuity of turning something you like to do into something that can give ya extra cash for school...Once heard Fed ex was created from a term paper that only got a "C" as a grade....teacher thought that the premise was way to far fetched...who needs a package overnight?...grow em big for em!!!LOL Chuck

12/15/2002 8:37:05 PM

Knopp, Germany

thak you for the offer Tom.

12/16/2002 1:15:30 AM