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Caceres, mid west of Spain

Maybe I am beginning here a furious discussion, but anyway I will go ahead.
I say: is not the same to weigh a pumpkin in the patch than in a contest. They are no comparables.
A pumpkin just cut from the plant weighs more than in a contest. I realized that with my 1036 and 795. I weighed when lifting them from the patch, with a certified scale, as fine one as the contest scale. Both of the pumpkins weighed several (not just one or two) pounds more than what they did the next day in the weigh-off, which were the official 1036 and 795 lbs. When the pumpkins go the their exhibition place in the Garden Center after the event, we weighed them again with the first hanging scale (the one used in the patch) and the weigh was again lighter, equal to the contest. So I had to conclude that in one night the pumpkins lost several pounds due to evaporation.
Well that kind of thing has to happen to all growers, and that is why we see in Don Langevin’s book and Joel Holland’s videos those water cans connected to both side of the vine from the stem, in order to minimize that lost. The controversy comes when we want to compare the weighs of pumpkins weighed in their patches, minutes after being cut, like 1458 Whittier, with the weighs of pumpkins weighed in a contest, like 1337 Houghton.

Carlos

9/14/2003 2:15:44 AM

Key West, FL

This is what I've heard, when you harvest your pumpkin, cut the vine a few feet from the stem on both sides, you should have someone ready with a bag or jug of water to put on the vine right away.

9/14/2003 2:23:29 AM

Long Island,New York

LOL...next they'll be wanting a handicap based upon distance from the contest !.....lol

9/14/2003 8:38:26 AM

[email protected]

I don't see any controversy at all. An unofficial exhibititon weight is just that. It has no relevance in a peer review & means nothing to record books. Just the genetic enthusiast.

The post harvest care (including transportation) is all part of the growing process. Skill in harvest & handling is a part of what the grower is going to be jugded on. This is an inseperable part of the deal that we must accept.

If a grower has a shot at a real record, then they're on the same level playing field as all the other competitive growers who must also transport a whole fruit all the way to the finish line. By that I would say the entire growing season is not over until the competition grade fruit has been safely loaded on the scale & an "official weight" slip is in the growers hands. Then they can breath a sigh of relief.

The season *can* end in the patch. But when it does, Official victory is certainly not the outcome.

I think we all knew that 10 months ago when thinking about seed selection.

Steve

9/14/2003 8:39:17 AM

Southeast

Making it to youre local weigh off without loosing youre pumpkin to rot etc, is part of the contest. September can be a nerve racking month since many fruits go down. You want an official weight then you have to make it to the end, period.Its all part of the rules set out before you even start youre seed. Read the rules, dont complain later or offer an explanation why something is officail or not after its been weighed unofficially. If you want to weigh early them you need to accept its status,.

9/14/2003 8:55:44 AM

[email protected]

I want to add one more thing. I'll wager Charley Houghton & Bruce Whittier probably both lost plenty of fruit in the past & would like to have been able to claim the weights as "official" but knew they couldn't.

It seems the only folks *wanting* to see otherwise are the casual observers & ignorant newspaper reporters.

I know (knew) neither of them. But their reputations are those of competitive growers who know (knew) the rules & accepted them. No matter the pain of failure. The true sportsperson of character just accepts these things.

Rules never make everyone happy. But they should make everyone honest.

9/14/2003 9:31:59 AM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

So I have to conclude that all the pumpkins weighed at certified scales out of a public contest should be called UOW, haven't I?

9/14/2003 9:41:26 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Geeze been on the road for a few days and can tell it been busy here. I am still in Awe of the 1458 lbs being recorded as I was in awe of the OTT measurements of the 1230. Official or Unofficial that pumpkin was grown....Bruce did a great job with it keeping in on as long as he did...I'll take bets right now bids on the seeds in the winter auctions will be a sought after as if it was official!...three years ago I never thought 1500 lbs was ever gonna be reachable now I'm pretty sure it's coming in the near future.

9/14/2003 9:47:59 AM

Key West, FL

I think people can weigh there pumpkin whenever they want on a certified scale and get an official weight as long as there isn't a split into the pumpkin. This applies to world records too.

9/14/2003 12:37:42 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

I think this is not clear for many growers yet, Ben. At least I do not really know it.

9/14/2003 2:11:25 PM

[email protected]

I must agree with Carlos. There is a lot of confusion in this matter. And I am NOT an authority on such matters so DON'T take this as gospel. But I *THINK* the following is at least possible.

The grower that cannot get to an official weigh-off, can work with a governing agent of the GPC or (the other one whose name escapes me just now [IPC?]) & make arangements to use a legally certified scale just as long as the event is witnessed by an authorized agent(s). There probably are time constraints of some sort to which I am not aware. But this would seem likely.

I don't believe this would be intended as an excuse to sneak in the weight of a dying/rotting pumpkin that wouldn't otherwise make it to a conventional weigh-in. Nor do I make this statement to allege such action has occurred. But there has to be some degree of discretion exercised by Grower Associations & other governing agents to avoid the potential abuses that *could* occur if everyone weighed in at any old place with a certified weights & measures type scale.

Growers of inegrity would never stoop to these levels anyway. And who wouldn't want to atend a real weigh-in what with the fanfare & festivities anway? That's the fun of it! But there could well be folks who lack the means of getting to a weigh-in for legitimate reasons. And for them there must be another legal & ethical way of recording & validating weight.

Would it not make sense to gather this sort of data & post it here in the "how to" section? Don's books have some direction in this area, but it's a little "loose" I think.

Steve

9/14/2003 5:31:00 PM

Montoursville, PA

ON THE SUBJECT OF WEIGH LOSS ON THE WAY TO THE SCALES:

Boys and girls get your eyes into the packaging supply industral catalogs. There is shrink wrap out there twenty four inches wide by yards on a roll. I witnessed one being wrapped up just minutes after it was lifted from the patch last year. It made a windy but protected three hour trip at seventy miles an hour with out evaproative losses to over the road traveling torture. No tarp was kicking holes in its side either!

To the best of my knowledge not a soul ask the grower why he did that. Me thinks that is more important than trying to get a dead pumpkin to drink although I know they will.

9/14/2003 6:04:32 PM

Appalachian Mtns.

good idea doc

9/14/2003 8:22:13 PM