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Circleville ,OH.

I have to ask the question to why we grow these darn things? I went out today and found my only pumpkin left is now gone. I knew it was coming and had no way to stop it. It was growing 25-30lbs a day up till the 1st of Sept. and it got stress cracks around the ribs at the stem end. This in turn left its self open to rot which with all the wet weather we had set in. I kept it dry and funguscide applyed but as it grew it just opened up further.
That means no pumpkins to take to weighoffs this year.At least I lost my two other plants early on so I didnt have to lose a big one. Final measurements were 132,97,89.5=318.5 total = est.663lbs which beat my last years PB by 100lbs. Oh well thats the way the old pumpkin tumbles.
Im going to Canada fishing next week so I need the vacation.The wife is happy that she dosent have to take care of a pumpkin this year while Im gone.Ill post final pictures soon.
Good luck to all who still have pumpkins on and I hope they all weight heavy...................Darryl

9/17/2003 4:15:09 PM

Nova Scotia

i agree this is far to stressful of a hobby/sport for my health not to mention the $ and time involved. one has to ask himself if it truely is worth it. but in the end when you have a biggie and all are amazed, the effort doesn't seem that great.

9/17/2003 4:24:38 PM

ipswich, ma usa

We do it for the chics!!

:)

John (5150)

9/17/2003 4:48:02 PM

Tacoma, WA

Yeh....the "chics"! You should have seen those cute third graders from Mrs. Hodges class "oogle" my giant pumpkins this morning!! It made an impression they might not ever forget!! I had them "eating out of the palm of my hand"!:>)

Stan

9/17/2003 4:57:25 PM

Utah

i often wonder if i spent as much time on the stock market, or running a business as i spend on pumpkins if i'd be a millioniare?
as it is i'm just a medicore pumpking grower. maybe i'd just be a medicore day trader. LOL!

9/17/2003 5:14:59 PM

Itzetown City

Why we do this? We allow ourself otherwise nothing. ;-)

Darry, i think a lot of us are in trouble that you´ve lost your last pumpkin. But there will come a saison and you will have the biggest one ever in ohio grown. You only must believe it.
Cheer up and go on!
Werner

9/17/2003 5:51:01 PM

Stouffville

ever since I started growing giants I've been sleeping on a pile of money with lots of women

9/17/2003 6:06:16 PM

Stouffville

but seriously...these things are amazing to watch when they grow... and I love showing them to people too. Most people I show them to are quite impressed especially when they actually see them in the garden and not just in a fair as they are used to seeing

9/17/2003 6:08:58 PM

Stouffville

Last week a five year old boy asked me "how can something so big come from a small seed?" when I showed him my ~600lber (which has a crack... arrrg). Anyway showing these things to kids makes it all worth it, especially when they ask questions like this kid did...makes you realize how amazing giants are!

9/17/2003 6:16:02 PM

Wroclaw, Poland (51 N, 17 E)

I also love showing my small AG to other people. My shoolmates, my parents friends, grandarents etc. Second thing is that pumpkins are beautiful! This nice orange or green colour, big, lush green, leafes, lovely, yellow flowers (witch actualy smell very nice too) and also other things.
I also grow pumpkins to do something "diferent" than everybody else around me.

9/17/2003 6:34:25 PM

Stouffville

after I get the "big one" pollinated, I pick the fresh females, put them in vases and use them as table ornaments cause they smell so good and look good too...

9/17/2003 6:46:23 PM

Joliet, IL

to the question asked "why do we grow big pumpkins?"

my answer can only be "why not?"

it is what it is---hard work, devotion, insanity, luck,
joy, heartbreak, and then in the end
ultimately all your are left with is
a pile of goo when all is done.

sort of like a life itself.

those first 30 days when the pumpkin grows from a golf ball
to 100" around is by far one of the silliest things
i have ever witnessed in my life.

yes pumpkin growing is a silly pointless adventure,
and i love being silly, pointless, and adventuresome.

shazzy

9/17/2003 8:23:05 PM

New Brunswick

Some kids were in to see the horses the other night and I just had to show them my pumpkins. One, a wagon wheel looked so inviting one 10 year old girl wanted to sit in it! I laughed and told her since it was growing on its stem, it might break. The kids love em. Another little girl had one of mine spoken for for halloween a month ago. I only have 4 survivers this year. All should weigh over 150 pounds.

9/17/2003 9:21:00 PM

Stouffville

I think we all share a wonderful, unique hobby which makes the world a better place and definitely, more interesting a place than it would be without giants

9/17/2003 9:24:46 PM

Whidbey Island

I share Cros' pain with an almost identical story. I lost several earlier this year and then two days ago I saw signs of internal rot at about 600 pounds, also a PB by over 100 pounds. I took a nice picture, started to clean it all up, and promptly set out to enlarge my patch for another vine. Here I'm working on next year and this year isn't even over (except for me). Why? Because it is a challenge. You have to learn, think, plan, deal with the elements and experiment all to get to that one glorious fall day where you spend a few hours with smiling kids and friends. Ain't it grand?

9/17/2003 10:54:24 PM

San Luis Obispo Ca

The "force" told me to do it.

9/17/2003 11:03:07 PM

Caceres, mid west of Spain

Because this is an endevour beyond the usual grey line of most of people lifes. There are some great things in this World: Matterhorn mountain, the giant sequoias, a blue whale... I've seen them, but can't have them in my garden; however, I can have the biggest fruit man can imagine, and even better... I can grow it by myself! It's my baby!!!

9/18/2003 12:55:34 AM

Knopp, Germany

cuz it's cool.

9/18/2003 1:18:24 AM

Sequim, WA

The voices in my head told me to.

9/18/2003 1:56:43 AM

Sloughhouse, CA

Living in the "gold country'" of California you get the fever. Only this is pumpkin fever. Maybe next yr. It's fun and my husband always know where I am.

9/18/2003 3:22:36 AM

Montoursville, PA

I started growing because I came here and determined that you are all just freaking nuts. That measured well with my intellegence and frame of mind. I can find no other logical reason for being in this activity.

9/18/2003 10:33:09 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Twenty years ago, from what I can tell by the posts half of the BP.com growers would have broken the record with more then one of their pumpkins! While I'll never see a world record in my patch I still marvel at what some of the growers achieve. he kids faces are even better...oh it might not be a world record but they love big pumpkins! So PB's are fine with me and digging in the dirt and trying new things to get the patch ready I really enjoy. Alex still sits at the kitchen windowsill for breakfast to see how the pumpkins are doing...probably the worse thing I did this year was show him what real growers had in their patches! Yikes!....need alot more work to get there!

9/18/2003 11:07:10 AM

Knopp, Germany

LOL Chuck, you got the whole pumpkin world behind you, and as you well know, that stretches from New Zealand to Central Europe to the North american continent, from south to north, and i didn't forget Hawaii, Sweden or Yukon up in Alaska ( how u doing guy, long time no posts). Crazy yes, fun, you bet your last pair of pajamas this hobby is fun!

9/18/2003 12:50:57 PM

Circleville ,OH.

Well its nice to know Im not the only crazy one out there. I can agree with most all of you on why we do this.I think the kids really make this all worth while and I cant wait till mine are old enough to grow these things themselfs.
Theres always next year as everyone knows and I hope the weather is better. I guess if there was no chance of lossing it all this sport would be too boring.
Ill just stand behind all those I know still growing some and cheer them on.
I Cut the pumpkin up today and got the seeds drying out for next year. At least I was able to get the cross I wanted this year I just wish I got the extra months growth.

Thanks all and good luck at your Weighoffs.........Darryl

9/18/2003 3:57:38 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

It has something to do with. When you bring it to your daughters 1st grade class. You get more fingers pointing and kids saying WOW!!! Then a Big Red Firetruck that shows up. Shannon

9/18/2003 5:11:27 PM

Southern WI

And I want to see the look on the face of the smart alec who thinks they are going to pick it up and smash it after the trick or treaters go home :)

9/18/2003 6:48:16 PM

a house down the road has a tiny 5 pound pumpkin sitting next to their mailbox for decoration. i think it would be funny to make it a 500 pounder some night, do a little switch and see what their reaction was.

shannon - my mom asked if I would want to take mine to the school, but I told her chardonnay would probably do the same thing and I let her have the limelight :-)

on why we grow them.....it's something to do and it's fun! my best bud said it's the best thing that's happened to me because i actually did something this summer, and I got up early (before 10 or 11 ha ha) to pollinate and water etc.

9/18/2003 7:11:40 PM

wilmington,ma.

1 It keeps me off the streets.
2The wife knows where I am.
3 The look on ma grand daughters face.

9/18/2003 8:39:58 PM

[email protected]

The children & because we can.

9/18/2003 9:16:51 PM

porterville, calif.

I do this because i like to garden. I enjoy the all of the really good, nice,different people i have met here on BP. I have always been a person who likes to grow something different beside just Tomatoes , corn etc. Boy is this different!! I just showed one of my neighborand his kids my pumpkin. Its only 360lbs. But to see the look on thier face was worth a million dollars. I thought to my self wait till next year when I get 1 to 800lbs.
But really i think i do this because , just like Tremor said for the children and because I can... Greg

9/19/2003 5:08:24 AM

Manchester, N.h.

I started doing it just to grow one and I thought that would be the end of it, but little did I know it was just the beginning. Mine didn't do as good as I had hoped for this year but the first words out of my mouth were "Wait until next year". I have had alot of hobbies but this one is going to stay with me always. Every pumpkin is different from anyones elses and I guess not knowing how the outcome will be is a big part of what I enjoy about this crazy obsession......Flora

9/19/2003 11:51:56 AM

Taber, Alberta

My biggest reason for doing this is the couple of hours on Halloween, and the reactions at the door to my pumpkin by the kids. This, and the fascination of watching something so big come from a seed so small.
Alan

9/19/2003 1:20:04 PM