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Wallingford,CT

This year’s contest began with a strong field of growers to challenge the 1000 pound mark in only 150 square feet. After last year’s results I was sure we would see more than one grower break the mark. As we all know it’s not easy to grow a giant pumpkin and the challenge remains in tack for next year. Only 9 growers managed to surmount all the obstacles and get their 150 pumpkin to the scale this year.

#1 982 Team Gadberry
#2 947 John Butler
#3 927.5 Joe Jutras
#4 797 bnot
#5 660.3 Team 721
#6 605 Mike Strange
#7 544.5 Cuerbitrix
#8 458.1 Pumpking
#9 422 Tom Keenan

854 est/dmg (BES) Cindy Tobeck (C2K)
14 additional growers have no results for various reasons.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope you had fun and learned something.
Bart

10/31/2018 3:32:27 PM

Muddy Waters

Congrats to all

10/31/2018 5:12:30 PM

Essex, UK

Wow, getting closer! Well done all, have to give it another go sometime.

10/31/2018 7:50:41 PM

Grittyville, WA

Congrats! I made some mistakes... I want to compete again and do things different. Thanks for hosting the competition and helping me lose $1 and change to Gads. If he spends that money wisely... watch out!

10/31/2018 11:05:43 PM

Deer Park WA

Team,
What a fun and insightful journey growing in a 150 square foot area. Learned a ton about what a giant really needs to get massive and how the plant takes care of itself when confined. Check out our Team Gadberry diary if interested in some of the techniques we tried our first year at 150. The biggest surprise for us was how healthy the plant was as the "suckers" replaced the old growth through out the season.

Lessons learned, keep those sneaky hitch hiker pumpkins pruned in mid to late season and the fences secure to keep the rabbit chasing beagle from trashing tne stem and stump!

There is definatly something to growing in a confined space that keeps the plant driving / thriving longer than a traditional competition layout.

Bart, you ROCK for championing this experiment thank you so much. If you or anyone else wants free seeds from our 982 (1803 Gadberry × 2145-B Mcmullan shoot us an email and we will hook you up.

~Best

Gerry & Dani,

11/1/2018 12:03:43 AM

Massachusetts

Flat Norm told me it was like golf..lowest score wins.

11/1/2018 11:48:43 AM

Team Canuckle Heads

Great fun again this year
Everybody wins
Thanks Bart

11/1/2018 1:28:53 PM

Georgia

It would be interesting to see what the correlation is between square feet and size. If there was a 300 sq ft. contest could someone break 1500.

11/2/2018 9:27:13 PM

Upa Creek, Mo

Col F, yes easily, up north 1500 is nothing. Just this year alone there were 160+ pumpkins over 1500 pounds. The majority were northern US.

11/2/2018 10:10:24 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I had fun again in the 150 contest. It was a good year for me, improved my personal best in the small area this year. I need to figure out how to get the level of the 900 pound growers. Maybe I shouldn't plant an orange seed. Congrats Gadberry..only 18 pounds away from the 1k level, I think for sure that barrier is going to broken next year.

11/3/2018 6:03:46 AM

Deer Park WA

Team, to entice more growers to try the 150 challenge and break the 1000# barrier Dani and I have asked Bart to keep our $26 in prize money and roll it into next seasons pot.

Thanks to all who participated and followed along, great fun!

11/7/2018 1:18:00 AM

Pittsburgh

Gerry and Dani,
Do you still have seeds from the 982 available? If so, could you provide your email so I could send you my address? Thanks!

1/5/2019 10:30:06 PM