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Rhode Island

talk to any seasoned ag grower and they will tell you there are more disapointments that go along with this hobby then there are rewards

think about this for a moment

many experienced top notch growers put in ten to 15 (and more) plants per year and all we ever hear about is that monster that made it all the way to a weigh off
what happened to the rest of them?

ill tell ya what happened

in most cases a lot of these pumpkins ended up in the compost pile, from a whole host of reasons
if your going to grow these freaks of nature you have to be willing to accept failure and move on
in our patch this year we started with eight plants and have two remaining pumpkins that we can call competition quality

the only reward you can take from a lost monster pumpkin is that you proved to yourself that you have the skills to grow it, and that some day your efforts will be rewarded
( a good seed stock can also be harvested in some cases )

ron and i have lost more big time pumpkins than i care to remember and we are not alone however, for every potential monster you loose along the way every now and then some will make it, thats your reward

remember, even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and then

so for all of you that have experienced failure my advise it to stick with it, someday you to will be rewarded

dick

8/15/2005 8:53:40 AM

Knopp, Germany

Sound advice, thanks Dick.

owen

8/15/2005 9:03:55 AM

Puyallup, WA

Right Dick! This hobby is NOT for the faint of heart! In fact, I lost your 1068 this weekend...blossum end split. It was over 120" circ. and headed for over 1K. Bummer!

PS. Lost my 1109 as well! A very bad week!

8/15/2005 10:37:14 AM

canal winchester ohio

If you have 8-12 plants & lose a few plants you can get some comfort in knowing there are backups. Due to some things I couldn't control I'm growing 2 plants this season ( one at my place & one at my brothers)& I'll be growing the same amount for at least the next few years. So when adversity strikes you can't scrap the plant & move on, you have to adapt-improvise-overcome. the plant at my location got a third of it blown away to OZ with Toto in a storm. The pumpkin was 15 days old & weighed appx. 45 lbs, could I quit & move on ? No...Time to adapt ( and baby the heck out of it)Well it's now 37 days old goes appx. 275 lbs & is moving on a average of 8.5 lbs a day. If I keep it going I could make 500 if she goes heavy. A Great Pumpkin ? ...On paper no it's not. But only having one & having it partially destroyed if it does make 500 it would be a great moment for me ( although I'm planning a way to avoid it next season, including a way to cover before storms " improvise")
And if it makes it to the Circleville Pumpkin Show I will have overcome the adversity to prove ( in my mind) that I am a very good grower.
............Paul

8/15/2005 11:04:17 AM

Somers, CT

Squirrel definitely got my nuts this year. I will definitely be back.

8/15/2005 11:11:10 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

I often compare pumpkin growing to Golf..You are competing against yourself, your 9 holes is a year long. Sure at the end of season you want to be at the same score as your friends. A few balls out of bounce and a couple in the water can really hurt your game. You still stick it out and finish the round.

8/15/2005 11:16:59 AM

Key West, FL

Out of our patch, 10 plants. We only have 3 that I think may be competitive, maybe 4. One of those 3, my biggest and fastest growing, just stem split. Not all the way through, but it still makes you worry....

8/15/2005 12:56:21 PM

Long Island,New York

Ive decided that I grow in the short season and I'm gonna be happy with 400lbs.

8/15/2005 7:39:12 PM

Whidbey Island

From here on in there are twenty things that can happen to your pumpkin.......and nineteen of them are bad. Good luck to everyone.

8/15/2005 7:43:37 PM

Liverpool , England

7 plants to start here...down to one that will give me anything worth calling a giant.... lemme see.....oh its Paps 1068....thanks Dick.

Alun J

8/15/2005 8:27:09 PM

Rhode Island

oh by the way i forgot to mention those two competition pumpkins i refered to ?
they are both off our 1068 and the one with the best shape and daily gains has been growing without a base since early july
dam things been doing 30 a day for a while now --- i hope i found a nut lol
hang in there everyone

dick

8/15/2005 8:42:21 PM

Roanoke Il

I've been growing 6 years the past 5 years i've lost the biggest pumpkins in the home stretch. Have quit this sport more than once hated it with a passion at times. But this year of course I would like a monster make it to a weigh off. But this year i have gone into it with a different attitude i'm going to have fun if i get a big one so be it if not atleast i'm going to have fun...mark

8/15/2005 9:08:48 PM

Colo.Spgs.CO. Pikes Peak Chapter @ [email protected]

Nice to have a big one, but after 2 years of splitters and big disapointments on my biggest ones, hopefully I can cruise on to the scales with a decent size fruit,or fruits that are sound and a decent weight over 500+ pounds which should be no problem, and hopefully a new personal best, which in turn means excellent genetics for next season.Good luck to all and hold them together for a good time at harvest time..never give up even if it crosses your mind, do not go there,just keep on growing and get the big one for the bragging rights, even if it takes many years of hard work and lots of disappointments..JK..

8/16/2005 3:58:01 AM

[email protected]

I think I would prefer a good Blossom end split (over all at once) to these Stem end splits that tempt me into thinking I might prevent rot & decay from ruining the fruit (bleach, daconil, fans). Grrrrr.

Twelve down...one to (stay or go?)

8/16/2005 5:21:04 AM

Ohio

Two Stem splits happening the same day,one on the 1097 and the other on the 1446 but still hanging in there. Tremor, I know the feeling right now and If mine rot I wish they would get it over with and not happen on weigh off day LOL.I hold my breath everytime I go out and check on them splitters.

8/16/2005 4:24:53 PM

Milwaukee

This is my first year,,,
every day ,,, in the morning and evening ,,, i have to look at the pumpkins,, got one plant(generic seeds) and it is growing wheels, but the largest is 40 days and ott of 153 so a whopping 85lbs,,Hooray. The dogs chased something through the patch and destroyed about 30%. they jumped a 40 inch high fence to do it.
Ohhh i have pumpkins growing and hanging off the vine at 3 feet high,,, the plant climbed a 6 foot fence and invaded the neighbor. I think he is hooked on this sport too...

by the way
thanks all for all your posts and stories ,,, this has made my year.
wally

8/19/2005 8:23:12 PM