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Lombard, IL

Why do people constantly ask me if the pumpkins need to be rolled? Huh? Even when I didn't know a thing about pumpkins, I never thought they needed to be rolled. I have a hard time not laughing when I hear this one. As if they don't see the big stem attached to the giant vine.

8/9/2007 9:47:34 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

A neighbor asked me last night. I had to apologize after I quizzed her. I mean COME ON? Yeah, I get the Bobcat out every night, somehow have the vine elastic, and then roll it? Do you roll your tomatoes? Cukes? Do you roll anything on a vine in your garden? Grapes? Jeez. I've had interesting common questions, but the rolling one always floors me. Feed 'em milk too, elephant milk works best.

8/9/2007 10:01:12 PM

Farmville, Virginia ([email protected])

I had the exact same question asked of me last week.

8/9/2007 10:34:00 PM

Cincinnati,OH

I heard you should grow them in a hammock under street lights.

8/10/2007 12:13:42 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Get used to it..Just feed them some more BS..Like when the moon is full you have to do it more often because of the gravitational pull...Wait until they ask you "How many seeds it takes to get one that big?" Ahhh one seed one plant duhhh.

8/10/2007 10:03:15 AM

Ohio

I heard once the pumpkin starts growing you dig a hole and then bury the entire pumpkin, that way you dont have to roll it and the pumpkin it self will root at the blossom end. Its kinda like planting potatoes.

8/10/2007 10:03:57 AM

Delaware, Ohio

I had a guy last night ask me why I didn't grow it in a sling and just how did I inject the milk into it.

8/10/2007 11:40:05 AM

Minnesota

Talking about rolling...I had a garden with a ag pumpkin 100pds or so, one day it was gone, the neighbor said, oh, that was yours, I watched 3 neighbor boys roll by with it.

8/10/2007 12:36:00 PM

My internship is mostly greenhouse work, and one of my coworkers (a grower here) asked me if you had to roll them... so I guess no matter how involved with plants you are, giant pumpkins are indeed something new to most people.

8/10/2007 1:27:17 PM

Ohio

There was this one time I rolled my AG pumpkin and found a new shinny quarter underneath it, this year when I rolled my 800lber I only found a nickle, its almost like the toothfairy had something to do with it.

8/10/2007 1:39:51 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

What is the genesis of the rolling question? Even if I knew nothing about AG's (and I basically don't...), I wouldn't think of asking that question. Just curious why it's asked so often?

8/10/2007 1:40:13 PM

Ohio

Oh, I sometimes use my pumpkin as a spare just incase a tire goes flat.

8/10/2007 1:43:22 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

We roll them to keep them round. From the looks of some of the pumpkins we are not doing something right...lol

8/10/2007 1:50:03 PM

Honesdale, Pennsylvania

At the end of June our community had a mini secret garden tour which people paid to visit many backyard gardens. My mom had signed up so I was there to explain the early stages of the pumpkin growing process. I had some walking boards placed around the young plants. As I was explaining to this woman that the secret to growing a giant pumpkin was to get your plant in good shape early on by kind of "building the framework" so the plant can support a big pumpkin later on. Her response was..................... "is that what the wood boards are for". WOW, I had to laugh.

8/10/2007 2:16:21 PM

Colorado

Young college kid ask's "That's a really nice pumpkin but
why are you growing it above ground" Huh!!!

Another guy say's he knows my secret is feeding it milk.
I tell him the milk thing is a myth. He say's no its
true I saw it on TV.....Huh!!!!

8/10/2007 2:19:22 PM

Pataskala,OH

How did the milk Story start anyway.

8/10/2007 2:43:53 PM

little house on the praire had milk pumpkin thing

8/10/2007 3:31:16 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

My friend told me that his sister's brother's uncle's aunt said to give the plants a glass of milk to get calcium to the pumpkin. I said no that's bull crap but he said she swears by it. I asked him oh really, how many giant pumpkins has SHE grown??

8/10/2007 4:14:11 PM

Washington

Another question we get a lot is "How many years did it take to get that big?"

People say the darndest things, LOL

Sherry

8/10/2007 5:10:37 PM

In The Patch (Cambridge, Ohio)

I had someone tell me this this year, "Now you know the only way to get your pumpkins to grow giant size is to inject milk into the vines don't you?".

Had another laugh in my face in indirectly call me crazy for saying that AGs can put on as much as 40-50 lbs a day in some cases.

For the most part I think that they just have no knowledge of this hobby as I know the first person I was referring to is certainly not a dumb person and is actually very bright. Since I am a first year grower and have not grown any truly large pumpkins it does me no good to say anything about the milk injecting being a myth because they just think I do not know what I am talking about. I also certainly do not want to hurt anyones feelings either. I can see where I might have trouble keeping a straight face if I ever get asked if it was grown underground or if I roll it though...lol.

AW

8/10/2007 6:31:44 PM

Cottage Grove, MN

Just got done rolling, what the heck (beers), maybe we're on to something, main vine looks like hell afterwards, even worse where the sbv's were. My back hurts bad too. If I could only find an elephant to milk, wife is wondering again what I'm up to. Oh well. I'm going to dig a hole underneath now, I'll let you all know how it goes. Fog, you listening? This is how we do things in these parts, don't tell anyone. Thank God I have an IV set, don't ask why.

8/11/2007 12:34:30 AM

Minnesota

Hmmmm.

8/11/2007 11:37:42 AM

North Smithfield, RI USA

you roll the pumpkin back and forth very dainty-like as it is growing ! Be carefull not to snap the stem and clean the fruit with a bleach solution during this process ! I was given this advice by a spectator at a weigh-off. of course MY pumpkin was smaller than the rest and maybe he knew something that was not in Don's book !

8/11/2007 5:57:52 PM

Ohio

I used bleach on a IV line on time, I hooked it into a 20 hp pump right into the stump, cleared my pythoripta-ripta-ripta right up, I then rolled the pumpkin on its side so it could drain out the stem, it was the first ever pumpkin juice transfusion. Please believe me when I tell you this, Im not kidding one little itzy bit.
Ask Glenn Andrews he will tell you the story.

8/11/2007 7:34:27 PM

Simi valley, ca

I always use lots of caution when i roll my pumpkins here, As they are growen up over the house on a plato (no kidding about the plato) & i have worryied about them rolling down (and thats no kidding), mostly- I get several people to help me roll mine carfully !!!

8/12/2007 11:35:37 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Just this weekend I had a new grower ask me this as she looked at DubYaH, 500 Wallace, sitting on a bed of sand.......... "How did you know your pumpkin was going to grow right there?" I told her its there every year and I just rototill around the pile of sand.........

8/13/2007 9:23:58 AM

Georgia

Well I had a question I couldnt really answer yesterday. I had some people come over to my patch or whats left of it. They were really impressed by my pumpkins. I was covered in sweat and dirt and one fella asked me whats the point????? I kindoff thought it was rude and alls I could say is I like to grow em big.

8/13/2007 11:01:13 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Jason 99.5% of the people will never understand the point of growing giant pumpkins. I have found it easier to just feel sorry for these others. Then to try to convert them over. Embrace the ones that show interest, and give them seeds. Each year I try to hook atleast 10 more people.

8/13/2007 1:59:33 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

"why do you grow these things anyways?" Because you walked all the way down the street to stare at them, that's why!

8/13/2007 8:51:20 PM