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Ohio

Well, My 1081 has stop growing, Its in excellent shape But the leaves are wore out. Its Weight is a estimate 55O pounds 299 Ott. There is no way this pumpkin will last just sitting outside under its tent till Sept 22 Is there? I would love to get this weighed at the Barnsville pumpkin festival but i really dont think it will last untill then or will it? Any ideas on how to preserve this pumpkin till then would be great. I Also dont want to chance on losing the seeds letting it sit to long, There is no splits or cracks anywhere. I just worrie about underneath where i cant see.
Thanks
Brooks

8/16/2004 5:38:17 PM

C N Y

i had a 421 est. wt. fruit on an 845 Bobier year before last
that was just as solid after a month and a half of being
off the vine as any other fruit i ever had. a definite long-keeper! i had the luxury , though, of being able to just roll it over every week to mow under it, lol!
so, there is hope, but i THINK i would make sure it is done growing at all....stick a 2' long wooden dowel into the ground right next to the fruit, leaving a gap of 1/4-inch
between it and the fruit. you'll know from the size of the gap if it IS, or is NOT growing......'pal2

8/16/2004 6:18:57 PM

Key West, FL

Just leave it on the vine, that way it shouldn't loose weight...

8/16/2004 7:16:43 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

You can hold it! I think I'm about as good as anybody at holding a pumpkin that stopped growing in mid-August...I've done it several times! Keep it dry. Keep the sun off it, keep it warm at night, and I'd keep it on the vine as long as possible. Then, if disease is threatening the plant/fruit and you feel you have to harvest it, keep it in a cool dry spot out of direct sunlight, perhaps in a garage or barn on a pallet or sheet of foam. Good luck. It can be done!
Frank

8/16/2004 7:30:23 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

Oh, yeah. And Captan is your friend! Keep your eye on the stem.

8/16/2004 7:31:10 PM

Ohio

Ok im going to try it, Its still on the vine and ill try the dowel rod. Should i clean the pumpkin off with a light bleach and water? and also should I apply the captans heavy to the stem and blossom end? Im Going to wait it out till sept 22 with fingers crossed. I have another pumpkin at about 150 pounds and still growing(slowly)but the cold weather really hurt this year.

8/16/2004 8:16:51 PM

Hudsonville, Michigan ([email protected])

Yeah, I use a 5% bleach solution once a week. I only use the Captan at any sign of breakdown, cracks, or rot - not as preventative treatment on a healthy fruit. Use the bleach for that...

(Some people say 10% bleach or more. My personal feeling is that a 5% solution is fine.)

8/16/2004 8:43:30 PM

Wichita, KS

If you take it off the vine, a good place to set it (I have found) is on a garden bench, out of the sun and rain. I kept a pumpkin all winter this year on a garden bench (the kind with the one inch slats) in the overhang of our home. No rain or sun touched it, and plenty of air got underneath it. I think it was in close enough proximity to the house that the pesticides applied to the perimiter of the home kept the bugs off. It was solid in mid-march, when I sold it to an advertising agency for a photo shoot. It held up nicely during the overnight, cross-country shipping, too!

I applied NOTHING to it. No bleach, no captan, nothing. Keep in mind, however, I live in a dry climate. Other climates may demand different treatment.

8/16/2004 11:43:34 PM

Rhode Island

sly
last year we lost our 898 in early august
we left the pumpkin hooked up with ( no leaves ) attached to a 3 ft piece of main ( plus a shade tarp

it held on life support until it was sold the first of october

on the first week of november we got the pumpkin back ( we called it the(wallace 500 est) pulled the seeds,washed in mild solution of bleach and water, dried them out and stored
this season a a couple of us planted it and at present one person is well over 800 lbs and still doing 22 lbs per day
who would have thunk it

the 500 est was 898 fm x 845 m

pap

8/17/2004 7:15:09 AM