Re: Pale Giant Pumpkin

Good advice Rick....Thanks    Don
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rick I." <rdi@rochester.rr.com> 
To: <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2008 9:05 AM
Subject: Re: Pale Giant Pumpkin



From: "Steve Minor" <minok@surfglobal.net>
I have a giant pumpkin about 4 feet(and getting bigger) across which I am hoping will make it to a local Vermont weigh-off in October. I have kept it well shaded, and it is almost white. Do I worry about the color, or do I just 
grow it big?  This my first big giant.
The giants can be any shade at maturity, from white to peachy orange to deep orange or green; it's the genetics. Yours will likely be a pale peachy color when mature, rather than deep orange, that's all, you're not doing anything wrong. Some darken up a lot when mature, some not so much and stay pale. For shade, I make a lean-to on the south side of the plant. I use those 4-5' long oak tree stakes as poles- the are sold to keep saplings straight. You can get them at a large hardware store. I take 4 stakes and a staple gun and tack a blue or green plastic tarp to it. Sometimes on top of that I'll staple an old white sheet to reflect more of the sunlight. I put 2 short poles towards the south, and 2 taller poles near the north, and make it wide enough to accomodate the large fruit as it will grow, and wrap the tarp around the sides of the lean-to to provide shade even as the sun swings around in the sky- it covers 3 sides of the fruit. I keep the low end of the lean-to off the ground about 6-8" to allow for airflow. Sounds like you've got a real nice fruit going, good luck! 

-Rick I.
http://home.rochester.rr.com/srinz/rickspkins.html
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