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Pumpkin Vines Newsletter

Hello

I have included below my condensed newsletter which goes out to
Australian Giant Pumpkin Enthusiasts entitled "Pumpkin Vines". 
Contributions, comments always welcome.  If you would like to receive a
copy please send your address to me.

All the best to All, Wendy Stayner


                              “PUMPKIN VINES”

ADDRESS:    P.O. BOX 205                     ISSUE NO. 15  JUNE   1997
           SEAFORD   VIC.   3198
PHONE/FAX: 03 9786 0337        E-Mail Address:  pumpkin@ajm.net.au
__________________________________________________________________

Hi All

It’s been a very busy few months, firstly with the growing of our
pumpkins, then competing at the Australian Giant Pumpkin & Vegetable
Competition, my husband George & I won were lucky to win the Victorian
Competition, our pumpkin weighed 200.8kgs, our personal best, which
delighted us immensely.  For those wondering, we grew our pumpkin from
the 400lb+ (180kg+) Atlantic

Giant Pumpkin Seeds available through Atlantic Seeds, the seeds were
picked randomly out of the bag.  We have very good soil where we live,
drainage is no problem, which is the one advantage we sometimes have
over our competitors, but that really is it - so next year, it could be
YOU growing the champion.  Our best advice is get your patch ready now -
the week after the competition (12 April), my husband and friend
collected a truck load of chook manure and put on our patch, hoed it in
and next day we then planted a crop of legumes such as oats, barley,
dung peas etc.

I am pleased to say Atlantic Seeds can now be reached on the Internet,
our address is pumpkin@ajm.net.au.   Look for our homepage soon.

Congratulations to B & J Benjamin, who submitted a cute photo of their
little pumpkins on the pumpkin (we hope to be able to include the
picture in a future edition of “Pumpkin Vines”, they have won the March
‘Pumpkin Vines’ Competition - the judges decision was a hard one - so it
has been decided to award R Leenarts of New South Wales, second place
for his newspaper cutting of his prize pumpkin - Rene wins a packet of
the seeds for his endeavour - thank you to all those who participated in
the competition 
                                                  All the Best, Wendy

........................................................................

“Pumpkin Vines” Subscription - I would like to subscribe to “Pumpkin
Vines”Quarterly Newsletter from the next issue for the annual fee of
$10.00.  Please make all cheques payable to ATLANTIC SEEDS and post to: 
P.O. Box 205, Seaford, Vic. 3198.  Overseas Subscribers:  $12.00 Aus

Name:  ________________________________    Previous Subscriber Yes/No
Address:  _________________________________________________________
State:  ___________     Postcode:  ______      Telephone No: 
(__)_________

I would like to see in future issues of “Pumpkin Vines”
......................................................



Page 2                                                 No. 15  June 1997

MONSTER TOMATOS - 
Mr J L Tyndall of Griffith, N.S.W. grew a few monster tomatos this year, 
the biggest weighing 900grams, and two others, just a bit smaller - Well
done - Can anyone beat this record?

Dana Smith from Darkan Primary School, Western Australia writes that
sadly their pumpkins did not survive the summer school holidays.  Thanks
Dana for the update.

CORRECTION:  The annual subscription to the British National Pumpkin
Society is 15 pounds, not as per March ‘Pumpkin Vines’,  I apologise for
the incorrect figure mentioned last issue.

Arriving Soon - The soon to be released book “Growing Giant
Pumpkins & Vegetables in Australia” by Wendy Stayner and Ian
Miller - watch future issues of “Pumpkin Vines” for more details.


Page 3                                        Issue No. 15   June 1997

Australian Giant Pumpkin & Vegetable Society Inc Info Page: 
<http://ritron.rie.net.au~agpvs>    Email Address: 
<agpvs@ritron.rie.net.au>

AUSTRALASIAN GIANT PUMPKIN VEGETABLE COMPETITION -  5 APRIL, 1997
RESULTS

PUMPKIN
1st    Jason Sounness     Mt Barker, Western Australia         218.6kg
2nd    Daryl Sounness     Mt Barker, Western Australia         201.2kg
3rd    Wendy & George Stayner	 Skye, Victoria                200.8kg	


SQUASH
1st       Jason Sounness Mt Barker, Western Australia       199.0kg  
New Aust Rec.
2nd      Ken Ryan/Noel Feld  	Carrick, New South Wales    180.6kg
3rd      Christopher Miller     Pakenham, Victoria          163.8kg

WATERMELON
1st       Charlie Cocivera   Dwellingup, Western Australia   65.2kg
2nd      A Cocivera          Dwellingup, Western Australia   57.8kg
3rd      Jason Sounness      Mt Barker, Western Australia    37.8kg

OTHER NOTABLE VEGETABLES

Onion - Ian Miller, Vic.  -   1.6kgs  Zucchini - P Qualizza, Vic. 5.0kgs
Carrot -  Ian Miller, Vic. -  3.4kgs   Rhubarb - T Karnatz, Vic. - 430mm


Page 4                                         Issue No. 15   June 1997

G-Day Fellow Pumpkin Growers, This is my third giant pumpkin attempt,
the experience over the past three years has resulted in a gradule
increase in my person pumpkin weights.  I have made some
mistakes over these years and had some bad luck.  This past season I
grew 4 pumpkins, 1 squash and 2 watermelons.  As the proposed site was
clay to the surface, to prepare this site I aquired 30 ton of cow
manure from a neighbour with a feed lot (of which I found out later that
was too much), about 2 tons chook manure and 6 tons of peat from a local
peat lake and approximately 70 ton sandy top soil, mixing together and
rotary hoeing in 2 tons lime, gypsum, 1 x 40kg NPK Blue Special and 2
bags super.  Each pumpkin site measured 10m x 8m with soil to a depth of
about 50cm.  Irrigation was performed using Turbo Tape spaced 30cm
apart, buried just under the surface.  Two pumpkins and 2 watermelon
were planted in a greenhouse, the other 2 pumpkins and squash were
planted outside under a frame covered in windbreak mesh.  From this
years experience, I found that the pumpkins grow faster outside.  The
plastic on the green- house has to be sprayed with hydrated lime (or the
pumpkin plant will get hot and burn), this shades the plant and pumpkin
growth is slowed.  My largest pumpkin this year (218.6kg) was
grown in the green- house, its growth was slower but more even than the
pumpkins outside, thus reducing the risk of splitting.  I planted my
seeds on 21 October, 1996 planting out 8 days later,
pollinating the flowers between 30th December and 10 January.   Some
factors I employed included:

.  place a cold frame over each seedling when planting outside in the
garden (remove when weather is hot, replace at night);
.  train the main 2 runners in the north/south direction (for more sun
on the leaves), allowing side runners off these main runners, and pinch
off the ends and bury as these reach the sides of the 10x8m site;
.  I pollinate a couple of female flowers on the main runner when it
grows out of the site onto a patch of dry sand, approx 4-6m from the
main stem (I prune to 1 pumpkin when pollination is seen to be 
   successful) Warning: this method can be risky if something goes wrong
with your chosen pumpkins;
.  wind is a serious problem - a compromise has to be reached between
wind protection and maximum sunshine on the plant
.  I built a weather sunproof cover over the proposed pumpkin site
before the flowers have opened, asrain in the flowers can stop
successful pollination.
.  I do not recommending using 30 ton cow manure, (see below), it was
nearly a case of over-kill.  
.  I applied a small amount of fertiliser through the irrigation system
about 1 month after planting and it burnt the plants, slowing their
growth, thus no more fertiliser was applied through the rest of the    
season.
.  Another problem is that feedlot cattle are fed salt, thus the salt
content of the manure can be ratherhigh.  The salt content of the peat
was also high but that was cured by watering out before mixing into
the garden.

I have learnt a great deal about the art of giant pumpkin growing ver
the past three seasons, so watch out next year and get that wide angle
lense camera ready.
                                                                  
Regards Jason Sounness  (Western Australia)

More of Jason’s tips and hints will be included in the September issue
of ‘Pumpkin Vines’.

Thanks Jason, Jason WON  this years Australian Giant Pumpkin
& Vegetable Competition - with his 218.6kg pumpkin and he also
created a new Australian Squash Record 199.0kg (beating my husband
George’s and my five year old record) Well done Jason.
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