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Newspaper story

They didn't put this on their web page, so here it is!  This article appeared
in the Kansas City Star newspapers "Lawn, Garden & Home" tab [supplement] on
April, 18th, 1997.  The AP photo of the Zehr's winning pumpkin was also
included.

Andrea

IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN!				800 words

Andrea Ray Chandler

	It’s larger than a Galapagos tortoise and orange.  It’s sheer presence
requires at least a triple-take as your eyes and your brain argue, “Can’t
be!” “It is! It is!” “My gosh, it’s huge!  Is that a pumpkin??”  Boy, and you
thought the one the neighbors down the street had was big. THIS is huge.
 It’s a giant.  How big can a pumpkin get?

	The whole giant-pumpkin growing world had something to cheer about last
fall, when two growers managed to break the 1,000-pound barrier.  For years,
growers have been producing giant orange squashes that range from a mere 250
pounds to the 900+ pound range.  They felt it was only a matter of time…and a
$50,000.00 award had collected as well.  Bill Greer in Picton, Ontario
certainly felt he had the big prize last year with his 1,006 pound giant, and
then on October 5th, the results came in from the Ottawa-St. Lawrence
competition that Paula and Nathan Zehr also had brought in a behemoth to
Clarence, NY – but theirs crammed the scales at 1,061 pounds.  

	Surprisingly, such a competitive field isn’t full of secrecy.  Pumpkineers
from literally all over the world (Australia, Belgium, Italy, Sweden,
Hungary, Yugoslavia, Japan, and more) belong to various organizations.  They
correspond daily on web sites, trade photo cards of growers and their giant
pumpkins, and share prize seeds and growing information with each other.
 There’s a camaraderie; giant pumpkin growers are nice people.  And only
another giant pumpkin grower can sympathize when your promising 100-pound
baby has a blowout, or succumbs to a nasty case of rot right before it’s time
for the Weigh-Off.

	Giant pumpkins aren’t for the laid-back.  They require prodigious amounts of
water, fertilizer and space to grow, some 1,000-2,000 square feet of ground.
 Growers go through a whole bag of tricks to gain extra growing season, even
using heating cables, miniature greenhouses or coldframes, shade tents, wind
breaks, and some even track their pumpkins’ progress with sophisticated
measuring systems and growth-tracking programs.  If this all sounds a bit
much, please realize that a giant pumpkin can grow 25 pounds per day!

	Despite all this intensive, high-tech effort, giant pumpkin growing isn’t
just for obsessive fans.  Plenty of children and more laid-back home
gardeners love to grow giant pumpkins for the sheer fun of it!  Without extra
effort and care, you can easily grow a 150 pound jack o’lantern.

	But you must have the right seed.  Big pumpkin seed, like Big Max will grow
a big pumpkin, but not a giant one.  For giants, you need the Atlantic Giant
[a.k.a. Dill’s Atlantic Giant], which was developed by record-winning grower
Howard Dill.  Seed is available through select sources, and also through the
Olathe Horticulture Club’s “Big Pumpkin/Big Sunflower” contest [contact
Andrea Ray Chandler at 829-6937 for seeds and details]. Last year’s winners
of the Club’s contest were: Heather Laughlin’s pumpkin at 172 pounds, and
Cassie McLeod’s sunflower at 22 1/2 inches across.

	Do not sow your giant pumpkin seeds until May, unless you have a cold frame
to keep over the plant; that will give you a two-week start.  The soil must
be nice and warm for the seed to sprout; laying clear or black plastic on for
two weeks beforehand will help warm the soil and kill some weeds as well. 
	Give your pumpkins lots of room, keep them weeded, well-watered and
fertilized, watch out for squash bugs and borers, and pray for no hail
storms.  Once the baby pumpkins reach basketball size, it’s time to select
just one or two, and remove any others.  This will allow the vines to
concentrate their energies on The Pumpkin.  Giant pumpkins tend to be
sensitive to herbicides; hand cultivation for weeds works best.
	During the heat of the summer, some growers like to construct an open-sided
shade tent [of Reemay or similar garden fabric] over the fruit so it doesn’t
get sunburned.  As the pumpkin grows, gradually train the vines so they arch
away from the stem and the pumpkin; otherwise the large fruit could squash
them, and that would be the end of your squash!  You’ll also need to undo the
roots that grow along the stem close to the pumpkin, so the stem can lift
upwards with growth.  You’ll want to use a frost-protection tent in the
autumn before weighing time; frost can hit any time during the month of
October.
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