Re: Mixed blessings

Paul Thompson in Michigan writes:

>the only plants that are up are from a $1.95
>packet of 10 I bought at the local garden center.
>...
>Those seeds were
>considerably smaller than the "good" ones -- would that make a
>difference? 

Yes, quite a difference from my experience.
I went through this last year.  I got "store-bought" seeds from Agway, clearly
marked "Atlantic Giant", "PVP" (hence under Dill's quality control, *I assumed*)
and all that.  Like you mention, the seeds I got were much smaller than one would 
expect from a "giant" pumpkin.  I drove all around the county, feeling/looking 
through all the packets they had, and none of the seeds were larger; in fact, 
all the stores had seed from the same lot (which may be one pumpkin, I don't know).  
I grew 3 of them, with very disappointing results, which I attribute to them being 
of inferior genetics, as I did nearly everything else right, fertilized weekly, watered 
daily, etc., grew one pumpkin per vine, etc.  What I got was 3 plants, the 
largest vine only around 16-20 feet long, with 2 foot long secondaries.
They were all midgets compared to the AG vine photos you see on the internet.
They yielded 3 nearly-identical AG pumpkins (indeed starting out cream colored, maturing
to orange), and the biggest weighed 4 (yes, four) pounds.  While quite a feat to grow
such a small, fully mature AG, it didn't generate the media sensation you'd think. :-) 
(I'm thinking of growing a known-genetics seed in exactly the same plot this year
as a test just to prove that it was the seed and not my technique.)

This past fall, I watched the pumpkin list here, and obtained some "real" good-genetics
seeds from people who really care about and control the parentage, and was stunned at 
the size of the seeds I got.  My advice is to not waste your time with these wimpy 
seeds at all, turn them under as fertilizer for your "good" seed!  :-)
Even if you have to plant later than you'd like, I wouldn't go with the $1.95 seeds.

-----------
Rick Inzero, grower of dwarf Atlantic Giants
      "Why *ANYBODY* can grow a BIG one!!"
near Rochester, NY
rdi@cci.com

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