Growing Pumpkins:   Choose a location that has warm, well-drained and fertile soil. Work in plenty of well composted organic matter and mulch to conserve moisture, as pumpkins are heavy water consumers. Sow directly in the garden after threat of frost has passed. Sow one inch deep in hills or rows spaced twenty four to thirty inches apart.

When laying out your garden remember that pumpkin vines require a considerable amount of space.  Harvest time will vary by type but they are generally harvested in late fall after they are fully mature and the skins have toughened, stored in a cool, dry location, and used into the winter.  Click here for harvesting and storage information.

If you are seeking to grow large pumpkins, try 'Atlantic Giant' or 'Big Max'.  If you are interested in growing record winners, do an internet search and look for seeds with pedigrees of record winners.  This is out of the scope of our seed preservation work.  Here are some interesting factoids regarding giant pumpkins⁽¹⁾:

• A pumpkin vine can grow three feet overnight.
• Pumpkins can gain thirty pounds in one day.
• The world record in 1903 was 403 pounds.
• The world record in 2004 was 1,446 pounds.
• The world record was never broken between 1903 and 1978.
• The world record has been broken nearly every year since 2004!

Sources:

1. Gardening How-To Magazine, September/October 2004

2. "Field and Garden Vegetables of America," Fearing Burr, Jr., 1863