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Salinas, Ca

A local nursery asked me to give a presentation on March 14th regarding giant pumpkins.

I’m not a heavy hitter but with a personal best of 966lbs I hope I know enough to talk to and instruct newbies and experienced gardeners the basics of growing giant pumpkins.

Matt Debacco offered to send me a presentation he put together on power point but the venue is not suited for it. I talked to the nursery owner and I think I’ll give a quick 5 minute overview and then he and I will then have a question and answer session for as long as it takes to cover the main points.

To make sure we go over the important items without giving out too much detail to a new grower and overwhelming them I would like to give him 10-20 questions to ask. Here’s what I’m hoping we can cover:

Seeds – grow the Atlantic giant variety, only plant quality seeds. In this area I would like to quickly touch on germination and the benefits of not starting seeds in the ground. I usually give out 20-30 seeds each year to individuals on other boards I’m involved with and I plan on offering seeds or seedlings to all who request.

Growing area and soil – try to grow in a minimum 200 sq. feet. What should I suggest as a minimum to be done to the soil? I’m not sure they will perform a soil test so I was thinking at a minimum to mix in compost.

(continued)

2/28/2009 1:26:58 PM

Salinas, Ca

Coldframe and maintaining the plant – basic patters for the plant to grow, Christmas tree or flag.

Pollination and pumpkin position on the vine – review pollinating on the main vine 8 ft out and how to pollinate.

Getting the pumpkin out of the patch and attending a weigh off – locally here we have many weighoffs to choose from.

I would also like to give out a handout. Can anyone recommend a website to print out a “How to” grow pumpkins in a detailed format for those that want to be serious about it? How about which online sites to use as a resource? Which DVD’s or Books?

Any and all suggestions are welcome. This is an attempt to introduce people to pumpkin growing. Remember, the audience is very inexperienced and we probably do not want to overwhelm them on the first day.

Also, I heard that RTI (local to us) will also be represented there. I believe they are going to go over some of the basics regarding fungicides and fertilizers.

All help is greatly appreciated!

Mike

2/28/2009 1:27:23 PM

Wilmington.Ma.

Mike on the main page,the menu click on How TO.

2/28/2009 5:16:31 PM