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Abbotsford, B.C

Heh everybody. Its been a while since I was on here, since university takes up so much of my time now. In fact, that is partly the reason I am here (besides checking up on the latest growing news). In one of my classes, I am preparing a presentation on---you guessed it---how to grow a giant pumpkin. The theme of the speech (it is an oral presentation class) is 'process', so the topic fits in well. But I want to tell the class more than just how to grow a giant pumpkin, which, while they may find somewhat interesting, may hold little relevance for them. What I would like to tell the class, briefly at the beginning of my speech, are some of the reasons for why people grow. And what better place to find out the many reason for why people grow giant pumpkins than here on bigpumpkins.com, the hub of all serious giant pumpkin growers?

3/3/2009 8:07:09 PM

Abbotsford, B.C

So, my question to you is simply this: why do you grow giant pumpkins? It could be that you enjoy gardening in general, since it relaxes you, or since you like eating freshly grown vegetables and fruits. You could grow because of a competitive nature which says, "I want to grow the biggest giant pumpkin ever!". You could even be growing for one of a million different reasons I could never have imagined. In any case, I am hoping to get some input from other growers, so that when I present my speech, I can include some of the comments from the replies I get here in my introduction to growing giant pumpkins. Not only will my classmates here about HOW to grow giant pumpkins, they will have an idea of WHY you might want to grow them in the first place. I know that if you are at all like me, growing giant pumpkins just seems like the most natural thing that could be, but do try your best to put your thoughts into words. Your comments will give my speech a much better sense of credibility than if I were to simply say, "Grow giant pumpkins because its fun" or something else along those lines, which is probably the best I could come up with.

Thanks in advance to everybody who replies.


Cameron

3/3/2009 8:07:18 PM

Minnesota

It's fun, can you take a seed the size of a quarter, three months later it can weigh as much as a volkswagen. I enjoy trying to beat my past personel best every year (well, this is only my 3rd year). My wife likes it because it keeps me from chasing other woman around, alot of time can be spent in the patch.

3/3/2009 8:14:16 PM

Columbus,ohio

I like it because it is just a chalenge and there is a "WOW" factor to it...I got seeds from the store and went home to do some research....I was automatticly hooked....I get asked every day at school " Why do you like pumpkin so much?"....I usaully say I don't know...Because they don't care...It can be fun...You can't grow anythign else in the world and it will grow to 1000+ lbs if you put work into it....Nothing else in the gardening world does something grow 1.5-2 feet a day during peek groth ...nothing! Something can grow 20 lbs a day and 40 lbs a day if your good at it...The people are awesome too! I haven't met a meen spirted grower yet. I dought I ever will...People don't go into this for self benifit they do it for fun.
It was awesome to see the look on some little kids faces when they saw some pumpkin at oakland nursey weigh-off...It was a holoween fair type of deal so it wasn't maimly growers anf their family , it was people who had never seen anything like that....I like the competitive aspect to it too. What not to like.

Please exuse my spelling

3/3/2009 8:44:36 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

I find it just fun to hand someone a baggie with 4 seeds in it and tell them congratulations you're so strong, you just lifted 3 tons.... then explain why. Heh.

I grow because I found it amazing how fast and how huge everything did get; and some bets, buckets of bragging rights that are there to be gotten, and all that stuff.

The two year old that visited my patch and stood in stunned awe next to a 300# (and still growing) pumpkin.

I've learned more about certain aspects of gardening than I ever thought I could learn; this IS extreme gardening. I hope it's going to make me a better gardener... and yeah, I want a bigger one than last season!

3/3/2009 8:45:43 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Just gonna try and get rid of this dam hat!!! LOL
It is really about, for me, meeting folks you can call FRIENDS for a lifetime!!! Especially, if they go by "Cletus & Festus"!!! Peace, Wayne

3/3/2009 9:34:13 PM

Boulder County Colorado USA planet Earth

I grow because its in my blood to grow stuff. the feeling if get when i grow stuff. Pride.
Plus I grow to meet new friends.

I am a pumpkin growing holic. And I have this addiction BAD

3/3/2009 9:53:22 PM

Minnesota

You could also offer them some seeds.

3/3/2009 10:12:50 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Chicks dig the giants!

3/3/2009 10:33:52 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

Because I have issues and I'm retarded.

Seriously though it might be a tribute to my dad who was an avid gardener and tried to teach us kids the ropes and we helped because chores weren't optional when you grow up in the country. It's funny but 80 percent of the gardening techniques I see here I was taught 40 years ago but its only coming back to me now because I didn't pay enough attention back then.

3/3/2009 11:55:25 PM

Darfield, British Columbia, Canada

It's fun hard work and I can say "yup, I grew that".

3/4/2009 12:12:44 AM

Dummer Twp - Ontario

It started out as a personal challenge to see if I could get some decent results and bring one to the local fair. (mission accomplished) The thrill of seeing kids and adults alike enjoy the fruits of your labour and the way they marvel at the monsters we grow. The friends I have made along the way are ever lasting and have opened up other avenues as well. These days its good to get out in the garden and just forget about all of lifes stresses and the worlds problems even if only for a few minutes each day. It has essentially taken over mine and with some reluctance my wifes life but has given back in many ways. The part I love the most each and every year is the drive to the weigh offs and seeing the reaction of the people along the "Parade Route" even if I'm the only one in the parade. It's all about having fun with me and passing that along to others!

Kirk

3/4/2009 4:49:56 AM

South Finland

It just feels awesome to belong to this crazy group of weird ppl... we all have issues, but growing big pkns is ultimate weirdest issue anyone can have in entirely world.
Well one of my best pkn friends don´t like the word weird, she likes to say we are special. And yes, maybe we really are bit "special", lol.
It is the peopple. Friends. Nature. Challenge. But most of all this is hottest hobby (=lifestyle in this case) in the world ;)

3/4/2009 7:10:32 AM

Rhode Island

cameron

to me the trip is far more important than the arrival
nothing beats the anticipation of a great pumpkin growing in your patch.

to see it growing before your eyes, the trips to visit your friends patches,throw in a cookout or two? life is good.

if ya get that big one to the weighoff? its a bonus.

pap

3/4/2009 7:53:34 AM

Johnston, R.I.

cause its fun

3/4/2009 8:37:48 AM

Preston CT

Kids and I like big things...

3/4/2009 9:29:16 AM

Western NY

Cliff's answer - for the groupies.

3/4/2009 9:54:38 AM

Sophia WV

Because being outside and active keeps me alive!Nothing better than watching a pumpkin grow.

3/4/2009 10:55:40 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Hi Cam, nice to see you posting again. Hope to see you growing again soon too.

I grow because it is fun. It is fun to grow something out of the ordinary that almost everyone that visits the backyard is amazed with and will peak their interests to the point where they will start asking more questions.

It is fun to see the eyes of the little kids light up when they see a real giant pumpkin...that is the best part.

Hope you do well in your studies.

Glenn

3/4/2009 12:56:12 PM

Murfreesboro, TN, USA

I try to grow, because it is just amazing to watch something start out very small and become very large in a very short period of time. In addition, I feel it is a great way to spend time together as a family. As I think about it now, I don't know if I will ever stop growing. I am having a great time, and to be able to take one to a fair would be a highlight of the trip.

On the other hand, my favorite color is orange!

3/4/2009 1:16:54 PM

Nova Scotia

i like the night before the weightoff,when u r looking for people to help load.and the drive to the weightoff is the most fun in the world with the kids in the truck,and all the people looking and pointing at the pumpkin that is the best feeling in the world for the kids.

3/4/2009 2:03:44 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

The Smiles

3/4/2009 2:20:07 PM

Long Island,New York

Because someone told me I couldn't.

3/4/2009 4:09:40 PM

[email protected]

The challenge was set, cousins grew a 280.5, I can grow one bigger than that, but, it took me 3 years to do it. 802.5 and 938.5 this season, now the challenge this year to beat that. And of course, it is fun!

3/4/2009 4:38:08 PM

Falls City, NE

I am new but it's fun defying the laws of plant physics. Besides, SOME IS GOOD MORE IS BETTER AND TO MUCH IS JUST ABOUT RIGHT.

3/4/2009 5:22:52 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Linus just said it the simplest of terms...The Smiles...I will never forget the trip to Indy in 07 w/Cletus & Festus...drivin down the freeway....almost every car that we passed, or passed us...had someone hanging out the window, w/ camera or cellphone, takin pic's...all had thumbs up!!! Peace, Wayne

3/4/2009 6:42:08 PM

Honesdale Pa USA

For the peace of mind and a cold beer after working several hours in the patch.

3/4/2009 7:18:12 PM

Utah

so I think the real question is: How come everyone else doesn't grow them?
:)

3/4/2009 7:44:48 PM

Clinton, Iowa

Aussie 65 hit it on the head..
THE ROAD TRIP TO THE WEIGH OFF!! Chances are you're not the biggest pumpkin around..BUT during those hours on the road and the 30 or 40 minutes in the parking lot at the local 'choke and puke' for breakfast.YOU ARE THE KING OF THE WORLD.....well in everyone elses eyes... But you know it's only a matter of a few hours and the true giants bring you back to reality!!! LOL
DAN
Ps....name one other thing in this world that can do 60 pounds in 24 hours....and you are directly responsible for that plant accomplishing that!! Pretty cool if you ask me

3/4/2009 8:06:33 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Oh yeah, being able to throw your own parade by circling the courthouse then dragging main at 5 mph with two big ones on a trailer! (at least the biggest anyone else there has seen)

One other thing that can do 60# in 24 hours... me in the 10# chocolate chip bag??? :)

3/4/2009 9:42:41 PM

Colorado Springs.Co

Cliffs answer is the best so far. Chicks dig it. lmfao

3/4/2009 10:39:04 PM

Griffith, In

If you want to make this successful, you might want to answer the questions that everyone asks,,,like how long does it take to grow one, or how does it get so big,,,what do you feed them,,,how do you move them,,,how big are the seeds,,,what are the growing secrets,etc,,,also pictures and a few seeds to see might be nice as visuals,,,Good Luck

3/4/2009 11:49:06 PM

Sparta, NC

I enjoy growing em to see just to see how big I can get em. The growth rates are amazing.

3/5/2009 6:38:38 AM

Abbotsford, B.C

Heh everybody,

Just wanted to thank you all once again! These replies are EXACTLY what I was looking for. Kudos to cliff for the honest jibe, & to pumpkin carver, good advice. Once again, thanks again to everybody who replied.

Cameron

3/7/2009 12:22:04 AM

Ireland

i,ve been growing giants for 16 years now, through business interests, marriage, kids arriving, etc,. etc,. and all I can say is that pumpkins have given me so much fun, that my life would be all the worse without them.There are so many things you have to do before you even get a seed into the ground, that it's like living in a parrrallel world.
In short, it gives a big break from the realities of life, which can be tough enough on their own, and, brings fun and laughter back.

3/7/2009 6:35:55 AM

Gold Hill, Oregon

its the sport. my first year i grew a 20lber. woohoo.carved it up and put it on the porch. my second year (last year) a 388lber. wooooohoooo. doin' great. took it to a wheigh off. got 10th. place. i was on a high for 2 weeks. when people saw it in my truck they pointed, honked, waived, and took pictures, the kids went nuts, adults acting like children. i had 2 elderly women checking it out, one of them stuck her finger nail in it to see if it was real. its a personal challege and competition to see if you can do better than you did the year before and see if you can do better than others. the reward is the big ribbon and smiles on peoples faces especially the kids no matter how old they are. we are all kids, its just that some of us are bigger kids than others.

3/9/2009 3:55:43 AM

Oklahoma State Record Holder

Since I'm the only one for many miles around here that grows one. I really like the look on peoples faces when they see it. 'Is that Real?', and the I have been asked if the pictures I took were trick photography. I grow mine close to road and don't hide it. I like to let everyone know what is growing.

3/9/2009 9:06:46 PM