From

Location

Message

Date Posted

anyone guess were it will be in 10 years from now? looking back 10 years ago till 2010 its climbed alot how far can they keep going now that theres been 20 pumpkins over 1600 two over 1700 and one over 1800 lets here some predictions

11/7/2010 11:21:01 AM

Georgetown, Ontario

It's hard to believe but if the next 10 years is similar to the last 10 years we'll be pushing close to 2500 pounds. Please note...I use the term "we" loosly as in "not me."

11/7/2010 11:31:21 AM

British Columbia, Canada

I think it might stall, 1978lbs.

11/7/2010 11:39:51 AM

Brittnau , Switzerland

wat was on the years from 1904 to 1976 ? Maybe we ar on top now ...

11/7/2010 11:51:34 AM

Gays Mills,WI

2400 lbs.

11/7/2010 12:44:52 PM

Massachusetts

don, a great question. i think the sky is the limit. with all the technological advances that are coming every year, and the only reason that there is not more 1600 lb pumpkins grown every year is money and knowledge... 10 years ago pose this question :(mycorrhiza what?) or even azos!,co2 spray?, i could only imagine whats next! the cost to grow a big one is quite high, this limits the average grower, (if you want to do it right). if everyone had the money for 1,000 gallon tea brewers, and ect.. there would be more pumpkins on the list of giants, i'm not saying that you could not just throw a seed in the ground and grow something special , i,m sure it has been done more than once. but with advances in science and genetics, the right soil, the sky is truly the limit!

11/7/2010 12:58:29 PM

Minnesota

3100

11/7/2010 1:15:28 PM

British Columbia, Canada

I just can't see a plant produce a 2500lb pumpkin in 90 days. The amount of energy it would take....

11/7/2010 1:36:18 PM

Knopp, Germany

2000 pounds will never be made.

11/7/2010 1:40:00 PM

Frankfort Ohio

Who said 90 days i look for bigger green houses and starting sooner growers are streaching them to well over 100 days now if some one finds a way to keep bigger gains that long who knows 2k will be seen soon

11/7/2010 1:41:25 PM

New York

2000 lbs will be easy – as a long-time vegetable grower (not necessarily a giant pumpkin grower), I think the key, as Jed said, is not bigger incremental gains, but more consistent gains over a longer period of time. We've spent quite a bit of time breeding specifically for the fruit, and I think we need to start focusing on breeding for favorable plant traits; namely, disease resistance and overall resilience. Plants shouldn't need to deteriorate by the middle of August. With proper breeding and new training techniques (allowing the plant to 'recycle' by not terminating all vines early in the season), I agree that the sky is the limit.

11/7/2010 5:13:49 PM

Good question Don. Ok everyone we know the genetics and just about everything else WILL get better...... but with that being said its going to take a while. I see the world record in 2020 at 2250-2500. Just my opinion.

Martin

11/7/2010 5:18:40 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

23xx in 2020, while I will still be trying to break 1k ... :) unless I move. Heh

11/7/2010 5:25:29 PM

Rapid City, SD

never thought i would live to see 1500 pounder........crazy indeed

11/7/2010 6:26:59 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

i remember when a 1000 was a stretch

11/7/2010 7:27:22 PM

So. Maine

I do not see the gains happening in the next 10 years as we have seen in the past 10 BUT 2K I think will happen in 5 years or less .

11/7/2010 7:32:58 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

If we keep increasing as we have been by 4% per year for 5 more years then slow to 3% in the next 5, here are the numbers:
2011 1882
2012 1957
2013 2036
2014 2117
2015 2202
2016 2268
2017 2336
2018 2406
2019 2478
2020 2552
Don't forget how ridiculous 1800 lbs. sounded in the year 2000.

11/7/2010 7:57:46 PM

Rhode Island

i sure hope larry is right. i have always been hung up on the amout of days it would take to grow much bigger, plus you would need large daily weight gains for a longer period of time,and you would need to go over chart like chris and some of the others did this year

only the shadow knows how much longer i will grow however my son ron, buddies and past site and/or world champions in the hobby like joe j, steve s, steve c, don y, joe p, dave s, larry or gerry c, quinn w, tim p, etc, etc, to name just a few good growers, have plenty of energy,experience, and are very dedicated to attaining these benchmarks.
good post larry
pap

11/8/2010 9:46:35 AM

Bristol R.I. USA

Personaly I think the 2000 lbs. Barrier will be attained in my lifetime. I do think that everyone looks at the genetics of the fruit rather then the overall health and genetics of the plant. It seems that every year newer and more discoveries are made. 15 years ago who would have thought of compost tea, myco, c02. There may be more natural discoveries that could exploit a certain seeds genetics that could make it more whatever. "Whatever" meaning we dont quite know yet but the future will give us those answers when we reasearch or possibly accidentally find out some break through. There are a ton of growers that are committed to doing whats needed as well as trying newer techniques that will add pounds. I say 2000 will be gotten in 7 years. To early to predict the grower! Lol!

11/8/2010 10:50:19 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Just a year or so ago, I was at a meeting here in the North East, this same general question came up and alot of people were sure that the jump in weights had surely reached its peak, or close to it.
Growing in controlled enviroments such as greenhouses to promote a longer growing season and longer sustained gains was discussed, and I agree, controlling the enviroment will be the way to keep this hobby moving forward. We have been doing this to some degree for years,most of us in cooler climates use cold frames, imagine putting your plants out in early May without one. Growers in hotter climates use shade cloths, misters and other controlling factors, Look at the European growers, before they started focusing on greenhouses the weights in Europe were decent, but not to the point where anyone thought a world record could be grown.
I feel that there will be a cap, where it is...I don't have a clue, but remember, we are growing smarter, healthier, and we are sharing knowledge.
The playing field is being leveled and I dont think we have reached the full potential of these plants yet.

11/8/2010 12:01:53 PM

Colorado

Also,breeding for fruit that grow for a longer period will help. It seems many of the 1161rodonis fruit grow strong after day 55.

11/8/2010 1:38:52 PM

Northern Cambria, Pa.

While weight is still increasing, size has pretty much flattend out in the low 400's OTT. At some point, weight increase is going to have to slow also, otherwise we will end up with fruit that have no cavities and are therefore seedless. As was mentioned, we must also be getting close to the genetic limit of what the plant is capable of. We thought that was the case 10 years ago though.

11/8/2010 1:46:43 PM

The bottom of New Jersey

One of the reasons our plants' health begins to decline in late August-September is not only cooler temps but the shorter day length (of course, they are related). So I think at some point, probably soon but who knows, we will reach the limits of the plants in their natural environment. Put them in a climate controlled greenhouse with lighting to keep the day length long and who knows how big these pumpkins could get. Very few of us will be able to afford the money to make that happen, but someone will.

I sort of jokingly posed a question at our patch tour in August, wondering if anyone ever tried growing a giant pumpkin on the equator. I'm not sure if the day length there would be sufficient for growing pumpkins, but if it is you would think they would be able to grow indefinitely. No shortening days, no cooler temperatures ever, but I'm sure there would be other problems that I can't even fathom since I've never lived there.

11/8/2010 3:05:31 PM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Other side of coin is to start earlier in spring, smaller plant means easier to keep warm and light up to give it longer days... but. That isn't free either.

How far are we willing to go to get there?

11/8/2010 3:59:37 PM

Ham Lake, Minnesota

My calculations have 2,149 pounds as only a matter of time, but will happen. I've been thinking 2100-2150lbs. tops for over a year to myself but year after year we are continually amazed at the margins between world records. When margins between records is only a matter of pounds separating the top ten then I think we are seeing the top.

11/8/2010 4:03:42 PM

Belgium Europe

1000kg

11/8/2010 4:25:37 PM

Rhode Island

theres that old song -----if i was a rich man.

well, if i was a rich man id put the best minds available to work on a completely hydroponic growing system.ithe system would be set up in a fully heated /air conditioned solar green house.

id control the temp, humidity, feeding ,etc, all electronicly off a system of gauges, pumps, and tanks that measured and controled ph, plus all the major and minor nutrients as needed at the plants feeder roots.i would want this testing done every three days.

what a pipe dream ---lol. but a great what if.

pap

11/8/2010 4:27:24 PM

Bristol R.I. USA

The sun setting sooner obviously changes how the fruit and plant grows. If you intend on growing much earlier and trying to stretch the time the plant feeds over the months what would the optimal soil test for be for a season like that. Wouldnt the soil need to be tweaked or jacked up beyond what we already do.

11/8/2010 5:18:58 PM

Muddy Waters

The volume of growers is the key to this.All seeds are being planted as long as this continues,these seeds will keep maxing out and the big will continue to get larger 3000lbs will happen.

11/8/2010 8:02:28 PM

Jefferson Me

Three of the largest OTT fruit listed on the AGGC site are: The 1645Bordson at 436.5" which charts out at 1734.8. Now if this fruit went like the current WW at 17.51% heavy.That would put it at 1,948lb. 2nd largest OTT from the 1725Sweet was 438" which charts 1752.6 at 17.51% heavy is 2,059lb. And the largest OTT that I found was the 1636Liggett at 445". Charts say 1837.7. At 17.51% heavy thats 2159lb!!! My point in bringing these up is that all could have acheived the one ton mark. Imagine if someone gets all things to go there way. Say a 450"OTT (1900.2lbs) at 20% heavy. Thats 2,280lbs!!!! I believe someone will do something to that effect real soon with all the % heavy crosses that have been made.

11/8/2010 9:34:12 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

ThiZ iZ all very interesting....and I love seeing the mindZ at work and the BIGs come out.....With open information that this site passes makeZ all the difference in the world record.....

Paps iZ right....genetics, cloning...hydroponics......and free information exchange...... BIG Pumpkins.com

The young growers we educate today will be the successes of tomorrow......Thats the premium....

GRowZEm BIG

I need to move......

11/8/2010 9:44:43 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Mr. Checkon seems to have done the numbers, and as far as I can guess, there is no stopping those numbers! "How many folks guessed last December, that the record would go up by so much"? The increase in knowledge,(mostly due to this site) & the sharing of knowledge is unbeaten, by any group...anywhere!!! Kudo's to awl, bp.com folks!!! Keep up the good work!!!! Peace, Wayne

11/9/2010 3:14:48 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

Wiz, c'mon down. 2011 I hope to have new patch online and 2012 get'r tweaked in.

With detail to fruit shape, striving to get structural integrity (solid walls), and better vegetable husbandry, I think we've got it in our sights to make even 3000#... but the curve will probably be flattening within the next few seasons. We'll have to earn those next advances.

Also with the number starting to crop up with low or no seedcount, we may be working on a genestock that one picks from the pool, then encourages that one to the limit and back into the pool for the next one (dead end results)...

Still, as long as there are people who can be amazed by them, I'll be trying to grow them. What's that song about 'never lose your sense of wonder'...? I haven't stood next to anything bigger than 700# yet, but soon. Very soon. :)

With this site to pass knowledge; generous growers willing to share, the ever increasing numbers of growers; the work on genetics; I don't see things slowing down much, yet.

11/9/2010 9:07:36 AM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Larry's numbers are a better perspective of what is yet to come than OTT hypothesis. A few years ago I wouldn't have thought it possible. Handyhomegrown hit the nail on the head. Now I think the 2000 lb. mark will come sooner than most would expect. Go back to 2006 when Ron was the one and only to break the 1500 lb. barrier. That was a mere four years ago when a dozen or so growers could consistently grow fruit over 1200 lbs. Today with the shared knowledge and techniques and the emergence of young bucks, and some old bucks, 2000 lbs. is only a few years away.

11/10/2010 9:41:31 PM

Utah

I think Larry is very close in guessing to what will happen.

11/10/2010 10:07:54 PM

churchville, ny

I'm predicting 2000 lbs. within the next 5 years. As with any scientific experiment, which growing these certainly is, there are many variables which control the outcome.

Genetics, of course, is critical but weather ranks a close second. As Tom said above, the greenhouse can eliminate many of the variables that make us all worry.

When Chris grew his 1810 this year it was a 5% increase over Christy's 1725. A 10.5% of Chris's 1810 will put us over 2000 pounds.

With the brains and experience of the GPC members and now the worldwide attention this sport deserves, I think there is still much room for growth. This website has had an tremendous impact on what is evolving.

My optimism may be swayed by being a Science teacher for 37 years and teaching my students of all the scientific improvements and biological accomplishments we have made. Of course, some have been made by accident but most by interested and informed individuals putting their heads together - thanks GPC.

11/10/2010 10:40:28 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

ThatZ why Larry wearZ the orange coat.....and ...

Chris will look great in orange too......

11/11/2010 9:52:07 AM

Stanwood, Washington

Look at that way back in 2010. Larry predicted 2036 in 2013 and here we are with 2032 as the record.

7/9/2014 12:31:44 PM

valtierra/spain

larry said my 2552 in 2020... lol

9/27/2020 3:22:22 AM

Central NY

HA Rueben!!!....he nailed it!

12/31/2020 9:48:13 AM

Peosta, Iowa

was thinking the same thing, Larry is Nostradamus! damn near nailed it all

12/31/2020 1:16:48 PM

Muddy Waters

Crazy Close

12/31/2020 4:15:32 PM

Torrance, Ca.

You're right Pete! Larry was on top of it!

3000 is just around the corner! I have a funny feeling it will be next year. There's a couple guys doing some hard studying and I see them hitting one out of the park real soon!

10/18/2023 6:44:38 PM