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Waterville, Ohio

More than usual, I've noticed a lot of talk on planting unproven seeds this year. Are the days of only planting one or two black horses over, or is this just the next step in 2000lbs? Regardless, I feel like either I have way outdated my planting decisions (1306 Jutras, 1579 Revier, 1596 Wallace 1622 Young, 1658 Young and a 1424 Vanhoutte 11)or things have changed in seed selecting and planting habits. Is anyone else noticing this or am I imagining things?

4/2/2012 2:29:47 PM

Ontario

I think a lot of new growers are trying their own seeds,a perfect example is the curent world holder. Jim Bryson a forth year grower,used his 1404 x his 1618.The 1404 went 25% heavy,unproven,but whats not to like!With so many great crosses out there,any one could be the magic seed. Terry

4/2/2012 3:03:47 PM

Waterville, Ohio

Your right Medford, there are definently some great crosses out there, many that I'd love to try.

4/2/2012 4:47:02 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

So many great seedZ and only so much dirt space....

4/2/2012 5:13:48 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Everyone needs to grow their own seeds. After that, pick some seeds that have characteristics you like and grow them.

We have tended, as a body, to place more emphasis on certain seeds and certain growers... thinking that "that's the only way... those seeds are magic". When, in fact, a lot of great seeds are never tried because they don't have a certain name on them. OK, I've already said enough, lol. Many seeds out there are capable of big things. Sometimes when our pumpkins aren't as big as we hoped, we need to look at the grower and the soil more than the seed.

4/2/2012 6:44:32 PM

Nottingham, UK

Couldn't agree more cliff.

in my first year I grew a 494 off a 1366 Paton but I intend to grow it again in a few years to see if my soil and experience held it back.
in the mean time I'm hoping to make two crosses this year and sow my own next year

4/2/2012 8:21:43 PM

Waterville, Ohio

Soils the must have in this hobby. It's one of the things that will never be perfect and will always need work and tweaking no matter what you do, all you can do is put the work in and get close. Those seeds you mentioned cliff ,will always be the hot seeds. They're the growers who have put the time, money and effort in to get to the weights they have achieved consistently. Regions certainly matter as weights go, but who wouldn't want to be the grower that the Wallace's, Werners, Stelts etc etc are. They're the pinnacle of this hobby and it's likely why there seeds are the ones getting planted constantly.
To me it just seems no matter who the grower is, there sure are a lot of 2011 seeds seeing dirt this year.

4/2/2012 8:46:56 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

The idea of a proven seed is slowly being disproved.

4/2/2012 9:29:01 PM

Omaha, Ne.

Over the years I have tried hundreds of new fishing lures. Today I don't stray far from the lures the I have confidence in. When using them I have more patience and I will slow down and really work hard working that lure because confidence is not easily broken. It's not lure but the confidence in it.
I plan to approach my kin with the same devotion and hard work.

4/2/2012 10:40:43 PM

Rhode Island

i think many of todays top growers have a certain mentality and approach to planting unproven seeds.

years ago unproven really meant unproven why? because the weights and parentage were no where near ( proven history )what they are today.history and recordings to research over winter were not as available as they are today.

what im saying is that theres not as much risk planting a pumpkin seed derived from a couple giant pumpkins parents (geneticly speaking) as there was when smaller pumpkins were produced from relatively unknown parents. ie---we have a better seed recording history (including photos and growth data) over the past ten years compared to the ten years before that.just my thoughts.

having said that? i believe in planting a 50/50 mix. half proven and half unproven.

pap

4/3/2012 9:14:24 AM