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Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, Quebec, Canada

All right, so because I live here in southern Quebec where it's a lot colder and the nights get real cool even in early September and late May, so for my giant pumpkins that's not very long. And also I've got crazy weed pressure here, so my idea was to just cover the entire thing with black landscaping fabric, and then just to cut holes in it when I bury the vines, because that warms the soil and keeps weeds under control. And then late season when the nights get cool, then the warm soil radiates, like the warmth from the soil radiates up and should keep the plants a lot warmer, keeping my giant pumpkins warm. And I'll put this on like end of April, like when I start my seeds, so the soil is nice and warm when I plant the pumpkins. And second of all, I single out, what's the biggest limiting factor for hitting a 3,000 pounder? And what kept me recurring more splits, and that like with some pumpkins like, I'm gonna give the example of the 2020 Payton pumpkin, it has crazy early growth, like the, it grew 25 towards a pumpkin that was over 1,500 pounds a day 40. But then the growth just crashed late season. So that's a downside with a lot of the seeds that grow really fast. Then what you want, and then also what I was looking at this year was there are two pumpkins, like there are a bunch of pumpkins, and there are a few that are like growing really fast, and there's some that started off slow but are currently finishing very strong. So we are going to see which is bigger, the ones that grew really fast in the beginning or the ones that grew slower in the beginning. When I say really fast, I mean like over 60 pounds a day. When I say slower, I mean around 50 or less pounds a day. So we'll see, because if it is true, my theory that if it grows slower earlier, it sustains weight longer, then maybe that's the new key for growing a 3,000 pound pumpkin. You'd want a genetic seed line that does that.

8/14/2026 4:08:52 PM

Grittyville, WA

You do have a lot of weed pressure. Check out Don Crews diary... I don't know about black weed fabric, it might keep the soil cold even... I have found for the purpose of solarizing that it actually blocks the infrared and really you want to let the infrared (heat) through. Clear plastic works better than black for solarizing, but I guess black is what would control the weeds. Maybe that is why growers use the clear green stuff.... it blocks the red and blue light but lets the heat through?

Seems to me the growers who use clear plastic soil covers (maybe colored, but clear as far as heat goes) do well.

8/15/2026 12:12:13 AM

Grittyville, WA

As for growth rates and hitting 3k, I don't think there is a immutable tradeoff between initial speed and final result. Someone will get the best of both worlds and knock it out of the park. 3500 is possible. The limiting factor in reaching 3k is how much we can learn, and how fast we can learn it. My opinion.

8/15/2026 12:17:12 AM

C N Y

I do think that as the season progresses, grower goals change as each of perhaps their several pumpkins splits, aborts or slows or stops in growth. You've heard of 'pumpkin slowdown' and I as of yet disagree that it has to be that *weigh, lol. I have over 21 plants growing, small-scale and they seem to wanna live forever this year. So cool. My fruits are not even 'that big' by MY standards, lol, butt I did blow up the first one on my 2003 Haist and 3 of 4 squash are now defunct via aborts upon basketball size - butt I am awaiting polls on each of all and the 2003 now has a second chance. SO exciting! The 4th Squash is a real 'babe', lol. If it didn't matter about getting ONE to a weighoff, growers would/might do as I wish I could do but don't due to cost, and that's ADD fertilizer and water rather than 'back off' on it in the effort to not risk perhaps the final one. eg

[Last edit: 08/15/26 1:32:35 AM]

8/15/2026 1:25:50 AM

Europe , slovenia

You really just need it to be fast and steady and prayers it holds

[Last edit: 08/16/26 4:24:23 AM]

8/15/2026 6:16:02 AM

Lloydminster/AB

My favourite is an IRT film. Infrared transmission. Lets ir through to warm the soil, won't let photosynthetic light through so weeds are stunted. 5-10 degree Celsius soil temp increase. You can buy it in Canada in small quantities from William Dam seeds and a few others. Works inside, outside a little tricky.

8/16/2026 2:36:51 AM

Ma

Have you tried infrared plastic to heat the soil in spring for giant pumpkins? I wonder if that would work in place of heating cables inside a greenhouse?

8/16/2026 3:00:35 AM