Remove every single additional flower you see after your selected flower has been pollinated, no matter if it’s male or female. Sculpt the bed into a low broad mound, like a pitcher’s mound, and cover it for the winter with a straw mulch or a cover crop .

model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others. Firstly, choose the best quality seeds from a reliable seed supplier. Soak the giant pumpkin seeds in tepid water for around 30 minutes before sowing.

Giant Pumpkin Varieties

If all your seeds have germinated, this is the point to decide on the best one to keep (monster pumpkins take up a LOT of space!). Want to grow your own giant pumpkin? Ron Wallace is one of the world’s premier giant pumpkin growers. Despite his original gourd’s relatively small size, Dill is the grandfather of every giant pumpkin grown today: every jumbo-sized gourd grown in recent history is a cultivar or selectively bred version of the original ‘Atlantic Giant.’ Calculate and record your final estimated weight. If your pumpkin reaches 45kg, you’re doing really well. If you manage to grow anything bigger than 136kg, you’re on to something! Erect a canopy of shade cloth over the chosen pumpkin. In full sun, the skin of the fruit hardens earlier, restricting its ultimate size.

If the pollination has succeeded (and sometimes they don’t), you’ll see the fruit swell day by day. When it’s about the size of an orange it will need piece of plywood covered in sand to lie on. This might need to be adjusted on a daily basis as the fruit grows. Try and manoeuvre the vine so the fruit is on the outside of a curve. You can remove secondary vines if necessary – think 2 months ahead when there is potentially a huge pumpkin there – it will need the space, and you don’t want it growing on top of the vines. While it’s still big enough to lift, carefully place it so it will grow on a large piece of plywood covered with an inch of sand. The Fruit Crop rotation is an important part of soil health, and it can help to add new nutrients and provide a beneficial environment for the pumpkin. Companion planting can also help with nutrient absorption, as many plants can help to add nitrogen to the soil. In the UK we have a few varieties of seed suitable for giant pumpkin growing, all available from the allotment shop: pumpkin seeds. Dill’s Atlantic Giant Pumpkin SeedsAfter the vine’s 10 feet long, allow several flowers to develop into pumpkins, but remove all but the largest fruit after several weeks of growth.