Top 10 Tips to Growing a Giant Pumpkin

Top 10 Tips to Growing a Giant Pumpkin

The average homegrown pumpkin weighs nine to 12 pounds, but with the right seeds, a little soil preparation, and a lot of tender loving care, you can grow a pumpkin to enormous proportions. Professional pumpkin growers are gardening enthusiasts who share a passion for growing potential contenders to compete for the title of largest pumpkin. Although this hobby is time-consuming, the rewards are enormous. Kirk Chenier, president of the Giant Vegetables Growers of Ontario (GVGO), shares his passion and advice on how you can grow your own 300- to the 500-pound orange monster. Even if you don’t plan to enter your gourd in a contest, you can grow the biggest jack-o’-lantern on the block.

1. Prepare the pumpkin patch

It’s best to start preparing the pumpkin patch in the fall. Designate a spot that is six feet by six feet, level and in full sun. Chenier suggests amending the soil with compost, manure, shredded leaves, dried grass clippings and natural additives like granular humic acid fertilizer, kelp meal, cornmeal, and even molasses. The soil and additives should then be mixed together and allowed to sit over the winter. Giant pumpkin growers have their soil tested in the spring to see if anything needs to be tweaked before the final tilling of the pumpkin patch. (Click Next )