CLEVELAND - We're tracking the growth of three huge pumpkins known as "Dills Atlantic Giants." They are growing in a local, Northern Ohio garden. We won't reveal the location just yet... Over the next 70 days, if all goes well, you'll be able to track the growth of these giant, award-winning pumpkins from seed to the final awards competition.
October 6, 2010 - A Motley Crew! Chuck Ellsworth sent me this photo from last Saturday's pumpkin competition. These are the growers of the gourds that finished in the top 10 in this year's Canfield Giant Pumpkin Growers Competition. You can see the winning pumpkin in the background weighing in at an incredible 1660-plus pounds. The most significant accomplishment of these 10 growers: They are number 1 in the world! The average weight of all 10 pumpkins was 1490 pounds. There are 80 official giant pumpkin weigh-in sites around the world. These 10 growers have the highest average top 10 weight of any of the 80 official weigh-in sites from around the globe. Chuck could have taken his 1350-pound pumpkin to other competitions. He would have finished first in Oswego, NY. But he wanted to finish in the top 10 in one of the toughest weigh-ins in the world. And that's exactly what he did! Chuck is indeed in a special group of pumpkin growers! Congratulations, Chuck!
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October 4, 2010 - Time to Reveal Our Grower! Congratulations to Chuck Ellsworth of Jefferson, Ohio. In the photo above, he is standing next to his largest pumpkin ever, grown this year in his Ashtabula County garden. He is our great pumpkin grower. We wanted to keep his identity secret to prevent any outside mischief in his garden while his pumpkins were growing. Giant pumpkin growing is serious business. Sabotage must be pre3vented at all costs... Despite the risks, Chuck has allowed us to track the growth of his huge pumpkins, starting last April. It has been quite a ride! Read below to see how Chuck and this pumpkin, Mellow Yellow, finished in this year's Giant Pumpkin competition (In Chuck's own words) ...
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October 2, 2010 - 11:00 AM - Time for the Weigh-Off! Here we are in Canfield, Ohio. This is the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off. Its a very tough competition. See our pumpkin below? Its surrounded by other monster gourds...The biggest pumpkins from 7 states come here every year. If we can finish in the top 10, we will have achieved a huge victory! Now, we sit and wait. Its about 11:00 am and the weighing has finally begun. Its a tense time. Mellow Yellow has measured in as the 11th largest pumpkin in the competition. So close to the top 10!! Will we fail in our quest for a top 10 finish? The good news is: tape measures don't have the final say. The scale is the final judge...stay tuned!
October 2, 2010 - 11:20 AM - Nerves on Edge. Oh boy. We are the 15th pumpkin to be weighed. The current leader is at 1200 pounds. So far so good! Now mellow Yellow hits the scale. The moment of truth is here. I can't believe it...she weighs an incredible 1355 pounds. That's a new personal best! But, is it a Top 10 finisher? Here I am with Mellow Yellow and my son CJ (below).
October 2, 2010 - NOON - Disqualified! The next pumpkin up on the scales weighs 1357 pounds. That's 2 more pounds than Mellow Yellow. I always say: "Every pound counts!" But wait...the judges have just disqualified this gourd! Turns out it is damaged. Pumpkins with rot or cracks are not allowed in the competition. Looks like we're in the Top 10!! by the way, get a load of this GIANT Watermelon. It weighs 252 pounds! That's almost 3 times more than my son, CJ (below)!
October 2, 2010 - 12:30 PM - A TOP 10 FINISH! Today we competed against giant pumpkins from Ohio, Michigan, New York, Indiana, West Virginia & Pennsylvania. We finished 9th today! Its very gratifying to finish in the top 10 in this competition. Since some of the biggest pumpkins in the world come to this competition. In fact, the average weight of the Top 10 finishers came in at more than 1400 pounds! Thats the highest average Top 10 weight of any other pumpkin competition in the USA! Thanks to all who followed this blog!
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October 1, 2010 - BREAKING NEWS: HARVEST IS HERE! Our third and final GIANT pumpkin is ready to harvest. Growth has stopped and major competitions are this weekend. READ BELOW FOR THE DETAILS!
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October 1, 2010 - HARVEST TIME -STEP 1: Here's the Tripod! Yes, we need industrial-sized equipment to lift our 1000+ pound Dill's Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. This is the tripod...
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OCTOBER 1, 2010 - HARVEST TIME -STEP 2: Enter the Sling! This 10-foot wide heavy-duty sling is a must for gently lifting giant pumpkins!
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October
1, 2010 - HARVEST TIME -Step 3: Lift up the pumpkin!
This is no easy feat! You have to be very, very careful not to injure the gourd. Any jostling or jolting could result in a crack in the skin. That would disqualify our HUGE Pumpkin from any competition. We lift the pumpkin up off the ground, and then back the truck up underneath the pumpkin...
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October 1, 2010 - HARVEST TIME -Step 4: Ready for a ride! Here is Mellow Yellow...loaded and ready to go for a ride. We still have to decide which competition we will enter... Now to decide on which competition to go to... There are three big ones this weekend. The first is the closest: in Canfield. Its called the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off. This competition attracts the biggest gourds from Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Kentucky and West Virginia. Its got the biggest top 10 weight average in the world. If we enter this one, we'll be up against the best in the world!! Other competitions are being held in Pumpkinville, New York and Oswego, New York. The competition is lighter in these two. We are leaning toward the Canfield Competition...
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October 1, 2010 - HARVEST -Step 4: Pumpkin under covers! The final step for tonight is covering the pumpkin with blankets. This is done to prevent any evaporation of moisture through the skin. Losing moisture means losing weight...and we need all the pounds we can get! Tomorrow, its off to the competition! Stay tuned...
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September 27, 2010 - Pumpkin still adding the pounds! Mellow yellow is still adding a few pounds to her weight each day. So, we must still leave her on the vine until growth stops. Sometimes, one or two pounds means the difference between 1st place or 10th place! The other big question is where to take this pumpkin for competitive weigh offs. Sometimes, blue ribbons are won or lost, simply by choosing the right competition. If the perennial award winning pumpkin growers don't show up at certain weigh -offs, then we have a better shot at taking home the gold if we show up there... Stay tuned!
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September 23, 2010 - Mellow Yellow stills loves the heat! He's adding more pounds thanks to this extended heat waves. So, We're leaving him on the vine for now. With cooler weather coming this weekend, I may have to pull the trigger and harvest. We'll wait and see.. How much does he weigh? With my competition now monitoring this blog regularly, i'm not quite ready to tip my hand...
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September 20, 2010 - Well we are winding down and hitting the home stretch with Mellow Yellow. The chilly nights and the aging leaves give some explanation as to why Mellow Yellow is only gaining 3 to 5 lbs a day. Plus, the ground temperatures are falling like a rock as well. The days where this pumpkin gained 30 pounds per day is over. It hits you hard and fast that the the growing season is coming to an end. Will you hard work and attention pay off? Will Mellow Yellow take home the "Best of Show" prize? Now the nerves kick in. Should I cut the stem off now and officially harvest the pumpkin? As a pumpkin grower, you worry whether the gourd is still growing or did I mis-measure the pumpkin the last time? This is the most trying time of the season! You hope it makes it to the final round of the weigh-off... Will it be heavy or light? Will it place in the top 10? That can depend on which competition you take it to. Ss for how much it weighs now... well hmmmm! I'll give one clue its over 1200 lbs and under 2000. So, cross your fingers and keep checking in. I will let you know soon!
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September 12, 2010 - Christy's husband grew a world record, too! World records run in Christy Harp's family. Last year, her husband, Nick, had a 7.18 pound tomato. That was the biggest in the world in 2009 (See photo below). Christy adds: "So, Nick really went all out this year to try and go for a bigger one. He probably won't top that but he has five tomatoes this year that weigh over 4 lbs." 
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September 10, 2010 - So what is the World Record Pumpkin grower up to this year? Last year, Christy Harp grew the world's largest pumpkin ever! (See earlier entry) She has been following our Great Pumpkin Blog. Here's what she's growing this year:
"I didn't grow a pumpkin in the garden this year because I had a little pumpkin in my belly (who was born July 18th). My husband has a pumpkin estimating heavier than his personal best though (his best is 1316 lbs) and its growing @ 10 lbs a day." Here's the photo of Chisty's newest pumpkin resting on top of her husband, Nick's potential award winning pumpkin.
Awesome photo, Christy! Thanks for sharing it! 
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September 8, 2010 - Looks who's reading our blog! The current world record for a giant pumpkin is 1729 pounds. WOW! It was grown last year by Christy Harp who lives right here in Ohio. Christy wrote to me this week to say she's been following our blog. What an honor to have a World Record Holder check in! Here's a photo of the largest pumpkin ever grown: 
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September 5, 2010 - Sunshine wins a Blue Ribbon! It was quite a dramatic day at the Canfield Fair. One by one, the dozen or so giant pumpkins were weighed. And, one by one, each pumpkins bowed out. Sunshine was the winner at 1277.5 lbs! It was the heaviest pumpkin at this year's fair. There certainly was a lot of sweating going on while the clock ticked. Sunshine was up against some of the best growers in the world. We are sure there are bigger pumpkins out there... Just none showed up for this particular weigh-off. Whew! Congratulations to Sunshine. She will be displayed at Parks Garden Center, the sponsor of the event. 
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September 1st, 2010 - Off to the show! Whoa! Hey! Sunshine is going for a ride! She's off to the Canfield Fair to compete for, what we hope will be, a Blue Ribbon. Sunshine decided to take a break from growing. It has not moved the tape measure (increased in size) since last Friday. When our giant pumpkins stop growing, the first thing you wonder is "why?" The next thing you wonder is "When is the next weigh off?" Well, the weigh-off happens to be this weekend at the Canfield Fair. Sunshine seemed to enjoy the ride and acted overjoyed when she found out she would be displayed at one of best fairs in the nation. Keep your fingers crossed! 
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AUGUST 29, 2010 - R.I.P. Snow White! Snow White passed away this weekend. It was a beautiful funeral attended by millions of fruit flies. The grieving is over and the autopsy results are back. Snow white was overcome by a fungus that infected the inside of the gourd. It accessed the pumpkin through a small crack that developed in the skin over the last few weeks. The crack was hard to see at first because it developed underneath. You would not have seen this crack early unless you flipped the gourd over. That would have been a very difficult job since she weighed an incredible 1320 lbs, according to a local mill scale! That puts her at 8% over the chart-predicted weight. The final size measurement suggested she was right around 1200 lbs. This is a picture of the insides and wall thickness of Snow White. Notice we have plenty of seeds for next year. Snow White likely developed the split after a very heavy rain two weeks ago, followed by intense heat. The resulting rapid growth spurt was probably too much for this pumpkin to handle...probably what started the split in the bottom.Too much water will take you right out of the game when they are growing so fast. 
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AUGUST 27, 2010 - A blanket to keep them warm. Our great pumpkin, "Sunshine" is all tucked in for the night. Pumpkins at this stage of growth need to be kept warm at night when the temperatures drop below 60 degrees. If the pumpkin cools down too much, it won't pull in the sugars made by the plant's leaves during the warmth of the day. The sugars cause the pumpkin to swell and grow to huge weights. It may sound extreme to place a heavy blanket on a pumpkin every night, but one or two pounds may be the difference between first place or third place! Every pound counts. Keeping the gourd warm at night means a maximum weight at harvest time. Growth is, indeed, slowing. That's normal for late summer. How much does Sunshine weigh? Well, we found out other great pumpkin growers are watching this blog. So, maybe we should keep the weights secret for a while. What do you think? 
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AUGUST 25, 2010 - Death for Snow White! Sad, sad news from the pumpkin patch! Our largest pumpkin, Snow White, has developed a fatal wound. As you see in the photo below, this is called blossom-end split and it's always lethal to the pumpkin. Cracks like these form without warning and there's nothing you can do (except cry). This is how the drama of pumpkin growing can catch you. This was our largest and most promising gourd. And the one pumpkin that was the healthiest in the pumpkin patch. It was adding weight at a near record pace of 25 pounds per day. It was on track to weigh in over 1600 pounds! A pumpkin with a split or hole through the skin to the cavity can not be weighed at an official event . It can be weighed as damaged. We will keep it on the vine to see how long it takes to stop growth. And then there were two! 
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AUGUST
24, 2010 - Huge Pumpkin!
Snow White is taking on a tinge of orange in the sunshine today. She is known as "The Hopefull." She's our best shot at a blue ribbon. It is at currently weighing in at 1175 pounds and still gaining 20-23 lbs a day! So far, every thing is going well. If weight gain continues at near this pace for the next month or so, the pumpkin will be entered in the "Big Boy Class." The gourd is 'set' 17 feet out on the "main" vine of the plant with all other pumpkins removed so all plant's energy lands in the 1 pumpkin per plant.
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AUGUST 21, 2010 - Sunshine trying to hang on! This is the pumpkin growing on the plant that is suffering from pythium . Its tough on the plant, but the pumpkin is still gaining 12 - 15 lbs a day. The weights are falling fast because the plant is having a hard time supporting photosynthesis. It's now 1150 lbs. Remember: these weights are simply educated estimates from a measuring system we use to track growth. Only the actual scale will tell if our pumpkin is "to the chart" or light or heavy by the chart. Growers all hope they weigh 10% more than the chart predicts.
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AUGUST 20, 2010 - Snow White dwarfing the competition! Even though Snow White is slowing down her weight gain, she is still mammoth! Weight gain is down to just 25 pounds per day. But, she's still weighing in at 1100 pounds! Shhhh! We don't want to jinx things. This one could be the ribbon winner. Plant is healthy and so is the gourd. Fingers are crossed...we still have 5 weeks to go before harvest.
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AUGUST 19, 2010 - Surgery for Mellow Yellow! Mellow Yellow has a split stem due to rapid growth. Most of these splits prove fatal to both pumpkin and plant. It seems to be doing well gaining 12 - 15 lbs a day and weighing in at 930 lbs. It has slowed down as most pumpkins do in the 50-60 day old range. We just hope it doesn't stop before it gets to 90 days old. But, we may be able to save the gourd by performing a little stem surgery. Another grower has done this procedure successfully. the idea is to split the stem to relieve the strain and the pressure that the growing pumpkin is placing on it. We use a steak knife to slice down the the entire stem from the split. Lets hope it works! Stay tuned!
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AUGUST 17, 2010 - Sunshine's health declining. The growth of Sunshine is slowing down. She is gaining just 15 pounds a day, now, and currently weighs just over 900 lbs. That's a yard stick sitting on top. The pumpkin is suffering from Pythium. Pythium rot (also called Pythium cottony leak) is caused by a fungus-like organism of the genus Pythium. The disease lives in the ground and thrives in hot, humid conditions. Pythium species are found in most, if not all soils, of the world. Fruit infection occurs through wounds or where leaves stems or fruit touch the wet soil. The pathogens grow quickly through the plant tissues. Pythium rot symptoms begin as brownish, water-soaked lesions that quickly become large, watery, soft, and rotten. Is this the end of Sunshine?
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AUGUST 14, 2010 - Impressive Pumpkin Patch! Here's an overall view of our local pumpkin patch. An impressive sight for sure. Only three pumpkins are allowed to grow...one for each plant. That way, all of the vines energy is sent to just one gourd. That allows for maximum size and growth. Mellow Yellow is closest in the photo. Snow White is in the middle, and Sunshine is the farthest away . What you can't see is the drip irrigation system on timers that 80 gallons of water per day to each plant! Drip irrigation keeps the moisture at ground level so the leaves stay dry. We need all the help we can get to fight fungal diseases. Notice the white sheets over all the pumpkins. This is called "shading." Weight can evaporate out of the pumpkin through the skin. "Shading" keeps evaporation from stealing this moisture from the prize we grow. Sadly, this time of the season is when the eye popping growth rates start to tapper off due to plant stress, aged leaves, and the normal life cycles of pumpkins.
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AUGUST 11, 2010 - Bad news for Mellow Yellow! Stem is splitting. Growth is actually too fast! This is what can happen when a pumpkin patch gets 1.75" of rain in just 5 days. Too much water! The plant tries to force the moisture into the gourd and the stem splits. 90% of these splits are fatal to the pumpkin. Fungus and bacteria can easily enter the gourd through the split and cause rot. This split will probably be the demise of Mellow Yellow, which currently weighs in at 550 lbs. We will watch very closely with a tape measure to see if growth slows or stops. The only good news is it was the slowest grower
of the three pumpkins we are following.
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AUGUST 10, 2010 - Sunshine packs it on! Our pumpkin named "Sunshine" is big, orange and gaining 35 lbs a day! No, you can't literally weigh these gourds by lifting them on a scale. A special pumpkin chart is used to estimate the weight based on size and shape. The chart says Sunshine is about 765 lbs ! This gourd is going to be a cute one... "I maybe cute enough to end up in Mark Johnson's front yard in October." Sunshine says. Oh, wait: cops, traffic, spectators . Could get ugly! Now that's funny stuff!
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AUGUST 9, 2010 - Snow White loves a warm night! When nights stay warm, in the 70s, pumpkins continue packing on the pounds. Because of hot days and warm nights, she is gaining 40 lbs a day. Estimated weight now is 700 lbs! . Notice the yard stick and a 5 gal bucket in the picture for scale. Snow White is still a youngster at 36 days old.
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JULY 25, 2010 - Chilly nights. Snow White is not enjoying these nights where it dips into the 50's. Pumpkin growth slows waaaay down in cooler temperatures. Lets keep it a little warmer at night! Current estimated wight is 375 lbs. But watch out: She is gaining 41 lbs per day! If she holds this pace for much longer the guy raising her is going to get very nervous !!!
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JULY 18, 2010 - Too heavy to pick up! Sunshine is now 22 days old and is already an impressive gourd. She's too heavy to pick up and weigh. So, she gets measured with a ruler every 3 days and the measurements are converted to weight using a special pumpkin daily growth chart. The chart says Sunshine is 140 lbs.
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JULY 11, 2010 - Let the growth begin! Look at this white-colored beauty. We call her Snow White. She's now gaining 24 lbs per day. Impressive!
(MellowYellow7_10) Here's a beautiful, round light yellow colored pumpkin we'll call Mellow Yellow. He's also gaining about 24 pounds per day.
(Sunshine7_10) Hold the phone! This is the orangest of our three pumpkins. And the largest! Sunshine, as she is known, is gaining 32 pounds per day!
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JUNE 26, 2010 - Pumpkin pollination. Today is the day our pumpkin flowers are pollinated. They are pollinated by hand. First, we select a strong female bud on each vine.
The female pumpkin flower can be identified via the small baby fruit that is located just behind the petals. It is fertile for just a day or two. If the female flower is not pollinated by bees or humans, the mini pumpkin will wither and die on the vine.
The male flower has no small fruit at its base. To pollinate pumpkin flowers, one can go pick a freshly opened male flower. The next step to take is to strip of all its petals to reveal the pollen laden anthers. We brush the pollen-laden anthers against the stigma of the female flower. Fertilization is complete. If pollination is successful, the baby fruit behind will slowly swell up and an award-winning pumpkin will be born.
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MAY 7, 2010 - Transplanting time! After 10 days under grow lights, the young pumpkin vines now have three leaves. Its time to plant them out in the garden!
We must handle the plants and pots with care. Any disturbance of the tender roots could stunt the plant. Pumpkins are easily set back during transplanting. That's why peat pots work the best for seed starting.
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APRIL 27, 2010 - New plants poke through the soil. Plants are poking through the soil after only 4 days! Wow! They'll spend the next 10 days under grow lights in the warm house.
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APRIL 23, 2010 - Seed-starting day. Dill's Atlantic Giants are the grand-daddies of all giant pumpkins. The only one to grow for giant pumpkin contests and international competitions. These babies routinely reach weights of over 1,000 pounds.
The seeds are costly. $12.00 for two. Sometimes more. These seeds come directly from last year's largest pumpkins, so there are precious few available. The stakes are high for competitive pumpkin growers. 2009 was a record breaking year for many. Christy Harp of Ohio grew the largest pumpkin ever. Her gourd weighed in at 1725 lbs. That's the first 1700-pounder ever grown and its a new World Record! Will our seeds grow a record-setting pumpkin? Thats the goal. The seeds are planted indoors in sterile soil under controlled conditions. They'll be placed in a germination box where the temperature is kept at a constant 85 degrees F with 85% humidity. The seeds should germinate in 5 to 7 days.
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