Click on a thumbnail picture below to see the full size version. 3 Entries. Saturday, March 22 View Page Yesterday I attended the Michigan Giant Pumpkin Growers spring seminar. The event was well organized with great food, great presenters, and some great opportunities to get some seeds with great genetics. I've been getting my 150 patch together the last couple of weeks, watching videos from established growers, and listening to pumpkin podcasts. My favorite podcast guest to date has to be Sarah Whitty from Maine. Her resilience and perseverance are very motivating...and her pumpkins look great too. (I am partial to traditional orange.) I'm limited on space in my suburban subdivision, so I've chosen an above ground bed for my growing strategy.   Sunday, March 23 View Page I spent the winter in learning mode. I performed some germination tests on some of the seeds I saved from last year's pumpkin. I tested several seeds that had imperfections but they germinated just like the ones with a better shape, no splits or other anomalies.   Sunday, March 23 View Page It's time to decide on the seed for my 150 sf patch. In the off-season I made a few seed purchases including a batch from Kisamore, a few seeds from Radach, and some from Maydan. I shared several seeds with my nieces and nephews who are excited to try growing a giant. I also shared several from the Shuck 646 I grew last season with a wife's co-worker who is familiar with AG's. At the Michigan spring seminar they had some Trombley seeds and a few more. In the seminar they talked about growing Michigan seeds in Michigan, so I may lean in that direction. Most likely I will plant one of each (Trombley, Kisamore or Van Houtte), pick one to plant and hold one in reserve for a few days. I'll try to donate any that remain to friends and relatives who want to grow an AG. My nieces and nephews are growing the Radach in Missouri and my brother in law is growing a Maydan in Chattanooga and his former co-worker is growing a Maydan in North Carolina.