From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Follansbee, Wv

I am an avid gardener, but have never grown pumpkins. I was planning next years garden when one of my daughters asked me if I would plant pumpkins, "Really big ones!". I don't mind the challenge, and have found lots of information from reading the forums here, but there is one question I have yet to find an answer to:
What do I do with it after I grow it? I mean, what if I get lucky and grow a 600 pound pumpkin, what in the world would I do with it?

Thanks

9/24/2004 11:14:05 PM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Sit back and admire. Enter a fair weigh-off. Carve it for halloween. Amaze your neighbours... be careful, though, it's addictive. 200lbs first year, 250 the next, soon you'll be digging up your driveway for more growing room. Good luck, and enjoy. By the way, you'll need at least 400 sq ft to grow in (most of whcih can be out over the lawn).

9/24/2004 11:35:48 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Thanks for the timely response!
Space isn't a real problem. I just expanded the garden to 3600 sq ft (it seems tomato growing is also addictive), and I can expand another 1000 or so if needed. But I guess what I'm wondering is what to do with the remains after the admiring, weighing, amazing and carving are over. What do you do with 400 pounds of rotting pumpkin?
I guess I could compost it, I currently run two active piles, and want to start two more, but I'm not too keen on having pumpkin as the primary ingredient for a compost pile, I like to mix it up a bit.
What does everybody do with the waste?

9/25/2004 12:13:48 AM

Sequim, WA

Cattle think these things are candy. I imagine hogs and goats wouldn't mind the addition to their diet either. Another option is to make 300 pies. Composting works too and since they are mostly water it's not as nasty as you would think. Fortunately this time of year there's usually enough leaves to bury the pumpkin chunks beneath them.

9/25/2004 2:20:11 AM

Hobbiton New Zealand

Sheep love them as well 382.4lb pumpkin will take 20 sheep about 3 days to get it down to one chunk left took them another couple of days to finish it all up. The sheep do look funny when they have there heads right inside eating out all the flesh especially when there is a few eating atthe same time in different holes.

9/25/2004 4:23:19 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Sounds like composting is my best bet. However I would also love to try canning pumpkin. It might be a profitable item at some of the fall festivals held around here.
Thanks so much for the information. I am planning for the spring now, so I better get busy reading!

9/25/2004 8:03:05 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Not sure if AG's are necessarily the best pumpkins for eating, they're not as tasty as some of the smaller varieties. Make sure you get some seed from the folks here at bp.com, the store bought seeds won't give you the monsters that are grown by the folks on this site.

9/25/2004 8:22:28 AM

Itzetown City

Last two years we had canned pumpkins from AG. The deep orange ones, with the 846 Calai genes in, i think are the best. They taste good and flesh we´ve had were not stringy, except the flesh around the stem. OK, there were only 200 or so lbs. If i would be the lucky one to grow a 600, i probably would not know what to do with. May be i would cast it in bronze. LOL

9/25/2004 9:28:18 AM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

600 pounds? Cut a hole in it, empty it out, drop it in a lake, and race your friends to the other side.

9/25/2004 5:51:33 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Well, the verdict is in. I just came in the house from clearing another 1000 sq ft for the tiller to munch on. Since the ground has never been planted on, I plan to put the potatoes there (along with some cukes since it has a downward slope). But to give the pumpkins ample room, I have decided to relenquish some of my prime tomato ground to them. Soil pH should be around 6.8-7.0, but I will verify with a soil sample. I can see the addictive nature of this, as I am already designing a drip system. Funny thing is, I don't even like pumpkin. Of course, I never liked tomatoes either, but that never stopped me.
Now, if you will excuse me, I need to post some serious questions in this newbie section before it's too late for next year.
Thanks again to all,

Monty

9/25/2004 6:08:41 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

hey monty welcome to are obsession!and hello from a fellow mountaineer!yeah im in randolph county good to see another west virginia grower keith barrett burrhead

9/26/2004 3:14:45 AM

Murphy North Carolina

I am in the process of making pumpkin wine with mine. Might as well put it to good use. Waste not, want not. I'll drink to that!

9/26/2004 9:59:02 AM