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Follansbee, Wv

A few weeks ago my daughter (she's 4) was "helping" me clean up the garden for the fall/winter. During the course of the day she asked me if pumpkins grow in the garden. (she saw some nice ones at the local grocery). I told her they did grow in gardens and she asked me if I would plant pumpkins next year, "Really big ones!" to be exact. I figured I could cut back on cucumbers, since we pickled plenty this year, and put in a pumpkin patch in a small corner of the garden. Well, I googled "big pumpkins", I guess you know what site I found with THAT search! Needless to say, I began reading. Before I knew what I was doing, my garden had grown from 1500 sq. ft. to a little over 5000. My neighbor thinks I am nuts, and the wife is starting to shake her head in wonder? worry? My composting operation has quadrupled, and I catch myself mumbling about gypsum, irrigation, and Ca:Mg ratios. I'm sending out self addressed stamped bubble packs, and waiting anxiously by the mailbox like I'm expecting a check from Publishers Clearing House. I have read nearly every post of every thread on this site dating back two years, as well as many diaries. Each year I rotate my garden so my tomatoes follow my beans ( good nitrogen fixers, those beans) but this coming spring the bean patch will be occupied by....pumpkins? A little voice inside my head says 'What about the tomatoes?' 'Tomatoes?' I say, 'What tomatoes?' 'Damn the tomatoes! Full speed ahead!'

Continued

10/9/2004 8:26:54 AM

Follansbee, Wv

My oldest daughter, the voice of reason, asked me, "Um, dad? What will you do with a giant pumpkin?" She's only 16 and not very knowledgeable about such things, so I told her what I was told on this forum: "Admire it, show it off, amaze the neighbors, take it to a weigh off, etc." "But what then?", she asks. "Feed it to the sheep!" I say. "We don't have sheep." "Feed it to the cows!" "Um, no cows either." "Feed it to the cat!" "I don't think Patches will eat it." "Can it for pies!" "Mom will kill you." She had me there. "I'll compost it then." I say wryly. "So", she says, "your going to spend all that money, and all that time, to grow a big pumpkin, just to throw it away? That makes sense...not" My final arguement was this "Julia (my youngest) asked me to grow her a big pumpkin, and that's what I'm going to do!"

Obsession? No way! I'm just growing my little girl a pumpkin, yeah that's it. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

10/9/2004 8:29:03 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

I used the "I'm going to grow it for he kids" excuse until I brought my wife to a weigh off...... Now she has the bug too!

10/9/2004 8:52:59 AM

Ontario, Canada.

MontyJ, now youve gone and done it. There is no turning back until you cross north of 1000 pounds. Good luck in your new addiction.

10/9/2004 8:59:52 AM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

Welcome to the club, MontyJ. If you want to make peace in the household, involve the family in your efforts. Give them each a pumpkin to call their own and you will be surprised by the support you recieve. My wife started growing giant watermelons after the first weigh-off we attended and now she's hooked and is a great help in the garden. Good luck next season.....Phil

10/9/2004 10:46:54 AM

Western Pa.

Monty,

In regards to your original question: Yes, a LOT worse!

10/9/2004 10:52:16 AM

Follansbee, Wv

I guess growing giant pumpkins is a lot like my other passion, overclocking computers. I mean, taking a michine designed to run at 1.4Ghz and cranking it up to 2.5Ghz takes a lot of work, study, skill, and luck. Only now, I'm overclocking pumpkins! I love being in my garden though. It gives me real quality time with my kids. My computer hobby is a winter time hobby. I hate the cold and snow, so I turn into a hermit when the snow flys. With all the studying I have to do to learn about giant pumpkins, there will probably not be a new computer built this winter. That should make the wife happy, well, at least until I order the irrigation system.

I'm not obsessed...I'm not obsessed...I'm not obsessed...Why am I on BigPumpkins.com for the FOURTH TIME today???

10/9/2004 3:56:59 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Oh it sounds like you're here for good Monty. Welcome!

Be forewarned. Just yesterday I chopped down another 60' Maple tree. This after removing the last Catalpa last fall. But now we finally have uninterupted sun from sunrise to sunset.

The money spent on that patch might be considered obscene by some people. But the true Pumpkinhead takes it all in stride. LOL

You have been warned.

Steve

10/9/2004 6:43:09 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Forget about summer vacations longer than 1 day...LOL

10/9/2004 7:21:20 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

You were warned !!! It gets worse....See Ya in Niagara!! LOL
Chuck

10/10/2004 7:46:58 AM

Kenyon, Mn.

He's a gonner boys...Another one bites the dust...For the children!LOL...HeHe Next year starts now...I'll ship you tomatoes! Welcome

10/10/2004 8:21:21 AM

Rexburg, Idaho (brianchristensenmd@gmail.com )

Tell everybody that thinks you're nuts (you probably are) that your therapist told you to get a find a way to focus your energy and take the stresses out of your life. Most people will believe that.

10/10/2004 9:50:50 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

See Monty? It only starts with the garbage cans. LOL

10/10/2004 11:15:52 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Well, the cost is even higher than garbage cans now. The wife said that since I was so good at building compost bins with lattice, I can build her a lattice box out front to put her new garbage cans in. Hmmm, the driveway is 20 x 40...wonder she would take in trade...no I better put that thought out of my head. I'll be building a dog house next, and I don't have a dog if you know what I mean.

10/10/2004 12:27:56 PM

Western Pa.

On the up side, how many giant pumpkins do you see parked out in front of the psychiatrist's office?

p.s. Save some of that lattice for your long gourds!

kilr

10/10/2004 2:54:42 PM

Taber, Alberta

It does get crazy. You'll soon find yourself driving up and down back alleys searching for bagged leaves from the neighbours who already know you're nuts, hanging out at the 7-11 collecting huge buckets of coffee grounds....and a lot more crazy stuff. It's amazing the new people you'll meet! Have fun with this.
Alan
oh yeah, only 4 times a day on this site? I think you need to dial it up a notch....lol

10/10/2004 3:56:39 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

LMAO!
The employees at Starbucks think I'm nuts, they don't give me the normal 5lb bag of grinds, they give me the entire garbage bag filled!!!!
And on a good note my crazy friends are actually taking their neighbors maple leaves for me, not to mention that my neighbors are thrilled that I am removing their leaves for them!

10/10/2004 4:11:47 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Fortunately leaves are not a problem for me. I am surrounded by woods, and I have two maples in the yard, not to mention the three big ones in my neighbors yard. A local stable was kind enough to offer all the horse manure I want, tons and tons of it, if I only had a truck to haul it. And don't even suggest trading in the wifes car for a truck...I already asked her...she was not impressed. A friend of mine has a cattle farm as well, and has also offered cow manure. He has a large stake-side, flat-bed truck, but I don't know if it's for 'farm use' only. I haven't been able to get hold of him lately to ask.
There is something else I am wondering about. Is there some myth about milk and big pumpkins? When I told my neighbor what I was doing, he said something about injecting milk into the vine? Am I missing something? And they think I am nuts.

10/10/2004 4:49:05 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Nope, milk theory is Bull crap, next thing you will hear is that ya got to rotate em to keep em round.

10/10/2004 4:54:58 PM

Leamington, Ont.

e-mail sounds a little fishy!?

10/10/2004 6:40:44 PM

Follansbee, Wv

e-mail?

10/10/2004 6:54:17 PM

Leamington, Ont.

well...I'm sorry if i'm wrong, thought it might have been somone else.
Anyways welcome to bp.com

10/10/2004 6:59:26 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Oh, now I get it. It makes sense along with the nice welcoming e-mail I received from Dakota Chubbs. While I may very well be a nutcase, I am harmless (except for swatting a few moles I found hiding under an old pool liner today...within 6 feet of the garden too!).

10/10/2004 7:27:27 PM

Leamington, Ont.

keep the dang moles away! I think that most of us have been branded nutcases by our spouses, kids friends, etc..
This will truly become a serious addiction.

Seeds should come with warning labels like a pack of smokes. I started the same way. Last year i grew a seed from a pack of dill seeds,did some searches and found this site. Now there's no turning back!

10/10/2004 7:41:33 PM

Ontario, Canada.

MontyJ, You don't know it yet but you're already hooked onto bigpumpkins.com. It happened to me about 18 months ago and I'm still having a great time in my patches. As Chuck said above see you in Niagara Falls. We will all expect you to be in the BP.com photo.

10/10/2004 9:41:36 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Well, I went into the chat room last night. I can see that was a mistake. Now my evenings will be spent on BP.com as well as the rest of my free time. What's this about Niagra Falls? Some social gathering of BP members? If that's the case, I can use that! "Oh honey? Wanna go to Niagra Falls?" I don't think she'll give up the driveway in trade, but I might get another 6 feet of yard...hehehe

10/11/2004 5:26:38 PM

Denver, Co.

MontyJ, Welcome to the club! I remember it well, I found this site & I was hooked too. Your friends & neighbors WILL think you're nuts, but the first thing they'll ask is HOW BIG IS IT NOW? There will be strangers looking over your fence,at the garden center they'll point & whisper...oh the fun of it all! This winter read the books,make a germination box,practice germinating,make your hoop houses...there's plenty to do to fill the l o n g winter,but wait until you see one of these plants GROW!

10/11/2004 11:43:40 PM

Hobbiton New Zealand

When you wake up during the night and swear at the rain outside and wake the wife then she swears at you for waking her all because it is making the ground to wet to till you know it is getting past what you can call a "HOBBY" LOL

10/12/2004 1:01:49 AM

Follansbee, Wv

The germination box will be no problem. I can't seem to throw old coolers away. Weird huh? I think they make nice storage bins, so I keep 'em around. Hoop houses are a cinch as well, plenty of materials for those. Heating them may be a little tricky, but I do have electric at the garden. Practicing germinating is another story. I have precious few seeds, and can't afford to waste any. I believe though, that in a few weeks, other growers will have dried their seeds, and hopefully be offering them here. Once that happens, I'll start asking for some practice seeds. Oh what will the wife say...."You're going to PRACTICE growing a pumpkin?" I can see her shaking her head now.
Will somebody please tell me this behaviour is normal?

10/12/2004 12:11:26 PM

Western Pa.

Tell your wife: "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand!" I'm using "The Falls" this year as a 20th anniversary gift! (Book early!)

10/12/2004 1:52:57 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Hanging out boozing & going to strip bars with US is an anniversary present!?!?!?

10/12/2004 3:53:38 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Boozing and strippers...boy would THAT put a quick end to the pumpkin career. That would make the garbage can incident look like a love story!

10/12/2004 4:11:16 PM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

Welcome, Monty, from a fellow first year addict. Found this site 6 months ago, and have been on it every single day of this summer, without fail, sometimes for hours. I've read every single post, every single grower diary, and have studied the results of all the weigh offs since 2000. I'm insane. I have pumpkinitis. I'm sorry to see someone else has been so inflicted, but, hey, welcome anyways!

10/12/2004 5:31:30 PM

WOW you're hooked already. welcome to the hobby. hope to see you around and in chat.

10/12/2004 7:18:11 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

hey monty send me another bubble i got 596 901hebb seeds drying at this time and i got several other so i can get ya enough to practice!!!!!!! hey its good to have another addicted west virginian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeee were crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/13/2004 1:16:59 AM

Follansbee, Wv

I'll send it out tomorrow burrhead. Thanks!

10/13/2004 7:35:12 AM