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Illinois

Hey guys! BE straight with me, there's still hope for me right? I lead a "normal" life. I work 8-12 hrs a day. I have a wife and daughter. I train for triathlons 4-6 days a week. I have a Yellow Labrador Retriever who actually retrieves LOL. I've been gardening for 10 years but the last 3 have been awesome, no weeds...er well a few, but not too many. My garden is 60'X 90'. I've grown the "normal" vegies....up til now..... But there's still hope right??? I mean although I've already e-mailed a couple people for seeds....... Ordered How to Grow Giant Pumpkins I & II, and just got 3 grain truck loads of cow maueur (well that is normal) but prowling around surrounding towns for leaves might not be normal...... Come on guys give it to me straight I still have hope right?!?!

10/15/2004 9:41:29 AM

Knopp, Germany

delete the bigpumpkins.com cookie from your computer and never look back, otherwise........welcome!

10/15/2004 10:10:32 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Sorry you have crossed the line of return....Better find a way to involve your family. By this I do not mean give them a shovel. Better build a fence around your garden to keep the Retriever from trompling your plants, or chewing on that nice yellow ball that is attached to the plant.

10/15/2004 10:36:44 AM

Utah

so when are you giving up this silly triathlon stuff so you can devote more time to pumpkins? :)

10/15/2004 1:32:41 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Another one bites the dust. Welcome.

10/15/2004 10:54:17 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

if i knew how to play taps on the puter i would but heck its, growing these monsters is only a addiction!!!!!!!!! its to late to just say no,so welcome aboard pull up a chair and join the addicted and hoplessesly hooked giant pumpkin growers club!!!!!!!!!!!!! burrhead

10/16/2004 3:10:50 AM

Vancouver, White Rock, Canada

You're done, pal...

10/16/2004 5:01:54 AM

Sask, Canada

I've seen this so many times, my sympathy is extened to your wife, daughter and yellow Lab they have no idea how there life is going to be changed.

Brad this addiction while quite severe does not usaully cause one to loose touch with loved ones or hold down a job, most continue to lead healthy happy lives.

As for normal well I'll give you an example, My wife, 2 kids and myself were headed out to grocery shop, I insisted we pile into the '79 Chevy as we can easilly put the grocery's in the box easier than the car, so off we went. I started going down back alley's instead of the streets, she asked why, I said since we are out in the truck I might as well pick-up a few leaf bags well half an hour later we were on our way to the grocery store, I accidently filled the truck up with leaf bags and we had to go back to the house to unload. I have a great wife she even grows with me. I even managed, even though she was ticked, got here to get some bags when we stopped and they were on her side of the truck...

Yes we took the car after we unloaded.

Welcome to the sport...

TTYL
Ernie
Giant Veggies

Ps. This website is really a giant world wide addiction support group. (snicker)

10/16/2004 11:01:08 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Sorry !!! Your Done...Stick a fork in it!! Now when you start loading the Elephant Dung in the family car cause "you made a deal at the circus" ....family does get a little upset from the aroma on the ride home!! Welcome and enjoy!!
Grow em BIG!!!
Chuck

10/16/2004 11:28:57 AM

Follansbee, Wv

Awe, it's not that bad. It's not like it's an obsession or anything. It's not like I spend every waking moment thinking about it. For instance, first thing this morning I went to Wal-Mart and bought 3 45 gallon snap lid totes to store compost in, then I came home and checked out BP.com. Now if you will excuse me,I just noticed the recent rain knocked most of the leaves off my neighbors maple tree. So, being a good neighbor, I think I'll go rake them up for him. I mean, there's no reason for Keith and Janice to wear themselves out raking their own yard, right? Then I am going to turn the compost piles, followed by a trip to Ianetti's garden supply. They called this morning and said they finally got their winter rye seed in. See? It's not that bad. Hardly ever think about it at all.

10/16/2004 2:15:53 PM

Taber, Alberta

Geez, you're raking your neighbours leaves??? Wow, you must be hooked. I just hang around the backyard on Saturday and pay attention to who's mowing the lawn or raking their leaves, and take the kids over to say hi, and casually ask what they are doing with them. They're so great, they just bring them over. I wonder if it is ethical to use the cuteness of my kids for my obsession????
Then, I do what Ernie does, cruise the back alleys. My son is wondering if I'm losing touch with reality. I can't seem to make a trip around town using the main streets any more. LOL
Alan
PS Ernie, you're right, this site is a support group. We just need to arrange a time where we can all sit at our computers, talk pumpkins, and drink beer. My life would be complete then.

10/16/2004 2:49:41 PM

Cologne / Germany

I have an old maple alley in front of my house...you know maple leaves are good for the patch...just started to tape tickets onto the neighbour´s doors "Please throw all your leaves into my gateway after raking. Thanks."

If you´re not going nuts, you´re not growing:-)

10/16/2004 4:38:11 PM

Itzetown City

No, I´m not obsessed! But I´ll tell you what, every morning since harvest I take a look to the patch and begin to weepin caus my pumpkins are´nt there. What an empty stage of live without pumpkins in the patch. And at night in my dreams all the vines around me, the tendrils reach for me, calling "you´ve killed the pumpkins".. No, I´m not obsessed.
Nxt days I´ll collect maple leaves, hope that helps.

10/16/2004 5:40:57 PM

Hayes, Virginia

Time to plant yet??????

10/16/2004 6:05:56 PM

Sask, Canada

I think I just pissed my self, you guys are to much....

boehnke:

Let it out bud we're here for ya, know exactly what ya mean... sob. Alan pass the tissue.

Any one else want to chime in, how do you others cope with staring into an empty patch for 5 - 6 months of the year.

Sorry guys got to stop here, just the thought of an empty patch sends shivers up my back. Can't stand to think of it.

I'm going to head over to AGGC and do a couple hours of study... Maybe that will cheer me up a bit.

TTYL
Ernie
Giant Veggies

10/17/2004 1:45:04 AM

Illinois

I just hit the motherload!!!!!!! The town next to me picks up leaves with a vac truck. Well I talked to him and he said, "how many loads do you want"? I answered with the standard big pumpkin reply, "as many as you can give me".;-)
He also has a chipped up pile that has pretty much broke down (he's been mowing around it for two years!) He said he'd deliver it as well!!!!!!!

Thanks guys!!!
Is ther a giant pumpkin AA group?

My name is brad and I am a giant pumpkin grower.

10/17/2004 6:44:42 AM

Ontario, Canada.

LOL, Brad its nice to see you are good at collecting leaves. I too am going to be swamped with loads of them as all my generous friends are eager to ride themselves of the annual fall yard plague. Not many people in my area compost and the town has just imposed a two bag limit on garbage this year. So this leaves are no problem to get. They even deliver bag after bag of weekend labours this year.

10/17/2004 9:30:19 AM

Sask, Canada

Brad:

Congrats on the leaves and for the group your at it. I myself introduce myself as below to people. Yes I am serious. I just did a fall grower seminar for a small town group of new growers and started the seminar by saying.

"Hi my name is Ernie and I'm an addicted giant pumpkin grower"

Ask Dean "Cooker69" he was there and almost fell on the floor.

Right now it is snowing out yes "SNOW" about 1" on the ground and lots more coming down. I relate growing to christmas when it snows like this. Ya know the story
"Mother in her Kerchaffe, kids tuck into their beds with dreams of sugar plums dancing in their heads, ya know Santa Clause story.

Well mine is of pumpkins and any time someone like the inlaws or the wife ask what I want for Christmas it's usally a new lifting tarp, seaweed emulsion, 842 Eaton seed. I also say if it is to difficult to get gift certificates to any of the local greenhouses will do....LOL

TTYL
Ernie
Giant Veggies

10/17/2004 9:54:16 AM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

To tell you how bad it can get, last year [my first] I had a 350 lb pumpkin. My wife made wonderful display with it. I traded the pumpkin for a truck load of compost{7 yards}, she knew something wrong when she saw big max in it's place.

10/17/2004 10:05:57 AM

Mn

When you research all winter and end up with a 729.5 pound pumpkin you're first year growing, your addicted. Just wish the farm next to us had about 300 cows. Then i'd be set for life.

10/17/2004 8:34:42 PM