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Buffalo, MN (Billsbigpumpkins@hotmail.com)

Okay, most of us have made some excellent genetic crosses with secondary pumpkins that reach several hundred pounds.

Here is my questions; do you ever plant these seeds as a competitive plant?

Has there ever been a 1000 + grown from a seeds from pumpkin weighting below 300 pounds?

12/21/2005 11:56:41 PM

Eugene,OR

The 21 Beachy grew the 892 Beachy.

12/22/2005 12:42:07 AM

Indiana

Well....998 on my 280*. Had I not chopped several pounds out of the stem, it would have weighed over 1000 lbs....but then again, had I not, it would have turned into a rotten blob of mush.

Wayne Peters 1047 was grown off of a 243 D. Beachy that was 801.5 Stelts x open

Tom

12/22/2005 12:49:11 AM

Pumpkintown, SC

...310 Eisenhaur '01 beget the 929 Eisenhaur '02 & the 712 Eisenhaur '02(on the same plant)...

12/22/2005 3:20:04 AM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

Yes I do,but look for good size for the grower at the time or deliberately grown for genetics on a small plant,side vine etc.

12/22/2005 4:54:30 AM

Western NY

my wife grew my 329 this year. got a 777 and 315 on same plant. probably could have been over 1000 with some more care.

I think there's a bit of interest in my 125 wolf 05. it's from my 658 (selfed 846 calai), and I pollinated with the 723 that grew my big one.

12/22/2005 8:15:12 AM

Pocatello (cliffwarren@yahoo.com)

AXC,

You raise a good point... what I would want to know on a
small fruit, is "why was it small?" If it's a lack of nuture,
then it may be fine. But we've all had plants/fruits that
just didn't want to grow.

If you subscribe to the notion that every fruit has a "bell
curve" of seeds (potential of those seeds), then every fruit
has a "best 10%" and worst 10%. It seems to me that all else
being equal, we'd all flock to those seeds that came out of
a 1400 pounder, because those are more likely to have passed
on the best genes.

But evidence shows that seeds from small pumpkins can grow
big. Most of the time, however, these must be grown by
the grower who produced them, because only they will really
understand the circumstances in which the seed was grown.

12/22/2005 11:42:03 AM

Netherlands

I have a 199 Ornskov 05 on my list for 2006. (670 Daigle x self) It was grown just for the cross at the end of the season. Unfortunately I won't be able to give it maximum space, but am interested in how big it will get.

12/22/2005 12:22:58 PM

Sioux Falls, SD garyboer@dakotalink.com

I'm with Cliff.. .
depends on why it was small.

12/22/2005 2:39:10 PM

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

I am sure it is possible to grow a big fruit from a small one but why would you want to. Isn't the whole idea of pumpkin breeding to select for large fruit. When you only get to see the first couple hundred pounds of fruit growth you are missing out on a lot of information on what happens toward the end. Like shape, color, dill rings, splitting, wall thickness, and especially how big it will eventually be. From a breeding prospective wouldn't it make more sense to grow for instance something like a Connolly 1330. You know what it's characteristics are, and the pollinator plant had a 1214# fruit grown on it. I myself would much rather grow an unproven 1330 than a 243 Beachy with an unknown pollinator that grew a 1047. But then again I have never grown anything over 800 pound either. :)

Mark

12/22/2005 3:30:42 PM

Pumpkintown, SC

I personally hope to grow that 1330 this next year. BUT, in your example, if I absolutely had to grow a 1000 pounder this year...I would pick that 243 Beachy over the 1330. It's been there, done that.
I still agree with most everything you say about "knowing", but the one thing you DO know about the 243 Beachy is that it IS capable of producing that 1000+ fruit. You DON'T KNOW that about the 1330, though your premise is logical. Just the way I see it, BF

12/22/2005 4:04:13 PM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

Hmmn why do I want to thats deep.
In the beginning it was a grow what you got thing.
It also feels like more sport like fishing with a low breaking strain line,not really anything to do with the weight of a pumpkin at all.

12/22/2005 5:30:55 PM

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Hello Snake oil. That's a good point about the 243 being "proven". I am just stubborn in thinking that the combination of the "big growth" genes that were expressed in the 1330 and 1214 should lead to big fruit in the future generations. Especially if the 1330 is self-pollinated. Seeds from large fruit pollinated with plants with large fruit really intrigue me. Maybe we should ask an expert like Nic Welty what he thinks. You mention that you would like to grow the 1330 next year. Are you considering the 243 as well? :)

12/22/2005 10:34:49 PM

huntsburg,ohio

I'm with you Mark.I always look what the father did too I think 2 bigs equal hopefully even a bigger one.I had a 845 bobbier this year that i crossed with my 1370.It was crap never even made it to 300 lbs and was right beside 1344 I didn't even save the seeds i just disked it back into the soil.I was able to see it and it just didn't have it.Jerry

12/23/2005 9:02:51 AM

Nekoosa, Wisconsin

Hi Jerry. Congratulations on your 1344 this year. That's a great point you bring up. Just because you grow something from a famous seed doesn't mean you want to breed with it. If it produces something small or has serious defects you wouldn't want those genes to be included in your gene pool. A couple questions for you Jerry. :) How did the pollinator(1260Weir)for your 1344 do this year? I didn't see anything on the AGGC about it. And what is your opinion on the possibility that a bee may have snuck in on your 1370 flower and brought some 801.5 pollen with it. There has been some talk of that as the reason for the nice color of your 1370 offspring. I really like the 1370 and will be planting it in 2006.

12/23/2005 10:32:52 AM

huntsburg,ohio

Mark 1260 was doing real well for me and stem split in mid august it measured 600 ended up going 700 at canfield fair at end of august.On the bee question i guesss a slight possability as i put styrofoam coolers over fruit when i'm done polinating.i notch them for vine but it's not a perfect seal i think chance is very slight.Jerry

12/23/2005 11:35:48 AM