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Sacramento, Ca

Not so long ago 1000 pounds was the holy grail of big pumpkins. That number, as you all know, has been smashed and smashed good. Do you think we will see a 2000 pound pumpkin? Will it be sooner or later? Who's seed do you think will do it? What grower do you think will do it? I think we will see a 2000 pounder sooner rather than later. My guess is that it will be from someone that hits on the right cross of seeds and a lot of luck.

3/21/2009 11:01:55 AM

Pinedale, WY

Keep in mind that this last season was the first one that the world record wasn't broken in a lot of years. It could be a sign that we are peaking, but maybe not. At some point there has to be a limit to how big one can be grown. There will never be a 100,000 lbs pumpkin, so at some point it has to stop.

3/21/2009 3:29:54 PM

milford, CT,

Purely my opinion..but I still think we are a few generations of pumpkins away from the seed that can make 2000 lbs. I think we need 450 inches OTT and 10 % heavy.
Not quite there yet. I'd love to see an 1800 lber this year..that might give us some ideas what it will take to get to 2000 lbs...Mark

3/21/2009 4:07:55 PM

Rhode Island

unfortunate;y everything has its limitations, giant pumpkins are not excluded.

with the time restrictions, daily weight gains and near perfect growing conditions needed to accomplish a 2,000 poundsr ? i doubt if it will happen.

i do believe a new world record is attainable at some point but i dont think 2,000 pounds will make the scales.

there is just to much growth that needs to take place over a short life cycle.then theres that tendency to split when growing to fast that will need to be overcome?

3/22/2009 9:08:57 AM

Sacramento, Ca

Pap, I agree about the splitting. I was thinking the same thing. To get one that big you'd have to grow it awful fast. As I understand it, the sweet spot for daily growth is 30 to 35 pounds. What if a grower had a longer season? I would postulate that if a grower could find a way to get a pumpkin set on the vine in early March then they may have a chance, provided that they were in a growing zone such as 8, 9 or 10 where the weather stays warm into October. Just a thought.

3/22/2009 11:00:32 AM

Bemidji Minnesota

What I wonder is what happens once we get to the point of diminishing returns?

Say the 2000 pound barrier get broken, by a 2000.5 or something like that, and at that point records only fall every 10 years, and we see a decent amount of 1600 range fruit, the way 1200 pounds is now.

Will contest shift focus to having more awards for more aesthetic shaped and colored pumpkins? Obviously always weight will be the biggest factor, but will there be maybe several awards for best shaped and best color, with a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and so on place for best looking?

Think the 1483.5 Werner body shape, with the color of the 1159 Richards, at a weight of over 1600 and still being 10% heavy.

That would be my guess since it would give something else to shoot for as the size hits a relative plateau.

The reason I agree that a plateau will eventually be hit, is physics. There is only so much weight that can be pushed into these things at a certain rate, and it is still limited by 1 growing season.

3/22/2009 11:01:14 AM

Columbus,ohio

Never say never. I was reading some old fetured grower transscripts and one by brett hester said we wouldn't have a 1500lber till 2012. Do I think it will happen this year? No. I think we might see a 1700lber. only time will tell!

3/22/2009 11:23:42 AM

Iowa

I agree completely with giant pumpkin peep "never say never"!! To think A 2000 pounds wont happen....maybe....but lets not fool ourselves. I remember when 1000 pounds was CRAZY....then 1100 and then 1200...and so on! Now we have grown to almost 1700 pounds and because of one season with no world record being set some of us think we've hit the ceiling! Do I beleive the weights will continue to sky rocket the way they have......no way!! Do i beleive there is more weight to be had....hell yes!

I do think that 2000 pounds may be the the line in the sand that few of us may ever cross....I'll go out on a limb and say ten years from now there might be 2 or 3 or maybe four pumpkins will see 2000 pounds.

We talk about the sweet spot for daily growth being 30-35 pounds.....what if we can maintain 40 pounds or 45 pounds....I beleive it will be done!

And what's up with Pap....throwing a wet blanket on this topic....."i dont think 2,000 pounds will make the scales".
He's the last one i would expect to hear say that!

3/22/2009 2:23:53 PM

Belgium Europe

Pap is allready sandbagging.

3/22/2009 2:41:52 PM

Sacramento, Ca

Well, everyone that says there will never be a 2000 pounder, I don't believe it. They said that about the 1000 pounder and the 1500 pounder too. Only 311 pounds separates the current record and a 2000 pounder. Think about that for a moment. I am sure that all the heavy hitters think about it often. and on a side note, I have read where big dollars were offered to the first person that grew a 1000 pounder. Is anyone offering the same for the first 2000 pounder?

3/22/2009 4:27:17 PM

Western PA

I think Quinn is due to break 2000lbs this year or next. Quinn is a pumpkin growing machine look at all those 1400 & 1500lb pumpkins flirting with numbers that big, he's bound to hit 2000lbs in time.

3/23/2009 10:35:52 PM

Adams County

2000lb I dont know, But I think Quinn will bust 1600 this year and push for the record. that 1521 werner looks pretty darn good

3/24/2009 8:20:19 PM

Bethlehem CT

I believe sooner or later we will hit a peak, and any new records will be with small increments. Kind of like World Record's in Track and Field. What Joe Jutras did with the 1689 was kind of like Bob Beamon's 29' long jump. Although I could be wrong though. Who knows how much more genetic potential is hidden in the Atlantic Giant, just waiting for the perfect cross to express it. If we could bring out some hidden genes that allows the pumpkin to grow longer before maturity, that could bring things to a whole new level.

4/24/2009 6:37:20 AM

Eighty Four,PA

I believe there will be a 2000 lb pumpkin within the next 5-10 years. The growing season has to be favorable. Then the grower will have to realize to change techniques that are improvements only. Luck plays into the equation along with genetics. There are several growers poised to do it like Quinn Werner, Ron Wallace, Steve Connolly, Joel Holland(retired firefighter), and Joe Jutras just to mention. Let us not forget those growers who are heavy hitters and the new growers who are growing giants in their first year. Keep in mind, the next milestone is 2000 lbs. Each year there are more growers reaching new personal bests. It is just a matter of time someone will do something better than the rest of us and reach this milestone. So yes, I believe it will happen. Just look at the bar chart, it keeps going up.

4/28/2009 6:54:52 PM