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Hinckley MN

so looking at the top 125 pumpkins grown this year (including damaged fruit) I came up with the following:
1421 Stelts.................11
1161 Rodonis.................9
1725 Harp....................8
1596 Werner..................5
(listed by largest individual pumpkin)
1495 Stelts, 1605 Sweet, 1520 Sperry, 1610 Lieber.............4
1634 Werner, 1566 Rodonis, 1409 Miller, 1385 Jutras, 1674 Connelly,...3

There were 7 seeds at 2 each and alot of seeds including 1404 Bryson, with only 1 in the top 100, but then it only takes 1 to set a WR!

10/20/2011 10:59:07 AM

Enumclaw, Wa

If I counted correctly there were 30 different seeds in the top 50.
44 in the top 75 and 56 in the top 100.

In the next 75 seeds there were another 25 or 30 seeds at least.

We all have an opportunity with the "proven" seeds out there to grow big. Plus 175 seeds at or above 1200 pounds this year alone will now be contenders. . What's the secret. Devil's in the details.

Good luck.

10/20/2011 5:17:43 PM

Pocahontas, Arkansas

Here is something to think about, it is also likely that if you were to find out the most grown seeds this year it would be the same top seeds. Really who didn't plant a 1421 Stelts and 1161 Rodonis this past year? (Ok, I didn't). And hense the more planted the better the chance for someone to grow one big. Who's to say the best seed (as if their is a best?) even hardly got planted this past year. The 1404 Bryson is the absolute clasic example; total pumpkins grown off that seed in this year's GPC results... 2. Moral of the story, what great seeds are overlooking because we always plant the "top seeds?" Don't take me wrong those seeds are on the top for a good reason but don't be afraid to plant something that you thing is a great cross that not everyone is planting. There are a lot of great seeds out there that just don't fall into the right hands at the right time and I think that is what whisper is getting at. Cheers, Ryan.

10/20/2011 7:31:56 PM

Ohio

All of them are great seeds Farmer. For next years 2012 growing year, If Id take a 'guess', I would say it will be a New(unproven)2011 seed being in the top 3.

Out of the top 7 pumpkins (if im looking at it right) 4 of those seeds are New 2010 seeds that was grown for 2011.

10/20/2011 9:49:50 PM

Rhode Island

its been said many times but bears repeating.

1. ya need what you think will be the best seed . usually seasoned growers like a mix of proven and unproven seeds
( those we feel were a good cross)
2. you need the best soil ,kept balanced and fed evenly through-out the season.
3. weather and critters can be the great equalizer. to much of anything-heat-rain-cool weather-storms-, mice-chucks-etc can make numbers 1 and 2 less effective.

all things considered id rather plant something first i know has a good history and then develop the cross i want and go from there.

i truely believe it takes big into big to get us to the next barrier (2,000 lbs ) the right combination of wall thickness into shape, size and history of male and female.

pap

10/21/2011 4:24:29 AM

Ohio

I'm waiting for shazz's input here, he always has some great views on seed.

I agree with soil,luck and ''especially'' on the weather 100%. I know the seasoned growers here in Ohio was growing the top seed that was on the 2011 GPC list.

And if you look at the season the Ohio growers had this year even by growing the best seed out there, the first pumpkin that you will see on that GPC list of the top pumpkins grown, Ohio's first biggest pumpkin is all the way down the list at 48Th.

10/21/2011 7:31:35 AM

Joliet, IL

Yes there are so many magic bullet seeds lying in drawers or in freezers that will never be grown. So many good crosses made over the years that never got planted. And this is due to limited number of plants a grower has room for and increasing ones' odds at hitting one big enough to compete. I grow 3 plants. This means I usually intend to grow 2 solid proven and and one new cross with the most potential in my opinion. Quinn was onto picking new crosses with the highest theoretical potential many moons ago. Looking at what the pollinating plant produced besides the size and weight of the female. For a couple years I would post combined weight info with potential power on both sides. This lead me to try the 1385 the first year out but it didn't sprout for me. Then it was proven out big time. That still gave me the confidence to trust my instincts formed from the data at hand. The 1605 is the best recent example of power on both sides that were proved out. Too bad I lost mine this year to seed corn maggots, but again this gave me confidence to trust the new cross potential theory. So back to the original thread topic, it is easy to pick the best proven producers with the data from those planted the most. The big dogs are listed above. Then you can look to semi proven grown less in numbers but produced big. 1303 for example. Then you can look for potential in the new crosses. I have a 1385 x 1161 cross that I made a couple years back but never tried. I wasn't happy with the characteristics with what was produced by my individual plants, not just the names on the cross. Again, it is all about the odds with limited space.

10/21/2011 10:04:34 AM

Joliet, IL

It's all a crap shoot, but I feel very good about some crosses this year for a breeding strategy that has been around long before I started growing. Big shell x big percentage over the charts or vice versa. The 1404 is a prime example of this strategy and proved to be so in 2011 in the biggest of ways. The 1647 dmg 2011 I feel has this same potential. Hopefully if all goes well it will be one of my 3 top dogs in 2012. And this year I am going on a limb with 3 potential new unprovens total with no proven. The other 2 being the 1789 est. and the 1657 Marsh if all haves eeds in good numbers and viable. On paper with a chance of producing both monsters and future monster crosses at the same time, I will try with any luck to do a 1789 x 1657, a 1657 x 1789, and a 1647 x 1789. There ya go Boz, you asked for it...lol.

10/21/2011 10:05:13 AM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

The top 3 pumpkins and including the world record. The top Squash which is the world record were all grown from the growers own seed.
The Best seed in 2011 was "Your own seed"

If you look through history a lot of World records were grown from the growers own seed.

10/21/2011 12:58:33 PM

Hinckley MN

Ok, so best seeds was poor phrasing. For a rookie grower like me, I'm looking to improve my choices for seeds. I donated my biggest pumpkin for a pumpkin drop and ended up with only 2 questionable seeds from it. There went the best of "my own" seeds.
I see many crosses are the big OTT fruit by the big and %heavy fruit. I'm aiming for % heavy, long fruit x % heavy, high fruit. I believe the thicker/denser walls will be what is needed to consistantly grow fruit over 2000lbs. It is hard to find good seed on a limited budget. Do you put hundreds of dollars into getting a "hot" seed at auction, or do you put your money into your patch?

10/21/2011 6:01:29 PM

Frankfort Ohio

put your money in the patch and look at great crosses that went under the radar like the 1404 did the 1240 bogie has done well with limited plantings same cross as the 1421

10/21/2011 6:08:57 PM

Saegertown Pa.

The 1596 and 1634 are still for sale for 40 $ from the OVGPG, you don't have to pay a lot for a proven seed if that's the way you want to go.

10/21/2011 7:30:22 PM

Quincy, CA

So just looking at the over 1500 pound pumpkins this year, I come up with the following multiple grows:

1421 Stelts - 5
1725 Harp - 3
1605 Sweet - 3
1409 Miller - 3
1303 Sweet - 2

But you should probably put the 1404 Bryson and 1495 Stelts on any list for this year.

10/22/2011 11:54:14 AM

Preston CT

1723 Marshall DMG. 1634 x self could be the next 1725 Harp! Look OUT! 1789 Wallace DMG and 1647 Wallace DMG. Also 1404 Wallace from 2010.

10/24/2011 9:43:28 AM

Hinckley MN

Maybe its just me, but $40 does seem like a lot for ONE seed. Ask any non giant pumpkin grower if $40 is alot and what will they say? And then to see individual seeds sell for $200 or even $1600 is just crazy.
If that $40 seed wins a $1000 prize it probably is worth it. If you add up all the ammendments, fertilizers, pesticides, heat lamps and cables, etc. and then divide by the number of pumpkins you grow, then it is probably double, triple or more, per plant space than the $40 cost of a seed on OVGPG.
maybe I'll just put the seeds on my christmas list and Santa will drop them in my stocking!

10/24/2011 11:29:42 AM

Wi

Some interesting points here.

The point I feel is most important is growing your own seed.

I'm going to pick on the 1325 Hopkins for a moment. Yes there were some whoppers growing on 1325 this year, but not much to show for it in the end as far as super big stuff on the scale. After 2010 when John grew 1675 on that seed everyone thought it would be super this year. Didn't happen. Will the same happen with the 1404? No question it could! That's why I now have a 3rd dimension to my seed selection :)

There are a ton of good seeds out there that will never be planted by HH's. EVERYONE has planted 1421...lol. If there's a HH left that hasn't I'd be surprised. Compare that to 1240 Bogie that's the same cross. Nobody has planted it (I don't think) that's ever grown a pumpkin over 1500. Of the pumpkins I've seen off 1240 every one has been heavy and many quite heavy. Also almost all very nice shape AND color. Could it actually be better than 1421. It could very well be so, but we'll never know.

10/24/2011 12:08:32 PM

Colorado

Chris,when youre growing your own or john h's seed. Do you start extras and cull down to one.

10/24/2011 12:22:01 PM

Ohio

970.5 Barenie is another overlooked seed. Grown to 1416# and 1206# this year. Same cross as the 1161 Rodonis.

10/24/2011 12:26:53 PM

Wi

Joe we will double plant some stuff, but rarely let them get very far along. Maybe 3rd leaf or so. I didn't double plant 1810 or 1468 for obvious reasons.

10/24/2011 2:12:49 PM

milford, CT,

This question comes up every year..here is my take on it..If you spend all winter figuring out an awesome cross..why wouldn't you plant it..just because the weight wasn't that of a HH.. Why wouldn't your 1421 x 1161 be as good as one grown by a HH...There is no reason..SO...Start growing at least one of your crosses every year..Especially since nowadays it is getting harder and harder to get top seeds. In the last 3 years I have planted 4 of my own seeds and have 2 of my top 4 weights on my own seeds. Mark

10/24/2011 6:03:59 PM

Paradise Mountain, New York

The one that goes in the ground and grows a new world record

10/24/2011 7:54:50 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

You are so right Milford. GROW YER OWN!

10/24/2011 9:22:45 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Farmer Ben, just a quick suggestion...cut a small whole (just big enough for yer head & arms) in the back of yer pkn b/4 you drop it...harvest seeds!!! LOL Peace, Wayne

10/25/2011 2:57:54 AM

Hinckley MN

Yes Wayne, figured that out already. My 908 this year already had a blossom end split that I could have reached through. I did manage to keep it alive and add 60 inches OTT in 5 weeks after splitting Labor Day weekend.

10/25/2011 9:14:15 AM

Joliet, IL

I understand the "grow your own seed logic". I also understand selective breeding practices not only in pumpkin genetics but any selective breeding whether it be plant or animal. Many of the best crosses from the past were based on selective breeding. Maybe the crosses were serendipidously made from which ever plant had males open that day, but the seeds were selected for potential in many cases. Where would we be without selective breeding and if everyone only grew their own seeds? Would we be where we are now? Has it only been the growing practices that got us where we are today? Or has selective breeding of big x big like the 1420 x 1446 combo both ways or the 898 used in the mix in the past the reason weights continue to climb? there is no right answer but selective breeding will still be needed to increase weights and growing your own seeds is a good method of proving out the potential of more new crosses. Again, it's all a crap shoot, but there are ways to increase ones own odds with the limited number of plants an individual grows. It is all good debate for the winter ahead. The best seeds for 2012 to grow whether proven or unproven are for each individual to decide with the hopes of growing their new personal best.

10/25/2011 10:01:28 AM

Joliet, IL

Prime example to the above statement is the 1404. The 1404 is the 1288 x 1421. These are 2 heavily proven plants that were grown for potential and crossed. Not sure if this was an intential cross and one planned ahead or just 2 good proven plants in the same patch that were crossed. Selective breeding by choice of proven seeds was still used to make the unproven 1404 that was then proven by the same grower of the seed. Which came first, the chicken or the egg shaped pumpkin? Lol.

10/25/2011 10:13:27 AM