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Anyone with giant pumpkin growing experience please offer some wisdom on hardening off these gentle giants!! I have a 685 Janowiak from 2010.

4/28/2014 2:24:46 PM

East Jordan, MI

if you can get outside in full sun during the day within 2 days of it sprouting you won't have to harden it off.

If you keep it inside under low light conditions for more than that, just set it out in the sun for a few hours the first day, then double it the next, then double it the next, then plant it.

You should also have it in a gallon pot or bigger if you plan on keeping it inside for more than the first 3 or 4 days, they are not houseplants, get it in the ground as soon as you can tell which way the first true leaf is going to point.

4/28/2014 6:57:12 PM

Thanks for the advice - have you ever tried planting a giant in 150sf? I saw a contest for this, but I wasn't sure about attempting this year.

4/28/2014 8:40:42 PM

Also, what about the soil temperature? I do not have a hot house set up this year to warm the soil. I am thinking of constructing this year a simple set of 4 3"x3" posts with fairly clear thick plastic. I want to place this on my prepared hill, but at the moment the weather has been too windy and rainy everyday. Any advice - please?

4/28/2014 8:46:45 PM

I have been placing the new sprout in the garage at night and during the day under a T8 light. I studied the light wave spectrum (appears to mirror the natural sun's spectrum)of the T8 bulb at IIT in Chicago for an EPA Sustainable Energy Contest I was researching in 2005. I developed with my team a Solid State Shear Extrusion machine to break recycled tire rubber, steel belts removed, into tiny particles. After treating the particles, washing and coating, we mixed these particles in %%% with straight top soil and planted soybeans and a midwestern grass seed mix of Tall Fescue, Red Fescue and Kentucky Blue Grass. Each cell was given the same dose of Mykos. Each cell was watered the same amount at the same time everyday and given the same T8 lighting. Our control was straight top soil. Our team won a campus grant for future research and has been used in NCAA football field design. This is my reason for using this light.

4/28/2014 8:58:43 PM

Hinckley MN

If the soil is cold the plant will just sit there. You need to get a 3x3 or larger area of soil warmed up with soil cables or a cold frame or both. That will buy the plant enough time until the rest of the soil warms up. Seventy degrees is a good soil temp. Sixty is probably too low.

4/28/2014 9:25:52 PM

New England

if you get some clear plastic you can put it over your planting area to warm the soil. It will do so rather rapidly. You can pick the plastic up at walmart.

If you don't have a hoop house; pick up a Styrofoam cooler to place over the plant at night and maybe consider getting some cheap candles to stick next to them to keep them sort of warm.

Soil temp is really key.

4/29/2014 9:18:28 AM

Thankyou to all!! I will try your advice and can't wait to see some results.

4/30/2014 8:45:30 PM