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ENGLAND

I would like to put an URGENT call out to anyone who is reading this and is a Member of any UK Pumpkin Clubs, especially Members of the BOOT INN PUMPKIN CLUB in Berwick St James and the GREYHOUND PUMPKIN CLUB in Broughton. I am attempting to compile a list of every Giant Pumpkin & Squash ever grown in the UK and my best chances of obtaining this information is through the members of Pumpkin Growers Clubs.

I would also be most grateful for contact from Growers who have kept their own records or made notes of the results from UK Pumpkin Competitions especially from anyone who has records of the UK Giant's Championships that used to be held at Alton Towers and then at Baytree Garden Centre in Spalding Linc's.

To date i have what i believe to be the top 15 Heaviest Pumpkins and/or Squash but would like to get as much data to confirm my findings to date. Information from individual Growers on what they have grown would be a big bonus too.

Please Email me with whatever info you have, to UKGPG@aol.com or post the info here. I only require the Pumpkin/Squash Weight, Name of Grower and Year Grown any other info would be a bonus. Info on Pumpkins & Squash that were Estimated or classed as damaged are also most welcome too.

Thanks in advance

Mike

P.S. If you are reading this and are one of the UK Growers who visit this site but never contribute please come forward with any information you have.

1/5/2006 2:50:40 AM

West-sussex,england

hi mike , i`ve been watching this and am amazed at no response,
as i think i told you our biggest is 210lb in 2004
we hope to smash it this year ,
keep you informed jon

2/10/2006 4:51:08 AM

ENGLAND

Jon
To be honest i am not at all surprised at the lack of responses to my above post. It is a very sad fact that the majority of UK Growers just want to keep their efforts all secret and remain closet Growers. It is for this exact reason that i am no longer interested in any of the UK Pumpkin Competitions or trying to get a UK National Weigh-Off organised that would be affiliated to the GPC. It is a certainty that someone from the above mentioned Pumpkin Clubs has read the above request for data on UK grown Pumpkins & Squash but they obviously just cannot be bothered to respond. There are also Growers from other UK Clubs who read these Message Boards but they too choose to remain elusive and with all this secrecy growing the Giant in the UK is going nowhere and fast.

If there are people, as i have just described above and who are actually reading this, then all i can say is that your attitude is very selfish and as a collective you are all responsible for the lack of any UK National Competition which could bring great rewards for your efforts.

Enough said.

Mike

2/10/2006 5:22:42 AM

France

1048    Jones Alun    2005
912    James O'Hanlon / Liam Cupit    2004
816    Handbury John    1999
816    Paton      2004
791    Mark Raymont    2003
774    Perkins     1994
743    Jones Alun    1997
720    Jo Hallam    2005
710    Lavery Bernard    1889
709    Mark Raymont dmg2003
702    John Midgley    2005
702    Handbury John    1996
701    Mark Raymont    2005
668    Chris Bonnett    2002
662    Mike Turner    1996
643    Mark Raymont    2003
642    Chris Bonnett    2001
638    James O'Hanlon / Liam Cupit    2005
637    James O'Hanlon / Liam Cupit    2004
627    Hume     2005
618    Joe Hallam     2004
596    alun jones    2003
580    Mark Raymont    2002
575    Mark Raymont    2003
574    Mark Baggs    2005
574    Mike Turner    1994
571    James Houghton    2003
566    Hume     2004
562    Jimmy Reid    2003
554    Chris Bonnett    2001
550    Jimmy Reid     2004
543    Mike Turner    1994
541    G. Wright    2005
531    Harrison    2003
530    M. Bond     2005
519    Jack & Hollie Bond2005
518    Chris Bonnett    2003
515    Josh Whiteside    2005
506    Mark O'Hanlon    2005

that's all I found about UK over 500 lbs.
I had the same problem for france, no responses, that will change in few years.

david (france)

2/10/2006 1:04:22 PM

Netherlands

Nice list David. Thanks.
Only three or four Dutch growers here too.

2/10/2006 2:21:42 PM

Norton, MA

Maybe I'm missing something, but why don't those growers want to go out and make friends/compete/gain recognition for their efforts? AleX Noel.

2/10/2006 10:39:35 PM

Netherlands

Alex, having lived in North America and Europe, I have noticed not all Europeans (I have been in many countries) are as competitive as people in N.A. The Germans are known to like big, better and best, but in Holland all of society is tuned to being like your neighbour, which means nobody sticks out. To be honest Dutch people do not understand why I don't grow normal vegetables and only giant pumpkins if you can't even eat them. Everything here has to be useful and efficient. It has to do with the little wee country we have and the high population density.

I do not understand the English though who are very competitive in all sorts of gardening and lead the world in show grade flowers and large vegetables. Maybe Mike or Alun can explain that one.

2/11/2006 3:38:53 AM

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

I'm not called Mike or Alun but I can tell you what I think is behind low numbers at weigh offs.

1/There are so many smaller competitive gardening events (I can think of about 12 within as many miles of me)that numbers are spread thin over many events,its easier to grow a 400 lber take it somewhere on your doorstep and get in the local paper than to drive a long way for no recognition.

2/Most UK garden shows are judged for quality not weight I don't mean specialist giant veg shows which are comparitively few but the hundreds or thousands of more general events which are the nursery for those that go on to national events.These are judged on a points system these being awarded for condtion,size,uniformity,shape,colour etc in differing amounts for each veg.
With this in the background veg grown for size only are looked down upon.
To make things even worse the points system that awards onions,leeks,carrots,potatoes a maximum of 20 gives the Pumpkin a mere 10 point maximum.
Back in 2003 I took my 791 UKs second heaviest ever at that time to some local shows where it controversially took best in show awards some said that as it was only worth ten points it should not beat mediocre exhibits of onions etc,had that pumpkin been ugly it would not have won anything.

If it was up to me I'award Giant Pumpkins 50 points,but this is what we are up against.

2/12/2006 5:20:44 AM

ENGLAND

Thank's Mark.
I was waiting until i got my thoughts back together on all of this before i gave any further response on this thread. Mark has made some very valid points above and i certainly agree with them and would like to add a few more reasons why, in my oppinion, Giant Pumpkin & Squash Growers appear to be so elusive.

Just recently we have seen a few Giant Pumpkin Growers come forward and have posted on the Message Boards and visited the Chat Rooms on this Website. Names such as Ian Paton, Richard Smith, Jon Tysoe, Joe Hallam & Peter Fullerton are the only ones i can think of right now and if you have posted on here within the past 6 Months i apologise for not mentioning you.

Now, i could name a whole bunch of people that i know for certain visit this Website to just read and leave and not even respond to any requests such as the one i have started this thread with. Yes, they have every right to just come and go like ghosts but if they had an ounce of comerarderie or Grower collectiveness about them they would make themselves known and even maybe help to show a public strengthening of Giant Pumpkin Growing in the UK. By hiding behind their computers they are just reinforcing what i guess everyone thinks about growing Giants in the UK and we are not serious about our Hobby/Sport.

Cont........

2/12/2006 5:52:05 AM

ENGLAND

Cont from above....
It is my oppinion that those UK Growers that just LURK onto this Website just do not like to go outside of their own little area, and/or village Competitions, and maybe allow others to see what they have grown and acheived. By networking only within their own area they are not doing our Hobby/Sport in the UK any good at all as we need to show a collectiveness and Network on a NATIONAL basis. By showing such a collectiveness it would be much easier to gather data on who has grown what and keep records of how the Hobby/Sport is progressing here.

In adition to the collection of data it would give a much better impression to potential sponsors, for a possible UK NATIONAL Weigh-Off, if they could see how many Growers there actually are in the UK and that actually investing their money for such sponsorship would be a viable idea. I have been approached in the past and been asked to set up a GPC Sanctioned Weigh-Off here in the UK but without the support of all the UK Growers it would be impossible to get any sponsors to put up Prize Money, Venue Support, Equipment Hire, Insurance etc etc etc.

If everyone is happy at taking home just £25.00, or even maybe less, for growing a 1st place Pumpkin or Squash then i guess thats fine but if they know that there was maybe £1000.000 as a First Prize then the LURKERS would soon be out to try and get a piece of the action. I guess it's a sad fact that the UK may be a nation of just take but dont give or participate with the unknown as it may take you out of your comfort zone.

To end this, for now, all i can say is LURKERS come forward and out of your Garden Sheds and make yourselves known as it could be you that one day takes home a cheque for a grand, or more, for growing the Heaviest Pumpkin, or Squash, in the UK.

Regards
Mike

2/12/2006 6:22:29 AM

Norton, MA

That's interesting, and too bad. I always just figured they had started later in the UK and so were not as far along. Would it be of any use to try to raise money in some way to be used to get more interest there? I believe that if there was a serious plan put in place (not saying that there hasn't been already) then the response with, say, seeds for an auction to benefit the UKGPGA from the US growers would be huge. Is there some type of thing like a UKGPGA now? AleX Noel.

2/12/2006 2:32:23 PM