Island View Nursery's Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off!

Good morning, Growers!

I received this update and these pictures of Island View Nursery's Fall Festival from Lisa Cullen, of Garden Gossip radio and Montecito Landscape last Friday. I particularly like the very resourceful design and construction of their weighing apparatus.

"The winner of the Giant Pumpkin weigh-off at the Island View Nursery Fall Festival, October 6, 2007, was Walter Van Wingerden pictured here with his winning pumpkin, daughter Talia (also a contestant) and hosts, Christie Boyd and Salome of Island View Nursery.

Congratulations, Walter!

Lisa Cullen

Garden Gossip

1187 Coast Village Rd #160Montecito, CA 93108

805-331-6046 Fax 805-456-2150

http://www.montecitolandscape.com "

Guess the Weight of The Pumpkins Contest

Speaking of weighing apparatus, I have had a few questions about this year's Guess the Weight of the Pumpkins Contest. The contest will be open to non-growers/the attendees of this year's Pumpkinmania! Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off & Contest. The object is to guess the combined weight of the two heaviest entries and a third, tie-breaker pumpkin. The contest will run from 8:30 a.m.-12:00 noon. The individual who comes the closest, without going over the combined weight will be the winner. In the event of a tie, the individual coming closest to the tie-breaker pumpkin's weight, without going over will be the winner. One entry per person. Winner needs to be present to receive their prize. No touching, lifting, or handling of the entries is allowed. As always, the decision of the judges is final.

We thought it would be nice to have an activity for the attendees of Pumpkinmania!

Good luck to all!

Stuart

Scott Glenn of Placentia's First Year Effort!

Good afternoon, Growers!

Scott Glenn, in Placentia, e-mailed me these great pictures of this year's results.

Wow!

(Photos of moving his 2007 entry courtesy of Alexander Morales. The happy baby is Diego, Alex's grandson. Thanks, Alex!)

Pumpkinmania! Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off & Contest!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Entry registration: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Final weigh-off: 12:00, high noon

The Centennial Heritage Museum

www.centennialmuseum.org
3101 West Harvard Street (Corner of Fairview and Harvard)

Santa Ana, CA 92704

$1,000.00 First Prize for Heaviest Pumpkin

$500.00 Second Prize for Heaviest Pumpkin

$300.00 Third Prize for Heaviest Pumpkin

Sponsored by Gardner & Bloome Premium Garden Soils

Prizes awarded for Funniest Shape, Best Color, Ugliest Pumpkin and more!

NEW! "Guess the Weight of the Two Heaviest Pumpkins Contest" open to Pumpkinmania attendees!

Prize and workshop sponsors include: Laguna Hills Nursery, Batavia Gardens, Blue Hills Nursery, Cedros Gardens, Island View Nursery, Green Thumb Nursery and Orange County Farm Supply

Our other great sponsors and supporters are: Crainco Crane Services, U-Haul International, Dr. Earth Organic Fertilizers, HB-101 Organic Growth Enhancer, Neptune's Harvest Organic Fertilizers, Roadkyll Graphics and Screenprinting, Howard Dill's 'Atlantic Giant' giant pumpkin seeds, Tip Top Bio-Control, Ingardia Brothers Wholesale Produce, UCCE Master Gardeners of Orange County, GreenCure Organic Fungicide, Hydrofarm Heated Seedling Mats, and Seitz & Shim, LLC, Attorneys at law.

For additional information, please contact: Stuart Shim at (949) 683-5932, or e-mail: sbs33@cornell.edu

Official website: http://www.pumpkinmania.blogspot.com/

Free to enter, free to attend!

Pumpkinmania! 2007 Pumpkin Weigh-off & Contest

Rules & Regulations

1. This is an open competition to all growers in any part of the world.
2. The pumpkin must be grown by the grower and in the country where the grower resides.
3. A grower may enter only one pumpkin, and no family may enter more than two entries.
4. Entries will be received between 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. on the day of competition.
5. Entries must be sound, healthy, and undamaged. This means free of rot, holes or cracks through to the cavity, chemical residue, soil, and soft spots.
6. No foreign material is to be included in the weighing. Vine must be trimmed within 1.0” from the stem of the fruit. Judges reserve the right to fully inspect each pumpkin before the weight is announced and official. Refusal to allow inspection of a pumpkin will result in its disqualification.
7. Any pumpkin previously entered in or weighed at any other competition prior to the contest will be deemed ineligible.
8. In the event of a tie, prize(s) will be combined and split equally among entrants.
9. Decision of the judges will be final in all cases.
10. Contest sponsors and staff shall not be liable for compensation for loss or damage to any pumpkins, contestants, their families and friends, or personal property. All entrants completely and totally indemnify the sponsors and organizers of the weigh-off and contest.

Global Branding

Good evening, Growers!

The marketing and promotional reach of Pumpkinmania's sponsors goes well beyond the borders of the United States, in this case, Mexico!



Can you spot the Roadkyll decal?

An Update from Chris Barnhill of The Fullerton Arboretum

"Stuart-

I got your name from some folks here at the Fullerton Arboretum who tell me you are quite fond of growing pumpkins, including the big whoppers! This year we grew hundreds of pumpkins and gourds in the garden and had a lot of fun doing it. I am currently the one in charge of running the grounds and we are definitely going to grow lots of pumpkins and gourds next year. Our biggest pumpkin this year was just 100lbs, but we weren’t trying to grow monster pumpkins, just many different kinds. The reason I’m writing is to ask if you have seed from a good size pumpkin that we could try next year… I might also purchase some GIANT seed on line.
Attached are some pictures of this years pumpkin harvest.

Sincerely,

Chris Barnhill"

I'll set aside a few "pedigreed" giant pumpkin seedlings for the arboretum's 2008 efforts!

Stuart

Alex Morales and Friends!

Good evening, Growers!

These just in from Alex Morales... He has friends who are doing great this season!

Well done!

Some Research from One of Our Sponsors!

Good evening, Growers!

Yes, as contemplated and now proven, GreenCure works on powdery mildew on giant pumpkins!

"Hi Stuart:

Here are some pictures that you might find interesting. I was purposely "growing" powdery mildew in my pumpkin patch.

But anyway my main goal of having powdery mildew to kill worked great. Attached is a shot of powdery mildew on a pumpkin leaf and an after use with GreenCure shot. I applied GreenCure twice, one week apart and then watered to wash off the killed spores."

Thank you verey much to the research department at GreenCure for their specific experiment involving giant pumpkins!

This is an informal, yet landmark study!

Stuart

Bill's Bounty From A Barrel

Good evening, Growers!

Remember Bill Deo Gracias' efforts to grow a pumpkin a container in Sorrento Valley? The top picture was taken August 20th, and the bottom picture was taken August 2nd. Who knows how big it it today?

"Hi Stuart,

The 2007 drum pumpkin was bigger than last year’s, even with only an average of 3 hours of direct sunlight. The project gets a lot of positive attention and comments.

I moved the drum to a location where it will get a least 2 more hours of sun….looking forward to getting some more seeds from you for next year. Good luck to all the big time contenders.

Bill DeoGracias
Sorrento Valley"

The doubters have been silenced, Bill!

Congratulations on a new personal best!
Stuart

The Pumpkin Formerly Known as Big Green...

Good evening, Growers!

This update and image from Diane Mc Fadden:

"Stuart: This is my mom's Big Green in Oceanside. During the time of the heat, the vine just up and totally died and then I would guess within a week they said the stem was mushy and moldy...this is the stem end. They also rolled it over so this is the bottom side. Could the powdery mildew do this? any ideas? Too bad they were very excited about growing one finally! Diane McFadden"

Alas, another one bites the dust! Verily, it's been a tough season.

Hang in there!

Stuart

Karl Schaeffer of Carlsbad: A Tragedy in San Diego

Hello, Pumpkinistas!

Karl Schaeffer, a veteran grower, and definite enthusiast, was kind enough to send along these photos of his shortened 2007 season. It appears the hot weather did in his great orange hope early on. I can relate...

The weather's been very toasty so keep an eye on your vine and your soil moist! We are closing on the end of the season, and it would be another tragedy to lose a contender with the last weeks closing in on a challenging 2007 season!

Stuart

The North vs. The South

Good late evening, Growers!

Here's the latest from Carol Lycette in Seattle:

"Hi Stuart,

Here is an update on my pumpkin up here in beautiful, sunny Seattle. It measured 87 inches tonight and has a beautiful shape and color. Not bad for a newbie.

Happy growing.

Carol"

Indeed! It's been just over a month since Carol sent in her first update.

Well done!
Stuart

The Patch at Island View Nursery!

Hello, Pumpkinistas!

These are some pictures that Christie Boyd at Island View Nursery recently sent me! As you may recall, Island View Nursery in Carpenteria, was the northernmost venue of this year's workshop season. As you can see, they're doing a great job with their on-site giant pumpkin patch.

Isn't it great?

Janett in Oceanside and Dozer!

Good evening, Growers!

I received these images and following update from veteran grower Diane McFadden:

Stuart:

This is my mom's pumpkin, in Oceanside. She was one of the group I brought down to Solana Beach. Big Green seems to keep on growing! I am glad as I have had a failure this year. I have a great vine, but no pumpkin. I have a number of little pumpkins starting and falling off. At this rate I am giving mine another week to prove itself and if not, out she goes and await next years growing season! So I am delighted my mom finally has one! One more note. My Dad has attempted to grow one in this same location the last couple of years and the animals always seem to have eaten his! So I guess Mom really does have the green thumb! Not sure how they will get it up the embankment it is on, but will work on that one when it finishes growing! The dog, Dozer, is about 18 pounds!

I particularly like the fact Dozer can do some pumpkin-related tricks!

Have a great week-end!

Stuart

Scott Glenn's Beauty in Placentia!

Good evening, Growers!

I received these images from Scott Glenn on Tuesday, August 14th.

As you can see, it helps to do a good job on one's mound. The results speak for themselves.

You'll note that Scott's having a powdery mildew issue, which is normal, as the vine begins to age. Powdery mildew is a fungus common to growers in coastal areas, and where heat and humidity are common. Powdery mildew particularly likes squash and pumpkin vines and is very common on roses.

The cure? I suggest trying GreenCure, the organic fungicide developed by Ken Horst at my alma mater, Cornell University, (and Pumpkinmania! strategic sponsor.) It's available at Orange County Farm Supply, Cedros Gardens, and Island View Nursery for those growers in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Be sure to mix it well, and cover the top and bottom surfaces of the leaves.

I have had a few requests on how to estimate the weight of a giant pumpkin... Here's the link and instructions from the Big Pumpkins website:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Attachments/2005WeightTables.pdf

Fortunately, this is still a very useable and reasonably accurate method to estimate the weight of your pumpkin.

Have a great evening!
Stuart

The Agony of The Crack: An Update from Mark Imhoof

Good very early morning, Growers!

This just in from Mark Imhoof:

"Stuart,

As you can see from the picture, there has been a setback in this year's entry. I had three fruit on three vines. The largest one outgrew its skin and, well, developed a blow-out. The other two look OK, but this one had a significant head start. I would not say they are getting the king's treatment this year. Even so, the larger one is probably around 300# and smaller one around 200#. Both are guesstimates; I have not measured them yet. At least the pooch hasn't taken an interest in them. Hope that all is well with you.-- Mark"

Thank you very much Mark! Good thing that Yukon doesn't like to eat pumpkin!(Once I get over the initial shame, I'll post some updated photos of my efforts so far this season... There is a good reason why I have been unusually silent this season.)

Have a great week!
Stuart

The Penas' Plethora of Pumpkins in Pasadena!

Good evening, Growers!

I have an update and some pictures from Joel and Maddie Pena, attendees from The Huntington Library workshop:

"Hi Stuart!

My daughter and I attended your class at the Huntington last May. We really
enjoyed it and now have many pumpkins in progress that came from seedlings we
brought back that day. I am sending you pictures of our pumpkins and wonder
what you think we should do to ensure they grow to as large a size as possible?

Should we cut some of them off now or leave all of them to grow?

We are looking forward to your response,

Joel Pena

Maddie Pena"

Dear Joel and Maddie,

First, thank you very much for your pictures and you questions!

At this point, I would suggest continuing with fertilizing every 7-10 days and keeping the soil moist. Judging by your pictures, things have been going well for you so far this season!

As far as cutting off some of your pumpkins, I suggest waiting until you 1 or 2 fruit that are basketball size or larger before culling smaller or immature fruit. The reason for this is you want to make sure that you've had fully pollinated pumpkins. That is, sometimes, fruit aren't fully pollinated and rot or self-abort well before they get to basketball size. Or, they almost get to the volleyball-basketball size, and then die off.

So wait, and then save the biggest 1 or 2 pumpkins, and then start cutting off the smaller pumpkins.

Thank you very much again for your photos and questions!

Good luck!

Stuart

Update and pictures from Carol Lycette, Seattle, WA!

Good evening, Growers!

Not to be outdone, Carol, daughter of Bill Lycette, sent in these pictures:

"Hi Stuart,

My father, Bill Lycette, recently had a post of his pumpkin progress on your site and I wanted to see if I could as well. We have a little friendly family competition going on to see who can grow the biggest, baddest pumpkin. I think I have the advantage because of the longer days up here in Seattle.

Is there a way to post my pumpkin picture from today on your Pumpkinmania site?

Thank you,

Carol "

Indeed! Carol's right, the north latitudes have longer days of gentler sunshine, while we in Southern California have a longer growing season with higher/hot temperatures.

A Giant Grows in Montebello...

Good evening, Growers!

Speak softly, and grow a giant pumpkin:

"This year's pumpkin with a 2-liter jug, Alex and Carmen Morales, Montebello, CA."

Alex and Carmen are veteran growers, and obviously having a great season. Their pumpkin looks like it's still putting on weight, which is a great way to start August.

I think we have a new contender.

Have a relaxing evening,
Stuart

Meanwhile, back at Larry Stice's Giant Pumpkin Farm: Photo Essay by Jim Solliday

Good evening, Pumpkinistas,

Remember that really big hole, dug by Larry Stice, that went so deep it hit the water table? I received these great photos from Jim Solliday with the following message:

"Dear Stuart:
Enclosed are a few updated pictures of Larry's garden (pumpkin). Most of the
pictures have the date it was taken, all but two. Hope this helps.
Sincerely, Jim Solliday (Larry's friend and photographer). "

It looks like Larry's visions are being realized.

Bravo!

Stuart