Growing InformationSow late March to May in a propagator on a windowsill in a greenhouse/house at approximately 20-25°C (68-78°F) using a quality compost. Cover seeds with 19mm (¾") compost (Germination 5-8 days). Grow on, planting out when frost risk has passed, 120cm (4') between plants each way. Alternatively sow outside May/June, 2 seeds per station. Thin to strongest seedling. Restrict fruits to 3-4 per plant. To grow really big pumpkins restrict to one fruit and feed regularly with potassium fertiliser. Grows best in rich soil. Water and feed regularly. Sowing to Cropping: 18-22 weeks. Sowing Information When there are three fruits forming, it can be best to then remove any more flowers. Ultimately, you then choose which of those three are growing the fastest, removing the others after a few weeks and putting all the energy into that one pumpkin. species: A group of similar organisms capable of producing offspring that can survive and reproduce. You will need a space that’s 10 feet in diameter – or 100 square feet – for a single plant, so if you want to try growing more than one of your seedlings into a giant, you’ll need to make a 20-foot bed.

Spread 6 inches of composted cow manure over the bed and till it in. This will be the base of fertility for the giant pumpkin next year. Direct sow or start indoors 2 weeks prior to planting. Seeds need consistent warmth to germinate, placing them in a windowsill will not generate enough heat and is not recommended. The bar gets higher almost every year – the 1,000-pound mark was first breached around the turn of the millennium; the current world-record pumpkin weighed in at 2,323.7 pounds, grown by a German gardener in 2014. Remove every single additional flower you see after your selected flower has been pollinated, no matter if it’s male or female.Water thoroughly. If you live in a region with fierce sunlight or high winds, you can erect a small floating row cover or shade cloth over your wee plant until it has become established. What’s really astonishing, Savage says, is that pumpkins can get that big in the first place. After seeing photos of giant pumpkins at the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, Mass., she became fascinated by a problem. A transport problem. Prune the lateral vines that develop off the main vine once they reach about 8 feet in length. Though, in general, you want as many leaves as possible to feed energy to the growing pumpkin, the plant begins to divert more energy to vine growth (rather than fruit growth) if the vines are allowed to grow to an excessive length. Many pumpkin growers recommend training the vines into a Christmas tree format , where the longest lateral vines are closest to the planting location, becoming shorter as they move toward the growing tip. Like any vegetable, different varieties have been selected for different purposes. With pumpkins, the giant types have purely been selected for size, not flavour. So whilst these make great Halloween pumpkins they don’t always make a good pie. In part, this is due to the forcing in the cultivation

When selecting a variety, it's important to consider the growing conditions. Giant pumpkins need lots of sun and warmth, with shelter from wind and frost. As the pumpkin grows, raise it off the ground using a wooden board, and protect it from heavy rain and strong winds. In the winter before you begin this project, or at least 6 weeks before planting, you should aim to improve the soil in the area in which you plan to grow your pumpkin. Make a hole about 30cm (1ft) wide and deep, then fill with a mix of soil and home-made compost or well-rotted manure. Add a general purpose fertiliser, such as Vitax Q4, scattering two handfuls per square metre/yard.Having obtained your seeds, you want to start them off quite early in April. Sow individually just under the surface into 3″ pots of multi-purpose compost and germinate indoors at 20 to 24 degrees. Pop the seed sideways into the compost to stop water sitting on it and causing rot. In a week or so, two weeks at most, the seed should have germinated.