Large Pumpkins

I do, I do take it very SERIOUSLY. Gracye, I'm so very thankful that you've shared your personal experience. Now that you've mentioned that

All the TLC didn't matter. The pumpkin has officially stopped growing. I visually cannot see why. Everything looks good. No stem splits, no blossom end rot. No cracks where I can see. The plant is healthy. No wilting.
Yesterday was the last recorded growth and estimated 141 pounds. disappointing but ...life goes on.

The 705 Lovelace plant will bloom tomorrow. Daily temps are around 90 so I am hoping the pollination takes.
The 1235 Berchy plant will bloom in a week, hopefully. I did not feed these two plants like I did the Mutt plant. I had
a lot of hope in that mutt so that is where I put all the energy.

Pic = The Mutt yesterday. I will take one more pic when it has been cut from the vine.

I am growing these North Carolina Giant Cantaloupes but I wasn't trying for a giant yet. I am learning the plant habbit.
This one is about 20 days old give or take and weighs about 15 pounds. They grow on the vine 35 to 45 days.


I keep forgetting to say==========so sorry for all the tick bites. that has to be horrible.

Ticks give me a major case of the hebbie-jeebies ever since I learned they will jump out of trees to land on you..that's just not right. Glad everyone caught their symptoms early and being treated.

Cricket, I know it has got to be a disappointment, but WOW, 141 pounds is still quite the accomplishment!
Are you done with it or do you wait for the vine to die back?
Have you ever scratched a message into a pumpkin and let it scar over? Might be fun to leave a message for the customers :0)

I was wondering if you had ever given any consideration to trying a couple of you plants as "hog melons" . Like cross pollinating your mutt plant with the Carolina cross or the two previous with the N,C,giant.



The other was using the everyday hybrids to cross with the giants as to technique.The idea behind that being that you get a giant fruit that feeds like the everyday little fruit while it grows giant.I t is also suppose to adapt to your particular soils , conditions ,etc.
The biggest I ever grew was that 82? or 62? pounds,so all I am saying what I have read mostly, Only I have grown the N.C.giant before and they seem to enjoy the hot weather that we do not.There were the hog melon crosses of course, and they did get pretty big some of them. I should have kept some seeds and tried again. Just thought I would ask you about some things I have read, tried, or have considered before.

I forgot; sometimes they will stop growing and start again, make sure it is ripe,experience and time,Cricket, it will all come together eventually. And nice pumpkin!!

Wow, nearly 150 lbs.!!! Hey guys that's heavier than me! I an't going to lift that thingy by myself that's furrrrr sure. lol. Thanks CG, it's quite bothersome especially when your whole body itches and not much can be done about-- but wait for the antihistamine kicks in. But, the implication for non-treatment is truly horrible! Hubby found one on him yesterday while he ran on the mountain. I'm watching him like a hawk for signs that the thing did get to him before he's aware of it.

I'm with juhur7, to paitiently wait for any changes with "Mutt" before you cut the cord loose?

I will wait a few more days before I cut the cord. I would love to remove the plant after that but the other plant has criss crossed into this one. I will probly just cut it back on one side to make room for the cantaloupes and sugar pie pumpkins to spread out.

This will be my last year growing giant pumpkins. I will only grow regular pumpkins in the future and with all this work of setting up protection from squash vine borers, It has given me hope for regular squash in the future. All my squash plants were killed out by squash borers this year. I could grow a hefty crop of yellow squash. I should have enough time to grow a few plants and get a nice harvest before Frost.

Congrats on the pumpkin! It has been a wonderful adventure.

I truly get the gut feeling that "Big Foot" is just taking a breather and is simply not through growing. We'll see in a few days, eh?

2 days of no growth, zip, zero

We need to set up a tag "Grow, dirn it!!!" next to "Mutt". lol AKA "Big Foot" AKA "Princess Pale Moon". lol, lol.

Cricket,
Sit a pie pan next to her. If she thinks she's about to become dessert, that should convince her to keep growing!

It grew a just a tiny bit and up to 145 lbs. I recon that was a hiccup. It's turning dark orange. That is so strange how it started slowing down to nothing and started ripening so early. I don't know what made it do that. Wonder if there was some field pumpkin genetics in there. Oh twell.
gonna get hubby and son to take that pumpkin down to the co-op this saturday and weigh the darn thing......if it doesn't grow anymore this week.

meanwhile= that giant cantaloupe is impressing the heck out of me. over 8 pound gain in 4 days. 39inch circumference. 23.6 pounds so far and she aint through.

I don't usually., But I told ya so!!!!

Tehehehehe, lol juhur7. After all there was a net increased of 4 lbs. isn't it? A wobby four pounder!!! Yes, yes. So you may repeat that "I told ya so!!!" x4 lol.

Oh BTW, Gracye, you did say that your test result came back. But was possitive or negative you didn't specify. Mine was negative. So go figure! I'm befuddled to say the least. Not knowing where the rash originated from? But, all and all I'm pleased that I didn't have the dreaded disease. Phews!

Yeah a little humor about the pumpkin, and it was fun to watch,always prayers and many a thank you to Cricket for that!! ; the only thing Is, I was mostly referring to the Giant Cantelope loving the heat.Earlier in this thread I mentioned the G,C, really did and does do better in the heat and of course they do!! (i've grown a few)
Pumpkins like the cool gloomy weather patterns,only the humidity sometimes in Alabama is all they get.
I've got a bundle to learn yet, about the melons, and I am learning some here.Some being reinforced and some being new.
That G.C,is a cross of a heat loving squash,and a slow ripening Cantelope,especially in hot weather the G.C. will sometimes never ripen at all, It will grow till it is to cold to grow anymore,Mine grew for three or four months,and of course, Cricket's has already surpassed any of mine?
IF all goes well that G,C can grow 30 or so pounds a month or more!! My last attempt was about 20 pds or so and it grew that in a couple of days and then fizzled.

no growth yesterday or today on the pumpkin

the cantaloupe is up to 27 pounds....estimated. It's growing about 2.5 pounds a day now. Slowing down.

the giant sunflower has started to bloom this week. I have no idea how long they bloom for til mature.

pollinated a pumpkin on the 705 plant. I'm not excited about it. My excitement has faded.

Hi ya Cricket; Mine slowed at 20 and faded,your's is slowing down at 25to27 so I'm guessing the "trick" involved in getting them giant is right there at that weight. I don't know it. but I bet it is an overlook that is right there looking at us.

Lily - negative test results - and like you, weird. I thought FOR SURE...!

Do you all EAT these big beasts? Or are they just the ultimate growing experience?

I would love to have pumpkin pie but im not sure its gonna be mature enough to get much flavor from the giant pumpkin and afraid after letting it sit this long with no growth, I am wonder if it will sour by the time I get around to pulling it out of the garden. My problem is ===i have no patch way to wheel it out of there.
I was told the giant cantaloupe tasted Great and that was from the man who sent me the seeds from his 27.5 pounder.
I cracked open the blossom split cantaloupe and it smells like Cucumber.....but also unripe.
I hope the giant cantaloupes taste good cause they are growing all over the place here. (5 plants)

Well Cricket; if you like squash Cantelope they're not bad,They have to be good and ripe if they're the Carolina Giants.

Personally I did not care for the taste of them,I'm picky about good melons and I only like a few of the squash.Yeah . I know,silly me.

Ditto Gracye, all I can say is that I'm glad it wasn't serious, whatever it was. My rash and the itching was the most uncomfortable. The symptoms all subsided after the course of 1 week of antibiotic. Whoa! I could have been out there in the gardening and try to pollinate my pumpkins instead. lol.

Wooohooo, CricketsG. We all need to come up with some good recipes to make the best of "Mutt".

estimating 30 lbs. it is the North Carolina Giant Cantaloupe

Giant Cantaloupes
I think hubby dropped a pair of wire cutters on this one the night before I took the first picture... He's not gonna tell me he did.

July 15th
July 17th
July 20th

another giant that I am watching.

July 16th......my little Torpedo.
July 17th......I wanted to see a day to day growth comparison
July 20th......Torpedo is shaping out and had to scoot it back over onto the wood plank.

I know nothing about sunflowers!!! Anybody know how long they bloom for. I have caught some info that makes it sound like it blooms for about 2 weeks.
sorry for those who hate details. I document most everything daily.


July 19
July 20

They bloom a long time ,like till frost ,from the time they begin. I wish I had some pic's of some of mine,only I didn't have a camera or anything at the time. Enjoy them they will be with you a while.

Gracye and Lily, happy to hear of your negative results..whew!

I'm confused, nothing new:0) If I'm following the conversation correctly, the melons never stop growing, but they are still edible. They continue to grow after they are ripe?

I too,, was was glad to that Gracye and Lily were not going to be in for any more difficulty than they were already having!
I get a little slow about saying what I mean, sometimes it takes me while to reply.

cocoa; They will grow a while when they look like they are ripe,when melons first turn, they rarely are ripe though,you have to give them or watch them a few days to see if they are done.

Cricket; What kind of fertilizer did you use for the sunflowers if any? I am a curious sort!! I will post here how I grew my 30in. Half WR size when I am a little more clear of mind. The only thing I ever got giant was a sunflower.!!

And buy the way there,Cricket, How be the toofers?(teeth) Feeling any better are we?

wow juhur...your sunflower was 2 inches short of being world record.....right? or was it world record?

my gums are healing great. Have a few bone fragments trying to surface out the front. After those(2) surface, I can get some teeth end of Aug sometime.

The first thing is to say good that your healing well,I wear a full upper plate.I know what that is like,ouch, oochee, ouch ,and so forth.
The world record sunflower the last time I looked; was approx 72 inches and was grown in Alaska.That is six feet across the seed cone(Huge of humongous!!!)
So my little sunflower that I could hardly carry or control was really only a little half pint,(lol) Something I may have heard was that it is now nearly twice that, To me that is UNBELEIVABLE!!! Could you imagine a 12 foot bloom!!!.

I realize that sunflowers can get big but my goodness that makes ya wonder!!!! If I would of weighed in, photo and documented mine, it would have been near a state record, I believe ours stands around 40 inches.

When I do that,, I do that for me!! A selfish I !!?... such as unto myself a spiritual thing.

12ft bloom.......no way.......cant imagine. I haven't found anything about a 6ft wide sunflower bloom. My google isn't pulling it up. All I have seen is the Multi-blooming sunflowers that spread 6ft wide. The largest single bloom I have found is 32.5 inches.


giant cantaloupe is up the 46 inch circumference and estimated 34 lbs.

O k, Cricket; 321/4 1983 is all I kind find now myself , Here ya go How I grew that (I have witnesses}.

worked in two shovel fulls of manure
common dollar store vege and bloom time release fert.(this is 1/4 to 1/2 cup worked into the planting whole.
Small amount of osmocote for flowers( sprinkled and worked in after plant begins to grow) like preen or something.
One jobes tree spike (break or cut spike) half on each side. 10 TO 14 INCHES from trunk
Watered at guess with pitcher filled with small end of scoop of miracle grow with straw full of ammonia added.(about a small eye- dropper full)Discretionary as watering when needed

That wouldn't win me any organic or exact technique awards only there is how I had grown that. There are other newer records somewhere!. I think it had to with the tree spikes (what normal mind with think of growing sunflowers with tree spikes)? Does this mean I know I"m weird?

I wanted to add with giganteus or mammoth ,I've grown many 18 to 25 inch blooms that way. The compost and timed release fertilizer would get you there, only I'm believing the nitrogen and tree spikes reacting at optimum growing time is the largest or larger result.
The optimum growing time you of course will have to guess as to where you are at.

With osmocote it takes it while to start working
The DS fert, can burn.

I've grown them with only with compost and miracle grow , they did get large but nothing near the 30 inch or more size.
The combination there you will have to decide and manipulate the items for you and your growing conditions.I would imagine trying a tree spike ,compost, nitrogen fertilizer of your choice one season would tell you what to do when compared with this info.

Next year I plan on growing a giant sunflower just outside the chicken coop were all the rain washes the chicken litter juices. :D In hopes for a tall sunflower.
mean while....i just gotta nurish this bloom with some kelp and stuff.

They need a giant veggie topic around here.

Hi ya cricket; Maybe we can make a trade when I get to gathering next years seeds? I am considering something besides the DS seed because they failed so badly this year. May be a few of the hybrid and different varieties to see what takes this hot weather better.The Mammoth Russian liked it a little cooler than it has been.
Even though I usually grow for the giant bloom,the taller types will be in the list,I always liked growing giant sunflowers and room or space is not an excuse,always room for one or two.
This has been a first year without any in at least a decade.I like the chicken coop idea, I imagine the chickens will really enjoy a sunflower seed or two!?

Something like that, for a couple of the mutt & Carolina seeds. I will be looking forward to your next update and your progress.,and I agree a giant vegie forum would be useful of possibility!

End of Mutts short Life.

sigh); Sadness

Sooooooooo very sad....sniff.........................................sniff...

Sorry, Cricket, It's still a great pumpkin. I'm choosing to think of it as a mini-giant!