755 Pound Pumpkin!

The pumpkin went heavy and we ended up with a 755 pound pumpkin. I was thrilled. I didn't expect it to go heavy and was slightly suprised with the outcome. I exceeded all my pre-season goals by hundreds of pounds and also won 2nd place for the prettiest pumpkin (the Howard Dill Award). The event was a lot of fun with great crowds and great weather. Haddie's pumpkin took 3rd in the Junior division so we are very proud of her too.  I'd like to thank everyone who helped me with growing this year and I'm looking forward to next year.

24 Hours in the Life of a Pumpkin:

Come to the Denver Pumpkin Weigh-off at Jared's Nursery!

Welcome to Fall! This will be last post until the weigh-off. It has been a great growing season, a lot of hard work, and a lot of fun. I'm very satisified with my pumpkin. Growers from across Colorado will be participating in the 3rd Annual Rocky Mountain Giant Vegetable Growers weigh-off on Saturday, September 27th. The event will take place at Jared's Nursery in Littleton, 10500 W. Bowles Avenue, starting at 11 a.m. Admission is free to the public. It is a great event with food, audience voting and of course, some really amazing pumpkins. We expect a new Colorado record pumpkin this year. The current Colorado record was set last year at an amazing 1,075 pounds. More information about the weigh-off can be found at http://www.coloradopumpkins.com/. See you Saturday and bring the kids!

We Did It! 151 inch Pumpkin Circumference

A month ago I set a goal to get the pumpkin to a 151 inch circumference. I knew we would need everything to go right in order for it to happen and that the odds were against me. Today we reached that goal! The pumpkin hasn't grown an inch vertically in the last 7 days but it has kept growing wider. It has been a little scary because of the potential of a split but so far it has held together. Five more growing days until I cut the pumpkin from the vine. There is a slim but outside shot of hitting 800 pounds by weigh-off time. Growth has been slow lately so I'm thinking low to mid 700s for the final weight.

If anyone sees a picture of a large pumpkin with a 2-year-old standing next to it in the Denver Post would you please let me know. The Post is supposed to run a picture of my pumpkin in the paper but they only said that it would be at the end of the month without an exact date.

Guess the Pumpkin's Weight Contest

The Denver Post's MileHighMamas.com is doing a contest this week around my pumpkin. If you guess the weight then you will win tickets to Elitch Garden's Fright Fest. The weight will be announced at the weigh-off at Jared's Nursery in Littleton. The weigh-off begins at 11:00am on Saturday and admission is free.

For the visitors of denverpumpkins.com I'm going to give you a clue to the pumpkin's weight. The estimated weight right now, based on the charts, is between 710 and 810 pounds. The estimation charts on average are within 10% of the correct weight so there is a pretty good range that the pumpkin could be in. If I were to make a guess the pumpkin is probably going to be 728 pounds. My guess isn't any better than anyone elses at this point however. There is no way to tell how thick the meat is on the pumpkin, so until you get it on the scales you never know for sure. Good luck with your guess and come to the weigh-off on and say hi!

A Special Thanks to My Pumpkin and Parents

I would like to thank my wife Amber, the only true pumpkin, for putting up with me this growing season. She is my inspiration and she has put up with a lot this year. I put in more time into this pumpkin than either of us anticipated at the beginning of the season. Some have called it obsession, others passion. Even though it took away from our time together I recognize the sacrifices and love that she has shown to me this year. At fathers day she gave me a trip to Topsfield's big pumpkin competition and Boston. I really appreciated that. I look forward to spending that time away with her!

I also want to thank my parents. They too put up with a lot this year by letting me grow the pumpkin on their property. More than one time I called them with a request to do something with the pumpkin. I think they started to enjoy it some as the season went on though. A big, big thanks to them!

Done with the Fertilizers Until the Weigh-off

I have 8 growing days left until the weigh-off. The pumpkin put on 20 pounds today but it is scaring me. A valley is forming across the top of the pumpkin. The kind of valley that splits sometimes happen in. Most of the pumpkin's growth over the last few days has been horizontal and not vertical which makes it even worse. Another local giant pumpkin grower had a pumpkin with a really deep valley and it split just this week. I'm reducing the amount of water I'm giving the plant and going to lay off the fertilizers from this point forward in the hopes of keeping it together. I am now down to 1.5 inches remaining to reach my circumference goal.

My Pumpkin is in the Newspaper Today

DillBoy the pumpkin, my son and I are in the newspaper today. On page 6V of the Arvada/Wheat Ridge edition of YourHub, the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News' community editions that are inserted with the regular paper, you can see my pumpkin and information about the weigh-off at Jared's Nursery. If you aren't in the Arvada or Wheat Ridge areas you can also see the article online at YourHub.com.

Over 700 Pound Pumpkin!

We met a new mark today. Over 700 pounds now both on OTT and circumference measurements. Just 4 more inches now to reach my goal with 10 more growing days remaining. If the pumpkin can hold together we might just be able to reach 800 pounds in estimated weight.

Coming Up On My Pumpkin Weight Goal

We are now down to 6 inches remaining to reach my goal of 151 inch circumference. Slow growth the last couple of days, but with today's warmth we put on 19 pounds today. There are now 13 days remaining until the weigh-off. If I keep pace with the typical 3/4 inch a day growth that the pumpkin has been doing in September, I should exceed my goal. With good weather in the forecast this next week things are looking positive right now.

Rain, Rain Go Away

I wasn't thinking very clearly yesterday when I added fertilizer. I thought the report was for only 1/2 inch of rain from this storm but there was an inch at the house this morning and it is supposed to come down all day. I really hope the pumpkin doesn't pop. Either it will gain a bunch of pounds in the next 3 days or the season will be over.

Who Has Been Messing with My Tape Measure?

I can't explain it, but my pumpkin appears to have put on 37 pounds in the last two days. The temperatures were cold today and were only mildly warm yesterday so growth typically would be really slow. I even took one inch off yesterdays measurement because I just knew it couldn't have grown two inches yesterday. Today's measurement confirmed it however. Another inch beyond yesterday's measurement. I'm guessing that the increased potash I've been giving the pumpkin has pushed it through some of this cold weather. Just hope that when the sun comes out tomorrow and we hit 80 degrees that we don't explode. Right now I have 18 days to grow 9 more inches to hit my goal.

My Atlantic Giant Pumpkin Seed List

The following is my list of Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds. If you are interested in any of the following seeds please let me know.

The number before the name is the weight of the pumpkin that the seed came from and the name is the grower's name. So if I grew a 1,100 pound pumpkin the seeds would then be called 1100 Johnson. The two pumpkins listed in the brackets are the parents of the genetic cross from which the pumpkin was pollinated.


1129 Orleck (985 Werner x 1041.5 Mckie)
959 Helbock (1450 Wallace x 1446 Werner)
735.5 Van Hook (1112 Daletas x 1450 Wallace)
1018 Van Hook (1450 Wallace x self)
498 Van Hook (1385 Jutras x 1450 Wallace)
846 Van Hook (842 Eaton x 1450 Wallace)
566 Van Hook (1470 Wolf x 1450 Wallace)
266 Van Hook (1450 Wallace x sibb)
520 Van Hook (1566 Rodonis x 1450 Wallace)
913 Van Hook (736 Van Hook x 1450 Wallace)
502 Van Hook (1207 Young x 1450 Wallace)
881 Van Hook (1173 Macari x 1450 Wallace)
561 Van Hook (805 Pukos x 1450 Wallace)
512 Van Hook (1450 Wallace x 805 Pukos)
753 Van Hook (1041 McKie x 1450 Wallace)
536 Van Hook (998 Pukos x 1450 Wallace)
1325 Starr (227 Leland x 227 Leland Clone)
1050.5 Starr (1041.5 Mckie x 227 Leland Clone)
1269 Hunt (901 Hunt x 1631 Mckie)
1154.8 Doucet (1566 Rodonis x 1689 Jutras)
725 Lewis/Marrone (998.6 Pukos x self)
813 Lewis/Marrone (1195 van Kooten x 998.6 Pukos)
1138 J Johnson (1180 Daletas x 1420 Larue)
1053 Pappas (1340 Kline x 1110 Wallace)
1095 Pappas (1110 Wallace x 1340 Kline)
546.4 Zaychkowsky (898 Knauss x 1068 Wallace)
535 Zaychkowsky (810 Dill x 1370 Rose)
882 Zaychkowsky (705 Stelts x 898 Knauss)
924 J Johnson (1231 Pukos x 1028 Sherwood)
1003 J Johnson (1173 Macari x 1420 Larue)
709.5 Lovelace (869 Calai x 1370 Rose)
925 Giarrusso (904 Stelts x 1385 Jutras)
1108 Giarrusso (1225 Jutras x 1068 Wallace)
1197.5 Hooker (1385 Jutras x 1470 Wallace)
1059.5 Hooker (1207 Young x 1385 Jutras)
1116 Hooker (1470 Wallace x 1385 Jutras)
1000 Grande (1470 Wallace x 1041 McKie)
1087 Grande (1385 Jutras x 651 Grande)
1111 Sawtelle (1556 Werner x sibb)
1019 Grande (651 Grande x 1385 Jutras)
895 Grande (1016 Daletas x 1385 Jutras)
1135 Scherber (1407 Hemphill x 1535 Glasier)
1010 Daletas (998.6 Pukos x 898 Knauss)
1044 Scherber (1110 McMullen x 1535 Glasier)
792 Seymour (1556 Werner x sibb)
1100 Sawtelle (604 Sawtelle x 695 Handy)
954 Wittmann (1041 McKie x 1370 Rose)
1150 Jaser (1231 Pukos x 898 Knauss)
749 Grande (1041 McKie x 651 Grande)
1005.5 Sawtelle (1180 Deletas x sibb)
1049.5 Calai (720 Parks x 879 Holland)
755 Johnson (300-500 Dill est x self)
786 Biga (1231 Pukos x 1096 Privitera)
301 Mega (696.5 LaRue x self)
661 Andrews (1097 Beachy x 161 Toftneess)
770 Zaychkowsky (511 Zaychkowsky x 898 Knauss)
498 Zaychkowsky (898 Knauss x self)
930 Daletas (1016 Daletas x 898 Knauss)
812 Vezzolo (845 Bobier x 1066 Vezzolo)
561.5 Gregory (996 Emmons x 1230 Daletas)
785 Neuville (280 Beachy x 1247 Handy)
825 Colbert (735 Pukos x 1097.5 Beachy)
971 Hebb (990 Hebb x 875 Dill)
761 Shenfish (1348 Hester x 1579 Glazer)
368 Deevy (916 Sawtelle x 800 Seymour)
604 Sawtelle (1089 Wycoff x 598 Swartz)
810 Sawtelle (604 Sawtelle x sibb)
851 Daview (1260.4 Weir x 1016 Daletas)
266 Grande (1226 Kline x 1016 Daletas)
425 Rebel (588 Young x 1018 Langevin)
1097 Biga (1096 Privitera x 820 Biga)
489 Mohr (1446.5 Werner x self)
1175 Andrews (1370 Rose x 603.5 Muller)
997.9 Andrews (1334 Daletas x 692 Andresws)
975 Andrews (848 Mackenzie x 894 Hebb)
813 Andrews (873 Andrews x 878.8 Andrews)
810 Andrews (878.8 Andrews x 873 Andrews)
663.5 Andrews (845 Bobier x 1370 Rose)
555 Andrews (641 Andrews x 500 Northrup)
445 Andrews (641 Andrews x 940 Mombert)
575 Lewis (1314 Beauchemin x 1248 Ford)
1010 Frantz (1083 Frantz x 581 Young)
523 Landry - (689 Beauchemin x 1420.5 Larue)
477 Hopson (1010 Frantz x 1097.5 Beachy)
1144 Horton (1314 Beauchemin x 735 Pukos)
759 Paton (1002 Paton x 867 Vincent/Gill)
829 Minix (419 Pukos x self)
827 Minix (1025 Bobier x self)
954.5 Mackenzie (1163.5 Mackenzie x 1250.5 Kline)
857 Myers - (1180 Daletas x 1233 Reiss)
793 Ebbett (757 Ebbett x 840 Parks)
1110 Sawtelle (598 Swartz x self)
1037 Ornskov (1019 Megechelsen x 825 Foss)
800 Seymour (1180 Deletas x sibb)
683 Dettweiler (1043 Lyons x open)
504 Chenier (1301.5 Eaton x 1355.5 Marion)
466 Hopson (695 Handy x 1097.5 Beachy)
1043 Lyons (842 Eaton x 953.8 Kennedy)
791 Sundin (880 Sundin x 947 Hunt)
916 Sawtelle (1057 Hebb x Self)
956 Sawtelle (771 Stellpflug x Self)
968 Giarrusso (1108 Giarrusso x 1006 Giarrusso)
333 Grande (848 MacKenzie x 1016 Daletas) - squash

1,465 Visitors on DenverPumpkins.com!

Thanks to everyone for visiting denverpumpkins.com! In the four months since I launched the site in May I have had 1,465 visitors. I hope you have learned something, not been to bored (after all what is more exciting than fertilizer) and started growing a bigger pumpkin as a result of this site. I always appreciate your feedback so if you ever have any questions or suggestions please feel free to leave a comment by clicking the link below. I will usually leave a reply to your comment in the same comment box within 24 hours.

Watch for pictures of my pumpkin on the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News' YourHub.com this next week. MileHighMamas.com will also be running a contest around my pumpkin starting September 22nd. Lastly, visit the big RMGVG weigh-off at Jared's Nursery to see my pumpkin and to see a new Colorado state record pumpkin (hopefully--we are counting on you Joe!). Admission is free to the public.

Pumpkin growth the last few days has been a bit slow. Right now I have 11 inches remaining to reach my goal.

Family Pumpkin Competition

Haddie has been talking some smack with grandpa lately. She says her pumpkin is bigger. My dad's pumpkin didn't get pollinated until the first week of August after a string of aborts earlier in the season. The last two weeks it has started to add some good pounds but it looks like Haddie (my 4-year-old) has got grandpa by about 20 pounds right now. The Arvada Festival of Scarecrows isn't until October 11th so it will be interesting to see if his Dill's Atlantic Giant can catch Haddie's Prize Winner by that time.

It will also be interesting to see if either of them can catch my pumpkin from last year. I think they both have a good shot. Haddie is growing from a seed from last year's pumpkin and it has gotten a little more TLC from her and better soil than my pumpkin had. If the weather will be kind they have a month still to grow so there is a lot of time to add some pounds. Right now they will need to add about 50 pounds to equal last years pumpkin.

Cold Weather Means Slow Growth

The cold weather of this week is slowing the pumpkin down a lot. Just one inch of growth over the last three days. Not much you can do at this point other than covering the pumpkin with blankets at night and wait for a warm sun to come back out. The forecast isn't looking bad but not great over the next 10 days in Denver. I find that this pumpkin doesn't typically grow much until it gets over 75 degrees for the daytime high. It doesn't look like it will get much warmer than that over the next ten days. Fall is in the air. Right now I am down to 12 inches from reaching my goal with exactly 3 weeks of growing left.

What a Difference a Couple of Weeks Can Make

My little boy is growing up. The pumpkin that is.

Pic from August 18, 2008

Pic from September 1, 2008