| I am growing one of Dill's Atlantic Giant pumpkins, and I am wondering where to allow my pumpkin to grow. The plant is about 6 feet long, and some small pumpkins are starting to grow on main vine...however, I will only let one of them grow to maturity to allow the vine to give all the strength to one fruit. My question: should I allow one of my pumpkins that is only 6 feet away from the main root system grow, or would it be best if the plant grew a few more feet before keeping one pumpkin? Thanks a lot! |
| Keep the earlier pumpkins and remove all later pumpkins immediately, but keep the vine itself growing as vigorously as possible because this is what will fuel the pumpkin's growth. When you can tell which of the earlier pumpkins is looking the best, then remove all but one. The vine only produces so much energy and you want to direct all of it to your one big pumpkin as soon as possible. There are lots of tricks and tips for success with giant pumpkins -- books have been written on the topic! If you're serious about competing, check out the World Pumpkin Confederation Web site for details: http://www.backyardgardener.co... Good luck! |
