The Dream of a 3,000-Pound Pumpkin – The Atlantic
Yet even a pumpkin with a prize-winning pedigree won t reach its full size unless it s managed well. Like babies, they require immense upkeep, even before they are born. Months before planting, at least 1,000 square feet of soil per pumpkin must be fertilized and weeded. Once seedlings are planted, they have to be watered daily for their entire growing period, roughly four months. No mere garden hose can do the trick; each plant needs at least one inch of water a week, which allows the pumpkin to gain up to 70 pounds in a single day. The fruit and leaves must also be inspected at least once daily for pests and disease no small feat as their surface area balloons. Quickly spotting and excising the eggs of an insect called the squash-vine borer, then bandaging the wounded vine, is paramount. One day, you might have a great pumpkin, then boom, the next day, all of the vine is completely dead, says Julie Weisenhorn, a horticulture educator at the University of Minnesota who has grown giant pumpkins named Seymour (744 pounds) and Audrey (592 pounds).
Your Halloween treat.