Every plant species has a genealogy of its own, and pumpkins are no exception. There are many types of pumpkins and pumpkin-like gourds that we can see everywhere around this time of year. Some are varied shades of orange, some are white, some are carved, and some are decorated with paint or other embellishments. Oh, and some are big. Really, really big. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of big.
Whenever I see one of these giant pumpkins at a fair or other place, I am simply in awe of its size and cannot help but wonder how it got so big. Today, I learned a little about the genealogy behind giant pumpkins and the science that helps people to grow them so big. One fascinating fact about giant pumpkins is that it is possible to over-fertilize them. Instead of resulting in a bigger pumpkin than that which would grow if you follow the dosage suggestions for fertilizer, the pumpkin can grow too fast for its own skin and explode.
Giant pumpkins do not ordinarily come from regular pumpkin seeds. The talented folks that grow the huge monster pumpkins choose their seeds carefully and some even cross breed different strains of pumpkins that contain traits that they want in their new pumpkin variety. For example, a type of pumpkin called the 1161 Rodonis grows for a long time and creates a very large root system. Those are two things that can help a pumpkin to get huge. 1288 Wallace pumpkins tend to weigh a lot. Combining these two varieties could create a pumpkin that grows for a long time, has an extensive root system, and weighs a lot. The names of many giant pumpkin seeds contain references to the weight of the pumpkin that the seed came from and the name of the grower.
Competitive pumpkin growers know a great deal about exactly what it takes to grow giant pumpkins. They take their knowledge of genetics, science, and agriculture to the pumpkin patch and continue to create new varieties that surpass those giants of Halloweens past. The next time that you see a giant pumpkin, you will know that it most likely is descended from other great pumpkins.
Photo by fujimo on morguefile.com.