The largest pumpkin variety in the world is Howard Dill’s Atlantic Giant. These pumpkins have been grown for over 30 years with one record pumpkin grown in Canada weighing in at 1,006 lbs. Vines of the Atlantic Giant can grow as long as 90 feet long and the pumpkins can gain as much as 15 lbs.
How big do Atlantic Giant Pumpkins get?
Space the mounds 15 to 20 feet apart when growing ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ pumpkins; the vines can grow up to 12 feet long.
What are big pumpkins called?
Big Mac pumpkins, botanically classified as Cucurbita maxima, grow on an annual sprawling vine and are members of the Cucurbitaceae family along with squash and gourds. Also known as Big Max pumpkins, Big Mac pumpkins are a giant hybrid variety that is not a true pumpkin, but rather a squash-type pumpkin.
Can you eat Dill’s Atlantic Giant pumpkin?
Technically yes you can eat them, but they are made of mainly water and are very bland in taste, also with the pumpkins growing so fast and sucking up nutrients and fertilisers it might contain some nasty things you may not want to eat.
What is the largest pumpkin ever harvested?
Although Gienger and Bernstrom grew gargantuan gourds, they didn’t quite break the world record. The Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin is 2,624.6 pounds. The record was set in 2016 with a pumpkin grown by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium.
Should I trim my pumpkin vines?
While it’s not absolutely necessary to trim the vines, doing so can encourage a more abundant harvest, and larger pumpkins.
How do you maximize pumpkin growth?
Pumpkin vines grow with one main vine and several branches. Keep an eye on the branches, and prune the tips of these vines when they’re 10 to 12 feet long. Bury the cut tips. Pruning the vines tricks the plant into sending more water and nutrients to the developing fruits.
Are any pumpkins poisonous?
As it turns out, some members of the Cucurbitaceae family — which includes pumpkins, squash, melons and cucumbers — can produce a group of chemicals known as cucurbitacins. This creates a potentially toxic, bitter-tasting, inedible food. …
Why do some pumpkins get so big?
The increasing size of giant pumpkins over time is partially due to genetic changes brought on by selective culturing. For decades, pumpkin growers have steadily pushed these fruits by swapping seeds and using other traditional breeding techniques that have been around for thousands of years.
Are blue pumpkins real?
Blue pumpkins are very striking, unusual, and get noticed. Of all the non-traditional colors for pumpkins, blue seems to be the most unexpected. Blue pumpkin colors are gorgeous when mixed with their complementary orange cousins. The most well-known blue boy is the Jarrahdale or Australian Blue.
Are large pumpkins good for eating?
As a rule of thumb, the larger the pumpkin, the tougher the skin and the woodier and more tasteless the flesh. The large orange pumpkins sold for carving in the United States at Halloween are still edible, but they are not as good as pumpkins specifically grown for eating.
What is the best fertilizer for giant pumpkins?
As the pumpkin grows, switch to a 20-20-20, or even manure alone. While the plants are mature and expanding, use a fertilizer with more potassium such as a 10-10-20. A super-potassium fertilizer, a 0-0-60, is available for giant-pumpkin growers.
Does milk help pumpkins?
Your pumpkin blossom will drink up the milk without ceasing, and the extra nutrition will allow your pumpkin to grow larger and heavier than the pumpkins that are growing normally, right beside it.
How heavy was the world’s largest pumpkin?
The largest pumpkin ever grown was 2,624 pounds, by a Belgian horticulturist.
What is the smallest pumpkin in the world?
Hephzibah, South Carolina, October 30, 2007 — A Hephzibah, South Carolina pumpkin farmer wins this year’s annual “World’s Smallest Pumpkin” contest with a record-small 0.23 inch (0.5842 cm) diameter, perfectly formed miniature example of the popular pulpy orange Halloween seasonal fruit.
Which country holds the record for the heaviest pumpkin?
The heaviest pumpkin in the world record was set by a 2,624.6-lb pumpkin from Belgium in 2016, according to Guinness World Records.