How To Grow Giant Plants

For many of us, fall means a gathering of the autumn harvest. But for thousands of backyard gardeners, fall is the time of reckoning and - for a lucky few - glory. These are the growers of the heavyweights. For them, gourd growing and pumpkin growing is a competitive sport. Almost all the world-records have been grown in small backyard gardens.

How To Grow Giant Gourds, Pumpkins Or Other Vine Plants

If you ask 10 competitive growers how to grow a giant, you're likely to get 10 different answers. It seems everyone has his or her own way of coaxing the most weight out of these giants. But there is thread of consistency that runs throughout all the instructions, and adhering to three basic tenets could get you well on the way to a world record. Above all else, you need good seed, good soil and good luck.

Good seed. If you want to grow a world-record, you can forget about every variety of seeds out there. Good soil is the key to success. Vine plants are large consumers of all the major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), as well as many minor nutrients like calcium and magnesium and other trace elements. The key for big growth is soil well amended with organic matter. In the fall or early spring, add two to five yards per plant of compost and rotted manures. Cow and horse manures are best. Use chicken manure sparingly and only in the fall. Cover crops of winter rye, plowed down in the spring, are fabulous. The soil pH should be between 6.5 and 6.8.

Good luck. If you can grow a good vegetable garden, you have the skill to grow a world-record vine plants. I've seen newcomers grow 15 to 30 pound gourds as well as a 300-pound pumpkins their first year with hard work, some rudimentary help from an experienced grower and a lot of luck. With the right preparation and strategy now and in the spring next year you might just be a contender for a championship!

1. PREPARE THE SOIL. Start with a pH test in fall and adjust your pH to between 6.5 and 6.8 by adding sulfur to lower the pH or lime to raise it. Apply three to five yards of composted manure per 30-foot-diameter circle where you expect to plant next spring. Plant a cover crop of winter rye in fall to be turned under in early spring, broadcasting one to two pounds per 1,000-square-foot area.

2. SOW SEEDS. Start seed indoors in three-inch peat pots about four to six weeks before your last spring frost date. Plant the seed with the pointed end of the seed facing down. Keep the soil temperature at 85 to 90 degrees F. Most seeds will emerge within five to 20 days.

3. TRANSPLANT SEEDLINGS. Transplant seedlings into the garden once the first true leaves appear or when roots begin to grow through the peat pot. Handle with care because plants are easily set back during transplanting.

4. PROTECT SEEDLINGS. Place a "mini-greenhouse" over the seedlings for six weeks to shield plants from wind and frost. These mini-greenhouses can be as simple as two storm windows nailed together to form a teepee or as elaborate as a four- by four-foot wooden structure made from 1x2 lumber nailed together with 6-mil clear plastic stapled to cover the frame. Once seedlings outgrow the minigreenhouse, use a temporary fence to screen wind. I use "conservation" fence, which is bought with wood end stakes attached and is commonly used at new construction sites. A 100-foot roll cut into three pieces is enough for three 11-foot-diameter areas.

5. POLLINATE FLOWERS. Eight to 10 weeks after seed starting, the first female flowers will appear. They're easy to distinguish because they have a small shaped plant at their base. If you want to get a jump on your rival, you'll need to hand-pollinate the flowers. In the early morning, locate a freshly opened male flower. Pick it and remove the outer flower petals, exposing the stamen and fresh pollen. Locate a newly opened female flower and gently swab the stigma (internal parts) of the female flower with the pollen-laden stamen. Getting a plant set as early as possible, is the key to success. The earlier you set a plant, the longer it has to grow until harvest. Since these monsters can weight every day, losing 10 days in the early part of the season could put you well down the list at your weigh-off.

6. REPOSITION SET. Once a plant has set, its position on the vine becomes extremely important. Most often the stem grows at a very acute angle to the vine. However, for optimal long-term growth, the best position is to have the stem perpendicular to the vine. If yours is not at right angles to the vine naturally, coax it gradually, over about a week's time, until it is in that position. Be careful, because at this early stage plants may still abort or you may injure the fragile stem.

7. SELECT THE MOST PROMISING PLANT. If one plant has three strong vines, you could have as many as seven or eight plants set and growing. Now you must choose the best plant and remove most of the rest. Measure each plants circumference at the widest point weekly or daily with a cloth measuring tape. Choose the one that's growing fastest. Also, keep an eye out for the optimum shape. Young plants that are round and especially tall grow the largest.

8. PRUNE VINES. Begin pruning vines early in the season to discourage random growth and an outof- control patch. Prune each main vine when it has reached 10 to 12 feet beyond a set fruit. If you have a plant on a vine that is 10 feet from the main root, cut the end of that vine once it is 20 to 24 feet long. Let side shoots off the main vines get no longer than eight feet before cutting off tips. Train side shoots so they are perpendicular to the main vine to accommodate access to the vines and plants. Bury the ends of cut vines to reduce water loss.

9. FERTILIZE. During the growing season, most fertility needs of plasnts can be met by applying water-soluble plant foods once or twice a week over the entire plant area. Give seedlings a fertilizer that stresses phosphorus, such as 15-30-15. Shift to a more balanced formula, such as 20-20-20, once fruits are set. By mid summer, use a formula that stresses potassium, such as 15-11-29. I apply water-soluble fertilizer at the rate of one to two pounds per week per plant from fruit set until the end of the growing season. Too much fertilizer can hurt more than help. If the plants start growing too fast, they will literally tear themselves from the vine and explode. "Slow and easy wins the race." Remember this whenever you feel the urge to overfertilize.

10. KEEP TRACK. Measure your plants at least weekly. Gains in circumference can increase in a 24 hour period. Measure the circumference of your plants first parallel to the ground around the entire plant, from blossom end to stem. Next, measure over the top in both directions: from ground to ground along the axis from stem to blossom end, then perpendicular to the stem-blossom-end axis. Add these three measurements together, then multiply by 1.9 to give an estimate of the plants weight.