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Minnesota([email protected])

I'd like to read your personal thoughts on if you choose genetics that tend towards good looking(orange) pumpkins, or purely on perceived weight potential.
Lets respect each other's veiws on this. Of course good looking and heavy weight can both be acheived(as Martin demonstrated this year).
My preference is towards nice color and hopefully nice shape. Hoping at the same time for a heavy one as well. Next year I'll likely pick good color genetics.

12/14/2005 4:13:18 PM

Ontario, Canada.

Sorry to respectfully disagree with you Doug. It's all strictly just about size for me. I like'm big!

12/14/2005 4:18:29 PM

Berlin,mi.([email protected])

Good color all the way for me. Next season will be my 3rd season growing. I will try to step it up a little each year until I have the experience I need to grow a really big one. Hopefully I do that before I die. lol.

12/14/2005 4:26:01 PM

Sioux Falls, SD [email protected]

well I want both, of course
but if I can't break 1000 or win a weight prize
my baby must be appreciated for looks
Since I usually come up short of having one of the biggest
I'd at least like to have something nice for the yard display.

BIG and ORANGE is possible and my goal
Sometimes she don't get quite as orange as hoped
More often she don't get quite as big as hoped

Now if the great minds here convinced me that
pale pumpkins get bigger. . .
well then I'd be torn

12/14/2005 4:51:57 PM

ordinary,VA

i grow the pretty one's for the kids.
For me its all about the weight.
Ed

12/14/2005 4:53:19 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Planting 60% orange and 40% big. I don't know what people would say around here about a huge white or green pumpkin.

But I need to ensure I have a good chance of shattering the MD record my first real season out, to justify all this work I do.

From a genetic standpoint, I plan on making crosses to produce good looking fruit. I'll trade for/buy the big seeds.

Now, watch and see the biggest fruit in my patch next year will probably come from the smallest (and prettiest) parent.. 291 Lawrence.
-Jim

12/14/2005 5:19:13 PM

Norton, MA

BIG BIG BIG! Color would be nice, and is always welcome, but I have grown some uglies and am looking forward to growing many more. AleX Noel.

12/14/2005 6:07:04 PM

Ca

orange!!

12/14/2005 6:22:30 PM

Maine

If I grow a giant pumpkin I want it to look like a pumpkin. Im all about big and orange,wish me luck LOL!

12/14/2005 6:36:03 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

This ain't no beauty contest!....as far as I csn tell BP.com always shows the largest grown for the year!

12/14/2005 6:51:59 PM

Linwood, NC

just read my screen name

12/14/2005 7:02:15 PM

Long Island,New York

I want my orange ones to be orange, my green ones to be green, and my big ones to be big.

12/14/2005 7:03:59 PM

Mill Creek West by god Virginia

i got all kinds of big ugly seed but i am only growing big orange ones this year coming at least thats what im shooting for!

12/14/2005 7:10:01 PM

Rhode Island

ive never had a really pretty pumpkin. in fact to me the only real pretty pumpkins i ever saw in person were grown by my good buddy joe jutras.

both his 8oo plus pounder and then his 1225 were almost flawless, color and shape.

i dont pick a seed for color i only pick for size or breeding. its like my hat once said "purdy dont count".

dont get me wrong, id love big and purdy but it wont happen in the wallace patch unless by accident. we grow strictly for competition.

12/14/2005 7:30:08 PM

Canada

2006 I'm headed for colour and shape nice weight too :-)

12/14/2005 7:46:17 PM

Halifax, Nova Scotia

My wife would kill me if I ever grew a pumpkin that didn't look like a pumpkin, although I am going to sneak a green one in next year.

For now, I'm looking for orange first, and big second.

12/14/2005 9:18:17 PM

Mn

I like both But if Had to choose between a 1068 or 846 Calia I would choose the wallace. But if i had both i would cross them to get a Heavy and "purdy" Colorer pumpkin. I guess Would put this way. I'm made of 75% Big, heavy, and ugly. And I'm about 25% "purdy". But if you saw a picture of me you would say I'm 100% purdy. LOL. Doug it's really about your point of veiw. I will probably have plenty of big and beautiful pumpkins to bring to Austin next year doug.

12/14/2005 10:00:36 PM

NEPA [email protected] KB3QKV

I would prefer both, naturally but my children and our family, friends and neighbors are so amazingly fascinated by the size and not the color. Now my one was a nice orange color but Larry Checkon's was quite a lot bigger than mine and he rightfully so received all the congraatulations. SO Ini that respect I would prefer a larger one though I have a better chance of growing an orange one.

12/14/2005 11:04:59 PM

Cornwall UK.(50N 5W)300ft.

In my eyes pretty is good shape and white,yellow or any shade of orange.

12/15/2005 3:23:49 AM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

I will start out with 10 plants this year, one orange, one green, and the last eight, BIG AND UGLY.

12/15/2005 8:39:50 AM

Netherlands

Six seeds. One greenie, two really orange ones, one pretty orange one and two big and ugly.

12/15/2005 10:03:10 AM

Minnesota([email protected])

Interesting responses!
I'll likely be growing 3 competition plants at most(with maybe one or two others for crosses). If I was growing more plants, I'd more likely plant some big and uglies. I'll likely plant the 1370 Rose next year, in hopes for the best of both worlds.

12/15/2005 11:04:32 AM

Dillsburg, PA

I have to say pretty. I grow these things for my Halloween display so looks are important. Seeing peoples reaction to ugly fruit no matter how big is not the same as if you have a nice one out there. It just depends what you want. I am sure I'm in the minority here and that is okay as I have fun doing it. Jim-orangeneck- I am betting you will break the record. Hopefully with my seed but if not that is ok. I'm still upset my plant died and the fruit were only at day 40 when they stopped. I would bet both of them had a good chance at the md record. At least they lasted to Halloween though.

12/15/2005 5:29:48 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Jeff, there's no doubt that you would have the record already if you hadn't lost the plant. Or even if you'd culled one of the fruits.. I'm pretty sure that plant still produced over 1,000 total pounds adding up all the pumpkins, right? Thinking optomistically, I do believe you and I both will beat the MD record in 2006 with your seeds.. however I don't think they'll be the biggest fruit grown in MD next year, know what I mean? ;-D I'm looking for 1,000.

12/16/2005 1:19:24 PM

Md/ Usa

the md record is wrong it was broken 3 years ago with an 800 +lbs pumpkin it just never got post on that list.

12/17/2005 12:58:51 AM

Mocksville, NC

Both, then cross, there's been some suggestions that the male pollinator has more to do with bringing out the next generations color such as orange in a big light ugly.
Rog

12/17/2005 5:32:38 AM

Dillsburg, PA

Do you have a link Matfox? I would like to read about this if it is posted.

12/17/2005 11:35:15 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Matfox, here is a tip. If you want to post a statement like that, back it up with a link or otherwise nobody gives a crap what you say. Right now, this is all the credibility we have for you:

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryView.asp?season=2004&grower=18898&action=L

This is the most recently updated posting I could find. It has all the 2005 updates. I'm seeing 389lbs set in '03 for Maryland: http://www.backyardgardener.com/record.html

12/19/2005 10:29:03 AM

Montoursville, PA

I had a friend once who after two beers didn't care what she looked like. I believe that might apply, to pumpkins, too since all the fruits are female. I can live with big and ugly pumpkins. :)

12/19/2005 12:28:10 PM

Vermont Green MTN State

VGVGA will have a special lot of seeds on our silent auction coming up in January, thinking about having it the 2nd or 3rd week.
The Orange lot, BIG,FAT and beautiful pumpkins!!!!
check it out at http://vermontgiants.tripod.com/
Doeski

12/19/2005 1:34:04 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Doeski, don't think I have heard of the 1558 Hester...can you give the genetic background? Thanks, Peace, Wayne

12/19/2005 9:34:40 PM

Vermont Green MTN State

Sorry about that!!! The 1558!!!! Bet that one would go. It is acctualy the 1458. A small typo there! A 100 pound one!
Thanks for the note about that. I will have that list up of all the seeds next week, and the background.
Doeski

12/20/2005 1:06:03 PM

Vermont Green MTN State

OOPS! geeze is it Friday yet...
I mean the 1458 Whittier!!!!
Sorry!!!!
Doeski

12/20/2005 3:35:42 PM