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Norton, MA

Hi. I'll be growing two of my plants as less than 200 sf. ones this year (1058 Houghton and 720.6 Noel) to try to prove this. I just got seeds from Tom Pencil and he noted that one of his pumpkins (545, 554?) was grown on 130 sf. of plant. I've taken a mental note of a few others as I have received them. The 753 and 6something Eaton 2004 were both grown on under 250 sf. There are more examples like this than many people think. Many times the reason that the plant is small to begin with is that it's a pollinator, an unused back up, or a genetics only plant. These types of plants usually don't receive as much care. My 2 this year will be main patch, competition plants. Any more examples, any reasoning, and any debate is welcome. I'm not going to wonder if I could grow 6 plants any longer. AleX Noel.

1/23/2006 9:37:03 PM

Eau Claire, WI

I always try to visualize the plant size as the size of the underling root zone and not the size of the green plant above the ground. I suspect you can get by with a small green plant if you have a large and fertile root zone.

1/23/2006 10:32:04 PM

Rhode Island

alex
can it be done yes. would i want to try and compete with a 200 sq ft plant ? no.
if thats all i had then id go with it. but i dont know of many champion pumpkins being grown in such a small area.
we did grow a 919 off the 1068 in 2004, with about 150 square ft of plant, that had no base or main before the pumpkin from about 450 on out. but this i attribute more to the seed than i do the size of the plant.

1/24/2006 12:13:01 AM

Western NY

I think it all depends on the soil, and how good you are about burying all the leaf nodes to get the most possible roots out of your small area. big ones can be grown on small spaces, but the biggest ones will be grown on larger plots. I'm pushing my competition plants into the larger range again this year, 800-900 sqft.

1/24/2006 8:13:18 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Alex, 606 Eaton 04.

1/24/2006 11:12:07 AM

Netherlands

I got 454 last year on a ±130 sq ft plant without any manure in the patch except around the main root. That's not heavy, I know, but it did make it in the top 25 Dutch pumpkins ever grown.
This year I will be growing one on 500 sq ft, four on about 300 sq ft and one on about 200 sq ft, the last one to be used as a pollinator.

1/24/2006 12:58:13 PM

Netherlands

By the way Alex, I know a fellow using 1200-1500 sq ft on a plant here in Europe. He has had a few 1000 lbers the last few years which is quite rare here.
I wish I could limit myself to only three plants, but with so many good seeds, I choose to plant six.

1/24/2006 1:01:50 PM

Tipp City, Ohio

That 554 that I grew was grown in the worst soil in my patch. It was picked off the vine on Aug 29th. It sat in my barn and I assume it lost more than a few pounds. It was picked early since my leaves turned tan/brittle (from the molasses and dry weather). I plan on doing the same again this year.

1/24/2006 8:49:09 PM

Berlin,mi.([email protected])

My 621 last year was my backup 1101 Northrup plant. I just pushed up some dirt and stuck it in the groung. The plant was only around 250 sq. ft. The pumpkin taped out at 711 lbs. and went light. My 1125 Frantz plant was pruned anaconda style with only the main for about 20 ft. then 6 secondary vines. I grew 2 pumpkins on secondary vines. one at 390 est. and one at 385 est.

1/25/2006 5:45:08 AM

Goffstown,nh

Hi Alex,
my 532Beauchemin-05 was a genetics plant only (710Beauchemin x 898Knauss). It was planted in a fenced in corner of my garden and was an 18' main vine, with only two 5' side vines 100sf? (We all know what a seed from a 500lb pumpkin can do now don't we)! LOL
Jim

1/25/2006 6:09:16 PM

Ca

(545, 554?) on 130 sf. of plant is real good and so is the 454 last year on a ±130 sq ft. I will be interesting to see how you will do whith your plants Alex.

1/28/2006 2:45:16 PM

Owensboro, Ky.

Alex, will you also be growing a plant or two at over 500 sq. ft. ???? Peace, Wayne

1/28/2006 7:32:07 PM

Webster, NY

I'll be growing 2 plants at about 400 sq ft each. I hope that's enough.

1/28/2006 8:03:42 PM

Norton, MA

My two others are at 400 sf. Did 600 last year, it was just not neccesary, even with the lack of fungicide last year. Not sticking free seeds in there either, so it is a gamble I really believe in. AleX Noel.

1/29/2006 6:14:42 PM