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ExtremeVegetables.com

Hello,

My name is Duane Perry. I have been growing AG Pumpkins for the past four years from seed which were purchased from www.howarddill.com.

Currently I am making an attempt to gain community interest in Giant Pumpkin Growing and will be starting next season, begining with an on-line contest for who can grow the largest Pumpkin on my website .
My website can be found here: http://www.perrysgreenhouse.com/vbforum/ . I am located in Ohio ,US around the Canton/Massillon area, and am searching out organizations which may give me some help with getting my club off of the ground.

I am hoping to find a club which is willing to trade a bit of advertising for Pumpkin gardening related prizes, mainly seeds for the contest, possibly a membership to your organiztion to the 2007 winner. My Greenhouse is physically located in North Lawrence Ohio, near the Canton/Massillon vicinity. I believe there is a genuine interest in Giant Pumpkin growing in this area, possibly we can work together to cultivate an even greater interest in this hobby.

The contest can be found here: http://www.perrysgreenhouse.com/vbfo...read.php?t=167

Feel free to register there and or contact me at :
[email protected]

Thank You Very Much for your Time, I am hoping/looking forward to hearing from you.

11/29/2006 9:18:50 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Apologies, the link above does not work. This link will take you directly to our contest

http://www.perrysgreenhouse.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=167

Also any grower who has a few extra seeds to send will, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You again.
Duane

11/29/2006 9:26:17 AM

Rhode Island

duane

the wallace family is interested in helping you promote giant pumpkin growing in your area.

send me a private email. always interested in furthering the hobby and its growers experiences.
we will supply you one of each of our 2006 crosses, plus crosses from 2005 and 2004 as available.

we will also consider donating a one year membership to your first place finisher on behalf of the sngpg directors.

dick and ron wallace

11/29/2006 9:59:27 PM

Washington State

Hi Duane,
I will donate 4 editions of my "Highlights Video" which cover 17 yrs. of giant pumpkin growing and throw in some seeds from pumpkins over 1,000 lbs. well.

Best of luck with your project, Joel Holland

11/29/2006 11:59:24 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

First off I'd like to Thank You for your response and offer of helping to get our "now small" club off of the ground. I am utterly astonished and extremely greatfull for your generous offer, it is definately more than I had hoped for.

Honestly, I read your responses this morning at 3 AM and have been too shocked to return to sleep since. LOL

This morning I have sent emails from [email protected] to your email address's.

May karma shine down on you and your families during this Holiday season and throughout the coming new year.

Eternally Greatfull,
Duane

11/30/2006 7:15:14 AM

Massillon, Ohio

It is always so weird that I find other growers from the area through bigpumpkins.com when I live so close!!!! I would love to meet you and help you out in anyway. There are 4 other girl growers from the area, and a few other guy growers I know who probably would be interested. Can't wait to talk more with you on this!!!

11/30/2006 7:52:20 AM

Massillon, Ohio

PS i couldnt get the link to work on your website

11/30/2006 7:54:34 AM

Massillon, Ohio

PPS i actually got started growing when the feed mill in canal fulton gave away seeds and sponsored a contest back when i was in middle school. maybe you can get places like that to help distribute the seeds also!!!

11/30/2006 7:57:22 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Christy I have been watching your diary for three years now. ;)

Congratulations on your teaching job and the wedding.
Nick is a Very Lucky Man!

I have also driven by your patch this spring for the first time as it is on the way to my daughters day care. At least I think it is yur patch, my wife spotted it.
Are those canna lillies you have out front?

looking forward to meeting you all some day soon. Thumbsup.

For the link. you can either visit my home page at www.perrysgreenhouse.com and then click on gardening community or if this works it should take you right there.

www.perrysgreenhouse.com/vbforum

Thank You all for your response!!

11/30/2006 8:17:22 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

BTW, your More than welcome to register there and enter the contest.
Perhaps a heavy Hitter such as yourself will motive the current members which are registered for the contest.
:D

11/30/2006 8:19:24 AM

Massillon, Ohio

lol ok dont call me a heavy hitter; i'm far from it....but yeah that was my patch with the lillies by the road!! yay i cant wait to meet you!!

11/30/2006 8:51:22 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

If you compare the pumpkins we have grown your top notch in my book. I have been watching all of the ohioans diaries here for some time now. I feel like I nearly know some of you already. :)

BTW, I notice that you have friends at the old swimming hole at High Mill. You wouldn't happen to have been the young lady who worked there during their Shrimp fest?

I attended and thought the woman I saw there looked a lot like the pictures in your diary.

We will defiantely make sure we get to tour each others patches this year.
"unless I get too embarrassed to show you mine." ;) LOL .

11/30/2006 9:08:03 AM

Massillon, Ohio

ahhhh shrimp fest. i unfortunately was in boardman all day for a cross-country meet. but if you saw someone selling pumpkins and gourds, those were mine (i employed my mom as slave labor that day).

you probably saw janee my next door neighbor; she is my age and was the one who raised the shrimp. although draining took WAY longer than they hoped...they got them out by 10 pm and nick brought plenty home to behead in our sink (EWWW).

dont worry your patch will be worthy of a visit i'm sure!

11/30/2006 2:57:27 PM

Rhode Island

and so it begins. from little trees does a forest grow.

you never know who you will meet on bp message board. some really great fun loving people thats for sure.

11/30/2006 6:25:52 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Yes Sir!

I now have 5 members signed up for the contest!
I consider that pretty good for only being online for @ three months. I expect to have a 6th very soon. I gave away seeds to my mailman last year who ended up with two pumpkins both just over 200 pounds each his first year out, and grown with very little attention.
He tells me that he has just bought a new computer and will be logging in soon.
The prizes and possibility of using quality genetics are one heck of a motivater. LOL
I'm excited!!!!

Christy: . I plan on advertising this event in the local papers just before spring, so keep an eye peeled.
If I acquire enough seeds before spring I plan on giving the extra's out to anyone who wants to grow them.
I will be visting the feed mill you are talking about as well. I will ask them if they would like to be a Sponsor and model my contest after what they have done in the past.
Thank You for the advice !

I also have had a couple of very good members of this site offer seeds for this cause along with the Great people who have replied to this thread.

I thank you all VERY MUCH. The seeds will be put to very good use and you never know, One of them may produce a record pumpkin this year. :D

12/2/2006 6:25:44 AM

Montoursville, PA

Greenhousen...........Every community (almost) now has a weekly publication that is free to the consumer and widely distributed by the thousands. Lots of media value in those papers for your begining. All have some simple rules on submission of releases. Done nicely and in a down home way these releases are generally accepted. Related pictures usually are accepted. This down home or home area interest is more attractive to them than real daily paper news events. Don't blow it all in the first release. Here is what I see already: LOCAL GIANT PUMPKIN GROUP FORMS, LOCAL GROUP STAGES GIANT PUMPKIN CONTEST, PUMPKIN CONTEST HAS PRIZES, ____________NAMED CHAIRPERSON LOCAL GIANT PUMPKIN CLUB, LOCAL GROUP RECOGNIZED ON NATIONAL PUMPKIN WEB SITE
....A paragraph or two and a pix with any or all of these headlines may be where your freebies are. We use them here and save only maybe the contest winners for the daily. The daily in smaller areas may pick you up however the odds go down as the distrbution numbers go up with the dailys. If the daily has a Garden Writer talk to that person not the editors. Politics does win wars.....if you have inside friends use them.

12/2/2006 10:30:35 AM

Massillon, Ohio

Welcome Duane....I'm another neighbor from Jackson Twp. Congratulations on jumping in with such an ambitious project. A local "let's get together & get acquainted" would be great. Glenna Rea

12/2/2006 11:28:32 AM

Follansbee, Wv

I'm a bit surprised none of the OVGPG guys have spoken up, your in their neck of the woods up there. Of course, this is a busy time of year, finishing up fall prep and drying seeds, sending bubbles etc...

Maybe I will join the contest as well...kind of hard to compete against the "Varsity Team" though ;)

12/2/2006 11:28:39 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

docgipe: Thank You for that. There are two farm and dairy publications which are published in this area.
I always enjoy reading your post. After doing a bit of reading last week I found a local supplier of feed grade mollasses "wasn't easy" and applied it to my gardens and compost piles to increase microbial activity and hasten the composting process. I am sure i will be learning a great deal from your post as I find them.
Thank You.

Nana Rea: Thank You for registering, I have enjoyed reading your diaries as well. I just have to know who the local competition is yah know.
BTW, your killin me. :D
I am planning a spring event here at the greenhouse located on st. rt. 93, just south of the lincoln way intersection and down the street from the Elms golf course if you are familiar. I am a one man show who has more on his plate than three ordinary ;) men can handle. LOL
My greenhouse is an absolute mess and currently being revamped from a vegetable growing house to Spring annuals.
Previously I grew culinary vegetables for the chefs at GlenMoor Country Club in your area.
I am anxious to meet you.
PS, also, I heat my greenhouse with wood and a cheap stove which only allows me to sleep in about 3 hour increments during the cold winter months. I can get pretty ragged/scary looking come mid-winter. ;)

12/2/2006 11:55:52 AM

ExtremeVegetables.com

MontyJ: I have had a very brief correspondence with them via email. Alan is sending me one of their newsletters. I get the impression he is a very busy man.
I will do my best to encourage our membership to support the good people who sponsor this endeavour.
We would love to have you as a community member. I think you will enjoy using the many perks of our website.
Most of the current members are friends I have net over the years through outher internet resources and have developed great friendships with.

Varsity Team. LOL LOL
Our current "Pumpkin King" won the title last year using a plant I gave him here at the greenhouse which was potted in a 4 inch container. He drove it over 800 miles into Michigan where he grew it out to be over 300 lbs.

I LOVE THIS HOBBY!!!!

12/2/2006 11:56:14 AM

Massillon, Ohio

from what i'm reading everything seesm like a great idea...BUT....

here is one thing to consider:

what you are organizing right seems exactly like the virual weighoff that bigpumpkins.com has had the past few years. (VWO). basically everyone can participate from whatever part of the country they live in. they have to grow the pumpkin from a certain list of seeds. weigh it, post updates monthly, etc. so nothing new other than the fact they have to join the your perry greenhouse website.

SO, if you want to get locals involved, especially by distributing seeds at feedmills, hard-wares, schools, where-ever, maybe consider TWO divisions. keep your online thing for those people, but add in a local division. maybe they bring it to your greenhouse to get weighed (or simply measured circumference if you dont have a huge scale available) during a set week or day. that will give it a local event flavor for people who live in this area but also let your online friends from across the country compete, but in a separate division.

tell me your thoughts on that 2 division idea.

12/2/2006 12:21:30 PM

Massillon, Ohio

P.S. LOL @ to monty ...YOU are the "varsity".

12/2/2006 12:22:43 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

I think that is a wonderful idea Christy, and is what I have had in mind. Honestly this has been rolling along much faster than I had imagined. :D
I expect to develop this over the next two years.
I notice there is at least one other Giant Pumpkin organization which has a website that does what I am currently doing as well.
I do plan on working this into a local organization, perhaps the Central Ohio Giant Pumpkin Growers Association or even Stark County GPGA.
I could probably use some help from other area residents such as yourself, who may like to be an active member on the board of such an organization. If our local growers do not belong to a current Giant pumpkin club and would like to, this could be an opportunity to get involved at the ground level. This type of organization requires more than one board member, consider being on the board please.

For the weigh-off I plan on asking places like the canal fulton feed mill and local farms in the area which may already have scales to Sponsor the weigh off.
I plan on interviewing local farmers during the season and posting the interviews on my website, one of them includes the Pumpkin farm 1/4 mile down the street from the greenhouse. I believe if they would accept, their farm would make an excellent, easily accessible location for a Giant Pumpkin Weigh off. They currently hold tours for the local schools so that would help develop interest at the elementary level. Being a school teacher perhaps you would also like to help in that regard at Jackson local? I had planned on concentrating on Tuslaw local which is just about a mile and a half from me. I already have two students at the Tuslaw school who have been growing my seeds for the past two years.

I have been thinking about this for some time now, and have a lot of ideas in mind. It'll take some time but I am confident it will be an evetual success, even more so withthe help of seasoned professional such as yourself. ;)

12/2/2006 1:41:30 PM

maine USA

Greenhousin
I have a few seeds if you are interested. Check under seed exchange and let me know if my cross interests you. KathyT

12/2/2006 1:52:07 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

Hello kathyt,

Fine genetic examples you have there.
I would love to contact you but for some reason all of the email icons under each members names have dissapeared from view.

12/2/2006 2:46:29 PM

Massillon, Ohio

i think the best thing is glenna's idea...a local get-together with all of us. we can talk and brainstorm. i dont want to get in too deep quite yet haha. the term "board" scares me. ;)

but once we / you / whoever makes decisions, we / you / whatever can put together a flyer with seed packets stapled on. i could definitely get those out to hort students and reg students @ school. they are always asking for seeds!! a contest is what they need for motivation i think.

is nick-a-jack farms the one you are refering to? i think that'd be a great place to partner with to get kids involved also and have the big ones weighed / meausured. even if its not a 'set day' it could be a 'set week' people could bring them. that is how the feed mill did it: any day during a certain week, you could take them there.

all this brainstorming is cool though. even if all of this results in simply a few more stark co growers, i think your mission is accomplished!!

12/2/2006 6:40:03 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

I think that is a great idea.
Perhaps we could sit down at a local restaurant and have a lucheon sometime.
Yes Flyers, it's not easy getting the word around.
I normally pass out flyers and business cards at the Massillon Farmers Market. If you visit the farmers market you may have seen me there selling garlic and tomatoes.

Yes, Nic a jack farms is what I am refering to.
I would imagine they would jump on baord since it is related to their business and will help us both out.
Yes, a weigh in week. Great Idea.
I also have one other member who will be working on contacting possible sponsors of fertilizer and other related products.

I will be happy to get a dozen or so new growers in the area this year.
Baby Steps, one grower/entustiast at a time!! :thumbsup:

12/3/2006 8:17:49 AM

Follansbee, Wv

OK Greenhousin, I'm in. Have you decided on a seed list yet or are we just using whatever we want? If we are all using the same seed, I will have to drop one of my primary starters to make space.

Oh, and Christy? Ask Tim Parks and Dave Stelts...YOU ARE THE VARSITY!!!

12/4/2006 7:21:39 PM

ExtremeVegetables.com

MontyJ, I have offered seeds from my pumpkins to the membership prior to receiving the generous offers that I have here. Once I have collected what I have to offer I will decide how they will be distributed among the members, leaving the most sought after seeds and other donations as prizes for the winners of the contest.
Each contestant will be offered seed to grow for the competition from that pool, if they want them. For now, the target date for sending each contestant their seeds is Early April.

I may be able to supply enough of my original seeds for each contestant to be able to have a uniform planting for the contest, but I doubt growers who are used to growing seeds from the Big Guys will want to use the space in their gardens for them.
Most gardeners only have the space for one of two Giants.
They are of good lineage, I just don't exactly remember what they were, other than the parentage were purchased from www.howarddill.com. They are also 3 years old and have been stored poorly. I would hate for a new growers first experience to be with non germinating seeds.

I have decided to go with random seeds that I have purchased and that others have donated, rather than a uniform seed usage by the contestants for those reasons.

Happy to take advice from those who have been here and done this.

12/4/2006 10:51:02 PM