Worth knowing:
The biggest pumpkin of the world also produces the biggest fruit in all the plant world. Originally it comes from South America, where it is called Zapallo. One orange-coloured fruit weighs between 90 and 140 kg in average! The current world record is at 825 kg (1.818 lb) and was stated at the Prince Edward County Pumpkin Festival in Wellington, Ontario in Canada. Our seeds are coming directly from the horticulturist and former world record holder Howard Dill from Nova Scotia in Canada.
Natural Location:
The wild variety of the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin has its natural habitat in Argentina and Uruguay. In the 15th century it was already found in all Inca settlement regions with a mild climate. Since the 18th century its area of distribution spread further until New England in the USA.
Cultivation:
You can start the propagation of the long-lasting seeds indoors around March on your windowsill. Keep the seeds initially for 12 hours in warm water for priming. Then, plant the seeds separately with the tip first into small pots filled with moist potting compost, and let the other end of the seed just stick out of the earth a little. Cover the seed container with clear film to prevent the earth from drying out. Don’t forget to make some holes in the clear film and take it every second or third day completely off for about 2 hours. That way you avoid mold formation on your potting compost. Place the seed container somewhere bright and warm with a temperature between 18°C and 22°C and keep the earth moist, but not wet. It only takes one or two weeks for the first seedlings to come up, and after another three to four weeks, they can be shifted to bigger pots. Outdoors, the best time for seed propagation is in May, when the earth is already more warm and dry. However, with early indoor propagation chances are that the plant will produce its fruits more early.
Place:
Your pumpking wants to be kept at a bright and even full sunny place.
Care:
Pumpkins prefer a humous soil for cultivation and need plenty of water. If the earth is low in nutrients, additional fluid fertilizer is advisable. The bigger the fruits are, the more important it will be to provide a dry and air-permeable underlayment to prevent the pumpkin fruits from molding. Only when the fruits are hard and ripe, around October or November, they are good for harvesting. The pumpkins should be kept apart from each other in a dry and cool place to fully mature. With the fruit flesh you can prepare - in accordance with your recipe - delicious soups or cakes.
During the winter:
Even though some species can endure cooler temperatures than others, none of the pumpkins can tolerate a longer frost period – and they don’t have to since the plants are annual. By the way, the kernels of your own cultivation shouldn’t be used for new crops the next year.
Picture credits:
- © © Howard Dill - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Frank Laue - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
- © Howard Dill - © Saflax - http://www.saflax.de/copyright
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