On 25 Jan, 12:55, "
wrote:
This year on my allotment i want to grow a "Giant Atlantic Pumpkin"
with my 8yr old son, and he would like to enter it into a local
competition, *and any money he gets from winning he wants to donate to
a charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind, as i am going blind. *Any tips or
hints on how to grow the biggest from seed would be very appreciated!
Cos we want to win! Thanks.

Well you have the best seed there for a giant! I wouldn't fertilise
liberaly though - once the pumpkins are mature it is a good idea to
stop or they'll split and crack. People give them potash once they are
mature, so that the pumpkin start putting weight on. We've grown Jack
o Lanterns with the kids, but never a Giant. We prefere small ones now
as they are tastier. I use lots of comfrey leaves to mulch and liquid
feed, keep weed at bay with mulching and keep the ground moist. The
trick there would be to prepare the ground thoroughly, like start now,
this week end! They need lots of om and if you prepare a trench, and
place your runners on it, they will soon make roots along that trench.
I beleive this is how you make your monsters. Last year I trained our
pumpkins runner into a circle so that they took less space. But that's
not for you I think.

I'm not sure how much you know about growing pumpkins - but for giant,
soil preparation is vital since you need to feed the monsters!! Let us
know what you know so far and see if others can give you their own
individual tips. Good luck!

Here's one I prepared earlier. Size doesn't matter ;o)

http://cjoint.com/?bzpDg8X1DH