Wapping Falls, New York (AP) – Pumpkin In Tony Scott’s Backyard It weighs almost the same as a small car..
He is I’ll take care of it It will provide fertilizer for months, cover with blankets at night, and keep it at a stable temperature. A roll of measuring tape wrapped around the pumpkin gives a rough estimate of its size.
“I’ve never seen anything grow so quickly,” said Scott, a semiconductor engineer in upstate New York.
Growers like Scott push pumpkins to the limit each year. They compete in annual weighing with huge fruits, well over 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms). Scott’s pumpkin came in third place this year, appearing at 1,931 pounds (876 kilograms).
Pumpkins aren’t just huge crops. Other members of the gourd family, such as squash, cucumber, and watermelon, are capable of similar feats. However, the orange giant is particularly enormous, earning a place of honor at the fall festival and Halloween fair.
How to grow giant pumpkins
The giant pumpkin starts out as the perfect species. Growers will choose seeds that have produced large pumpkins in the past or test new pumpkins. Scott and many other growers rely on the proven giant Atlantic pumpkin seeds.
It then comes down to the correct combination of water, nutrients and care.
Giant pumpkins guzzle hundreds of ganglions of water a day, allowing them to make their own food from sunlight just like regular sized plants. Their internal plumbing system is more robust and allows you to drink sugar-like water and nutrients faster.
As the lush patches begin to expand, growers remove the small pumpkins and all the water and nutrients are poured into one fruit.
“They’re making a living,” said Areka Borsk, a plant scientist at the New York Botanical Gardens.
Due to gravity, giant pumpkins grow large, but not taller. They often resemble biased, lumpy pancakes. Scott pumpkins are covered in tarp during the day to lighten the skin from sunlight, which can ripen and harden. He uses an overhead sprinkler system to water it.
Can a giant pumpkin grow forever?
“The answer is no,” Borschk said. No matter how big the pumpkin is, it will eventually mature and its natural aging cycle begins.
Scott has been growing giant pumpkins for eight years. It still blows his mind as they see them bulging out, spending around 40 to 50 pounds (18 to 23 kg) per day. He sets up reflective panels and fake wolf cutouts to drive away hungry deer and other intruders looking for orange snacks. Woodchucks have been nibbling pumpkin grape grapes over the past few years.
After a very important competition, Scott shows off the giant pumpkin at various themed events and drives it in the trailer. Eventually, he will donate it to be exhibited or sculpted.
On his way to events, he is often stopped by people who ask what he has on his back.
“The first question they ask is, ‘Is that true?'” Scott said. “Where do you buy a pumpkin like this big?”
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The Associated Press School of Health Sciences is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institution’s Department of Science and Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.
