Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1464956
"Up to that point I had zero farming experience," she points out. "But since I live on a 10 acre hobby farm, I had the space to experiment with this new venture. I researched online and read everything I could find about pumpkin farming." With the help of close friends who farm and have equipment, she was able to prepare an area to plant 90 mounds her first year. "The first year I planted jack-o-lanterns, gourds and specialty pumpkins. It was a success with a total of 300 pumpkins," she enthuses. "I was hooked after that and have grown a pumpkin patch every year since." At the end of the 2020 growing season Melissa decided she wanted a bigger challenge. She started looking up the world's largest pumpkins. She was shocked to find that the 2021 world record is a pumpkin weighting a whopping 2703 pounds, grown in Italy by Stefano Cutrupi. A man from Rhode Island named Ron Wallace was the first person in the United States to grow a pumpkin that weighed over a ton. He held the world record in 2012 with a 2009-pound giant. Melissa also learned that the current Arkansas state record is 684 pounds, and got excited about the possibility of growing a record breaking giant pumpkin. "The single most important thing is the seeds. Giant seeds sell for unbelievable prices but genetics are very important," Melissa notes. "I decided to start small and ordered a growing kit that came with 5 seeds from Ron Wallace. It actually was my Christmas gift from my daughter. a bloom around 12 feet out. I hand pollinated the bloom and then tied it shut with string to keep it from getting cross pollinated. 7. Once the pumpkin started growing I put a bed of sand under it to prevent moisture from the ground causing rot. When the pumpkin got around 50 pounds I put it on a wooden pallet to make it easier to move at the end of the season. 8. Regular watering and maintaining vine/plant health is very important. 9. Inspect plants regularly to stay on top of powdery mildew. Apply fungicide to leaves before and after rain to keep the leaves healthy. 10. Apply pesticides regularly to prevent insect damage. (Squash bugs are a problem.) 11. Construct a shade structure/canopy to keep the pumpkin out of direct sun. The sun hardens the pumpkin, and you want to avoid that since giant pumpkins grow extremely fast. Splitting open and cracking can be a problem. 12. Within 140-160 days there should be a beautiful giant pumpkin to take to the County Fair! see GianTs on page 20 2022 Benton County Fair 19