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.
(I dropped a lot of hints.) Best gift
ever!"
Melissa started her Giant
growing season on April 1st, 2021
and on September 28th last year
she entered two giant pumpkins
in the Benton County Fair. It was
her first time entering something
at the fair. The biggest pumpkin,
named "Rosie," weighed in at
500 pounds! The smaller one,
named "Mary," weighed in at 253
pounds. Both pumpkins raked in
some awards! Rosie was awarded
First place in her division, Grand
Champion and Best of Show.
Mary was awarded First place in
her division and Grand Champion.
Along with the ribbons Rosie
was also awarded a $200 check
from the The Food Conservancy
of NW Arkansas and Center for
Arkansas Farms and Food. After
the fair Rosie and Mary were
purchased by Dylan Ayres and
featured on his TikTok video.
Along with growing the Giant
pumpkins, Melissa also managed
to grow 250 field pumpkins,
speciality pumpkins and gourds.
"It was a lot of work but on
harvest day it is so worth it,"
says Melissa. "I would encourage
anyone to give it a try. If you are
new to it, just start out with a few
jack-o-lanterns to get the hang
of it."
The Horticulture department
at the Benton County Fair
would love to see your fruits and
vegetables in the fall. And Melissa
would love to
have the competition!
"My goal is to break
the Arkansas State
record of 684 pounds, so I
hope to see you there with a
record breaking Giant!
6
set seeds 1 inch deep with 4
to 5 seeds per mound
7
When plants are around
3 inches tall thin them down
to 2 plants per mound. (cut
them with scissors instead of
just pulling them so not to
disturb roots of other plants)
8
Weed and water plants
regularly
9
Inspect weekly for insects
and apply pesticides if
needed
10
Press fingernail into
pumpkin skin and if it
resists puncture it is ripe
11
cut stems close to the
vine. Do not pick up the
pumpkin by the stem to avoid
it coming loose from the
pumpkin
It's time to plant
pumpkins for fall!
www.OfficialKidsMag.com • June 2022 • 31
