CORVALLIS, Ore. — One small seed is all it takes to produce the gigantic pumpkins entered in fierce competitions around the world.
Maybe you won't achieve quite that size, but plant ‘Dill's Atlantic Giant’ and you’ll grow a whopping pumpkin, said Jim Myers, the Baggett-Frazier Endowed Chair of Vegetable Breeding and Genetics at Oregon State University.
"I've had these types growing in fields and without doing anything special to them I've gotten 400-pounders. They certainly need plenty of water and lots of space to grow.”
"I've had these types growing in fields and without doing anything special to them I've gotten 400-pounders," he said. “They certainly need plenty of water and lots of space to grow.”
Modern monster-pumpkin genetics trace back to Nova Scotia grower Howard Dill, who spent 30 years selectively breeding giant pumpkins and developed ‘Dill's Atlantic Giant.' Every world champion since has come from its offspring.
Dill reinvigorated giant-pumpkin competitions in 1978 when he broke a 75-year-old record set in 1903 by William Warnock. Dill’s 438.5-pound entry — modest by today’s standards — earned a spot in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.” He later entered the Guinness World Records book in 1981 with a 493.5-pound pumpkin.
What it takes to grow a monster
To grow a giant pumpkin, it takes significant land, water and fertilizer. A single plant can cover 1,200 square feet and require up to 500 gallons of water per week. Myers offered the following advice:
- Use ‘Dill’s Atlantic Giant’ seeds.
- Germinate seeds at 65–75 degrees (air) and 70–90 degrees (soil).
- Start seeds indoors and transplant after five to seven weeks, typically in late May.
- Choose a full-sun site and avoid shaded areas.
- Minimize soil compaction with stepping stones or boards.
- Warm the soil with plastic two weeks before planting; consider a hoop house early in the season.
- Provide up to 1,200 square feet per plant.
- Remove extra flowers and fruit so the plant can focus on one pumpkin.
- Hand-pollinate by transferring pollen from male flowers to female flowers.
- Allow 130 or more days to mature, which suits Western Oregon best.
- Keep soil evenly moist but avoid wetting foliage.
- Apply aged manure in fall or compost in spring; fertilize every two weeks.
- Keep the planting area weed-free.
- Stake or bury leaf nodes to encourage rooting and stability.
- Place the pumpkin on cardboard or wood to deter insects.
- Shade the fruit as it enlarges to prevent scalding and splitting.
- Harvest before first frost when the skin turns pale yellow to orange-red.
- Ensure the surface shows red, pink or yellow tones to qualify as a pumpkin, not a squash.
- Handle gently at harvest to avoid cracks that may disqualify entries.
After weigh-off competitions, giant pumpkins sometimes find new homes as temporary sculptures carved by professionals — or you can simply roast the seeds. The flesh, however, is not ideal for eating.
"It's something that's interesting to do. There's not a lot of practicality. There might be a little prize money and it's good for notoriety," Myers said.
Previously titled Pump up your pumpkins to giant size
