What a great year it’s been for pumpkin growers and those of us who love pumpkins. We have had the joy of watching our favorite fruit develop and grow into a big and beautiful orange globe. It glowed brightly on Halloween. And, now it shines brightly all the way to Thanksgiving where it plays a huge role at the dessert table. We hope you have a wonderful time, as you enjoy the fruits of your labor……
Surf on over to our big, big Thanksgiving section, for lots of Thanksgiving Fun!
Or, grab a recipe from our Pumpkin Cookbook
Thanksgiving is all about cooking, baking and spending memorable good times with family and friends. When it comes to baking, pumpkins and apples take center stage. The Thanksgiving dessert tray is filled with all kinds of goodies made with pumpkins and apples.
We’ve got you covered with recipes galore, that are sure to find your guests taking a second helping.
Along with baking plenty of apple and pumpkin recipes, chances are you’re going to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving. Millions of us will over indulge on turkey, stuffing, and all the fixings.
From properly thawing and washing the bird, to the correct roasting times and safely storing leftovers, we’ve gotcha covered.
Ask any kid, and he or she will tell you they want a big, big pumpkin. You must deliver. Your mission, should you choose to accept it(and you have), is to fuel the growth of your fruit to produce the biggest pumpkins you've ever seen. In August, you also need to be diligent and guard against insects and plant disease, especially powdery mildew.
Keep your patch well watered.
Turn over a spadeful of soil. Is it moist down several inches? Great! More on watering pumpkins.
Add a layer of compost.
This feeds the plant, helps to retain soil moisture, and helps to keep weeds down.
Big pumpkins have big appetites.
Use regular applications of fertilizer. More on fertilizers.
Tender loving care.
Maintain the health of your plants. Keep a vigilant eye for insect problems and plant disease. Apply insecticides and fungicides before problems arise.
Cover the vines with garden soil.
This promotes secondary root growth, and results in much bigger pumpkins.
How to grow pumpkins.
Get more on how to grow pumpkins.
Breaking the world record for the largest pumpkin ever grown is an almost yearly event. For the record, the largest pumpkin ever grown is a massive 2,702 pounds (1226kg)!! (shown above). It was grown by Stefano Cutrupi, a native of Bordighera, Italy in October 2021. He brought his behemoth to the Big Pumpkin Festival in Peccioli, Italy.
See the current world records. – heaviest pumpkin, fastest pumpkin carver, biggest pumpkin pie, most lit pumpkins, and more.
In addition to our website, our sister site Gardener's Net News is also on Facebook - Read about gardening happenings and your favorite plants. Leave garden related comments. Share a picture of your prize winning pumpkin or roses. Like us on Facebook.
Let's Talk Gardening and Pumpkin Growing! Do you want to talk about gardening, read seasonal appropriate articles about gardening, or share some pictures of your garden.? Join in on the fun, visit the garden blog!
Aside from giant pumpkins, most varieties can be sowed directly into your garden, if you have enough frost free days. Find out more
You are experiencing poor pollination. It's pretty common. Here's how to assure pollination. Find out more
The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed well over a ton. There's a lot of other amazing pumpkin records too. See them
There's many pumpkin festivals and weigh-off sites all over the U.S., and Canada. And, many others around the world. Find one near you
Growing pumpkins is fun. Like other gardening activities, researchers tell us its therapeutic. Eating pumpkins is healthy for you. Add a little pumpkin to your diet all year long.
More on Pumpkins and Your Health
See a plethora of pumpkin recipes in Pumpkin Nook’s Cookbook
