At a recent Pumpkin festival they were selling seeds to grow giant pumpkins. The seeds cost $2.00 a piece. They come in a tiny plastic bag, with a pedigree (my seed came from a 712 lb pumpkin belonging to one Aaron Wray.) I thought the price of one seed was bad, until I read the instructions that came with it, which include requirements for extensive soil additives, peat moss, plant fertilizers with non-standard N-P-K ratios, a warming tray, a mini greenhouse, and finally a 6' by 6' shelter with sloped roof for your pumpkin. Yes, you have to build a little house for your pumpkin. Once the pumpkins start to develop, you're supposed to pick the best looking one, and prune the rest, pinning all your hopes on that guy. However, giant pumpkins frequently explode, so all your hard work may be for naught. What are the physics behind exploding giant pumpkins? Internal fermentaion? I don't think it's a build up of gases. A potential champion pumpkin in log phase can put on 15 -30 lbs a day, and I guess if they grow unevenly, turgor forces build up in their guts and any thin or weak wall sections may be compromised. Good pumpkin quote from a giant pumpkin ace: "If you're not splitting them, you're not trying hard enough. You're not pushing them enough. If you're not blowing some up, you're not doing it right. They'll never be big."
Yes, but are exquisitely nurtured hothouse pumpkins are more likely to warrant a visit from the Great Pumpkin? Has anyone ever been injured in an exploding pumpkin mishap?
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