Garden Notes

Giant pumpkin growing in northern Wisconsin pumpkin patch

On our vacation this year we stopped to visit my sister Milly and her husband Jim who live in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. Since I have been writing about gardens, they took us to their son Jim’s pumpkin patch to see his entry for the Giant Pumpkin Fest held in Nekoosa, Wisconsin.

It was an amazing sight! There was one huge pumpkin rising above the vines with a blanket tucked around the actual pumpkin to prevent sun scald. The garden was completely fenced in to keep out deer and mouse traps were set close to the pumpkin to discourage mice from nibbling on his entry. Apparently looks count — even in pumpkin contests!

All of the vines we saw in that patch were in fact one vine that had been buried at intervals to produce more roots and stronger vines. Only one pumpkin was allowed to develop in the effort to get the largest pumpkin possible. My nephew brought water in large buckets to make sure his pumpkin was never thirsty and he used a special organic fertilizer. All this obviously takes a lot of time and my sister said that there is a lot of talk up north about “Pumpkin Widows”. Their husbands spend so much time on the effort to grow the biggest pumpkin that wives often feel neglected!

I asked why her son would go to all that trouble for a pumpkin contest and was told that it was a great way to meet women! Apparently when you drive down the highway with a large pumpkin in the back of your truck, people notice and everyone talks to you.

Last year's pumpkin being taken to the 2010 Great Pumpkin Fest by grower Jim O'Leary

I asked what Jim did with his pumpkin after the contest and was told that he had a friend with a small daughter. They use the pumpkin to make a huge Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween and after Halloween a lot of it is cut up and used to make pies and other pumpkin treats. Cut up pumpkin can also be frozen for later use.

The Jack-O-Lantern below was carved from Jim’s 2011 giant pumpkin entry.  It weighed 1114 pounds and came in 9th in the whole state of Wisconsin!

Jim posing with Jack-O-Lantern carved from his Giant Pumpkin entry for 2011

In researching the great pumpkin contests, I found there are participants all across the United States. Growers compete in regional contests for prizes and it is one of the last festivals in many communities. Usually these fests have a lot of pumpkin related activities. They have pumpkin boat races, pumpkin games, pumpkin pie eating contests, along with craft booths, sipping on cider and of course, the great pumpkin weigh-off. It all makes for a fun day for the whole family. As for me, it opened my eyes to a whole new way to view the humble pumpkin.