Pumpkin giants at Edingley allotments

INSPIRED by the pumpkins at last year’s South well Ploughing Match, the Edingley allotments decided to hold their own pumpkin growing competition.

With our fingers crossed, we planted three Atlantic Giant Pumpkin seeds and the contest was underway. Would all three seeds sprout? Would a late frost catch us out? Should we Pumpkin giants at Edingley allotments give our plants special care or simply hope for the best?

As the pumpkins grew, we soon realised that weighing them might prove tricky. Who had scales large enough and could we even lift some of these giant pump kins? A quick search online provided the solution. The Giant Pump kin Weight Estimation Calculator, developed in New Zealand, offered a clever workaround. We measured the pumpkins in three ways: circumference, end to end, and side to side. Adding these figures together, we could then use the chart to estimate each pumpkin’s weight.

On Sunday 21st September, armed with tape measures, the winners were decided. In first place was Ray Hirst (pictured above) whose pumpkin had an estimated weight of 49kg. Second was Greg Steele, with a pumpkin that was estimated to weigh 42kg and finally third place was Steve Kemp, whose pumpkin had an estimated weight of 40kg.

Everyone agreed it had been great fun and we have already decided that next year we will be having a grow the tallest sunflower competition.

Mel Sims

Greg Steele

Steve Kemp