It’s that time of year for which New England is famous! Beyond the beauty of changing leaves that attract hikers and photographers from all over, the other indication that autumn is obviously here…is the almighty pumpkin.
First, they start appearing in plastic form in HomeGoods around July. Then, they start making their way to coffee shop menus and into baked goods as school starts back up. Before you know it, they start appearing on porches, street corners, businesses, until it’s impossible not to be surrounded by the iconic pumpkin.
While synthetic pumpkins start appearing earlier in the summer, behind garden fences and deep in our neighborhoods, there are monsters growing silently that are as real as it gets; guzzling water and fertilizer until they make their grand entrances at the Ridgefield Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off! While it’s a big deal every year, they are making things even bigger in celebration of their 11th anniversary.
“We always look to grow the event because as incredible as the pumpkins are, we always want it to be a new and exciting experience for our guests,” says Jessica Collins, Co-Chair of the Ridgefield Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off. “We will have vendors, children’s activities, food, farm stands, musical performances, and more! For those who want to participate but aren’t growing their own giant pumpkin, enter our decorating contest and bring a decorated or carved pumpkins to the event. And of course, we are hoping to weigh the biggest pumpkin Ridgefield has ever seen!”
Start with a seed
We can all appreciate what this giant event has grown into, but it’s important not to forget that almost everything starts with tiny inspirational seed. Collins was always a fan of everything fall, so when she moved in next to Steve Maydan and noticed giant pumpkins growing in his backyard, she was thrilled. She started going to other weigh off competitions Maydan participated in, before they decided to start their own event in 2013 to bring it all together.
“We love seeing our friends, our neighbors, and our community as they enjoy the festival and see the giant pumpkins,” says Collins. “Looking out at the crowd cheering as the biggest pumpkin’s weight is revealed is an amazing feeling. When people come up to us in town and tell us how much they love the event or we see people return year after year to see the giants, it’s incredible to see the event we dreamed of be everything we hoped for and more.”
Growing your own giants
It’s hard not to be inspired by all this, so if you find yourself wanting to grow your own monster in your backyard for next year’s event, the Connecticut Giant Pumpkin Growers Club is happy to get your started.
“The seed variety is the Atlantic Giant pumpkin,” says Maydan. “It has the genetics for their size. The plant and the fruit itself can support the huge sizes that we see which can be well over 2000 lbs. That’s the start.”
Once you get that seed in the ground, buckle up. Soon, you’ll ideally have a huge plant that may cover 600-800 square feet. To get there, Maydan recommends fertilizing with a variety of natural (think animal manure, seaweed, fish) and chemical fertilizers that add nutrients to the soil for the plant to absorb through its massive root system or the gigantic leaves from foliar feeding. Regular pruning and vine maintenance and the right amount of water (which is lots of it) are also important. The lucky part is getting good weather – plenty of sun, the right amount of rain, and no storms.
“It’s a lot of fun to watch the plant grow from a seed that is the size of a quarter,” says Maydan. “Putting the plant out in the garden that has been prepared with the right fertilizer and gets plenty of sun (min 6-8 hours) can be very rewarding to get a good size pumpkin. It’s not unrealistic for a new grower to produce a fruit that is several hundred pounds if they are willing to put in the time to protect the plant from harsh spring weather (rain and cold nights), monitor for disease and pests, and to water regularly.”
If for some absolutely ludicrous reason you aren’t into pumpkins and find yourself more a fan of long gourds and tomatoes, rest assured that in addition to giant pumpkins, growers will bring giant green squash, long gourds, field pumpkins, marrows, bushel gourds, and giant tomatoes for awards in those categories.
Weighing begins at noon in front of the gazebo in Ballard Park in Ridgefield, September 24th. If you’re anxious to try your hand at growing, you can email the Connecticut Giant Pumpkin Growers Club at ctpumpkins@gmail.com and they’ll provide some guidance and get you hooked up with special seeds.
