Well, as the subject line says, this was my first year. I usually research something to death before I do it, and I didn't do that prior to planting the pumpkin. The first problem was planting them in the same bed as the potatoes, which they don't like, but I was able to move the already germinated seeds successfully, they had just germinated and only had a little root with no leaves.

I then planted the two seeds on the same hill, and didn't prepare the bed the way I now know I should have. Alo, the bed was a bit smaller than ideal, really small, and it was shared swith bush beans for the first part of the season. I wrote to Wayne on this board and he gave me a few tips, then I and the plants were off an running.

I finally figured out how to prune, after the plants starting taking over the yard and made a break for the neighbors yard. I have now had to prune several times. I covered a good majority of the vines with steer manure and have feed them pretty regularly with a seaweed based food that is 4-26-26. I had two pumpkins set successfully and many others abort after getting to various sizes.

The first pumpkin finished growing and is now all chopped up a made into pie filling and sitting in my Grandmothers freezer, where it was intended to end up all along. She said it tasted great, and it was a whopping 50 pounds, which I figured wasn't bad for my first attempt. The second one is still growing and has now approached the 50 pound ranged, and hopefully will contiue to grow, this one belongs to my son.

I am happy with what I have gotten, even though they weren't the 100 pounders I had hoped for, but considering the growing conditions, they way out performed my expections once I knew what I should have done. Now that I know what it takes, I have my eye on the field next door for next year, and will give it everything I've got.

I learned a lot from everyone on this board and few other sites I searched, and I can admit, I am hooked. It would be very hard to not grow a giant pumpkin after having tried it. I know I wouldn't be happy with just the regular run of the mill pumpkin, and space is my only limiting factor, besides the other fact, that my main rule is I need to be able to eat everything that I grow, so for that reason I don't think I will try an AG as my only plant. I may try an AG as long as I grow a pumpkin that can be used for pies, but surley not as my main giant. I must say, it is pretty amazing to watch these plants grow, but everytime I see a little pumpkin, it's hard not to have my motherinig instincts kick in. It's like being pregnant during your first trimester and hoping everything goes well and knowing that once you make it to your second trimester, your risks of having a miscarriage go down. With the pumpkins, you hope the the pumpkin takes, then you hope the weather cooperates and gives it a chance to grow. Only unlike a pregnancy there is no second trimester until that baby comes off the vine.

The one big thing I gained from the pumpkins is that I was able to plant corn, when originally I hadn't planned on it, because I didn't want to tempt the raccons, but once the beans came out and I realized how long the vines at that end of the bed were, I decided that the plant would serve more than one purpose, they have become the guardian of the corn!!

Agian, thank you all, especially Wayne, who took the time to write back!!

Kenya