RONCEVERTE (WVDN) – Growing a giant vegetable can be incredibly rewarding and turned out to be a fabulous family project this summer for Sarah Baker of Ronceverte.
Her “thousand-pounder” will be officially weighed in the next week but she has a way of estimating through three measurements in an equation that showed it at over 1,000 pounds on Monday, Sept. 19.
“For a while it was growing 40 pounds per day, and you could tell just with your eyes that the difference between morning and evening on one day was significant,” says Baker.
She says the cooler nights have slowed development now to about six pounds per day, so the maximum size is approaching for this year’s effort.
The whole family has learned a lot of science and horticulture practices through this project.
“The kids named him Basil,” says Baker.
“This was historically a very poor season for growing the giants. But the community of giant growers and locally Dr. Chris Rodebaugh mentored us. We were well supported during this first year,” she says.
Special seed is required for growing these magnificent squashes. The seed used for Baker’s came from the Rodebaugh 1965.5 (that’s “pounds” of pumpkin from Rodebaugh’s 2021 crop).
There is not an official weighing station in West Virginia, so Basil will be taken to a location in a nearby state for official certification on weight.
Aside from special seed, a space of 2,000 square feet had to be provided for the monster sized plant that it grew on. Support on the ground to protect the flesh from boring insects and a translucent shade tent overhead for protection against sunburn and soil fertility all play a part in the success.
“This year the constant rain and humidity created a storm of powdery mildew that had to be fought and still left damage on many of the leaves,” says Baker.
Baker says she has been a home vegetable gardener for years, but this experience has created memories for the whole family, and they have learned so much about plant growth from pollinating the flowers to fighting the insects and weather hazards.
There is a Growing Giant Vegetables Facebook page so there is interest in this hobby and the Mountain State Giant Growers for enthusiasts of all types of giant-sized crops.
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