How to Grow Prize Winning Pumpkins

Prepare a pumpkin patch in an area of your garden that receives full sun at least eight hours a day and is protected from wind. Add a generous amount of compost to your patch and amend the soil to bring the pH level to 6.5 or 7. Giant pumpkins are very large plants. Each will need a circle of land at least 30 feet in diameter. Prepare a mound in the center of your circle that is 5 feet in diameter and 1 foot tall.

Select your prize-winning pumpkin seed. Giant pumpkins come from Atlantic Giant, Prizewinner, Big Max or Big Moon seeds. Atlantic Giant is a special favorite for those wanting to grow huge prize-winning pumpkins. Start the seeds indoors four weeks prior to the last frost in your area. Use peat pots that may be planted directly into the ground without disturbing the seedling's roots.

Plant four seedlings in each mound. Transplanting happens after the last frost, when the seedlings have their first set of true leaves. Watch the seedlings for a couple of weeks and remove all but the strongest. Mulch the seedlings and cover them with cloches to protect them from the wind.

Bury every leaf node that develops along the vine, except in the vicinity of the fruits. This will encourage a strong root system, which will help keep the vine from being uprooted when the pumpkins become very large.

Allow one fruit to grow per runner vine. When the fruits are 12 inches in diameter, remove all but the best from each plant. The huge plant will put all of its resources into that fruit, giving you a potential prize winner. Remove all flowers from this point on.

Water your pumpkin so that the soil is consistently moist. Very large pumpkins need a lot of food, so use a water-soluble fertilizer once per week.

Protect your large, growing pumpkin from sunburn by draping just the fruit with a white cotton sheet. Place a piece of plywood under the pumpkin as it grows to keep it from rotting and protect it from rodents and insects.