My son and I recently had an opportunity to go on the RMGVG http://www.coloradopumpkins.com giant pumpkin patch tour in Colorado. This is a great organization and they have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to growing pumpkins. We left Wyoming around 8:00 am and it’s a good thing, I-25 was bottle necked to a single lane. We made it there just in time for the tour to begin.
First stop, the Wiz’s(Gary) and the Biz’s(Jim) pumpkin patch. They have a huge patch and my son and I were both impressed over how large the vines were and how many leaves the plants had. Their pumpkins and plants dwarf mine.
Gary Discussing his pumpkin patch
Another Giant pumpkin in the Wiz's and Biz's Pumpkin Patch
Another Nice Pumpkin for the Wiz and Biz
I wish my pumpkin leaves looked this healthy
The next stop was Joe Scherber’s pumpkin patch. The drive was around 25 minutes in Colorado traffic.Even though our weather is not as nice, having a smaller population makes up for it. Denver gets crazy and you spend a lot of time waiting in traffic.
Joe’s plant was incredible! The leaves were giants and the root system was larger than tree trunks. This was the widest pumpkin that I’ve ever seen.
Giant Pumpkin by Joe S.
Giant Pumpkin Leaves with A Giant Pumpkin
The last stop on the tour was Jamie’s pumpkin patch AKA The Pumpkin Man on the Marriage Ref. Jamie is a real nice guy and willing to volunteer information. His pumpkin is a beautiful orange and he is hoping it will be well over a 1000 pounds when it goes to the weigh off.
Jamie's Perfect Pumpkin
The tour lasted a lot longer than I had anticipated. I was bummed that I was not going to be able to participate in the BBQ since it was already 3:00 pm and I needed to whisk off to my daughter’s soccer game in Broomfield. I appreciate the time that Jim Grande spent with me that afternoon providing me tips to get my seeds started. I believe he told me his 1084 seed might go heavy and when I looked in my packet, I had one. I might be trying that one next year.
On our return, I remember Joe S. talking about the wind in Wyoming. Sure enough, he was correct, I took a picture of my neighbor’s flag when we got home. I guess I’m used to the wind and anything under 20 mph is just a breeze to me.
Flag waving in the wind