[uffe38]

Hi people.
I live in seminorthern Sweden in a town called Umeå. Me and a few mates decided a few weeks ago that we should have a pumpkin contest next summer. And since then I've been reading alot on the net, and hey - this stuff is like poison in your veins. I'm totally addicted to pumpkins now.

Anyway. Where I live the snow leaves in early may and returns in november. Is it at all possible for me to grow an atlantic giant? I kind of figured out that if I wanted to win the contest with a big pumpkin I needed an atlantic giant.

If it is - any advice would be nice. And - any clues where to get seeds.

Happy growing to you all!

/Ulf

[Eristic]

This could be a challenge. I think timing will be everything. seeds should be sown 2-3 to a pot ( I would suggest 2 ltr or more as you may have to keep them under cover longer than normal), snip off the weakest to leave one plant per pot.

The growing position will need to be as warm and sunny as posible and sheltered from wind. If posible erect a covering or grow in a polytunnel.

Timing will be crucial so I suggest to sow one pot every week or so from late April. You have to get the biggest plant possible when the planting conditions allow.

Keep us posted.

[Heather_S]

You'll have to do a lot of protected cropping I think. Do you get much light in the winter up where you are? You might want to invest in some grow lights to get some seedlings started in the winter. They might fail due to lack of light without growlights. Try to start them as early as possible with the grow lights and keep potting them on until you can plant them out after the risk of frost has past.

Don't lose hope; New England, USA grows lots of pumpkins and that's nearly similar weather situtations to your's. Some years we did have snow in May and September. Invest in a large amount of horicultural fleece to cover the entire plant in case of emergency freak weather.

[Eristic]

Starting them early is not the answer as this will lead to retarded growth. The plants have to be as large as can be handled at planting out time which i am assuming will be around mid June or later.

If seeds are not available locally, they are readily available on the Internet but I do not know which companies deliver to Euroope.

[uffe38]

Starting them early is not the answer as this will lead to retarded growth. The plants have to be as large as can be handled at planting out time which i am assuming will be around mid June or later.

Hmm interesting. Would it be possible for me to try to grow them for 4-6 weeks indoors before putting them out?
Would the roots survive if I planted them outside when they are that old? And what kind of pots would I need to grow them inside for so long?

Sorry for all the questions - but as I said - I'm real new to this.

[Eristic]

You will have to grow them indoors yes. This is normal proceedure and I always start pumpkis, marrows, cucumbers etc in pots indoors to gain an advantage over the weather. Any pots will do and while I use small plastic pots and keep the seedlings indoors for just over a month, you will need larger pots to allow for the extra time indoors.

It is very hard for me to visualise snow going in May. Actually, snow is just a distant memory and hard to visualise at all. We have plenty of plastic pots that are used by the garden centres that get re-used in the garden or allotment for many years, but a pot is a pot. The compost must be sterile though or the seedlings may get diseases.

[uffe38]

The growing position will need to be as warm and sunny as posible and sheltered from wind. If posible erect a covering or grow in a polytunnel.

"Polytunnel". As I'm new to this I pondered awhile what a polytunnel was. Quite a long while. But, what are the odds, yesterday at a small garden shop a few miles outside the city I managed to find a polytunnel! Imported from England and set to half price cause no one was buying it. What are the odds? Hehe.