Getting Ready to Run

February 8, 2015 The early-bird planters are five weeks into this years growing season. Dave Smith and Dean Baker's first plants have outgrown their hot boxes and now are dependent on the continued good weather in the Phoenix area.

Daytime temps have reached the 80s and the temporary greenhouses have reached 91. Heat is already a consideration. Overnight temperatures drop to the mid-40s, but the solar heat trapped during the day, in conjunction with the candle heat trapped by the hot boxes, have kept the air around the plant above 60 degrees.

The early plants have outgrown their boxes, therefore they are subject to the overnight cooling in the garden. The soil temperature near the base of the plant, as measured by a soil temperature probe at 9 am, was at 64 degrees on February 8. The overnight low (outside) had been 44 degrees.

The Arizona Giant Pumpkin Growers has been created to help growers develop friendships with people sharing a similar interest in growing giant pumpkins, and vegetables, in the Southwest Deserts (Arizona, Nevada, Southern California, and New Mexico.) By sharing information growers can help each other find success within our hobby.

There are currently four people growing giant pumpkins - that AZGPG is aware of. Dave Smith, Dean Baker, and Scott Culp in Arizona; and Mark Maffney in Nevada. (Wendy Woodward of Northern Arizona is expected to grow pumpkins during the traditional growing season - once it stops snowing up there.) Scott and Mark actually transplanted their pumpkins around February 1. It's hoped that all participants grow Giant Pumpkins this year and that new state records can be set for Arizona and Nevada during the AZGPG Memorial Day Weigh-Off on May 30.