So the book has rained on my parade a little, in a sense.

It turns out that my little backyard is nowhere near large enough to support a single RHP (Ridiculously Humongous Pumpkin). A single pumpkin can take up an area as large as 750 sq. ft. That's a circle of about 30 ft. in diameter. (as a side note, I'm going to keep this blog metric most of the time, but I didn't feel like converting what I read in the book).

So I was talking to the crew at the Danforth Center today, and we've all decided that what our fancy, high-tech plant science research center really needs is a good ole' pumpkin patch out back. I'm going to track down Howard, the facilities coordinator, tomorrow and have a chat with him about it. I'll let you know what he says.

XOXO,
Bert

"You see, this is about much more than growing a few pumpkins. This is about humanity; you and me accepting our personal and united challenge to grow the world's largest pumpkin."

-How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins II