Hi kids.

What's new? I'm glad to be writing to you again. I've missed it. Well, here we go...

So, I planted the seeds yesterday! Friday night, I soaked them in .1X MS, which is a plant cell growth medium, named for Murashige and Skoog, its developers. Before soaking, I filed the edges of the seeds. Basically, the point of all that was to get the seed fully hydrated before planting, and to get as much nutrition into it as possible. After that, I put the seeds into well-watered Fafard 4m soil mix, on the advice of my colleagues at the Danforth Center. They're now in a warm, moist room in the Danforth Center greenhouses, happily germinating away.

The pumpkin should reach maturity early in October, right around my birthday. This is going to be the greatest birthday present ever. I'm tired. I'll write more soon.

Here's what you've all been keeping your breath baited for... the responses from those bold, intrepid few who are joining in the quest to grow a ridiculously humongous pumpkin. I won't make you wait any longer.
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I’m all for it. Let me know how I can be of help!

Julie
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I like your style, Julie. Bold, direct, simple. It reminds me of a humongous pumpkin.
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Hey Bert,

Count me in. I have grown squash for the past five years and would love to learn ways to improve my skills while contributing to the world's greatest pumpkin.

Cheers,
theodore
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This is just what I was talking about. A perfect storm of enthusiasm and expertise is quickly congealing over St. Louis County. A thunderpumpkin warning is in effect for the next 6-7 months.
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Terrific idea. I've been feeling rather bold and daring lately, therefore I would like to be a part of this endeavor. However, I don't really have much applicable knowledge or skill to offer (if any). I don't want my enthusiasm to substitute for a substantive (even if very small) contribution to the cause. Feel free to advise me as to anything I could do to be of any help, no matter how slight, in any way.

Pete
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Pete, it doesn't take knowledge or skill to be a part of something great, it just takes personal acceptance of a great challenge. You're well on your way.
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Bert,

Being a fan of big pumpkins myself (and after growing a 100lb pumpkin last year (var Big Max) until it grew so fast that it blew itself off the vine) I would be interested. I am planting variety “Prize Winner” this year to see if I have the capacity in my backyard to reach the 200-300lb stage. One significant issue about growing pumpkins and squash in Missouri; they are very susceptible to the squash vine borer (which is very abundant here in St. Louis) and thus would require significant monitoring and spraying for this pest.

I have had a couple of discussions with folks about following the genetics of big pumpkins and have thought about setting up a marker study for understanding what the genetics are that control size and shape in Cucurbita species.

BTW, are you familiar with the website: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/ .

Chris T.
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A man of vision and insight beyond my own... All I can say is "wow."
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Hi Bert -

Hmmmm, and what would membership in the RHPC require? Land to grow a
pumpkin on? I have none. A pot large enough to support the
vegetative/root system for the HP? (HP = Humungous Pumpkin, not Harry
Potter, but I'm sure a simple engorgement charm ...)? I'm no help there
either.

A cheering section? I can help. A visualization section? I'll do it (but
please don't tell everybody, just a few select dozens). So, yes, I'd
like to join. As an adjunct if nothing else.

Cheers,
Sarah H.

P.S. What is the approximate circumference of an RHP?
P.P.S. You DO realize that the reason my plants are green is because
someone ELSE grows them? This is true of a lot of us science geeks.
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Sarah, don't despair. This is our time to shine. This summer, all of us geeks will earn two green thumbs up!
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Count me in Bert! We’ll make T-shirts with the picture of the pumpkin for our softball team – change the name to pumpkin pounders!

Sen S.
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As we all know, Sen's gotten ink here before, and it's because he deserves it. He's a man who knows how to get things done and how to pick things to do. He will be an invaluable asset to the RHPC.

Here goes nothing...

Today was the annual all-Danforth Center meeting. Basically, Dr. Beachy, the President of the Center, and Sam Fiorello, the COO, gave an update on the progress of funding, new PI's, and future construction, and they gave some awards for people who had been there at least 5 years. But the good part came after the meeting.

I cornered Dr. Beachy on the way out and told him about my plans for the pumpkin. He had seen the email that I sent out, and was actually very interested. He had a few horticultural questions about my plans, but I was able to answer them, and he gave Howard the go ahead to find us some room for the pumpkin.

Howard and I went to the back and scoped out our plot. He thought the idea of a 1000 sq. ft. plant was pretty hilarious, but he also said that he might be able to get a guy at Monsanto who's a landscape contractor to help us out a little bit with tilling the soil using some sort of ridiculously humongous machine.

Ridiculously Humongously Awesome.

So, a lot has happened since I sent out that email to the whole Danforth Center list. I think I've actually generated a fair amount of buzz. People are talking, and people want to be involved. I even got an email back from one of the faculty members, Chris Taylor, who has been experimenting for several years with growing different varieties in his backyard.

He actually wants to set up a QTL (quantitative trait locus) study of giant pumpkins - basically a way to look for some genes that might be involved in creating giantness, because the genetic basis of hugeness in all types of fruits and vegetables, including major crop varieties, is still a mystery. I'll put together an explanation of what QTL is for a later post, but if you're interested, you can follow the link above to an overview from Phillip McClean at North Dakota State.

Dr. Taylor and I actually talked to Howard, the facilities coordinator, but he said that we would have to go straight to the top and talk to Dr. Roger Beachy, president of the Danforth Center, about using the Danforth Center grounds for an RHP. But he also told us, using a pretty sweet diagram he just happened to be carrying around, that there was originally a garden planned behind the center, so there's actually a nice, flat area with full sun and a water spigot back there.

I had hoped to talk about the pumpkin to Dr. Beachy at the new employees luncheon yesterday, but the opportunity did not present itself. I have faith that it soon will, as several people with greater access than myself have offered to ask Dr. Beachy for permission.

My intention was to share some of the responses I got from other DDPSC employees, but I think I'll save those for tomorrow. Be sure to check back.

XOXO

So, Sen (President of the Danforth Center Society of Fellows - which I'll explain) and I were talking at tea time today about the ridiculously humongous pumpkin, and how to go about getting space to grow it at the center. The Society of Fellows is a social/professional organization for non-faculty scientists at the Danforth Center. So, I thought Sen would know about how to have an organization at the DDPSC (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center).

He did.

Sen said that what I need to do is found a ridiculously humongous pumpkin club at the Danforth Center, by sending around an email and seeing who wants to do some awesome. Then, as I mentioned in my last post, I can go to Howard and request some space. As Sen and I were discussing this, Christian (whose boss is Howard) overheard and let us know that construction on the plot of land to the North of the Danforth Center parking lot is likely to go ahead this year.

The plan is to build an incubator for plant biotechnology businesses, in the vein of other St. Louis life science incubators like the Center for Emerging Technologies, and the Nidus Center. The idea behind these places is to lower the barriers to entry for new companies by providing promising organizations with lab space, administrative and support services, and training/education in the business side of building a business. But, that new building will likely be only on the portion of the land closest to Warson Road, leaving ample room for a few pumpkin plants, either to the North or the West of the Center.

So let's cut to the chase.

I need to send around an email to the Danforth Center announcing the formation of the ridiculously humongous pumpkin club. The draft is below.

XOXO,
Bert

Dear everyone:

As Don Langevin wrote in How to Grow World Class Giant Pumpkins, II,

"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."

This summer, that challenge is coming to the Danforth Center.

I have obtained several seeds of Cucurbita maxima var. Dill's Atlantic Giant from P&P Seed Company in Collins, NY. Larry Checkon of Northern Cambria, PA holds the world record for growing a single giant pumpkin that tipped the scales at 666 kg (1,461 lbs). I believe that given the collected scientific and horticultural knowledge at the Danforth Center, we could grow a truly, ridiculously humongous pumpkin.

Anyone who would like to join me in this quest should send me an email and let me know that. I look forward to hearing from the very most bold and daring among you. We plant at the end of the month.

Humongously,
Bert Berla