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He quickly learned that pumpkin cultivation is a lot more
involved than simply planting a seed and waiting for it to
grow to a humungous size. During the season, he spends about
an hour each day in his patch, tending to his pumpkins by
carefully weeding around them and burying each plant's vines
so that they root well. It's a perfect hobby for the general
surgeon, since he can quickly make it to the hospital from
his home garden should an emergency call come in. "It's
definitely a (form of) relaxation for me," he said. "I
can get out, kill some weeds, forget about the stress of work
and still be relatively close to home."
But what really makes it all worthwhile for him is the final
weight of his pumpkins. This year, he's been working with
eight plants and is anticipating that at least two of the
pumpkins will weigh more than 1,000 lbs at harvest. Like many
growing enthusiasts, Dr. Christensen lugs his pumpkins to
the state fair with the hope of winning a prize for producing
the largest pumpkin.
"It's a kick to go to the fair and watch all the people
gawk at them," he said. At the weigh-in, he often fields
spectators' questions, such as whether the pumpkins are real
or not and how many pies can be made from just one of them.
"People literally drive off the road when I drive by
with pumpkins in the back (of my truck)."
His pumpkin-growing season begins around the third week of
April; that's when he plants seeds harvested from last year's
pumpkins as well as seeds from other successful growers. He
starts them indoors and then hardens them off by keeping the
small plants in a temporary greenhouse until the first week
of June when the frost risk has passed. In July, he hand-pollinates
each flower.
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beginnings of giant pumpkins, which could grow to weigh
up to 1,000 lbs. |
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