Pumpkin Growing Challenge !!

Wow!! thats good going how often do you feed yours Bilbo675?

 

I think I can better that!

My giant pumpkin (pictured in post #161 above) has increased from 25mm diameter to 35mm diameter in only 4 days (measured using a vernier gauge).
Using the formula I have calculated that is a whopping 174% increase in volume, and a 28.7% (compound) increase per day.

If my giant pumpkin weighed 30g on 29/8/11 and continues growing at the same rate until the end of this month it will then be 3,201 times the weight it was when it was only 25mm diameter, meaning it will weigh about 96 kg/212 lbs. I'd better get a pallet under it quickly.

 

Hi flowerpot, as mine is planted in a compost bin; essentially a large container it is being watered every day and fed 2/3 times a week, just trying my best to get it as big as I can before the end of the 'growing season'.

Myself and a couple of others have been experimenting with 'overfeeding' cannas and the like with amazing results so I thought why not increase the feed for the pumpkin too? :thumb:

 

But if it grows at the same rate, ie amount of weight added each day, I think the calculation might be a bit different.:D
I think you can dump the percentages, plants dont work in them.:WINK1:

 

Yes, but I was trying to cheer myself a bit despite my miserable failure this year.

With marrows/pumpkins I normally use a spreadsheet that calculates an estimated weight based on length & diameter/average diameters, that uses the surface area and weighting factors that increase as they get bigger and the flesh gets thicker (based on previous examples), enabling a fairly accurate estimate for something that's too big/risky to get bathroom scales under.

So if checking the dimensions with a tape each day and a marrow/pumpkin is steadily getting 25mm greater in circumference each day I make a judgement based on it's appearance how much longer it will continue growing, extrapolate the estimated weight and decide whether it's worth watering/feeding it every day, narrowing them down to only a couple of the best ones. And yes, it's not a straight line curve when plotted.

 

Ok, scrungee.:D

 

Unfortunately when I measured it earlier today I discovered it had shrunk back to 25mm. Just in case this trend continued and it turned into a black hole whilst I'm away I decided the safest thing to do was remove it.

 

Main Plant is starting to go pummy,



Back up plant is still working though



Some mushrooms coming up underneath.

 

Not seen one of those third of a pint milk bottles in years Ziggy:D

 

I've got one of those too:D I'll bring it down next week to show i'm not cheating:D

 

I think we should set some dates here...how does the following work for everyone?

Weigh in time will be between Friday 21st October and the following Friday 28th, which then leaves the weekend to carve your pumpkins for the second part of the challenge. Then you'll have a carved Pumpkin for illuminating on Halloween Monday 31st October.

Final weights can be determined by using the "Over the top" measurement described here Pumpkin Nook : Weighing Giant Pumpkins

Steve...

 

Fine by me Steve...:thumb:.........get that wooden spoon ready for me

 

That's ok by me to Steve , but as yet no difficult calclations needed here LOL!!!

Dave

 

Yes thats ok :thumb: