I missed most of the crisp, sunny fall weather here in Juneau but my mom, daughter, and I enjoyed those late summer days while on a road trip from Wisconsin to the Dakotas. Maybe because our usual autumn weather tends to be ceaseless days of sideways rain, I find myself nostalgic for places where the season is represented by drier items such as corn husks, hay bales, apple cider and pumpkins.
My time in Massachusetts gave me an admiration for just how big a pumpkin can grow. Producing giant pumpkins in that part of the country is akin to the glory that awaits the cabbages at the Alaska State Fair. Farmers are as tight lipped about their growing methods as I am about my nagoonberry patch, but there were vague whispers about giving it milk and creating growing cradles.
I remember taking blind students to the local fair. We’d let the students extend their arms across the pumpkin to let them capture the exact size of these oversized squash. As their face lowered an inch or two above the pumpkin, their smile would broaden as their arms stretched to capacity.
My first introduction to Juneau pumpkins was through Steve and Ursula Iha’s attempt. I helped move it from its growing space at the city greenhouse. Imagine a complicated series of hoses attached to a watering system that needed to remain in a certain position as well as supporting the pumpkin as an awkward shuffle made it seem farther than it was. A truck delivered it to the Pumpkin Festival where it took up a table and seemed to increase in size as other pumpkins were placed near it.
The Pumpkin Festival has ceased to exist, which made me happy to find Alea Oien’s pumpkin patch. In the spring, she carefully places one pumpkin start on either end of her bed. She uses a large can with a false bottom. As she places it in the ground, she merely lifts up the can, like a collar, to prevent any disturbance to the plants.
There are some basic tricks to growing a very large pumpkin. The first, when you live in a place like Juneau, is to extend the season for as long as possible. You need to get them in the ground early and to keep them warm through the unpredictable spring temperatures.
Pumpkins also require a great deal of space; about 20 feet between plants. Each leaf of the pumpkin helps contribute to the size. You need to be select the strongest vine and best candidate to grow and to give all your attention to that one pumpkin.
Alea’s bed is covered with visquine to create a warm environment for the plants. Pumpkins need a lot of moisture to grow, but they also require a soil that drains well. Watering is especially necessary as the pumpkin grows in size.
Unlike other squash, such as zucchini, there is something magical about growing something extraordinarily large. I don’t have the heart to give up my growing space to concentrate on one thing, but I am inspired and in awe of those that put love and attention to their pumpkin patch. We might not have the other trappings of fall, but we can claim a mighty pumpkin patch.
• Corinne Conlon is a freelance writer based out of Juneau. She can be reached at dirtgirlgardening@gmail.com.
