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Four years ago, at the Big E in western Massachusetts, I bought 5 giant pumpkin seeds from a boy scout troop raising money. Little did I know the monster I would subsequently create! You see, my father, Les Turner has a gift. He walks by a plant and it grows an inch reaching for him. Mix that with the powerful growth of a Giant Pumpkin vine, which can reach up to 40 ft long, and before we knew it the whole back end of our daylily gardens were lost to huge 3 foot leaves!
On his first try, Les grew a 444 lb beauty! 5th place at the Rochester fair. In 2006 hindered by floods and an unusually muggy summer that fostered an attack of Powdery Mildew that severely damaged the vines, he managed to produce 'Big Bertha' a 536 lb beauty who was mentioned in several newspaper articles and became a fund raiser for the New Durham Police Dept. She finished with a bang, presiding over the OSG Paintballs Charity Haunted House!
This year, armed with DVDs and books worth of info, as well as membership and attendance with the NH Giant Pumpkin Growers assoc, He is prepared to grow one even bigger!
Everybody is invited to stop by the daylily gardens this season, and see all the color, and round the trip out with a visit to the pumpkin patch!
Last year we even had a few runners up that were available for display and carving!
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