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British Columbia, Canada

I apologize if this upsets anyone, it's not my intention to do so.

Is it really fair to have greenhouse grown pumpkins compete against pumpkins that were grown outdoors? It's like trying win a weigh off with a field pumpkin competing against AG's, the odds are always going to be in the AG's favor, the same is with the greenhouse pumpkins. On the world stage greenhouse growing is fine but at the local weigh off it doesn't seem fair.

Just a thought. It's really late here so maybe I'm going crazy or something.

8/31/2014 4:44:27 AM

Johnston, R.I.

I don't see a problem with it at all, I am sure there are problems in a greenhouse also.

8/31/2014 5:03:31 AM

England, essex

I feel the same as you, if only I could afford one here myself,
would be nice to be getting 30lb a night instead of my cold 10lb,,
I cant compete in any way, but I do still enjoy growing the best I can with what I have available,,
a lot of people spend more on a single seed than I do on my whole season,,, just the way it is ;-)

8/31/2014 5:15:26 AM

Bethlehem CT

Like everything else in life, there are trade offs. Lots of problems can arise in a greenhouse too. Mites, aphids and thrips go wild in a greenhouse. Outside natures checks and balances tends to keep them under control. A greenhouse may solve some problems, but new ones will arise. It is just the way of it! I don't believe there is any perfect way to grow. That includes greenhouses, hydroponics, grafting, hormones etc .

8/31/2014 7:38:06 AM

Rhode Island

is it fair that some growers experiment with very dangerous growth products? hell ya, it their business how they grow.
a pumpkin grown and healthy is all thats required to compete.
it matters not if you grew it in soil,water,sand,etc. all that matters is that you grew it.
there is no way anyone should complain as to how or where a pumpkin was grown.
ja, the grower means as much in this hobby as do the conditions. ya need both to be a success.
im hoping some day ron and i will have at least one big greenhouse for a single ag plant and pumpkin.
its all fair as the saying goes.
pap

8/31/2014 7:57:31 AM

Ireland

put simply; yes
Micheál

8/31/2014 8:27:20 AM

Freedom Is Just Another Word For Noting Left To Lose

Is it fair competing against growers that spend excessive amounts of money when others can't afford to do the same? Is it fair that some growers have the resources to get the monster from the patch to weigh off when others don't? Is it fair that some growers have enough room to have a 1600 sq. ft. patch when others only have 400? The differences can go on forever. Bottom line is grow with what you have and do the best you can. Compete against yourself and make progress each year. Learning and having fun is what it's about for me as none of the other stuff matters.

8/31/2014 8:45:40 AM

Wixom MI.

greenhouse or screenhouse !!! i beleive it is as fair as any method out their ! i beleive what most people see are bug screens over their structures not plastic ! the bug screen still allows the rain and air to pass through and does not change the temp. more than a couple degrees. it does help cool the plant better on 90+ days works a little like a shade cloth but not that much. i started using it last year to protect from bug and disease problems i have had for over 10 years and last year was the first time in 10 years that i had a pumpkin make it to the weigh off.so just for that reason alone i feel that it is fair. another advantage to that is that you wont have to use merit or other cemicals anymore unless you open it up to the eliments. other benifits i found is once you get a good clean weeding done early that the weeds stay out. unless you open it up to the eliments again. they do offer a lot of protection' but they dont keep it warm at night unless you cover it with plastic every night and put a heater in their too.

8/31/2014 8:50:24 AM

Wixom MI.

if these greenhouses or screen houses arent fair, then neither is a little hoop house ?

8/31/2014 9:09:19 AM

Central NY

I don't think having a greenhouse = bigger pumpkins, it may be easier to control the environment which may be an advantage of course, but unfair?..nah...I think yer right, u goin crazy...

8/31/2014 9:12:29 AM

Upa Creek, MO

It could be grown in your attic, but you still grew it. Guys up north get more light per day... is that fair? Guys in the south have warmer temps... is that fair? Marshall has Moose and Grizzleys roaming his area, and I worry about squirrels... is that fair?

8/31/2014 9:33:34 AM

SW Ohio

I dont see a greenhouse as being any different than the other things growers use to help grow giants. Shade cloth. Small hoops and heat to get an earlier start. Weed fabric to cut back on weeding. Raised beds to help with drainage. Shading the fruit to keep it from ripening too soon. Irrigation to supply water when rain is not enough. Products to stop disease and pests. Products to increase gains. To me it's all the same and absolutely fair. If you don't want to go to the expense to aquire whats needed to grow one thing (like a pumpkin, for instance) you can go with giants that like your climate better. Watermelons like warm climates and cabbages and root crops like cooler climates. There are plenty of giants to grow that can withstand about any climate :)

8/31/2014 9:39:55 AM

anytown U.S,A,

Here we go let the post begin.

8/31/2014 9:43:13 AM

Western ny

greenhouses are o k for pumpkin growing,,,,,greenhouses have there problems also=====if you dont like the heat ,then get out of the kitchen

8/31/2014 9:59:23 AM

South East

There is indoor athletics, indoor football, indoor cycling and on and on. They are separated from the outdoor version of that sport for a reason. They are similar, but never exactly the same. When you go to walmart and buy produce, theres is greenhouse produce (sometimes listed on the fruit or veggie) witch is similar but different from conventional grown fruit. In this case It has to do with profitability and yield rather then size, but they are grown indoor for a reason.
As long as there are no regulations separating greenhouse from non-greenhouse growing it will be considered fair. Next to that it would require a professional full time organization to regulate all these endeavors, since it would become to complicated for a volunteer based group to properly track and enforce regulations state and/or worldwide.
Better get peace with it.

8/31/2014 10:24:56 AM

BC, Canada

Thanks for reminding me. I got to get that hoop house back up for the next month!
Here come the PP (pumpkin Police); JA, one of the things I actually like about this sport/hobby is that it is simply all out, no holds barred and the only BS that really counts is what you put in the soil. When it gets like the Olympics, I'll lose interest quickly. If you can jump higher than the other person, I really don't care what you shoot in your veins, it's still impressive. Yeah,if I could afford another $1000 in nutrients and buy a flat piece of sunny land and teach my pigs to fly = dreams.
But you are right, I think Ian P should be banned!
Good post by the way.

8/31/2014 10:42:20 AM

Minnesota

I think in the long run outdoors will out grow, get bigger than in a greenhouse.

8/31/2014 1:18:07 PM

Colorado

I posted last year that many of the next world records will prob. be grown in greenhouses. Even playing field -no. Fair -yes. Many of the greenhouses are in areas too cool to be competitive without one.. I use a greenhouse(mini) to get a two week jump on the season. Is that fair-yes. JOS has a monster growing in GH. Hes gotten 600lbs on it since day 50. I cant do that in colorado without a greenhouse-just the way it is. If I dont like it,I'll build a greehouse-lol.

8/31/2014 1:35:24 PM

Lymington UK

You know what, went I see Dale up there in Alaska rocking up to his show with a beast like that I just have to take my hat off to him. Growing inside is the only way he could grow a pumpkin let alone growing what he does? When you follow what I consider to be one of my favourite diaries and also in the past few years JD’s diary, I’m stunned by the effort they put in. It’s not the money it’s the passion

8/31/2014 2:04:09 PM

Eurasia

Since I grow for serious varieties and not for records, I have chosen the 391 Otnes 13 and not a 1000-lber from Don Crews, when I wanted to have a good pollinator to enlarge edible fruits with an AG in climate zone 6a to 6b. I can´t see an effect of Saskatchewan´s harsh climate in Don Crews 1213.8/13, although he grew it in a green house at Alberta´s border with Saskatchewan and only used his proven seed from there. Dag Otnes will not win the Smoky Lake weigh-off (like Don Crews does), but Dag produces better world class AG seed for me, because he only grows outdoor in climate Zone 3a or 3b in the grassland close to the taiga!
For sure, I would like to see charts with outdoor pumpkins only.
Master of climate zone 3 or world champion of climate zone 3... why not?
I would only like to have seeds from climate Zone 3 to 5 but none from California or Rhode Island.

8/31/2014 7:07:07 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

Ahahahahaaaaaaaa...lol..i can't believe it.0*&^

8/31/2014 7:12:11 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

He's back......

8/31/2014 7:28:34 PM

Omaha, Ne.

noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!

8/31/2014 7:34:28 PM

Lodi, California

If it comes down to it, greenhouse growing is the same as deciding wether or not you should use seaweed on your pumpkin. Those who use seaweed have an added benefit, but pumpkins arent disqualified if they are grown with seaweed. Greenhouse growing is just one of the things that growers use to better their weights. Hey, in my oppinion, as long as they arent filling their pumpkins up with water, I don't really care what anyone is doing in order to grow the largest pumpkin possible.

8/31/2014 8:04:59 PM

Eurasia

How about earthquakes through fracking in Omaha, Darren?

8/31/2014 8:20:46 PM

Eurasia

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees, Darren: Matison grow with his new world-record in the earthquake zone of Napa.
You must have your personal best AG this year in Omaha, Darren!

8/31/2014 8:24:42 PM

So. Maine

Call the Pumpkin Police have them ( like they do in playing golf ) give growers who grow without a greenhouse a higher handicap than those who use a greenhouse .

8/31/2014 8:35:43 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

But back on topic...when I can grow like this...I will.

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=227375

8/31/2014 9:00:24 PM

Whitehall Montana

My best pumpkin this year was grown outside,while my other 2 spent a great amount of time in my greenhouse.The 1 outside is at 470 est weight and my best in greenhouse went 337.The crazy part is the 470 is only on 200 square ft

8/31/2014 10:14:39 PM

San Diego

how you gorw a monster pumpkin formula:

spend an extreme amount of time in patch!
work in the patch like crazy!
work on soil like crazy!
get best seed you can!
Spend a ton of money!

Botom line, average growers can't compete with
most world class growers in the money department
and the time department. It's a huge investment for both.

8/31/2014 10:50:28 PM

Omaha, Ne.

did Ron have a Green house...No. Just because you have a 30,000 bass boat doesn't mean you can fish.

8/31/2014 10:59:57 PM

Bethlehem CT

To be the best at any thing it takes a commitment and desire. You have to be willing to go as far as you are able to. I would love to grow a world record pumpkin, but am I willing to pay the cost?
So many factors are involved in growing giant pumpkins, it takes time, money, land, physical health, good weather, etc. Very few of us have all of these things every season. So we have to do the best with what we have got. Be thankful for what we do have. I have noticed that in life the pastures always look greener on the other side of the fence. Sometimes when you get to the other side you will find that it isn't as green as you thought it was.

9/1/2014 7:32:00 AM

Anamosa, IA BPIowegian@aol.com

Everyone has to deal with some kind of limitation, whether it be a cold climate, poor soil, frequent high winds or hail, shade, flooding, work, physical disabilities, etc. Everyone has to use their own ingenuity, determination and the vast amount of shared knowledge in this community to do the best that he or she can. The true competition is not against each other, but against yourself and the various factors that try to defeat you. I still haven't hit the 1000# level with pumpkins after 10 years, but I'm not giving up. I know I can do better. And in the end we are showing the world how to grow tremendous amounts of food in a limited space using a wide variety of techniques. Modern production agriculture is just now adopting the use of cover crops, soil biologicals, foliar feeding and other techniques pioneered by giant vegetable growers. When you look at the huge growth of the world population, we are doing society a huge service that we can be proud of. So I say, don't scorn someone who does something different, but encourage them to do the best they can.

9/1/2014 9:51:04 AM

Edmonton, 53.5N, 113.6W

imho Jimbo01 said it well. This is just a hobby, grow for your own reasons. If you think greenhouses give you an unfair advantage go build a greenhouse.

I always just try and improve from the previous season and know that given my space limitations (almost everyone has some limitation be it soil, climate, space etc) that I cannot win at smoky lake. I don't think there's ever been a WR pumpkin grown indoors so I'm thinking it's not that big an advantage.

9/1/2014 12:30:58 PM

Williamsburg,KY

JA, grow the best you can, be it outdoors, indoors, greenhouse..whatever. I believe you are going crazy...Welcome to the POCD group. Pumpkin obssevice compulsive disorder group. Glad to have you!

9/1/2014 12:35:52 PM

BC, Canada

Donkin- Glenn
That's hilarious, I saw that post and was scratching my head- then I saw your comments and it became clear--
ameliopumpkinlobsterammer

9/1/2014 1:47:25 PM

Spring Hope, N.C. - USA

Its new we learn from it .ok by me.

9/1/2014 3:11:24 PM

nOVA sCOTIA

if you think growing inside a greenhouse is problem free..think again.I have had numerous issues this year and now down to 1 plant and 1 kin. Maybe just maybe this one will make it.

9/1/2014 3:15:40 PM

British Columbia, Canada

Thank you everyone for your replies!

9/1/2014 4:12:28 PM

Muddy Waters

It would be impossible to police where they were grown.

9/1/2014 4:48:24 PM

Hot West Tennessee

It's like the majority of ways of life. How deep is your pocket and how much time you are going to spend.
Just my 2 cents.

9/1/2014 5:01:01 PM

Holton, Michigan

I love growing pumpkins! Lol I have hard enough time trying to grow kins outside. I'm not about to try learning to in A greenhouse. Good job on growers that are succsefull with them.growing kins that is

9/1/2014 8:34:51 PM

Kaukauna, Wisconsin

Hobby's cost money.
Hobby's take time.
The sport is who can grow the biggest. Its up to the grower to create the best conditions.

9/1/2014 10:15:51 PM

Winston Salem, NC

If I had a $30,000 bass boat my kins wouldn't get as much of my time. The bass on the other hand better lookout!

9/2/2014 12:02:06 PM

Georgia

There should be two different divisons then. Theres clearly a advantage to greenhouse growing.

9/2/2014 1:52:00 PM

Wi

If you have a $30,000 bass boat you have an old bass boat....LOL.

9/2/2014 2:39:32 PM

Smithville, Tn

Got a $30,000 bass boat. It hasn't seen the water since 4th of July weekend. Work in the vineyard and grow pumpkins in the summer, fish in the winter. Grow the best you can with whatever you've got and try not to make the same stupid mistakes you made last year.It's a learning process!

9/2/2014 3:00:25 PM

Netherlands

Greenhouses limit the size of the plant and the amount of plants you can grow. Greenhouse plants are also prone to several types of diseases/problems you might not have growing outside.
Where I grow, the average night temperature is always in the 40s and 50s and daytime in the 60s and 70s. We also have enormous annual amounts of rainfall. The greenhouse temperatures at night also drop to the 50s, it only takes a few hours longer. If the sun shines brightly, a greenhouse is a definate disadvantage.
Since 2006 I have had one outside pumpkin make it to the scales (700 lbs). That was in 2006. All others drowned, split or rotted away.
Over the years, no Dutch grower (with or without greenhouses) has ever gotten over 1300lbs because our climate simply hasn't allowed it till now.
Now, that is unfair! lol
So a greenhouse grower in Holland is no match for almost any outside grower in most parts of the US, Canada and Europe.

9/3/2014 7:14:15 AM