4) Keep weeds out of your bed as these compete for water and nutrients. Get your pumpkin swelling by feeding it weekly with a high potash fertiliser such as tomato feed. Keep the bottom of your pumpkin dry by placing a pile of straw under the fruit to prevent it touching the soil.

You may need to provide your fruit with some shading if its starts outgrowing its foliage.

You may get new growth on the foliage, this is normal simply prune out. If there is a danger of frost in the autumn wrap your fruits in fleece until harvest.

Don't forget to give it lots and lots of feed and water!

Good luck!

 

	Current World Record
	782.4kg (Converts to: 1,725 pounds or 123.2 stone!)
	A pumpkin grown by Christy Harp weighed a massive 782.4kg.
	This record breaker was seen at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers - Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009.
	More Record Breakers

	The heaviest pumpkin in the world!
	'Dill's Atlantic Giant'
	Using Atlantic Giant growers have produced monster pumpkins weighing over 600 lbs, and it holds the Canadian and American records for size and weight. Even if you don't want to produce a 'record breaker', it is excellent for delicious long standing pumpkins for pies, carving Jack O'Lanterns, etc.
	Fun to Grow Blister Packs: The Giant Pumpkin Competition
	Who can grow the fattest pumpkin? This three blister pack has two pockets with pumpkin seeds and one with a tape measure. Record their growth on the measuring chart printed inside the pack. (This colourful collection with their cartoon characters displays the seed in transparent plastic blisters or capsules. Once again, there's an attractive mix of entertainment and education with Fun Facts on every pack).
	Giant Pumpkin - 'Mammoth'
	Gigantic fruit! An orange-skinned variety with yellow flesh, which gardeners have grown to a weight of over 50kg. Recommended for exhibition. This variety has been trialled, tested and recommended by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany.