Giant pumpkin growing success can come down to a couple of different things, good seed, good soil, and a huge amount of luck over the season. In this post I am talking about getting the best pumpkin seed you can.
In the how to section of the website you will see that I have written about where to get seeds from, what the numbers mean and a little bit about the genetics of a seed, I won’t be covering all of that again, as there is no point re writing it, but I do suggest you check it out if you are wondering about those things.
What makes the best giant pumpkin seed?
The aim of the game is to have a pumpkin that is bigger then everyone else. To achieve this goal it helps if a seed is from a big pumpkin, of course there is no guarantee of this happening, but the probability of this happening is a lot more likely then if you used a normal pumpkin seed.
Use a known performer, or use something else?
If you are lucky enough or have the cash, you too can have a seed from a record holding pumpkin. This is a great start, but remember your results may vary, due to location, fertiliser, planting, luck, and the genetics of your seed may be a bit different from the other seed.
You may see a seed that you like that might be from a nice orange colour pumpkin, or it was from a pumpkin that weighed heavier then expected, these are ideal candidates to maybe cross with a better seed in the hope the offspring produces something amazing. A lot of this is trial and error of many years, so don’t be to taken back if your results aren’t the best.
Checking the genetics of a seed
Read what other people are saying about the seeds they have used, check out http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ and do a search to see where it has been mentioned.
What I am going to use
I am still undecided on what seed I actually am going to use, I have to do some research on the ones I currently have sitting here (check out the pic below) or if I am going to spend some money and get something from the US.
At the end of the day
You will either fall into two distinct groups:
- The casual pumpkin grower, who is growing for fun, and as long as you have a giant pumpkin seed to put into the ground you are happy or
- You are getting a bit more involved in the giant pumpkin growing scene, and will need to look at genetics and performance before making your decision.

Growing giant pumpkins is a passion that I love sharing. 🎃 If you’ve found my content helpful or entertaining, why not say thanks with a coffee? ☕
It’ll fuel my next giant pumpkin adventure!
Just wait until someone like Bill Gates or Rupert Murdock start growing Giant Pumpkins. To buy an old Aircraft carrier and use the deck for a moveable hydroponic pumpkin patch then following the sun North and South for an eternal growing season.
If only the multi billionaires would grow pumpkins