All Things Pumpkin

This was a great year for growing giant pumpkins in Ohio!  Just ask teacher, Christy Harp, from Canton who grew a record-breaking giant at 1,725 pounds.  Or ask Bob Liggett who grew the winning entry and largest pumpkin ever recorded for the recent Circleville Pumpkin Show at 1,636 pounds.  What is the secret to growing the giants?    

Find out how Bob Liggett grows the giants. There is also a link to a student activity about this article and additional photos of the life cycle of a giant pumpkin.

Other plant stage secrets are shared in a new picture book for primary audiences by Emily Goodman with illustrations by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes and published by Charlesbridge.  “Plant Secrets” helps students think about what plant cycle we relate to for many different plants that start as seeds.

And another excellent book from the same publisher and illustrator is “Pumpkins” by Jacqueline Farmer. This book was awarded the Ohio Farm Bureau Children’s Literature Award in 2005. Order from your county Farm Bureau or e-mail jroush@ofbf.org for price and ordering information. "Pumpkins" is also available for purchase through Ohio State University's Curriculum Materials Service; price may vary.

“Me and the Pumpkin Queen” is a fictional story about how an 11-year old girl grows a giant pumpkin for the Circleville Pumpkin Show. It is a chapter book written by Marlane Kennedy and published by Greenwillow Books (2007).

More Pumpkin resources –  Pumpkins and more from University of Illinois Extension. Facts, history, recipes, activities, festivals and how to grow them (but probably not the secrets for growing the giants!).

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