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This
page last updated Monday, 13 April 1998 |
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Beginning I started growing large pumpkins after noticing the seeds for Big Max advertised
in the Digger's Seed cataloge in 1992. That year I planted a number of seeds and gave two
to my friend, Wasfy Moussa. While Wasfy's grew to produce two 30+ kg pumpkin
(including the one pictured opposite) mine didn't even germinate.
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Richard and I with one of Wasfy's 1993
crop |
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First Prize In 1993 I bought some Atlantic Giant seeds from Diggers and managed to grow a
giant 35 kg pumpkin which I entered into the 1994 Royal Canberra Show and won first prize.
In 1994 using seeds from Atlantic Seeds I grew three or four pumpkins. I
entered one in the 1995 RNCAS show but was knocked into third place by someone from the
Riverina with two AGs. |
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My 35 kg 1994 RNCAS Show Prize winner |
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I entered one pumpkin in the 1995
World Pumpkin Confederation (WPC) weighoffs at Queanbeyan but as I felt it was not a
worthy contender (42 kg) I entered it in my father-in-law's name (Richard Knapp). |
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My first entry in the weighoff 1995 42 kg |
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Australian Champion That same year Ken Ryan and Noel Field from Golbourn entered a giant in the
Queanbeyan weighoff and recorded Australia's record (1995 - 1998) of 251.7 kg |
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Ryan and Field with their Australian
record AG 251.7 kg |
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The Size Increases My 1995 seeds were the standard 500+ seeds from Atlantic Seeds which grew a
64.8 kg pumpkin. The picture shows my son and I loading the AG into my wheebarrow ready to
take to the 1996 WPC weighoff at Queanbeyan. |
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Clinton and I loading the 64.8 kg
pumpkin |
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Kambah Winner The WPC winner in 1996 was John Paal from Youthhaven (a church run youth support
farm) in my suburb of Kambah. John's pumpkin was also the Australian winner for 1996 at
224.5 kg. |
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John Paal's 224.5 Australian champion |
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The 200 kg Barrier That year I bought the 700+ seeds from Atlantic Seeds and in what seemed like a
large plot at the time (a rather small 150 sq ft) area grew a respectable 204.5 kg beauty.
At last I have broken the 200 kg barrier. Unfortunately there was no competition in the
ACT in 1997, if there had been, I may well have taken first place at the local weighoff. |
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My 1997 204.5 kg beauty |
