Most people don't think about carving a pumpkin for a Halloween Jack O'Lantern until October. But if you start preparing in the spring, you could have the most talked-about genuine Halloween pumpkin in town. Instructables member birddogpumpkins grew a 250-pound pumpkin the first year he tried! The second year, he added fertilizer and some extra tips and grew a 520-pound gourd. While those won't win state fair competitions, they will give you plenty of room to carve an awesome Jack O'Lantern face that everyone will want to pose for a picture with, and as a bonus, a giant Jack O'Lantern is very hard to steal.
But if you want to give growing giant pumpkins a try, now is the time to get started. You'll find birddogpumpkins' experiences and recommended instructions at Instructables. You can do it the simple way or use advanced methods. I will add my advice about gardening: don't worry too much about the outcome. All you need to do is get rid of your failures and highlight your successes, and no one will know any better. Who knows? You might start a hobby that will last a lifetime.
(Image credit: birddogpumpkins)
#pumpkin #giantpumpkin #jackolantern
See also: Timelapse Video of a Giant Pumpkin Growing from Seed