Boston Flora

Tag: giant pumpkins

  • Saturday, April 4, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm – Grow Spring! Expo – CANCELLED

    Visit the Proctor Elementary School, 60 South Main Street in Topsfield on Saturday, April 4 from 10 – 3 for Grow Spring! Expo, Farmers’ Marketplace, ,antique tractor exhibition, visits with horticultural experts, the Essex County Beekeepers, and giant pumpkin growers, plus baked goods and food trucks.  This popular event celebrates local agriculture, horticulture, and environmental preservation, and connects organizations with the wider community.  Free admission. Presented by the Topsfield Garden Club, and sponsored by the Proctor School, the Forest Foundation, and the Topsfield Historical Society.

     
  • Sunday, October 7, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Art and Science of Growing Giant Pumpkins

    Sunday, October 7, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Art and Science of Growing Giant Pumpkins

    On Sunday, October 7, at 2 pm at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, giant pumpkin grower Steve Connolly will discuss how he grew the state record holding 2075 lb. pumpkin in 2016. His free talk will focus on how 30+ years of selective breeding of an isolated species of Giant Pumpkins has led to fruits that are bigger and heavier than ever. The genetic bundle inside the seeds know what to do. Provide optimum conditions and monster pumpkins result!

    Steve Connolly grew the first 1000 pound pumpkin in New England in 2000 and currently holds the record for the largest pumpkin grown in Massachusetts at 2075 pounds (2016). In his 24 years of growing giant pumpkins, he has won numerous awards and has been featured on radio, television and in print, including the Today Show, NPR, Martha Stewart, David Letterman, National Geographic, Yankee Magazine, and more. He is an active Board member of the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Club.

    Image result for Steve Connolly giant pumpkins

  • Saturday, September 17, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Growing Giant Pumpkins

    On Saturday, September 17 from 1 – 3 at Berkshire Botanic Garden, join woody plant guru Adam Wheeler of Broken Arrow Nursery for a fun and informative look into the world of competitive pumpkin growing. Learn how to grow plants in the Cucurbita family to bear the biggest and best fruits possible. Although the lecture will focus on how to grow extra-large pumpkins it will also inform gardeners about improving growing conditions for other pumpkin relatives including melons, squash, and cucumbers. And Adam will share his special pumpkin seeds with participants for the next growing season.

    Adam Wheeler is the Propagation and New Plant Development Manager for Broken Arrow Nursery located in Hamden, CT, a specialty nursery with a focus on woody plants. He teaches woody plant propagation workshops throughout New England. BBG members $15, nonmembers $20, and free if attending Amy Goldman’s lecture and booksigning earlier in the day. For complete information, and to register, visit www.berkshirebotanical.org.  Image from www.seedsofeden.com.