Here we go again!

Surprise!

The weather in Marietta, Georgia is great for many things in the garden and 1,000 pound pumpkins are not on that list. Many of the YouTubers we follow who have milder and more optimal conditions for growing giant pumpkins are having their worst years yet. We were really down in the dumps after we had to “cull” our beloved pumpkin after it developed brown spots and turned soft. Luckily we had a vacation planned and a few days in the mountains was just the distraction we needed.

While in Blairsville we stopped at a farm and Jon said “If I won the lottery I’d buy land like this and grow nothing but giant pumpkins”. Every patch of land we drove by this man envisioned a pumpkin patch, and in the middle of it a giant pumpkin. I felt compelled to reassure him that next year we’ll do things differently and we’ll grow that giant pumpkin. Jon is not one to give up easily, and he let me know the season isn’t over and there’s still a chance to grow one this year.

When we pulled back in to town he barely got the car in park before he hopped out and ran to the garden. Call it positive thinking, divine intervention or manifestation, but we have TWO more pumpkins in the giant pumpkin patch! We are SO BACK! I didn’t tell him he was right because, duh we’ve been together for 30 years and he’d probably get a t-shirt made with my face on it that says “THIS WOMAN ADMITTED SHE WAS WRONG ON JULY 13, 2025”. That kind of ego boost could end our rock solid marriage. He’s not emotionally equipped for that kind of power.

The best looking one is covered with a table, Jon’s feeding it extra nutrients, it’s surrounded by lots of frozen water bottles, has a fan on it and it’s getting extra water. There may even be some positive affirmations being whispered to it too. We didn’t hand pollinate it, just the bees doing their thing.

Currently it’s the size of a baseball. I’ll try to keep you posted if you’re following along on social media.