# Growing pumpkins

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/growing-pumpkins/664499>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 25, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/growing-pumpkins/664499 "2013-07-25T17:05:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/growing-pumpkins/664499/1 "2013-07-25T17:05:38Z")

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Hi gang.

I’m growing pumpkins this summer and they’re getting shockingly large. Here’s my question: if I fertilize them a LOT, to grow them as large as possible, will that have any kind of bad effect on them? I.E., would they become huge but tasteless? would it divert all their energy away from seed production into getting big?

This is the first year I’ve had such good luck so I don’t know what to expect.

TIA!

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**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/growing-pumpkins/664499/2 "2013-07-25T18:15:41Z")

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Do you still have the seed package? There are many different varieties, some are grown to be carved for jack-o-lanterns, some are grown to see how big they can get, and some are grown to eat. Pumpkins that you would grow to make pie out of are smaller and more dense.

You are not going to get good pies out of pumpkins that are meant for carving. You can toast the seeds if you like them and eat those, but the flesh won’t be of much use.

> **[What Are Pie Pumpkins? Taste & Uses (with pictures)](https://www.delightedcooking.com/what-are-pie-pumpkins.htm)**
>
> Pie pumpkins are any one of several varieties of pumpkin grown for eating. Read on to learn more about how to use pie pumpkins in recipes.

I have grown some of the giant variety and they got quite big but then we carved a couple and put the rest on the compost pile.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [July 25, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/growing-pumpkins/664499/3 "2013-07-25T19:28:47Z")

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Make 'em huge and enter the state fair!