Islanders invited to learn tips and tricks for growing giant pumpkins

Prince Edward Islanders looking to try their hand at growing giant pumpkins will have the chance to learn from the best this Wednesday evening.

Mark Tremere, P.E.I.'s reigning champion giant pumpkin grower, is hosting a workshop at the York Community Centre, where he'll share his top tips and tricks for cultivating colossal gourds.

Tremere said the Island has a small but dedicated community of competitive growers.

"Worldwide, there's quite a few competitive growers going for their world record, but in P.E.I. we might have 10 to 15 tops," he told CBC's Island Morning.

"I'd love to see more people. That's the goal."

The current world record for the heaviest pumpkin is 1,243 kilograms (2,741 pounds), grown over six months by Guinness World Record holder Travis Gienger in Minnesota.

As for Tremere, he won top prizes in the pumpkin and squash categories at last year's P.E.I. Giant Pumpkin and Squash Weigh-off.

The Marshfield, P.E.I., grower took home $750 for his 668-kilogram (1,473.5-pound) pumpkin and another $200 for his first-place squash, which weighed in at 361 kilograms (796.6 pounds).

At the workshop, Tremere will cover everything from seed selection and germination to soil preparation and growing techniques.

He said starting with high-quality seeds is key to growing giant pumpkins and squash.

He has seeds from his prize-winning pumpkin and said members of the P.E.I. Giant Pumpkin Growers Association also have high-quality seeds they're hoping to distribute across the Island to encourage more people to take up the hobby.

"If you're going to start out, you may as well start out with a good start of genetics, so something we have would definitely grow something up around 2,000 pounds potentially."

Beyond seeds, he will walk attendees through critical steps like soil testing and seed preparation tricks, like sanding the edges of the seed to speed up germination.

For his own pumpkins, Tremere plans to plant the seeds in mid-May, so he will need to create an optimal growing environment for them to grow.