Quest for the Great Pumpkin

Auburn, March 3, 2003 --- It's no wonder that Linus waits for The Great Pumpkin in the pumpkin patch every year at Halloween. Apparently Linus knows the same thing that Dr. Joe Kemble knows about growing pumpkins: with enough attention, a pumpkin patch can be quite profitable.

Kemble, a vegetable crop specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said there are roughly 1,100 acres in Alabama planted with pumpkins, and the acreage continues to grow every year. In an ideal season, a pumpkin farmer could harvest seven to 10 tons of pumpkins per acre.

"You may not produce that much every year, but you should average that much two or three of every five years," said Kemble.

To help foster the growth of pumpkin production in the state, the Alabama Pumpkin Growers will hold their Fourth Annual Production Workshop Saturday, March 29. The day-long seminar will be at the C. Beaty Hanna Horticulture and Environmental Center at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.

Anyone interested in commercial pumpkin production is invited. The program will include topics of interest for the novice as well as the seasoned grower. This year's meeting will feature Dr. Kent Cushman from Mississippi State University. He will discuss his research in the control of pumpkin foliar diseases. Dr. Terry Kelly, a Georgia Extension specialist, will address weed management issues. Additional speakers from Auburn University will discuss topics ranging from production techniques to marketing.

The $10 registration fee will cover lunch and snacks. To register or for more information, contact Kemble at (334) 844-3050. The agenda, directions to the Botanical Gardens and registration information are on the Web at http://www.aces.edu/dept/com_veg/.

Source: Dr. Joe Kemble, Extension vegetable specialist, (334) 844-3050

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