March 6, 2025
Paul Bongers caught the giant pumpkin-growing bug in 2020 when a friend showed him a 200lb pumpkin he was growing. From that moment on, he was compelled to learn all he could about growing these super squashes and is still amazed at how fast they grow.
Since then, he has been growing giant pumpkins that tip the scales each year. He grows them in two categories, one is free-grown and another is grown for weight but must be within 150 sq ft. In fact, in 2024, his 150 sq ft pumpkin broke the world record weighing in at 1,448 lbs! His free grown pumpkins have topped 2,000 lbs! Each year he is determined to grow pumpkins that are even bigger than the year before.
“Thank you for making such a great product at an affordable price. I wouldn’t have been able to grow that giant without you!”
The giant pumpkin community is a close one, and members share their successes and failures with one another. Paul was introduced to Masterblend when he saw another grower using it. He attributes the size and health of his world-record holder to Masterblend’s 4-18-38 and uses a lot of it, along with calcium nitrate, in the peak growing phase. He says “It works great to get the plants the massive amount of nutrients they need to pack on the pounds.” He appreciates the variety of formulations and the affordability. When plants are small he uses thee 10-52-10 for optimal health when they are just starting out has had good luck with all of the Masterblend products he has tried. In addition to the high grade nutrition, Complete solubility is very important and he has zero issues with clogging the Dosatron and drip tape.
Paul will be starting the growing process for his 2025 pumpkins soon! Typically, he likes to start his seeds the second week of April. They start growing inside under lights for two weeks before being transplanted into heated hoop houses outside. When they are young, he uses a very diluted mixture of Masterblend’s 10-52-10 to get the roots active and growing. Once outside, he adds some Calcium Nitrate as needed until he has a pumpkin set. Then, the Masterblend 4-18-38 comes in. This blend is used with Calcium Nitrate for roughly 90 days while the pumpkin grows. It can grow 40-50 lbs EACH DAY during peak growth and obviously requires a lot of nutrition!
Paul is also trying his hand at growing garden peppers and giant tomatoes. So far, his biggest tomato has weighed in at 4.2 lb. He has his eyes on beating the Minnesota state record of 9.06lb. Judging by your past success, Paul, we’re sure you can do it!
Good luck this year, Paul. Keep us posted on your success and we hope you break another giant pumpkin record!
