The Bigger The Better In The Pumpkin Patch

By Kendra Bobowick

“On Halloween night, the Great Pumpkin rises from his pumpkin patch and flies through the air to deliver toys to all the children…” —Linus van Pelt, a character in Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip Peanuts.

Great in their own way are the giant pumpkins taking up as much 500 pounds’ worth of space apiece in Newtown. Husband and wife Sebastian Miraglia and Andrea Haas of Maple Corner Farm on Hattertown Road are growing a crop of massive Atlantic Giants for the second year this year, and have on display at the end of their driveway two of the “fruits” of the seeds they sown. Now full-grown at 280 and 487 pounds, the two cumbersome pumpkins are propped beside hay bales and a scarecrow who watches over them. Casting overgrown shadows, the giants draw attention as traffic slows and drivers stop to see them.

As alluring as Linus’s dream that one day he would see a shimmering orange gourd rise from the gnarled vines of a pumpkin patch, pumpkins as large as this year’s biggest 500 misshapen pounds are greedily taking up space in the Newtown couple’s field. With a friend, Jane Frischstein of Easton, the three stroll back to the patch and show off the season’s work. Mr Miraglia lifts a plastic frame from over one giant that had held a screen providing shade.

Ms Haas smiled at the hearty crop, resting like boulders wedged against the soil. What provoked them to grow something that became too large for one man alone to move? “For fun,” she said, admitting that they have discovered growers’ attraction to the pumpkins. “It’s a subculture, I call it a cult.” And from that “cult” the Giant Atlantics, for one, have formed through careful seed selection.

“They’re bred up, you have to keep track of the seeds,” Ms Haas said. The oblong, rounded oval shape is lost in the battle for size, however. Looking like a dollop dropped from above, Ms Haas agreed they resembled a candy kiss “without the point,” she said. Wide at the bottom to support their girth, Mr Miraglia pointed out the few flattened specimens that collapsed beneath their own weight. “The whole experience has been funny,” she said.

The story starts with a seed another grower gave her husband. “It’s just like Jack and the Bean Stalk,” she laughed. Last year’s largest accomplishment was a lightweight at 320 pounds, but this year a hefty 500-pound pumpkin emerged from their patch. And a surprise to them all, one of the seeds grew into a squash. Nestled on its own pallet and placed behind the house where they had left it after returning recently from the Big E, Eastern States Exposition earlier this month, Ms Haas was happy to say, “We kept waiting for it to change color, but it never did; it’s a squash.” The telltale green coloration gave it away. The giant squash had earned fourth place at the fair, she said.

As the three friends talked about the amount of work and attention they needed to coax the seeds along, fertilize the female flowers on the vine, then watch the budding growth, Ms Frischstein explained, “They’re like kids.” They require time, attention, and even some tender loving care. “Some people sing to them,” said Ms Frischstein, who also grows the giants. Too chilly? The pumpkins need to be covered and heated at night if the thermometer falls too low. Tarps stretched across frames protect the pumpkins and vines during a heavy rain, and sun shades are also positioned overhear to shield new growth like an umbrella.

Aside from the usual watering, fertilization, and special attention to soil that Mr Miraglia purchased from the University of Connecticut, the pumpkin patch is demanding. Ms Haas laughed, “That’s a couple hours a day; it’s a big deal.” Almost to himself Mr Miraglia spoke from beneath the brim of his hat as he stared at the 482-pounder: “I hear some people talk to their pumpkins — not me.”

This weekend the Fairfield County Giant Squash and Pumpkin Growers Association (CGSPGA) will host a Weigh-off in Norwalk at the Stew Leonard’s, where Maple Corner Farm’s giants will try for a prize. Visit CtPumpkin.com for details.

On Sunday, September 28, The CGSPGA will hold its 4th Annual Weigh-off. Weighing will begin at noon, and Ms Haas hopes for one of the many cash prizes, she said. Learn more about the pumpkin-growing hobby at BigPumpkin.com. Maple Corner Farm pumpkins are front at Dr Joshua Baum’s office on Church Hill Road, and also outside the Blue Colony Diner. Call 426-8051 for information about making a purchase.