Atlantic Giant is an open-pollinated pumpkin variety famous for its scale-tipping size, numerous world records and countless blue ribbons. Bred by four-time world champion and beloved "father of competition pumpkin growing", Howard Dill of Nova Scotia, Atlantic Giant was selected for height, symmetry, uniformity, and of course, size. Dill went on to patent his selection in 1985 and a few years later grew a gargantuan 616-pound pumpkin from his selected seed. The patent for Dill's Atlantic Giant expired in 2004. While the Atlantic Giant pumpkin is well-known today, especially among competitive pumpkin growers, less attention is given to its illustrious developer Howard Dill. Mr. Dill was a man who took pumpkin growing seriously. He is singlehandedly credited with taking pumpkin growing from a casual hobby to a competitive venture with prizes topping $10,000 in the 1980's. The beloved "Patriarch of Pumpkingdom" showed farmers and gardeners what was possible, opening the field to a new generation of growers who would take competitive pumpkin growing to unbelievable heights. Mr. Dill once offered this bit of advice to aspiring pumpkin growers: "The pumpkin likes contentment and seclusion." In other words, if you wish for your pumpkins to become scale-tippers, best treat them right. Give them plenty of space, excessive fertility and water, and thin out the fruit to encourage the growth of a single specimen per vine. In all honesty, our current season of life doesn't afford us much time to pamper our pumpkins, so our Atlantic Giants more typically average 50-100lb without any extra care or supplemental fertilizer, but the kids love them just the same. They're great for carving, decorating (and climbing). 120 days to maturity. 15 seeds per packet.
