C. maxima. Give Big Max pumpkin seeds a good early start indoors in May and transplant them out once the soil is warm in June. Provide deeply dug, very fertile soil, and you can expect very large Jack-o-Lantern type pumpkins up to 23kg (50 lbs) each! For the real competition size pumpkins, go with Dill's Atlantic Giant. But those require a lot of work and soil preparation. Meanwhile, Big Max will produce a pumpkin that kids of any age will be proud to call their grand champion. This variety is great fun to grow with children, but be prepared for the large size of the plants.

Matures in 105 days (Open-pollinated seeds)

• Fruits up to 90kg (200lb)
• Really, big pale-orange pumpkins
• Wide ribs on long sprawling vines
• Open-pollinated seeds
• Matures in 120 days