Big Max
Encyclopedia
Big Max is a large variety of squash that can exceed 100 pounds and 20 in (508 mm) in diameter under ideal growing conditions. Hybrid cucurbit
varieties such as Big Max are not true pumpkin
s, but instead "squash-type pumpkins". They are often bright orange in color, with fine-grained, yellow-orange flesh. The skin, deeply ribbed and slightly roughened, can grow to be 3 to 4 in (76.2 to 101.6 mm) thick, making them favorable for storage. The flesh has been described as good for canning and freezing. However, their size often makes utilizing them for culinary uses difficult, and they lack the flavor and texture present in smaller pumpkin varieties.
The variety was hybridized for its size during the early 1960s. Specimens as large as 300 pounds have been grown. Individual fruits are round to slightly flattened.
Best planted between two and four weeks after the average last frost, Big Max pumpkins typically become ripe 110 to 120 days after sowing
. The cultivar
requires large amounts of room to grow properly, and to achieve the maximum size, it is recommended to limit each vine to one fruit. They are harvested before the first light frost, when the plant's foliage dies. Seedlings sometimes emerge in five to ten days, though germination may take up to 14 days. Although recommendations vary, seeds are often planted at a depth of 1 to 3 cm (0.393700787401575 to 1.2 in), spaced 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) apart, in hills of between five and eight seeds. Hills are spaced 5 to 8 ft (1.5 to 2.4 m) apart, and thinned to two to three plants.
Cucurbitaceae
The plant family Cucurbitaceae consists of various squashes, melons, and gourds, including crops such as cucumber, pumpkins, luffas, and watermelons...
varieties such as Big Max are not true pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
s, but instead "squash-type pumpkins". They are often bright orange in color, with fine-grained, yellow-orange flesh. The skin, deeply ribbed and slightly roughened, can grow to be 3 to 4 in (76.2 to 101.6 mm) thick, making them favorable for storage. The flesh has been described as good for canning and freezing. However, their size often makes utilizing them for culinary uses difficult, and they lack the flavor and texture present in smaller pumpkin varieties.
The variety was hybridized for its size during the early 1960s. Specimens as large as 300 pounds have been grown. Individual fruits are round to slightly flattened.
Best planted between two and four weeks after the average last frost, Big Max pumpkins typically become ripe 110 to 120 days after sowing
Sowing
Sowing is the process of planting seeds.-Plants which are usually sown:Among the major field crops, oats, wheat, and rye are sowed, grasses and legumes are seeded, and maize and soybeans are planted...
. The cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
requires large amounts of room to grow properly, and to achieve the maximum size, it is recommended to limit each vine to one fruit. They are harvested before the first light frost, when the plant's foliage dies. Seedlings sometimes emerge in five to ten days, though germination may take up to 14 days. Although recommendations vary, seeds are often planted at a depth of 1 to 3 cm (0.393700787401575 to 1.2 in), spaced 3 to 8 cm (1.2 to 3.1 in) apart, in hills of between five and eight seeds. Hills are spaced 5 to 8 ft (1.5 to 2.4 m) apart, and thinned to two to three plants.
See also
- List of pumpkin varieties
- Atlantic GiantAtlantic GiantAtlantic Giant is the common name for a pumpkin variety bred publicly to produce huge fruit. More precisely, it refers to the round phenotypes of the giant squash variety of the species Cucurbita maxima, bred from simple Hubbard squash material....
, another variety hybridized for large size