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Novar, Ontario

I have been reading about pkins being disqualified for being damaged. I have also been reading about people using various means to dry out and preserve cracks etc. on a pkin. I have been using bleach and sulphur on cracks as advised. How much damage disqualifies a pkin from competition?

9/11/2012 8:56:55 AM

Ashby, MA

The official rules can be found here:
http://greatpumpkincommonwealth.com/PDF/rules.pdf

9/11/2012 10:20:06 AM

Ashby, MA

Here's a snipet from the rules regarding health of the pumpkin:


4) The specimen must be sound, healthy, and undamaged. Entries must be
free of rot, holes or cracks through to the cavity, and serious soft spots.
A) The Judges reserve the right to probe cracks, holes, and to dig out
soft spots to judge a fruit official or not. Before the Judges can
execute any of the previous they must have the grower present.
B) A serious soft spot is one that is greater than 3 inches in diameter,
and greater than 3 inches deep. The dimensions of the soft spot
will be measured after all soft material has been removed with a
spoon.
C) If there are more than two soft spots that require material to be
removed and measured, the pumpkin will be disqualified even if
each is smaller than the definition of “a serious soft spot”.
D) Judging is to be completed before a fruit is officially weighed.

9/11/2012 10:22:19 AM

Colorado

novar,if it has a hole or rot that goes into seed cavity its called dmg.surface cracks,hail wounds ,stem splits and soft spots(that dont breech the seed cavity when scouped out) are allowed.

9/11/2012 2:02:25 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

Cleaning the cracks with the products mentioned is normal and acceptable. But any grower that caulks or seals a split with an adhesive understands that this is also grounds for dmg classification.

9/11/2012 2:07:53 PM

Novar, Ontario

Thank you for your responses, I think I am good, but don't want to drive all that way to be DQ'd. Dave

9/12/2012 8:48:50 PM