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Location

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Date Posted

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I am wondering how much pumpkin growers are spending each year in order to grow their pumpkins? Forget about the time and effort put in. I want you to "Show me the money." And don't forget to include your greenhouses, your watering systems, your sprayers, soil tests, water and nutrient meters, if you use them, fertilizers and other chemicals and your seeds if they cost you more than a dollar. You can leave out transportation costs unless you drive more than 100 miles to get to the weigh-off. But, don't leave out the cost of the trailer or pick-up truck you had to rent or buy to get it there to make your weight official. Include what your pumpkins weighed so I can get an idea of cost per pound. And also let me know who you think spent the most or the least. Should be interesting.

10/21/2020 10:15:23 AM

Westmoreland, KS

For fear of my wife seeing this post I probably won't answer this one!

10/21/2020 10:58:41 AM

Prestonsburg,ky

I'm afraid to actually know LOL

10/21/2020 11:15:09 AM

Westmoreland, KS

I'll say this for you I plan on spending $1500/year for all that you mentioned I have to travel a along way to a weighoff so gas is expensive hauling these. 1990 pounds and 1612 pounds

10/21/2020 11:18:35 AM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

$1.29 that's my answer and I'm sticking too it

10/21/2020 11:43:46 AM

Dillonvale, Ohio

You could never get a good answer. There are too many things you are asking for that is used multiple years and possibly for other things, a truck and trailer for example. The truck gets used as a daily driver and the trailer is used to haul more than pumpkins. Sprayers are used for multiple years, never knowing for sure if you are going to get 1 or 5 years out of it. Too many variables.

10/21/2020 12:54:19 PM

Central NY

Pretty much for the cost of a cup coffee a day..

10/21/2020 1:26:54 PM

Westmoreland, KS

well obviously porkchop is a Starbucks Guy! so that is $10/day x 365 so $3650 for Chop!

10/21/2020 1:49:10 PM

Eastern Pennsylvania

This seems like comparing salaries at work. I’d think few people would want to publicly disclose this type of information as it could open a huge can of worms in the wealth vs skill department.

10/21/2020 2:35:37 PM

Centennial Colorado

I would estimate a grower of one over 2000 would have spent $1000 or more on their setup. If you think about it the soil itself is worth thousands and then greenhouses add thousands. Even though we think of seeds as the most expensive asset, I would say the soil is. Second would be greenhouse/screenhouse, and then third would be seed. 4th would be irrigation.
In Colorado:
#1 greenhouses/screenhouses
#2 irrigation and misting
#3 Soil
#4 seeds
#5 Everything else.

10/21/2020 2:48:13 PM

Grittyville, WA

The opportunity cost of not putting ones investment elsewhere might be bigger than the actual expenses. The Patons could grow a lot of Poinsettas for example. On the other hand, if you take from a strip of land that was well-prepped to grow sileage or soybeans your sacrifice could be just pennies per pound.

10/21/2020 2:59:45 PM

On a cliff in the desert

This is a hobby. You do it because you enjoy it. You spend what you want to spend with the idea you are not going to make any money. It's high start up costs but after one season you can use things over and over. Your weights at the scale reflect how much skill and money you put into it.

10/21/2020 3:17:24 PM

valtierra/spain

less than a cyclist spends on a new bike.

10/21/2020 3:41:12 PM

Centennial Colorado

I would say the larger the weight, in general the greater the cost. I forgot about the water bill. In general if you have grown one of the largest in your region you have spent much money, but if time where included, that would be the most expensive. I would say knowledge is more important than money in this. If you have never made the mistakes, you won't get to the top level of the other growers. A top grower will never be satisfied with their weight, because they know they can do better.

10/21/2020 3:56:57 PM

Colorado

Probably twice as much as giant cucumbers cost.As jake suggested,some thing are better not made public.

10/21/2020 3:59:20 PM

Merrimack NH

The cost of growing a pumpkin over 2,000 pounds = priceless!

10/21/2020 4:51:53 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Hmmmm. Not seeing a lot of honesty here so far. Oh well.

10/21/2020 6:41:42 PM

Eddyz@efirehose.net

Hey Marv my laptop is in for repair so when I get it back I will disclose costs

10/21/2020 7:00:35 PM

stoughton WI

Every year is a little different depending on your needs, after a few years of growing and acquiring certain things. The cost will come down a little. this year was about $600, a normal year would be abour $1500 thats not including getting seeds from auctions.

10/21/2020 7:05:09 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Iceman, thanks. I will be patiently waiting for your laptop to get repaired. I thought you were being audited or something and that that was keeping you from revealing your financials relative to your pumpkin.

10/21/2020 7:08:53 PM

Western NY

I'd bet somewhere around $1500 total. That's for 7 plants.

10/21/2020 7:55:45 PM

Cheshire Ma USA

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10/21/2020 8:18:51 PM

Muddy Waters

Its not about the money.Does a deer hunter figure how much a pound the venison cost? Does a alcoholic add up the beer cost.The Hippe the weed? The snow mobiler the cost per mile?LOL Why ruin the fun? JK I spent 2-3 grand every year I was competitive. This is not a hobby for the conservative spender

10/21/2020 8:23:25 PM

Hawesville, ky

If I remember right, I believe it was Joe jutras and forgive me if I'm wrong. But during a power point presentation he offered in vegas this year, his main cultivating equipment was a walk behind tiller and a broad fork. With all the cultivating and soil conditioning equipment that is out there, the man is and has been consistently one of the all time best in the world in every field of play that he enters into while using simple tools and hard work. It is definitely humbling to see a man stay on top against other great growers where equipment or facilities are readily available. Seeing his presentation made me go home and work harder that's for sure.

10/21/2020 8:57:33 PM

I honestly could not tell you. Don't think it is enough though. But I certainly could not buy this much pleasure anywhere else this cheaply.

10/21/2020 9:14:29 PM

Central Ca

$0

10/22/2020 12:02:51 AM

Streator ,Illinois

never kept tracked but I do know my 4 grandkids made 150 a piece this year

10/22/2020 1:06:03 AM

Lloydminster/AB

You guys spend so little that I don’t even want to say what it costs here because no sane person would do it lol.

10/22/2020 1:39:09 AM

East Sussex, UK

Last year I spent $50 on Seaweed fertilizer. Our pumpkins were 1256, 1236, 901 and 797 lbs, and we brought home £2150 ($2800). Pretty good ROI! although as others have said, it's not about the money but the enjoyment derived and the memories made. This year we spent maybe $10 for return postage for seeds but otherwise $0. We grew 5600 lbs of pumpkins but did not take any to weigh-offs.

10/22/2020 4:28:50 AM

Boscawen, NH

Initial cost of fungicides, pesticides and fertilizers can be pretty shocking but when you break it down to amount used per season per 1000 sq. feet it should not be more than what you would use for the same amount of square footage of tomatoes, peppers or butternut squash. My cost per 1000 sq. feet for fertilizer is usually about 15-20 dollars, for sprays (fungicides/pesticides)25-30 dollars. 25 dollar soil test in the spring and one in the fall. We are on town water so unfortunately during a dry summer like this one the water bill was quite high and probably ended up costing around 100 dollars per 1000 sq. ft. I till once in the spring and once in the fall so cost of gas is around 5 dollars.

10/22/2020 8:41:23 AM

Western Massachusetts

1500 on my most expensive year, doesn't always mean you'll get the beast you hoped for!

10/22/2020 2:05:15 PM

Anchorage Alaska

As a Far north grower, my main expenses are natural gas and electricity, heat to thaw the ground, heat to keep the young plant alive and thriving , heat in mid season to keep nite time temps around 65, lol.. you get the picture,then they are all the fans, pumps ( well water ) etc.. if i am lucky enough to win the weigh off then the $1000 prize helps , on the other years ..yikes ..but every year I cant wait for the season to start ! like Don said no sane person would do this..but like Barry said , 2000 lbs -priceless

10/22/2020 10:01:39 PM

Torrance, Ca.

Whenever I feel like I'm spending to much I go to the Patons diary and I feel pretty good about myself and how much I'm spending.:)

Its my dream to build a glass greenhouse like that some day,,, one day maybe, one day...

10/22/2020 10:23:39 PM

Vancouver Washington

I used to have a boss who said, " If you have to ask how much something cost's , you can't afford it ". Good luck Marv.

10/23/2020 11:56:30 AM

South Dakota

I actually did keep track last year until it tipped over 2000.00, then was scared to keep keeping track. A lot of the expenses were one time purchases like tiller, fencing, shade cloth, irrigation equipment, etc. And I only grow one plant!!!!

10/24/2020 8:55:36 AM

50 Acres

When my wife asks. I say a little more than $ 150. No more questions.

10/24/2020 9:26:03 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Good answer 26 West. I like it. I always told my sife, "Who wants to know?" End of discussion.

10/24/2020 11:09:49 AM

Syracuse, NY

i figure i broke even this year at $400 for the six i sold all at once, so, the next $300 has been all profit and i hope to sell one or two more - if not that, then some really good crosses by the 2003 Haist are yet to be extracted - a new personal best of abouuuuut 960 on the 2003 but not weighed in a timely fashion so that dropped below PB of 912.5 so the jury is out, lol---cheapest year ever @ 400, so, year to year, $500 for about 15 pumpkins on average. any year could be near ZERO if i compensated by spending the TIME on them instead. later---eric g

10/24/2020 3:07:36 PM

Muddy Waters

Eri made out like a Bandit.He sold his 3 pumpkins for $1700 total.He might have spent $50 on the patch supplies.

10/24/2020 5:56:25 PM