Customer Reviews

Backyard Giants: The Passionate, Heartbreaking, and Glorious Quest to Grow the Biggest Pumpkin Ever

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There are some that say gardening contains all the drama of human life -- happiness and sadness, triumph and defeat, jealousy, hatred, life and death. Of course, there are some elements of gardening that contain all this and more. Such is the world of those hearty gardeners who attempt to grow the biggest pumpkin in the world.

I received a review copy of Backyard Giants a few weeks ago, thinking that I might try it after finishing some other weightier business tomes. I wasn't sure what to expect from the title, but soon found myself immersed in a world I only vaguely knew. Sure, I had seen growers on television and in magazines, touting their humungous, over-grown "pumpkins", but I had never realized what goes on behind the scenes -- in the garden and in the clubhouses of gardening clubs -- across the country.

Author Susan Warren hooked me from the first chapter as she introduces Ron and Dick Wallace, giant pumpkin growers from Rhode Island, the focus of the book. I immediately felt like I knew these men and were overhearing their conversations instead of reading them on the page. Warren puts the reader right their beside them as they create a new pumpkin patch, chose their seedlings and start another, summer-long, attempt at a world record pumpkin. Along the way we get to know their fellow growers, both local, national and, in the case of one Canadian grower, international.

Throughout the book we look on as they pick, chose, change their minds, wonder and worry. Were they doing everything they can? Were they doing too much? Too little? Growing giants is a worrisome task and can lead to strained marriages and sleepless nights. We feel each triumph and each defeat as weather, wildlife and worry take their toll on both the gardeners and their charges.

I didn't linger over Backyard Giants. I devoured it. I found myself pulled through the pages, wanting to know what happened to this grower or that. Would the Wallace's achieve their long-desired goals, or would their dreams be left to rot in the garden? I am sure others will think it odd that I find such drama in a gardening story, but at its very heart, this is a story of people. People who dare to dream Cinderella dreams of coach-sized pumpkins that earn the title -- the biggest pumpkin in the world.

Who says gardening is a gentle hobby? In "Backyard Giants," Ms. Warren takes us on a journey through the passionate and far-from-gentle world of competitive pumpkin growing. With a masterful eye for the telling detail and a narrative voice that sweeps the reader into this unusual world from the very first page, this is delightful and eye-opening read -- especially for those who've never wielded pruning shears or pored through garden catalogues at night.

...about the thrills and perils of gardening--in this case behemoth gourds. But absolutely enthralling for anyone who gardens, from dabblers with pots of herbs on window sills to master gardeners with acres of land to cultivate.
The talented author spins a saga covering a year in the life of obsessive gardeners, and paints colorful and intriguing portraits of folks across the country who are addicted to growing gargantuan pumpkins!
Funny, insightful and chock full of useful horticultural techniques and information.
I frequently laughed at the ridiculousness of the whole thing yet was occasionally moved by the dedication of those pursuing this extraordinary hobby. Quite an amazing book.

I didn't know much about giant pumpkin growing going into this book, but am now fascinated. I probably won't start growing myself, but I highly recommend Backyard Giants. Yes, it's about pumpkins, but it's also about the people who voluntarily slave over them. Great read.

I had a great time reading this book. I too grow pumpkins and had a hard time setting this book down. Easy to read and gives a real behind the scenes on this sport, showing that growers have lives outside of pumpkin growing as well. If you want to grow a giant pumpkin yourself this book won't give you much for information on that topic. It is meant for more the humanity side of things.

This should be a must read for new growers considering trying their hand at growing giant pumpkins at the competitive level. There's no shortcuts and even if you do everything right, there's no sure bet you will have a pumpkin to show at the end of the season. Such is the case with many of the veteran growers who are profiled in this book. But the glory that comes with a ribbon winning giant keeps them pushing on past the disappointments.

I enjoyed getting a more personal view of the famous growers you will see on the top list of winners and in the books by Don Langevin.

I loved this book! I laughed, I cried, I cheered (well, not really-I was on a plane and didn't want to create a ruckus, but in my mind I was standing up and cheering!). This book offered a lot of interesting information-who knew pumpkins could grow up to 40 lbs. A DAY??-while following the attempts of various growers to reach the ultimate goal in giant pumpkin growing, a 1500 lb. pumpkin. Easy reading, informative, and a good conversation starter when you need to make small talk.

Bill Clinton was quoted in the "Washington Post" a few weeks ago: "That's the biggest pumpkin I've ever seen. It looks like we need a steroid inspection here." I googled " Big Pumpkins " and found lots of information, including this charming and fascinating book.

Susan Warren is a gardener. She Googled a personal gardening question one day, and incidentally found guys that were obsessed with creating monster pumpkins. She wrote a front page story about them for the "Wall Street Journal", and this book grew out of that article.

Warren describes the pumpkins, of course, but her book is much more about those obsessed guys. She grew a giant pumpkin (240 pounds) as a research project, but both she and her architect husband "got sucked in ... this is a very dangerous book. It sucks in people who like a challenge."

She is amazed at the diversity of growers: airline pilots, engineers, Wall Street analysts, bankers, truck drivers, country club managers and "your mom could be a giant pumpkin grower." They live in a number of countries: the US, England, Germany, Australia, and elsewhere. She believes they are all overachievers, the kind of people who work all day and then come home and put in a few more hours in the garden.

There is a bit of pathos in this book: Ron Wallace, the featured grower, loses one of his pumpkins: "Ron's disappointment was sharp and deep and all too familiar. He cracked the rotting skin open in hopes of recovering some seeds. But the seeds swimming in a fetid pool of neon-orange slime were limp and lifeless. Disgusted, he left the broken shards of giant pumpkin lying in the grass next to the garden, an organic monument to disappointment."

As the extract shows, Warren is particularly good at describing the depth and complexity of the obsession these competitors. If that human element appeals to you, you'll enjoy this book.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Backyard Giants is a fascinating and informative book on the art, science, competition and reward of growing giant pumpkins. The author depicts the trials and tribulations of growers in Rhode Island, Ohio, the West Coast and Canada. A close-knit group of growers in Rhode Island are followed for an entire year as they prepare, plant, harvest and competitively show their giant fruits. The growers are depicted as compassionate, committed, scientific in their own right, and competitive. Through the author's creative writing style the reader is compelled through each stage of the giant pumpkin process. The pictures are an added bonus - driving home the amazing undertaking of growing something over 1,000 pounds in just four months. The joys and heartbreaks of this sport are well described, and leave the reader with respect and in awe of the growers.

The author did an excellent job researching all aspects of growing giant pumpkins. I found myself with numerous questions as I read the book and inevitably the author answered every question I had. The author writes for those having no prior knowledge of pumpkin growing - but would also likely interest those who were knowledgeable in the field. She has a creative use of vocabulary and story telling. I was sorry to see the book come to an end, but also very content with the ending. This book is well worth the reader's investment.

Perhaps one of the best books I have ever read. Big on adjectives and better for it the story follows Ron (son) and Dick (dad) Wallace as they aspire to grow the biggest pumpkin of all-time. Tells of the previous year when their hoped-for pumpkin rotted from the inside.

They decided to purchase property that was for sale next door to their home and with their fellow pumpkin growers they cleared the timber, fertilized and began preperation for the coming growing season.

They selected certain seeds which are named based on the pumpkins they come from. The germination is explained and then the seeds are eventually placed in the ground. Meanwhile their fellow growers are mentioned as well as growers from across the country. A bunch of work must have gone into this and then be pared down to what it is.

Each chapter is titled. There are several references to the web-site 'BigPumpkins.com' about comments left there which are insightful. Adversaries to growing the fruit consist of bugs, animals, disease, and occasionally people.

A quality read all the way around. Similar to Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: Seeking History and Hidden Gems in Flea-Market America andMoneyball for its insider look at a culture you may not know exists, and if you do know about it, you did not know this much about it until now.