Once the Russians reached the islands in the 18th century they found a pseudo-etymology from Russian kurit (ÐºÑÑÐ¸ÑÑ - to smoke) due to the continual fumes and steam above the islands from volcanoes.
An early, indoor start - Giant pumpkin plants require 140 days or more from the time you plant a seed, to the time you harvest the fruit. Growers seeking to break the world record, start seeds in mid to late April, and harvest fruit in early October. That means as many as 160 days, from when the seed was planted!
Harvesting. Cut pumpkins from the vine so that a stem stump 3 to 4 inches long remains on the top of the pumpkin. Lifting pumpkins by the stem often causes the stem to rip the top of the pumpkin completely off.