Q: Do you have any tips for growing giant pumpkins? A friend sent me and other people packets of his giant pumpkin seeds as a Christmas gift. We are all going to compete and decide the winner at year’s end.

A: There are four key tips for growing giant pumpkins: full sunshine, regular fertilizing and watering, managing pests and removing all but a few of the fruit. You can wait until mid-May, when soil temperatures are very warm, to plant your seed. Remember that the vines spread to cover a big area. I’ve posted a collection of pumpkin growing tips at xrl.us/giantpumpkin. Good luck!