I'm growing triple treat this year, too, and am also interested in a large naked-seed pumpkin. I've tried two other naked-seed pumpkins and was really dissapointed in how SMALL they were. I mean, if it is going to be an ugly pumpkin with stringy flesh that I can't use for pies anyway, it should have been bred to be HUGE!

It shouldn't take too long (relatively speaking) to breed for size, maybe 4 or 5 years. Of course, the really big "pumpkins" are the wrong species (Big Max and Dill's Atlantic, for example). Connecticut Field is supposed to get up to 40 pounds, and that is a C. pepo. Breeding for large size, naked seed, AND pie flesh would probably take much longer, but since people grow Hubbard squash up to 30-40 pounds and use it all at once (or can or dry it), I don't see any problems having a large pie pumpkin.

I don't have any Connecticut Field seed this year, but next year I'll clear the north west corner of my yard and start working on it. ;-)

Catherine

Why would Dill's Atlantic giant or big max be wrong for a cross breed ? They would have bigger seeds and more flesh . If all the best traits came through you would have a Super pumpkin .

The naked seed pumpkins I know of are all C. pepo varieties. Dill's Atlantic and Big Max (as the name implies) are C. maxima. I think a cross is very unlikely.

I haven't found any references to naked seed C. maxima varieties that you could use to breed a naked seed Big Max.

Catherine