Titanic Atlantic – Greg Sliwka

I met Greg during the Spring of 2009 while working on my plot in Downers Grove. I’ll admit I was a bit jealous of his plot at first because of his tall fence and extremely efficient rototiller. I could tell that he’d been doing this for a while. Not sure why I get so competitive, even when it comes to things I’ve NEVER done. He added fuel to a fire who’s path was still a bit uncertain.

When one of my plot neighbors told me that he grew large pumpkins, I was immediately in awe and had tons of questions. I wanted to know everything about the process. I approached Greg and started asking him some pumpkin related questions and told him that I too was growing pumpkins (the regular carving type) and it wasn’t long before I was helping him put up his green house. I could tell that Greg was a special soul that I had something in common with. What? I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with nature, fall and holding on to something that feels good and relieves the stresses of modern day living (even though pumpkin growing is a ton of work).

They say that if you want to get a jump start on anything weather it be real estate, music, financial planning etc, it’s wise to find a mentor. I’ve found a half-ton-pumpkin-growing mentor. How many people can say that? While at times Greg’s sea of knowledge can be hard to keep up with, I’m managing to tread water and absorb the knowledge without drowning. 2010 is the first year that I’m taking a stab at growing “The Great Pumpkin” and this blog is dedicated to documenting the entire process!

Articles and Sites featuring Greg

• http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-07-27/news/0807240306_1_pumpkins-dopamine-chicago-botanic-garden
• http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2008/aug/24/gardeners_flex_green_thumbs_during_botan51749/
• http://www.reocities.com/pippysmommy/pumpkins.html