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A giant pumpkin weighing 3,156 pounds (1,431 kilogrammes) grown by a farmer in Rhode Island appears to have broken the world record for the heaviest pumpkin, surpassing the existing mark by nearly 300 pounds.
Ron Wallace, of Greene, Rhode Island, weighed his pumpkin at a New England competition on Saturday and is now awaiting confirmation from Guinness World Records. He said he had been in contact with Guinness officials, who indicated that the record was on track to be verified.
“It’s truly massive, it was a pleasure to grow,” Wallace said by phone on Monday.
Guinness World Records currently lists a 2,857-pound (1,296-kilogramme) squash grown by Ian Paton of Lymington, England, as the record holder. Paton set the record on October 3.
Guinness officials did not respond to a request for comment.
The potential record comes as pumpkin growers around the world compete in weigh-offs this month, hoping to produce the heaviest giant pumpkin.
Wallace received $3,500 at his local competition. He said other contests had tried to attract him with larger prize money, with some offering as much as $70,000, but he wanted to celebrate the achievement in his hometown.
“I was just ecstatic, the place just exploded,” Wallace said, describing the reaction when his pumpkin was weighed.
Wallace credited the wider pumpkin-growing community for sharing advice and techniques. This year, he grew his pumpkins in a greenhouse for the first time, a change he said made a significant difference.
“The only way you create a 3,000-pound pumpkin is a community working together,” he said.
Wallace took up the hobby after starting an online business selling gardening supplies. He said competitions had helped establish the credibility of giant-pumpkin growers, with members of the agricultural industry increasingly seeking their advice on soil and growing techniques.
California contest crowns fifth-time champion
Meanwhile, a pumpkin named Rocky, weighing 2,389 pounds (1,083 kilogrammes), won the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, on Monday. However, it fell well short of the potential world-record weight.
Horticulture teacher Travis Gienger travelled from Minnesota to win the competition for the fifth consecutive time, earning $21,501 in prize money after beating dozens of other growers.
Gienger, who grows pumpkins in his backyard in Anoka, north of Minneapolis, missed last year’s competition after his pumpkin broke while growing. Hoping for a comeback, he named this year’s entry Rocky after the iconic boxer portrayed by Sylvester Stallone.
“Five-time champion, that’s what we came here to do,” Gienger said after his victory.
Gienger and his family drove for 35 hours to California, transporting the pumpkin, which was roughly the size of a small car.
According to competition organiser Ronan Fowler, Gienger grows his pumpkins in a backyard patch in Anoka, a city on the banks of the Mississippi River. This year, he had to contend with temperatures that dipped below freezing.
Gienger said he might need to move to a climate-controlled growing environment, similar to Wallace’s greenhouse, to compete more seriously in the future.
“The fact that Travis can weather the elements, like 30-degree weather, and still grow this massive pumpkin is pretty unbelievable,” Fowler said.
Hundreds of people attended the event, enjoying food trucks, music and pumpkin-related jokes. Earlier in the day, a symmetrical pumpkin named Tinkerbell won the contest for the prettiest pumpkin.
The prize money was calculated at $9 per pound, and Gienger’s winning pumpkin will feature in a parade through Half Moon Bay this weekend. He narrowly missed an additional $30,000 prize for breaking the world record.
Despite their impressive size, giant pumpkins are grown primarily for weight rather than flavour, meaning festivalgoers had no giant pumpkin pies to enjoy at the end of the event. Souce: Agency