A Rhode Island grower may have just produced the heaviest pumpkin ever recorded, and by a wide margin.
Ron Wallace of Greene, Rhode Island, weighed in a 3,156-pound pumpkin at a contest in New England on Saturday, the Associated Press reported. That's nearly 300 pounds heavier than the current world record, which was set barely a week earlier.
Waiting on Guinness
The record to beat belongs to Ian Paton of Lymington, England, whose 2,857-pound pumpkin set the mark on Oct. 3. Guinness World Records has not yet verified Wallace's entry. Wallace told the AP he has been in touch with Guinness officials and was told the record is on track. Guinness did not respond to the AP's request for comment.
Wallace described the moment the scale settled as pure joy, saying the crowd erupted.
The Greenhouse Difference
This was Wallace's first year growing in a greenhouse, and he believes that made a big difference. He also credited the tight-knit giant-pumpkin community, where growers openly share tips, saying a 3,000-pound pumpkin takes a community working together.
He could have taken his pumpkin to contests offering as much as $70,000. Instead he entered his hometown event and won $3,500.
Meanwhile, in California
At the 53rd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Gienger won for the fifth time with a 2,389-pound pumpkin named Rocky. At $9 a pound, his prize came to $21,501, though he missed a $30,000 bonus reserved for a world record.
Gienger drove 35 hours from Anoka, Minnesota, with his family after missing last year's contest when his pumpkin broke while growing. He battled below-freezing temperatures this season and said he will likely need a climate-controlled setup to compete for records. Organizer Ronan Fowler called his result, given the cold, pretty unbelievable.
Rocky will now ride in a parade through Half Moon Bay. And if Guinness signs off, the pumpkin world will have a new heavyweight champion.