A group of Utah pumpkin growers held their annual giant pumpkin weigh-off just in time for the Halloween season, and the giant gourds did not disappoint. This year’s competition held one of the largest pumpkins reportedly ever grown in the state of Utah.
On Saturday, the Utah Giant Pumpkins Growers held their 16th annual weigh-off at Thanksgiving Point. The weigh-off included literally thousands of pounds of pumpkins. The winner, Dr. Mohamed Sadiq, presented a pumpkin that reportedly weighed in at 1,825 pounds.
Sadiq’s pumpkin is the state’s second-largest pumpkin ever grown in the state, according to the Utah Giant Pumpkin Growers. Additionally, it is the largest pumpkin ever grown outside of a greenhouse in the state. Supposedly, the winning pumpkin grew from a 1911 wolf seed and smashed Sadiq’s previous personal record by almost 400 pounds. This is the second time Sadiq has won the top prize for his huge pumpkins.
During the 2020 competition, eight of the submitted pumpkins weighed in at over 1,000 pounds. That many enormous pumpkins set a new state record, Fox 13 reports.
How Are Giant Pumpkins Grown?
For those interested in how one goes about growing a giant pumpkin, the pumpkin growers’ website shares some details. The site says there are four key ingredients: good seed, good soil, hard work, and good luck.
In addition, the website recommends planting the seeds in indoor pots at first. Later, it says you should transplant them outside as the first leaves start to grow on the pumpkin. Furthermore, the Utah Giant Pumpkin Growers suggest building a tiny greenhouse over the young plants to protect them from the elements.
The site states that it can take around 120 to 150 days for seeds to grow into giant pumpkins. Also, giant pumpkins require lots of water and a lot of manure to help them reach their maximum weight potential.
[H/T FOX News]
