An engineer and gardening enthusiast from California emerged as the champion in the annual pumpkin weigh-off competition held in Northern California, with his cultivated giant pumpkin weighing an impressive 2346 pounds (1064 kilograms).
The 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off took place on Monday, October 13th, in Half Moon Bay, South of San Francisco, where Brandon Dawson from Santa Rosa, California, claimed the title.
After winning the competition, Dawson raised his arms in triumph and had his two children sit on top of the giant pumpkin, which roughly equates to the weight of a small car or a large buffalo.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion right now because last year I was here and lost by only 6 pounds,” Dawson shared during an interview.
Dawson, who works as a manufacturing engineer at the electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian Automotive, revealed that he has been growing giant pumpkins for five years. He attributed his success to the precision skills he honed at work, which helped him accurately control watering and sunlight to promote pumpkin growth.
He emphasized the joy of involving his children in the process, saying, “We enjoy spending time on that little piece of land, watching this thing grow,” referring to his two-year-old son and four-year-old daughter.
“My four-year-old is really paying attention to the growth process, especially since this giant pumpkin has been gaining 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kilograms) every day,” he added.
According to the competition’s website, Dawson received a champion prize of $21,114 along with a $1,000 award for the largest pumpkin from California.
The top-ten pumpkin growers also received cash prizes ranging from $1,000 to $3,000. This year, all the top-ten pumpkins were from California.
In last year’s event held in Half Moon Bay, Dawson’s pumpkin secured the runner-up position, while the champion title went to Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Minnesota, whose pumpkin weighed in at 2471 pounds (1121 kilograms).
In 2023, Gienger set a world record in California with a giant pumpkin weighing 2749 pounds (1247 kilograms). However, his pumpkin was damaged earlier this season, preventing him from participating in this year’s California competition.
Earlier this month, two brothers from the UK broke Gienger’s record with their pumpkin weighing 2819 pounds (1278 kilograms).
(Reference: The Associated Press)