By Guy Page

A 1,730.5-pound pumpkin grown by Wilbur Horton of Springfield took top honors Saturday at the Vermont Giant Pumpkin Growers Contest at Sam Mazza’s Farm Market in Colchester.

The annual weigh-off drew a large crowd to see some of the biggest produce grown in Vermont and beyond, including a tomato reported to rank second in the world. The tomato grown by John and Kerry Young of Jericho measured 8.75 lbs, with a circumference of 31 and ⅛ inches. It just beat their own previous highest, a tomato weighing 8.6 lbs, which was also on display. 

Another produce heavyweight was “Baby Ed,” a giant marrow, or zucchini, grown by Sarah Whitty. It tipped the scales at 72 pounds.

Whitty said she had estimated Baby Ed at about 77 pounds but had to cut it from the vine early after discovering a superficial crack. Had the crack continued through the fruit, it could have disqualified the marrow.

“Marrows are by far the most difficult giant fruit to keep in one piece,” Whitty said, noting that splitting is a common heartbreak for giant-vegetable growers.

She may have an even bigger entry coming. Whitty said only one of her six other promising marrows remains, but it is about twice the size of Baby Ed. She hopes to keep it intact for another two weeks.

Growing a pumpkin like Horton’s 1,730-pound winner requires far more than planting an ordinary pumpkin seed. Competitive growers typically start with Atlantic Giant genetics from proven giant-pumpkin lines and give each plant hundreds of square feet of fertile, well-drained soil enriched with compost and other organic matter.

Growers train and prune the sprawling vines, encourage additional roots along vine nodes and eventually select a single promising pumpkin so the plant can concentrate its resources on that fruit. Giant pumpkins also require steady moisture and careful attention to pests, disease, nutrition and protection from temperature extremes.

During its fastest growth, a giant pumpkin can put on dozens of pounds in a single day. For growers, the challenge is not merely getting the pumpkin big. As Whitty’s experience with her marrow shows, it also has to reach weigh-off day in one piece.