Pumpkin growing is a complicated process, and as such takes individuals who are dedicated, smart and extremely patient with a lot of time to work the magic of creating a gigantic gourd. It’s almost a year-long process from pollination to full growth, according to pumpkin grower Russ Pugh of Oregon. Pugh has been growing pumpkins for a long time alongside friend Jim Sherwood, also of Oregon.
The two joined about 50 pumpkin growers Saturday for the National Pumpkin Weigh Off that recently transitioned to south Yuba County at Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm in Wheatland after being established in 1921, according to the National Pumpkin Weigh Off website. To get ready for the 2024 edition of the pumpkin weigh off, Pugh and Sherwood joined a Zoom call with nine of the top growers in the world, including last year’s Wheatland winner, Dave Chan of Vancouver and world-record holder Travis Gienger out of Minnesota. The group worked together to share tips and research tactics on how to grow the biggest pumpkin.
“We all just make each other better,” Pugh said. No one has been able to topple Gienger, who reached 2,749 pounds in October 2023 in Half Moon Bay. Sherwood, while he did not break Gienger’s mark, obliterated his pumpkin at last year’s Wheatland weigh off with a mark of 2,453 pounds to win the 2024 competition.
Pugh was second at 2,301 pounds, while Madison Thomson claimed third at 1,991 pounds. “It’s the biggest pumpkin I have ever grown,” Sherwood said. It took about.