Mass. Man Claims Season's Biggest Pumpkin
Sharon Grower Says Big Squash Weighs At Least 1,800 Pounds
POSTED: 1:48 pm EDT September 30, 2008
UPDATED: 6:27 pm EDT September 30, 2008
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BOSTON -- A Sharon, Mass., man believes he may have the biggest pumpkin anyone's grown so far this year right in his back yard.
Great Or Not-So-Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? | Share Fall Photos | Send Your 'Lil Pumpkin PicsSteve Connolly says the huge squash weighs about 1,800 pounds.He said he planted it on May 1 and then pollinated it on July 3 and it's been growing into a monster for the past three months.Connolly said on some days during its rapid growth phase it was putting on about 45 pounds per day.To boost growth, Connolly said he used North American Kelp and seaweed fertilizer, plus Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer, plus plenty of cow manure and maple leaf compost on the pumpkin.He said he also used RTI mycorrhizae, a naturally occurring root stimulating fungi, that he said latches onto the pumpkin roots to produce a massive pumpkin root structure. That, in turn, allows the plant to draw more energy and produce phenomenal growth, Connolly said.The big pumpkin will be harvested Oct. 10 in Sharon and weighed Oct. 11 at Frerich's Farm in Warren, Mass.Connolly said there will be about 55 entrants from throughout New England and usually about 3,000 people show up to watch the weigh-in.He said the Guiness World Records people will be there to verify if his pumpkin has set a new record.
Great Or Not-So-Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown? | Share Fall Photos | Send Your 'Lil Pumpkin PicsSteve Connolly says the huge squash weighs about 1,800 pounds.He said he planted it on May 1 and then pollinated it on July 3 and it's been growing into a monster for the past three months.Connolly said on some days during its rapid growth phase it was putting on about 45 pounds per day.To boost growth, Connolly said he used North American Kelp and seaweed fertilizer, plus Neptune's Harvest fish fertilizer, plus plenty of cow manure and maple leaf compost on the pumpkin.He said he also used RTI mycorrhizae, a naturally occurring root stimulating fungi, that he said latches onto the pumpkin roots to produce a massive pumpkin root structure. That, in turn, allows the plant to draw more energy and produce phenomenal growth, Connolly said.The big pumpkin will be harvested Oct. 10 in Sharon and weighed Oct. 11 at Frerich's Farm in Warren, Mass.Connolly said there will be about 55 entrants from throughout New England and usually about 3,000 people show up to watch the weigh-in.He said the Guiness World Records people will be there to verify if his pumpkin has set a new record.Copyright 2008 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
