Giant pumpkin

Growing giant pumpkins emerged from the North American agricultural tradition. The Smithsonian notes that "improbably", giant pumpkins trace themselves to Henry David Thoreau, who in 1857 grew a pumpkin weighing , which he detailed in his unfinished work Wild Fruits. The first competition giant pumpkins were grown by William Warnock of Ontario, Canada. His first record was , measured at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In 1900, Warnock's pumpkin was exhibited at the Paris World's Fair, and won a bronze medal. He beat his own record four years later, and began to provide advice to other growers on how to achieve large pumpkin yields. Warnock's record stood for some 70 years before a pumpkin growing renaissance emerged, and records were quickly shattered. Growing giant pumpkins remains a mostly North American pursuit, especially in the Northeastern United States, although several recent record holders have been European. Giant pumpkin growing has inspired numerous related activities, including giant pumpkin boat races, and pumpkin chucking. Giant pumpkins are often exhibited at county fairs and related exhibitions. == Cultivation ==

Giant pumpkins are Cucurbita maxima, a different species from the pumpkins used for jack-o'-lanterns or pumpkin pies, which are usually C. pepo. C. maxima likely emerged from wild squash in South America near Buenos Aires. The fruits of wild Cucurbita maxima are around the size of a softball. Some pumpkins may even collapse under their own weight, and transporting them is a significant challenge due to their fragility. Folk wisdom in the early 20th century held that feeding milk to the pumpkins would help them grow, but this does not likely affect size. Modern growers may use professional soil laboratory analysis to ensure ideal soil nutrition. Giant pumpkins are heavy feeders, and some farmers may use large quantities of chicken manure to fertilize pumpkins, following in the footsteps of Warnock, whose first champion fruits were fertilized by chicken manure. Fungal mycorrhizal and Azospirillum bacterial soil amendments have gained popularity in recent years. ==World record giant pumpkins by year==

, England. Photographed in October 2025 while on public display at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton as part of its annual "Pumpkin Time" event. Since the 1970s, the largest-pumpkin record has regularly been beaten. Given this regularity and the overall rate of increase, there appear to still be substantial genetic and cultural improvements to be made in giant pumpkin growing. Every year, about 10,000 growers attempt to grow champion pumpkins, and several thousand make it to official weigh-offs. ==See also==