Bragging rights for the 2009 world’s largest pumpkin are still up for grabs, but the new record is going to be very tough to beat.
Christy Harp of Jackson Township, Ohio, holds the new world record with a 1,725-pound pumpkin. She won first place at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers annual weigh-off Saturday and took home the $2,500 first prize.
“I kind of knew I had a good shot at the world record, but when it hit the scale … I thought I was going to pass out,” Harp said.
For Harp, growing gargantuan gourds has become a personal challenge since the 8th grade, and a bit of a hobby at the family farm.
This year, she and her husband Nick decided to have a little contest.
“Last year he beat me by 200 pounds. This year I beat him by 400 pounds,” Harp explained. “We separate the patch and never step foot on the other side!”
The record-setting pumpkin grew as much as 33 pounds a day.
So what’s her secret?
“We filled up the soil with lots of compost, coffee grounds, cow manure, and then we pick out seeds with good genetics,” Harp said.
Although it’s unlikely, there is still a chance that another pumpkin grower could take the title from Harp over the next two weeks. Weigh-ins for other pumpkin contests take place in another two weeks. But she’s not too concerned.
“Hey, even if I get beat, I was the world record holder for at least a week,” she concluded.
