A Northern California gardening enthusiast, who is also an engineer, secured the grand prize at a yearly pumpkin-weighing competition. His colossal jack-o'-lantern squash tipped the scales at an impressive 2,346 pounds (1,064 kilograms).
TL;DR
- Brandon Dawson won the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a 2,346-pound pumpkin.
- Dawson, an engineer from Santa Rosa, California, has cultivated giant pumpkins for five years.
- He won a $20,000 prize, overcoming a close loss in last year's competition.
- Dawson involves his children in the pumpkin growing process.
Brandon Dawson, hailing from Santa Rosa, California, secured the win on Monday at the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off held in Half Moon Bay, located south of San Francisco.
Dawson raised his arms in triumph and placed his two children atop the enormous pumpkin, a gourd that weighed about as much as a compact car or a hefty bison, after being declared this year's champion.
“My mind is kind of racing because I was in this position last year when I lost by 6 pounds (3 kilograms),” he said in an interview.
Dawson, who works as a manufacturing engineer for electric vehicle company Rivian Automotive, stated he's been cultivating enormous pumpkins for five years. He mentioned that the precision skills he uses in his profession have aided him in providing the correct amount of water and sunlight to foster his gourd's growth.
He said he enjoys getting his children involved in the process.
“We like to spend time out in the patch and watch the thing grow,” Dawson said about his 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter.
“My 4-year-old now can really pay attention to the growing process,” especially since the giant pumpkins can grow by 50 to 70 pounds (23 to 32 kilograms) a day, he added.
The pumpkin champ won a $20,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin.
Dawson’s pumpkin was the runner up in last year’s contest at Half Moon Bay when the winning gourd grown by Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Gienger came in at 2,471 pounds (1,121 kilograms).
Gienger, from Anoka, Minnesota, set a world record the California competition in 2023 for the heaviest pumpkin, with his enormous jack-o’-lantern gourd tipping the scales at 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms). Gienger's pumpkin sustained damage earlier this season, preventing his participation in this year's California contest.
Earlier this month, two brothers in England surpassed Gienger's previous record by growing a pumpkin that tipped the scales at 2,819 pounds (1,278kg).