thumb|A giant pumpkin being grown in Japan

A giant pumpkin is a cultivar of the squash Cucurbita maxima grown for its prodigious size, commonly weighing from to over . The practice of growing giant pumpkins dates to the 1800s, and world records were set beginning at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. The practice experienced a revival in the 1970s, and records have since routinely been broken. As of 2025, the largest weighed . Giant pumpkins are grown more for their novelty than their utility, as large pumpkins are not particularly tasty—although they have been turned into boats and used for pumpkin chucking. Some 10,000 growers a year attempt giant pumpkins. Growing them is mostly a hobby, but record breaking pumpkins are valuable for their seeds and the prize money they can win.

History

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. Every year, about 10,000 growers attempt to grow champion pumpkins, and several thousand make it to official weigh-offs.

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+

|-

!! scope="col" style="background: #F2F2F2" | Year

!! scope="col" style="background: #F2F2F2" | Grower

!! scope="col" style="background: #F2F2F2" | Country

!! scope="col" style="background: #F2F2F2" | Weight

!! scope="col" style="background: #F2F2F2" | Reference

|-

! scope="row" | 2025

| Ian and Stuart Paton

| United Kingdom

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2023

|Travis Gienger

|United States

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2021

| Stefano Cutrupi

| Italy

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2016

| Mathias Willemijns

| Belgium

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2014

| Beni Meier

| Switzerland

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2013

| Tim Mathison

| United States

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2012

| Ron Wallace

| United States

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2011

| Jim and Kelsey Bryson

| Canada

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2010

| Chris Stevens

| United States

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2009

| Christy Harp

| United States

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2007

| Joe Jutras

| United States

| 1,689 lb (766 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2006

| Ron Wallace

| United States

| 1,502 lb (681 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2005

| Larry Checkon

| United States

| 1,469 lb (666 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2004

| Al Eaton

| Canada

| 1,446 lb (656 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2003

| Steve Daletas

| United States

| 1,385 lb (628 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2002

| Charlie Houghton

| United States

| 1,337.6 lb (607 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2001

| Geneva Emmons

| United States

| 1,262 lb (572 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 2000

| Dave Stelts

| United States

| 1,140 lb (517 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1999

| Gerry Checkon

| United States

| 1,131 lb (513 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1998

| Gary Burke

| Canada

| 1,092 lb (495 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1996

| Nathan and Paula Zehr

| United States

| 1,061 lb (481 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1994

| Herman Bax

| Canada

| 990 lb (449 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1993

| Donald Black

| United States

| 884 lb (401 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1992

| Joel Holland

| United States

| 827 lb (375 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1990

| Ed Gancarz

| United States

| 816.5 lb (370 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1989

| Gordon Thomson

| Canada

| 755 lb (342 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1984

| Norm Gallagher

| United States

| 612 lb (276 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1981

| Howard Dill

| Canada

| 493.5 lb (224 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1980

| Howard Dill

| Canada

| 459 lb (208 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1976

| Edgar Van Wyck

| Canada

| 453 lb (206 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1976

| Bob Ford

| United States

| 451 lb (205 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1904

| William Warnock

| Canada

| 403 lb (183 kg)

|

|-

! scope="row" | 1900

| William Warnock

| Canada

| 400 lb (181 kg)

|

|}

Additionally, in 2022 Ian and Stuart Paton grew a pumpkin weighing —the heaviest ever measured—but it was disqualified due to being damaged.

See also

  • Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival

Notes

References

Further reading

  • Pumpkin Statistics and Pumpkin Growing Records (includes genetic information and progeny)
  • Giant Pumpkin Records in the World, with Country, State, Province Records