A Minnesota horticulture teacher set a world record in California on Monday for the heaviest pumpkin after growing a giant jack-o’-lantern gourd weighing 2,749 pounds (1,247 kilograms).

Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota, won the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, with an enormous, lumpy, orange pumpkin that could produce at least 687 pies.

“I was not expecting that. It was quite the feeling,” said Gienger, 43, who has been growing pumpkins for nearly 30 years and last year set a new U.S. record for growing a giant gourd.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    17
    edit-2
    9 months ago

    I didn’t know the world record was so seemingly achievable. I just saw a 2000+lb pumpkin at my stupid local contest, wasn’t even a state fair. Those last 750lbs are difficult, I’m sure.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      8
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      I assume that’s the general pattern for most World’s ______est ________. An obvious example is some Olympic world records where second place is a few hundredths of a second behind, and 100th place is maybe 5 seconds. Those last few seconds/pounds/whatever make all the difference in the world at the highest levels of competitions.

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        49 months ago

        Yeah being the 99th percentile makes you pretty darn good, but it’s really the top 1/10th if not 100th of 1 percent that competition for the “best” begins.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    -209 months ago

    Meanwhile people are unable to get food or water for themselves but farms can overgrow crops for funsies.

    • Drusas
      link
      fedilink
      159 months ago

      He’s not a farmer, he’s a teacher. It says it right in the body of the post.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      69 months ago

      Ever grown a pumpkin, or a gourd of any sort? It’s a giant ball of water and cell walls.

      Save your rage for something meaningful kid.

    • @ratman150
      link
      19 months ago

      Also said in the article the pumpkin could make something like 647 or 847 pies or whatever. Is that not food?