By tf-lawyer.com In a remarkable achievement, Travis Gienger, a horticulture teacher from Anoka, Minnesota, recently captured the top prize at the 51st Annual World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off held in Half Moon Bay, California. With his giant pumpkin weighing in at an impressive 2,471 pounds, Gienger secured the championship title by a margin of six pounds over his nearest rival.
Despite his victory, the weight of his pumpkin fell short of the world record he set last year at 2,749 pounds. Gienger, 44, attributes his ongoing success to a focus on soil health and proper plant nutrition. However, he acknowledged that the harsh fall weather and record-breaking rainfall this season posed challenges for pumpkin growth.
“We faced some really extreme weather, but somehow I continued to work through it. I had to put in the effort for this pumpkin, and in the end, we completed it, although it wasn’t as successful as it could have been,” he noted.
Gienger and his family embarked on a 35-hour drive to transport the colossal pumpkin to California for the competition. After this event, the giant pumpkin’s next destination will be Southern California, where it will be featured at a Halloween event, undergoing a creative transformation thanks to a professional carving team that will perform a 3D carving on it.
