Largest Pumpkin Grown in North America Weighs 2,350 lbs

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One Minnesota man spent hundreds of hours in his small garden over the summer tending to his pumpkin patch, and the fruit of his labor has totally paid off! Travis Gienger of Anoka, Minnesota spent $80 on one little pumpkin seed and it has grown larger than life pumpkins over the past year including one 1,800 lb. pumpkin in 2019 and this year's 2,350 lb. pumpkin. Gienger is a horticulture teacher at Anoka Technical College and has been growing pumpkins as a hobby since he was a teenager. Familiar to the trade, Gienger had a feeling that something was different this year.

Travis Gienger's 2,350 lb pumpkin grew to 1,000 pounds in just 20 days, which he then decided to enter into the "Super Bowl" of all pumpkin growing contests in Half Moon Bay, California. He had a crew of 10 people picking the pumpkin, and four of them packed up the pumpkin and headed West to California on a 35 hour drive to enter the record setting pumpkin into the contest. They nicknamed the pumpkin "Tiger King" and took lots of precautions on their 35 hour drive to ensure its safety.

The prized pumpkin will be back in Minnesota this month to be featured in the 100th anniversary of the Anoka Halloween parade.


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