Can We Grow a 3,000-Pound Pumpkin?

Last year, two brothers in the U.K. grew the world’s largest pumpkin. At 2,819.3 pounds, it’s the largest ever recorded. That’s a big increase from 30 years ago, when pumpkins first exceeded 1,000 pounds. Could a pumpkin hit 3,000 pounds this year? Experts say there’s a chance!

The key is the growing process. It starts with seeds, which contain the pumpkin’s genetic material. Giant pumpkins are genetically very different from jack-o’-lantern pumpkins, says Jessica Savage, a plant biologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth who has researched giant pumpkins.

Last year, two brothers in the U.K. grew the world’s largest pumpkin. It weighed in at 2,819.3 pounds. That’s the largest ever recorded. It’s also a big increase from 30 years ago. Back then, the largest pumpkins were just over 1,000 pounds. Could a pumpkin hit 3,000 pounds this year? Experts say there’s a chance!

The key is the growing process. It starts with seeds. These hold the pumpkin’s genes, which determine its characteristics. Giant pumpkins have very different genes from jack-o’-lantern pumpkins, says Jessica Savage. She’s a plant biologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth who has researched giant pumpkins.

To ensure that a plant’s resources don’t get split up, Ailts grows just one pumpkin per plant. He prunes the vines so that they don’t put too many resources into “salad,” aka leaves. Another trick is to bury vines so they put down more roots and suck in more water and nutrients.

Ailts has been tracking the record-breaking pumpkins for decades. Each year, the world’s biggest pumpkin puts on another 30 to 60 pounds. At that rate, Ailts believes pumpkins might reach 3,000 pounds by 2030. But it could happen sooner, he says. “With the world record currently being over 2,800 pounds, less than 200 to go is not a high bar to achieve,” he adds.

Ailts wants to make sure a plant’s resources don’t get split up. So he grows just one pumpkin per plant. He prunes the vines so that they don’t use up energy growing extra leaves. Another trick is to bury vines. This makes them grow more roots to collect water and nutrients.

Ailts has been tracking record-breaking pumpkins for decades. Each year, the world’s biggest pumpkin is 30 to 60 pounds bigger than the last. At that rate, Ailts believes pumpkins might reach 3,000 pounds by 2030. But it could happen sooner. The world record is now more than 2,800 pounds. “Less than 200 to go is not a high bar to achieve,” he says.