Largest Idaho Pumpkin Record Squashed By Local Grower

Rick Maggi, who lives just south of Bonners Ferry attended a giant pumpkin weigh off north of Seattle on October 6, his entry weighed in at 1268 pounds with a circumference of over 14 feet. The weight of Maggi’s giant pumpkin surpassed the standing 1219 pound record held by Brett Brown of Peck Idaho. Maggi says this is the third time he has held the record in the past several years but expects his current record to be short lived, having heard that a southern Idaho man expects to weigh in a much larger (grown in a greenhouse) pumpkin in the next week. Maggi says records come and go, that’s all part of hobby.

Maggi has been growing giant pumpkins for over 10 years, enjoys the challenge of growing something that can put on over 30 pounds a day and grows so large they can only be moved by a piece of heavy equipment, or sometimes two, as this year Maggi’s tractor could not lift his 1268 pumpkin so he had to have a friend bring his tractor over to assist with getting Maggi’s tractor bucket high enough to be able to load the giant pumpkin into the truck bed.

As for how does someone grow a giant pumpkin, Maggi says the seed is important, the seed that grew his 1268 came out of a 1949 pound pumpkin that was grown in the United Kingdom. Genetics are very important and studied by most every competitive grower. Highly sought after seeds can go for hundreds of dollars. Soil health and quality is also extremely important. Most top growers steer clear of chemical fertilizers and focus on building soil that is rich in organic matter by adding manure, compost, leaves, etc. Maggi states that he adds about a ton of manure per plant per year. Growing giant pumpkins is like many hobbies, the more you put into it the more you get out of it but the most important thing is that you have fun and enjoy what you’re doing.

If anyone is interested in growing a giant pumpkin, would like information and/or free seeds please give Rick a call at 208-267-7617. He hopes to generate enough interest in growing giant pumpkins so there will be more entries in the largest pumpkin contest at the 2018 fair.