This pumpkin weighs a ton! No, really. A pumpkin that was grown this year is one of the heaviest ever. The pumpkin weighs 2,560 pounds (1,161 kilograms). That’s actually more than a ton.

The pumpkin was grown by Travis Gienger, who teaches horticulture. Horticulture is the art of growing a garden. Clearly, Gienger is good at his job! 

Gienger’s pumpkin won the top prize at the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The contest took place in October, in Half Moon Bay, California. About 30 growers took part. Each grower had planted their pumpkin back in April, knowing that pumpkins can take months to reach their full size. 

At the contest, officials used forklifts and harnesses to place and hold each pumpkin on a huge scale for weighing. Gienger’s pumpkin didn’t just win first prize. It also set a record for the heaviest-ever pumpkin in North America. 

What was the heaviest pumpkin ever? According to Guinness World Records, a pumpkin grown in Italy in 2021 weighed over 2,702 pounds (1,226 kilograms).