Audrey Grandinetti, 5, of Sault Ste. Marie, stands by a pumpkin Saturday afternoon while wearing a pumpkin-patterned shirt at Andy T’s Farm in St. Johns.
St. Johns — A pumpkin tipped the scales Saturday at 1,381 pounds — smashing the state record by a whopping 79 pounds and beating the grower’s personal record by 133 pounds.
Thirty-five entries of pumpkin, squash, watermelon and cantaloupe were present at the 15th annual Great Lakes Commonwealth Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off. Growers from all over Michigan competed to see who had cultivated the heaviest fruits and vegetables.
“It’s a lot of care, a lot of work,” said Clare, Mich. resident Chad Swarts, who grew the record-breaking pumpkin.
The number of entries was slightly down from previous years, said Sunday Todoscluk, who owns and operates Andy T’s Farm, in St. Johns, with her husband Andy.
“With the huge storms (this season) came disease, and if you have one or two pumpkins on a vine, that’s it,” Todoscluk said.
Sixteen-year-old Nikki Clark of Stockbridge brought the pumpkin she grew with her father, but she said she knew it wasn’t as heavy as the previous year.
“Last year, we had a 1,160 (pound) pumpkin. This year, it’s probably 700 or 800 (pounds),” Clark said. “This summer there wasn’t enough humidity — the pumpkins weren’t comfortable.”
Despite less-than-ideal weather conditions, many of the fruits and vegetables still had a strong showing. Marshall resident Bill Edwards’ 267-pound watermelon was only 1.8 pounds off the world record.
“I’m very excited. It was still growing when I cut it Friday morning, but that’s neither here nor there,” he said.
Edwards said the most important factor when growing enormous fruit or vegetables is the seeds.
His near record-breaking watermelon sprouted from the seeds of a 255-pound watermelon grown the previous year.
The supplier of the magic seeds was Edwards’ friend and fellow grower, Fenton resident Marvin Mitchell. Mitchell came to the event just to see Edwards’ watermelon weighed.
“(Michigan) doesn’t have the best climate, so something like this is really special,” Mitchell said. “Usually when it comes to watermelon, people think Tennessee, Arkansas, places with warmer climates. But we can do it, too.”
Fertilizer is used to aid the process, as well as other unconventional methods.
“There is a lot of treatment of soil,” Clark said. “We had to till horse manure in the soil.”
And although cheating is a possibility — people can pump gallons of water into their vegetables — the people that come to this event are honest, said Charlotte resident Al Miller.
The work involved in the growing process takes patience, skill and time, but for those who love it, the passion for their work shows in the gigantic fruits and vegetables produced every year.
“(It’s) just a hobby,” Swarts said. “Sometimes you wonder why you like it ‘cause it’s so much work.”
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