Remember back in the day when you could grow a pumpkin weighing several hundred pounds and become a local, or even worldwide, hero? It seems like only yesterday when a pumpkin weighing more than a ton was unthinkable, but that line was crossed in 2014. This year, the world record has been broken by a pumpkin weighing 2,749 pounds, entered into the Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California.
Travis Gienger of Anoka County, Minnesota, grew the pumpkin, but who knows what he went through to transport it to California. Gienger is a rockstar pumpkin-grower, having won three of the last four championships. He named this pumpkin Michael Jordan, because it was perfectly round, like a basketball. As you can see, that didn't last. The previous world record was held by an Italian who grew a 2,703-pound pumpkin in 2021. Read about Michael Jordan the pumpkin and how Gienger brought the record back to the US at Smithsonian.
(Image credit: Miramar Events)