This Enormous New York Pumpkin Just Crushed a North American Record
The squash is located near Buffalo.
A huge pumpkin just managed to shatter a North American record, and it was grown right here in New York state.
Located near Buffalo, the gourd weighs a whopping 2,554 pounds, and it grew on a family farm in Lancaster, New York. The owner, Scott Andrusz, started growing it this past summer, Gothamist reports. At its final weight, the massive plant broke the official record for heaviest pumpkin ever grown in North America, besting a pumpkin grown in New Hampshire in 2018 that topped out at 2,528 pounds.
It took months of consistent and dedicated care, and lots of water. "Give it all the best stuff you can think of to give it, all the fertilizer, kelp worm castings, chicken refuse," Andrusz told Gothamist. "And a ton of water every time she's thirsty you gotta go give her a drink."
Curious pumpkin fans looking to see the massive squash in real life can head over to the Great Pumpkin Farm in Clarence, New York. The pumpkin will be on display there through October 16, The Buffalo News reports.
While the hefty pumpkin made headlines for the North American record title, it is still not big enough to be crowned as the heaviest pumpkin in the world. That record is still held by an Italian pumpkin, which grew in 2021 and reached a massive 2,707 pounds, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.