A gargantuan gourd – affectionately named ‘Orangina’ by the urban gardeners who grew it in the front yard of their Vancouver home – earned the massive honour of being named B.C.’s heaviest giant pumpkin Saturday.
The annual contest took place at Krause Berry Farms in Langley and saw the hefty contestants weighed on in industrial scale
Orangina weighed in at 1,161 pounds – edging out the second-place pumpkin by just two pounds.
The Polay family, who tended to the pumpkin for months in preparation for the big day, say it is now enjoying a “well-deserved retirement” at a local grocery store, Stong’s Market.
CTV News spoke to the family in the led-up to the contest, and they said caring for it was a full-time job with twice-daily waterings and frequent feedings with compost and manure.
“My kids will tell you, I spend more time with the pumpkin than them sometimes,” Mike Polay said.
The Polay family poses with their prize-winning pumpkin. (Phot submitted by Michael Polay)
Other categories in the weekend competition included prettiest pumpkin, longest gourd and giant watermelon. The event, according to the website, is the only certified one of its kind in Western Canada. The Guinness World Record for heaviest pumpkin is 2,702 pounds and was set in Italy in 2021.