Talk about a great pumpkin. With Halloween around the corner, two Ohio pumpkin growers may have a world record-breaking gourd on their hands.
Nick and Christy Harp of Jackson Township, near Canton, brought a pumpkin weighing 1,725 pounds to the annual Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers weighoff last Saturday, making them a shoo-in for the biggest pumpkin title -- and possibly a Guinness-certified World Record.
"I kind of knew I had a good shot at the world record, but when it hit the scale, it was just happy, I was crying, thought I was gonna pass out," Christy Harp told Cleveland's Fox News affiliate, as reported on Fox8.com. She has been growing pumpkins since the eighth grade, and has a friendly rivalry with husband Nick.
"Last year he beat me by 200 pounds. This year I beat him by 400 pounds," Christy said. "Very good year! My pumpkin, my side of the patch! We separate the patch and never step foot on the other side!"
At one point in August, the massive pumpkin was growing 33 pounds a day, Christy told Fox News. She kept it going by plying the soil with a mix of compost, coffee grounds and cow manure, though seeds with good genetics are also key.
Taking the pumpkin-growing title was a thrill for the entire family.
"Nick got emotional, Christy got emotional and I have to admit her mother and I did, too," Christy's father, Denny Dieffenbaugh, told Fox News. "It was a very proud moment for us."
Contest organizers told The Associated Press that the Harps' entry topped the 1,689-pound world record-holder grown in 2007 by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, R.I.
And, according to the AP, some lucky folks can score a piece of the prize-winning pumpkin: The seeds will be dried and given to anyone who asks.
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