A Mason County woman, Laurel Touchton, has spent the previous couple of months rising a pumpkin, Sylvester, in her yard that’s now estimated to be nearly 250 kilos.
In accordance with Brian Touchton, Laurel’s dad, she started speaking about rising a big pumpkin final yr. That is the primary yr she has truly gone via the method of rising one.
Angela Touchton, Laurel’s mother, stated her husband has grown massive pumpkins like this up to now. Laurel added that her dad has grown six “big” pumpkins earlier than this yr.
She stated his greatest pumpkin was listed in Kentucky’s High 20 at 1,320.5 kilos. Kentucky’s state file is over 1,800 kilos.
“I believed it might be enjoyable (to develop a big pumpkin) as a result of I might get to fulfill new folks at a weigh-off and study new issues,” Laurel stated. She went on to debate her methodology of rising a large pumpkin.
Laurel stated, in an effort to develop a pumpkin of that measurement, you could get a particular number of pumpkin seeds. Common seeds is not going to obtain the identical objective. She stated she used the variability Atlantic Large.
To start the pumpkin rising course of, Laurel began her seeds inside in April, she stated. On the time she started rising the pumpkin, it was too chilly to develop it open air.
She famous that, because the pumpkin acquired larger, she needed to put it in several containers below develop lights till it was heat sufficient to deliver the pumpkin outdoors.
Laurel stated therapies don’t essentially make a pumpkin bigger than one other. The genetics within the pumpkin’s seeds are what makes it potential for it to get massive, she stated.
She famous that the pumpkin nonetheless wants a number of water and fertilizer. Laurel stated her dad additionally sprays the pumpkin for “bugs and ailments.”
In accordance with Brian Touchton, Laurel hopes to win a Howard Dill Award. He stated it’s given to the best-looking pumpkin at weigh-offs. Laurel needs to enter her pumpkin on the Chillicothe Halloween Competition or the Robert’s Household Farm weigh-off in Guston, a metropolis in Meade County.
He added that Howard Dill was a Canadian farmer that began breeding pumpkins for large measurement.
“I need my pumpkin to be orange with some cream coloring,” Laurel stated. She added that her objective is to achieve 1,000 kilos and stated her pumpkin is already bigger than her dad’s first “big pumpkin.”
Laurel’s dad stated an inexpensive objective could be roughly 500 to 800 kilos, she stated.
Right now, Laurel just isn’t sure whether or not or not she is going to attempt to develop a large pumpkin yearly. She stated she could develop one each different yr.
“I really feel drained and proud (after rising her pumpkin). It’s a number of work,” Laurel stated.