Congratulations to our associate Michael Starr, who is truly outstanding in his field. Or rather, his pumpkin patch. Michael has grown New Jersey’s largest pumpkin this year, weighing in at an astonishing 863 pounds and measuring nearly 14.5 feet in circumference.
Although it is believed to be the second largest pumpkin in New Jersey history, 9 others from other states weighed more at a “Weigh-Off “competition of 30 entries in Pennsylvania. “Room for improvement next year,” says Mike.
How did he do it? His wife Hanna surprised him by researching and finding seeds from other giant pumpkins, and the adventure began. Mike selected seeds from an award-winning white pumpkin, planted them, and then tended to his prize-winning pumpkin daily, watering and fertilizing it regularly. There were days in August that the pumpkin grew more than 30 pounds in one day.
Michael donated the pumpkin to Ort Farms in Long Valley (www.ortfarms.com), where it is drawing huge crowds and is on display until early November.
See CBS New York for more coverage of Michael’s amazing accomplishment.
