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Monster Pumpkin Weighing 2,350-lbs is Crowned Largest Grown in North America
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Monster Pumpkin Weighing 2,350-lbs is Crowned Largest Grown in North America

Minnesota grower Travis Gienger captured first prize at the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a whopping beauty weighing 2,350-lbs.

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A Minnesota grower drove his gigantic gourd all the way to California to capture first prize at the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off with a whopping beauty weighing 2,350-pounds.

And it’s so befitting that Travis Gienger hails from Anoka, a town that has for years dubbed itself the Halloween Capital of the World.

Gienger, a horticulture teacher at the Anoka Technical College, won the grand prize of the Safeway-sponsored annual event which pays $7 for every pound, taking home $16,450.

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Seeds from a giant pumpkin are the size of a peach pit and after being planted in April, giant pumpkins can gain as much as 50 pounds a day, on their best day. Gienger has been growing pumpkins in his backyard for 20 years and, according to the Star-Tribune, recently perfected soil conditions for the Atlantic Giant seed variety and at its peak his champion gourd was growing 53 pounds per day in the sandy soil of Anoka.