A giant pumpkin grower from Englehart, Ont., had the heaviest pumpkin at this year’s Port Elgin Pumpkinfest, but a soft spot kept him from taking home the top prize. Jeff Warner of Aidie Creek Gardens says getting a giant pumpkin to the weigh-in is only half the battle. As usual, Warner brought one of his biggest pumpkins to the competition, but the outcome wasn’t what he expected. “Well, this year was a little different than usual,” he said. “I grew a couple nice pumpkins and decided to take one of them, to my competition that I go to. I got there, and my pumpkin got disqualified for a soft spot in the side of it.” Warner told CTV News he was aware of the soft spot before leaving for the competition but still wanted to bring the pumpkin to Port Elgin and share what he had grown. However, the competition had strict rules about the condition of entries. “By the time I loaded it in my trailer, it was probably an inch and a half wide and by the time they judged it before it got weighed, he said it was four inches,” Warner said. 1,711 pounds Despite the disqualification, Warner said the pumpkin would have taken first place by a significant margin. “It was the biggest, the heaviest pumpkin there. So, I would have won the competition by quite a bit,” he said. “Mine ended up weighing 1,711 pounds (776 kg) and the one that ended up winning was 1,542 pounds (699 kg).” The winning pumpkin belonged to Todd Klein, a grower from Quebec who Warner said has helped him learn the craft over the years. Warner grows Atlantic Giant pumpkins in a greenhouse, where he can control the temperature and growing conditions. He said soft spots can sometimes be unpredictable and this one was no exception. Warner is now displaying the pumpkin during his Fall Fun Days at Aidie Creek Gardens. The giant pumpkin may also soon be headed to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat as a special treat for the polar bears. Warner donated a giant pumpkin to the polar bears last year and is hoping to do it again this year.
