B.C. man grows 1,003-kilogram pumpkin, wins international competition
Richmond's Dave Chan took home a prize of about $27,000 from the California contest
Dave Chan has known Mama was a special pumpkin since she began growing in his Richmond backyard in June.
And he was right — at a whopping 1,003 kilograms, Mama came first place at one of the world's biggest pumpkin weighing competitions in Sacramento, Cali.
"We got pretty excited about Mama right through the whole summer. It just kept growing and growing and growing," he said.
Mama stands at about 1.8 metres wide and one metre high.
The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's Sacramento national pumpkin weigh-off offers $9 a pound for the competition's winner. With Mama weighing in at 2,212 pounds, Chan took home nearly $20,000 USD or about $27,000 CAD.
"Everybody laughs and smiles when they see something that big. It really makes a lot of people happy, including myself," said Chan.
WATCH | CBC's The National reports on a prize-winning pumpkin
In 2021, Chan took home first place at a local competition in Langley for an 866 kilogram pumpkin, at the time setting a record for the largest pumpkin grown in B.C.
"I've done this season with a no-expense-spared attitude," said Chan, who estimates he spends four to five hours a day caring for his pumpkins.
This includes monitoring their temperature and humidity and pumping carbon dioxide into the 2,000 square foot greenhouse he built in his backyard — which he notes is larger than his house.
"When you're out there working away, you kind of forget your worries," said Chan.
Chan says his favourite part of the craft is connecting with the pumpkin-growing community.
"There hasn't been a person yet in 15 years that has left my pumpkin patch without a big smile on their face," he said.
On the trip to California, Chan also brought a second smaller pumpkin called Baby, weighing at around 725 kilograms, noting he got many cheers and smiles with the two pumpkins on a flatbed trailer.
Baby will compete in a second pumpkin weighing competition in Half Moon Bay, Cali., next week.
A letter, some pumpkin seeds and a dream
Chan says his pumpkin growing passion began about 40 years ago, when he saw Canadian world pumpkin record holder Howard Dill on TV.
He addressed a letter to "Howard Dill, Nova Scotia" inquiring about pumpkin growing and received a response and some seeds a week later.
"The whole pumpkin-growing community will share seeds and send them around the world," said Chan, noting the seeds he used to grow Mama were from a pumpkin grower in Spain.
Chan enjoys helping other people grow their biggest pumpkins, and plans to give away most of the seeds that are extracted from Mama this year.
The pumpkin flesh, which is a delicious treat for pigs, will go to an acquaintance who is a pig farmer.
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With files from The National and On The Coast