When one of Trevor Halliday’s contest entry pumpkins recently blew up, he feared his hopes of being appointed to an elite pumpkin growers club had been dashed.
In his fourth year of growing giant pumpkins on his Whonnock homestead, he was hoping to grow three pumpkins in the same year that have a combined weight of more than 4,300 pounds.
It would earn him a place in the exclusive Heavy-Hitters Club (only the third person in B.C. to receive the national honour), and garner him a jacket emblazoned with the club insignia.
When his baby, which he expected to near the 2,000 pound mark, blew up, he feared his quest was over – at least for this year.
Turns out his “back up” pumpkin still had some growing to do, and during the BC Giant Pumpkin contest last weekend in Langley, he not only earned $600 and a second-place finish for the largest pumpkin of 2023 – his 1,028 pounder still secured his seat in the club.
“Good thing we had this one,” he said.
Last Saturday’s weigh-in brought him in just shy of 4,500, including one pumpkin weighed in at 1,692 the weekend before in a U.S. contest, and another last month at 1,742.5 (his personal best).
Halliday expects to garner another title this year – albeit less official. He believes the 1,742 pounder is the biggest grown outside (not in a greenhouse) in B.C., to date.
“I grow giant pumpkins,” he said with a smile.
His results are no surprise to those who have seen his work at the annual Whonnock Giant Pumpkin Contest. In fact, he’s won the last four years in a row, taking last year’s title with a 1,388 pounder.
Good thing he has an understanding wife, he said. “Joanne puts up with a lot of stuff,” he added, noting the hobby is not for everyone.
“When the vines are growing, if you don’t stay on top of it, you’re in trouble.”
Asked what one needs to break into this pastime, his list including the understanding spouse, time, money, a big space, and a commitment to see it through. But the reward, Halliday said, is worth it.
“It’s fun. It’s addicting to watch your pumpkin grow. When it starts growing from day 20 and it starts to get into those growth spurts, you can literally watch them grow and it’s fun to watch.”
WINNER CAME FROM CAMPBELL RIVER
As Kerri Perras tells it, it is all her father’s fault she’s into growing giant gourds.
She’s dubbed Pumpkin Royalty being the daughter of Jake van Kooten, a Port Alberni resident who grew the world’s largest pumpkin and held several B.C. records during his reign.
For that reason, it wasn’t a great surprise that the Campbell River school teacher clinched the B.C. title for the largest pumpkin of 2023 on Saturday, at the provincial weigh-off in Langley.
Perras has been growing giant pumpkins for 18 years now, and when her latest was weighed at Krause Berry Farms on the weekend, the scale topped out at a whopping 1,152 pounds – breaking her previous personal best of 1,074 and securing first place in the Giant Pumpkins BC contest.
“My dad started this when I was a little kid, and then I started growing them myself, and I have a lot of fun with it,” she shared.
She harvested this pumpkin a few weeks ago and loaded it into her pickup truck. It was a tight squeeze, with no real wiggle room.
And, it was quite the sight when she loaded onto the ferry to the mainland that morning. It generated a lot of picture taking and cheers from ferry staff wishing her luck in the competition as she pulled away.
Asked if she’ll do it again, Perras said “I’ll do it every year,” now sharing the hobby with her own kids.
LAST YEAR WITH VIDEO: Pumpkin growing champion wins Langley Giant Pumpkin weigh-off
While she earned first place, bragging rights, and a $1,000 cheque for her efforts, second place went to Hallida, who garnered a paycheque for $600.
This was the ninth year Alf Krause has hosted the B.C. contest, and he’s amazed how it has kept growing through the years.
“It was a splendid day in the pumpkin patch, that’s for sure,” Krause said, excited to see thousands of guest and dozens of competitors come out.