This Halloween, the biggest pumpkin in Connecticut is on display at Plainville Town Hall and it’s huge, weighing in at 1,992 and a half pounds.
Gary Vincent , a retired police officer turned extreme gardener, grew the humongous pumpkin and named it “Hightower” because of its height.
“I started with this pumpkin on April 14. It was germinated in a little cup in my house,” said Vincent, who has been growing big pumpkins for the last eight years.
The pumpkin recently took top honors at the Topsfield Fair in Massachusetts, beating out dozens of others from around New England.
Vincent said it takes a lot of hours and meticulous effort to grow a pumpkin so large it has to be carried around in a trailer.
“You need a pumpkin seed that has the genetics to get this big. Then you need to have your soil balanced,” he said. “Forget vacation time. It’s like taking care of a baby. Everyday there’s something that you need to do and you can’t skip it.”
Now that the pumpkin has won an award and made headlines around the state, Vincent said the next step is to harvest its seeds to grow future large pumpkins and share with other gardeners.
