From 鈥榮pecial seed鈥� to 2,170-pound winning pumpkin
鈥淥ne special seed鈥� and months of care by an Oregon commercial pilot produced a massive pumpkin that tipped the scales at a global weigh-in Monday in Northern California, the fourth time his gargantuan plants were awarded top honors.
Steve Daletas, of Pleasant Hill, Oregon, also credited lots of sunny days since he planted eight seeds on April 15, hoping to win the 45th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. His winner came in at 2,170 pounds.
鈥淭his all started with one special seed and a whole lot of work,鈥� said Daletas, who raises giant pumpkins as a hobby. 鈥淲e were really blessed it was sunny almost every day.鈥�
It was the second-heaviest pumpkin ever weighed at the 40-year-old California event, but it was still far from a U.S. record. That was set just last month, when a grower in New Hampshire produced a pumpkin weighing more than 2,500 pounds.
The record for heaviest pumpkin in the world was set last year at a competition in Europe. A Belgium grower鈥檚 winning whopper came in at just over 2,600 pounds.
Daletas, 58, needed a backhoe to place his massive pumpkin on a pickup truck for the drive to California. He said he strapped it down and drove 鈥渂elow the speed limit鈥� for 12 hours to get to the contest.
A crowd, including dogs and babies in pumpkin costumes, watched massive pumpkins getting weighed on a warm, sunny day as a marching band played Halloween music.
The four-time pumpkin champ won $15,190, or $7 per pound, for the lumpy, orange pumpkin that will be showcased this weekend at Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival.
鈥淭housands of people will get pictures with it, which is really why we do this in the first place, to put smiles on people鈥檚 faces,鈥� Daletas said. 鈥淲hen the festival鈥檚 over, we鈥檒l probably take it home and put it in front of our house.鈥�