Todd Kline from Shawville, Que., claimed the top spot at the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest’s Saturday weigh-off.
The grower, who set a Canadian record back in 2016 with a gigantic 1,877-pound pumpkin, walked away with a $3,200 prize for his impressive 1,542.5-pound pumpkin this Saturday.
Kline, a recently retired officer of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC), is quite well-known in the world of giant vegetables. His 981.5-pound pumpkin took second place in the squash category behind John Butler of St. Thomas.
“You want your fruit to be on the largest vine, right? So all of the offshoots feed into that. You get 1,000 square feet of plant all feeding one fruit. That’s how you get a giant pumpkin,” Kline said.
He avoids modern techniques in giant pumpkin growing and prefers to cultivate his pumpkins outdoors using natural fertilizers like seaweed.
“I’m a gardener,” said Kline, who made his living as a carpenter. “I love it.”
Cultivating a winning pumpkin at what many growers view as the province’s premier weigh-off is both costly and time-consuming. Kline mentioned that it’s really the people and community that keep him coming back year after year.
“Everybody who does it gets really involved, and we love coming to events like this,” Kline shared. “It’s good to catch up and get together.”
Saturday’s weigh-off featured some friendly competition as well. Kline’s friend and travel buddy Jeff Warner from Englehart, Ont., brought along what was initially thought to be the heaviest pumpkin weighed on Saturday.
However, due to a rot spot larger than three inches in diameter on his pumpkin, it ended up being disqualified from winning.
“I thought there was a 50-50 chance when I loaded it on the trailer,” Warner said.
“It’s random,” he commented about pumpkin rot. “It’s like having five tomatoes on the kitchen counter, and only one goes bad.”
Another weigh-off is scheduled for Sunday; however, most growers bring their best fruits and vegetables on Saturday because that’s when there’s more prize money available.
There’s also an exciting two-day car show happening on Goderich Street that will continue Sunday from 10-4 p. m., along with entertainment options, food-truck alley, and a midway.
More to come…
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