Giant Pumpkin! California Engineer Grows 2,346-Pound Gourd That Worth More Than Rs 17 Lakh | See Pics

A California engineer has taken home the top prize at one of the world’s most famous pumpkin contests after growing a massive pumpkin that weighs 2,346 pounds (1,064 kilograms) about the size of a small car or a large bison.

Brandon Dawson, a manufacturing engineer at Rivian Automotive and a father of two, won the 52nd World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off held Monday in Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco.

Last year, he came in second place just 6 pounds short of victory.

“My mind is kind of racing because I was in this position last year when I lost by 6 pounds,” Dawson said.

This year, he returned with an even bigger pumpkin, and this time, he won. After being crowned champion, Dawson celebrated by lifting his arms in the air and letting his 2-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter sit on top of the giant gourd.

Dawson says that his engineering skills helped him grow the massive pumpkin. Using careful watering, sunlight, and monitoring, he was able to grow a gourd that gained up to 70 pounds a day.

“We like to spend time out in the patch and watch the thing grow,” he said, adding that his daughter is now old enough to understand and enjoy the process.

A Pumpkin Worth 17 Lakh

For growing the biggest pumpkin, Dawson received a $20,000 around 17,75,826 in (Indian rupees) cash prize. His win comes just one year after Minnesota horticulture teacher Travis Gienger broke the world record at the same contest with a 2,749-pound gourd.

Unfortunately, Gienger couldn’t compete this year due to pumpkin damage. And just earlier this month, two brothers in England grew a world-record-breaking pumpkin that weighed 2,819 pounds (1,278 kilograms).

While Dawson’s pumpkin didn’t break the world record, it was still the biggest in this year’s Half Moon Bay contest and a big win for the California dad who mixes engineering with family fun in the pumpkin patch.

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