Heads Up from the Pumpkin Patch

Posted in Programs and Events on September 6 2012, by Matt Newman

I can say with sureness that this upcoming October will be a big month for The New York Botanical Garden. And I mean that in as literal a sense as possible. “But how big is it?” you most certainly ask. Well, if we need to get down to brass tacks, we’re talking about squash waaaay bigger and badder than anything you’ve seen in your neighborhood market–pumpkins trucked in from around the globe that weigh in at nearly a solid ton (that’s 2,000 pounds by U.S. standards). In other words, they make your porch jack o’ lanterns look like carved grapes in comparison.

Each of the growers that contributed mammoth pumpkins to 2011’s Halloween in the Garden–members of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth hailing from California, Pennsylvania, and even Quebec–supplied a home-grown monster the likes of which most have only seen in The Nightmare Before Christmas or Cinderella. I’m talking record-breaking squash weighing 1,600, 1,700, and even as much as 1,800 pounds in some cases. After the weigh-ins and the awards, each found its final resting place in the Garden, where Ray Villafane took knife to squash in an artful if ghoulish manner.

This year’s undertaking looks to be even more unsettling on the sculptural front, but as the pumpkin growers tell it, beefing up these autumn icons has been more challenging this season than in years past.

“2012’s heat and drought knocked many growers off of their routine,” says Karen Daubmann, NYBG Director of Exhibitions and Seasonal Displays. “Some growers have persevered, however–they kept up with the daily diligence of babying their crops despite the conditions.”

[Not a valid template]

As you can see from the photos above, the weather hasn’t stopped these squash specialists from making every effort to break last year’s pumpkin record of 1,818.5 pounds, held by Jim and Kelsey Bryson of Ormstown, Quebec. But few are about to show their hand to competitors–we can’t even tell you where these pumpkins are being grown.

“Talk amongst the growers is circulating,” says Daubmann. “There is speculating, while some are quiet with their news and others host patch tours. No one can tell who the next world record winner will be. Sometimes pumpkins crack and split before they can make it to the scale, so at this point only time will tell. You can see the winners at the NYBG beginning October 20.”