Wisconsin has a new state record for the largest pumpkin grown in the state!
— James Groh (@JamesGroh_) October 15, 2024
Jim Ford grew a 2,551-pound giant pumpkin outside of Fond du Lac. At its peak, the pumpkin was growing at 50 pounds a day! pic.twitter.com/PvTkb9uQHM
First things first, what a picture:
You know what I saved that picture as on my desktop? ‘Pumpkin King.’ That’s what this guy is. He is no longer Jim Ford, he’s the Pumpkin King. And you can tell he knows it. Pumpkin championship belt, pumpkin hoodie, his body stance exudes ‘cock of the pumpkin walk,’ he’s even got pumpkin colored Crocs!
A few things:
- I’d love to have a sit down with this guy on the podcast and do a deep dive into how you get into the giant pumpkin world. Like at some point, 20 years ago, Jim Ford decided that he was going to start growing gigantic pumpkins. How does that happen? Did he love pumpkins as a kid? Did he randomly grow a big pumpkin and it piqued his interest? Does his ancestry.com family tree link him back to Icabod Crane?
- Almost as astonishing as the Pumpkin King’s story is the fact that there is a governing body for the Wisconsin pumpkin world called the Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers. What they lack in naming creativity I am CERTAIN they make up for in stories. I’d love to be a fly on the wall of those monthly meetings. Do they reminisce about past giant pumpkins? Are there cliques? Backstabbing? Allegations of chemically enhanced pumpkins? Carving contests?
- LOVE LOVE LOVE that there is a pumpkin championship belt. I’m a firm believer that every industry needs title belts.
- “Now, everybody wants his seeds.” Well played, James Groh.
I am, in a word, fascinated. The whole world fascinates me. I need to know more. I want to know more. I probably won’t do the leg work to know more.
PS: Related Video Relevancy: 9.2/10:
Comments