, people tell us, well, what it’s like to have experiences many of us have not even imagined. In this entry, we spoke to Travis Gienger, a self-described champion pumpkin grower, horticulture professor, and business owner who lives near Nowthen, Minnesota. This year, Gienger’s Atlantic Giant pumpkin, which involved a preternatural amount of time and dedication . This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
It’s all about figuring out the right recipe. This year, I started in mid-April, with my plants indoors because it’s easier to control the temperatures and germination. I started with two seeds, hoping that I’d get two pumpkins—you start with two to increase your chances of success. Hopefully, you have two at the end, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
You also have to use the right seeds. Recently, pumpkin growers have been taking seeds from the biggest pumpkins, crossing them with the heaviest, and then improving those genetics over time. Ten years ago, the world record was 1,800 pounds. Through crossbreeding, we’ve gained almost 1,000 pounds in just a decade, which is crazy. There’s a group of worldwide growers—we trade, buy, and sell seeds. The seed I grew my giant pumpkin from cost almost $600.