Meet Chase Owens, a member of North Murray FFA in Georgia, who turned a tiny pumpkin seed into an enormous 533-pound pumpkin!
The Creation
Owens started this project in March 2023 when he planted pumpkin seeds in a 2-inch pot inside his room. Due to cold weather, the pumpkins had to be grown underneath a UV light. Once the pumpkin seedlings could go outside, he put them in the ground with a small greenhouse covering to ensure the plants would harden off. Once the temperature stayed above 70 degrees, Owens removed the greenhouse and added a sun shade to prevent the plants from sunburn. Eventually, the plants got so big he had to direct the main vine upward and have the secondary vines branch off in what he called “The Christmas Tree Pattern.” Once the female flower bloomed and was pollinated, Owens removed the male flowers and cared for the singular female bloom.
Taking Care
Once the female bloom grew, Owens installed a tarp, fan and sand. This gave the pumpkin the perfect growing conditions. From there, he would fertilize weekly, run the water three times a day for 30 minutes and mist the pumpkin to lower the temperature. He repeated this process until he was ready to cut the pumpkin off in late September.
Transportation
Owens had to transport his pumpkin because he was competing at the North Georgia Agricultural Fair. He loaded the pumpkin into his truck, and a John Deere forklift was used to get it off. Due to his hard work and dedication, Owens won first place at the fair.
Owens brings his pumpkin to the North Georgia Agriculture Fair.
Through this Supervised Agricultural Experience, Owens would like to grow a 1,000-pound pumpkin. Completing this goal would break a record for Georgia’s biggest pumpkin.
