Ever seen a 2,000-pound pumpkin? The secret to Washington’s monster gourds
Sep 30, 2025, 5:01 AM
Fall weather has arrived in western Washington, bringing with it the season’s signature gourd: the pumpkin.
Geoff Gould, president of the Pacific Northwest Giant Pumpkin Growers, knows all about growing the largest pumpkins.
“Carpinito’s Pumpkin Farm and Corn Maze, we had one grower, the one that won it, a repeat winner—2,088 pounds. So he got first place and a bonus,” Geoff told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.
To create a pumpkin that large, Geoff said you would need a specific seed and fertile soil.
“You need the Atlantic giant seed variety to grow a big one that’s going to go a few hundred pounds or a few thousand pounds. You need good soil. You need to germinate those seeds at 80 to 90 degrees. You can’t just throw them out there in the ground. You need a lot of manure, water,” he explained.
Watch the full discussion in the video above.
Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.
