Idaho Falls man grows giant pumpkin

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - "It's the giant pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" An Idaho Falls man grew a pumpkin that weighs over 1,300 pounds!

To put that into perspective, you could make about 200 pies out of it.

Justin Duke, who has a background in biology and engineering, started growing the pumpkin in April from a seed. Once a pumpkin started growing, he moved it out into his yard. It only took 85 days to get as big as it is now.

"So at peak, this was growing around 35 pounds per day, so over a pound an hour," Duke said.

The gargantuan gourd needed 150 gallons of water each day and to be fertilized three to four times a week.

Even though Duke was able to grow such a huge pumpkin, he says he's not done yet.

"This is about less than 100 pounds away from the state record currently. So next year that'll be the goal...is getting a state record and starting a little earlier since I got a late start this year. Hopefully get another few weeks of growth to be able to get get over that 1,400 mark."

For now, Duke plans to take the pumpkin down to Logan, Utah, to the Center Street Pumpkin Festival.

After that, he'll try to sell it to businesses for display. So unfortunately, the pumpkin won’t be turned into pies afterwards.