Competition Promote Your Giant Vegetable Competition If your non-profit Australian group would like to promote a Giant Vegetable Competition on this website, email The Pumpkin Lady with the following information: Type of Competition, Date of Competition, Any Special Requirements, Contact Name, Contact Phone Number, Contact E-mail Address/Website. Any type of non-profit giant vegetable competition in Australia is welcome. Goomeri Pumpkin Festival (Queensland) will be holding their Giant Pumpkin Competition on Sunday 25th May 2008. 1st Prize for Heaviest Pumpkin: $100. For further details contact: Geof Stumm on (07) 4168 1925 or email goomeripumpkinfestival@bigpond.com. Recorded history shows Australians started growing giant pumpkins in the late 1980’s when a newly arrived Aussie Russ Zimmer from Milwaukee United States, started the first official Giant Pumpkin Competition in South Australia back in 1987. Since then, the competition has expanded dramatically, with giant pumpkins being grown throughout the length and breadth of Australia, from Darwin in the Northern Territory down to Hobart in Tasmania, from Norfolk Island across the seas and deserts to Broome, Western Australia. The Australian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Society (AGPVS) was formed in 1996 by a group of giant pumpkin and vegetable enthusiasts who wanted to promote the growing of giant pumpkins and vegetables in Australia. Previous to this, the Competition was run under the auspices of the World Pumpkin Confederation. Since 1997 the Australasian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Competition has been held across Australia every April to find Australia’s heaviest pumpkin and other record breaking vegetables. The AGPVS endeavours to keep a comprehensive list of AGPVS and Australian vegetable records, as after extensive research, no other Australian organisation was found to be keeping such records.

Congratulations Matt Davies for setting a new record at the Chinchilla Giant Watermelon Festival (Queensland) on 16th February 2007. Matt Davies (left) and his father Bernie with Matt's 87kg Watermelon.

Australia has seen two Australian Records set in 2003, firstly Ben Boynton of New South Wales (left) with his 431.1kg pumpkin, and then Ken and Rosemary Holden, from Port Lincoln, South Australia (right) re-taking their Record Breaking Title back, with a 440kg pumpkin.

Australia's previous heaviest pumpkin was 300kgs grown 2001/02 season by Ken and Rosemary Holden of Port Lincoln, South Australia. The World Record for a pumpkin is 667kgs or 1,469lbs grown by Larry Checkon of USA in 2005. Organisers of Giant Pumpkin Competitions should contact The Pumpkin Lady to discuss your requirements. Giant seeds are available from Atlantic Seeds. To order any seeds check out the Order page.

Past Competitions The 2001 Australasian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Competition was held at Harmony Nursery, Dandenong-Hastings Road, Skye on 7th April 2001. Results: Heaviest Pumpkin, Audrey Dodson, 131.3kgs; Heaviest Pumpkin by a Child Under 16, Lucy Stayner, 92.2kgs; New Australian Records: Sunflower, Paul Latham, 5 metres tall; Heavy Gourd, Robert Weber, 42.8kg. The 2000 Australasian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Competition was held on 1st April 2000 at four Australian Sites. Congratulations to Lawrence Leadbeatter, the 2000 National Pumpkin Champion with his pumpkin weighing 262.1kgs. Congratulations also to Frank Weber who grew Australia's tallest sunflower, a new record, 4.86 metres and to Rodney Leadbeatter with a new long gourd record of 2.2 metres. Other vegetables of note to be weighed and measured were a 1.7kg Carrot, grown by myself, a 14kg heavy gourd, a 16kg Marrow and a 60.2kg Watermelon.

Pictured is George Stayner getting ready to help unload the 3rd Place Pumpkin at Victoria's AGPVS Competition.

In 1999/2000 I grew a giant gourd (Bushel Gourd), and when I harvested them in May 2000, we took the gourds to be weighed and measured. The weight of Gerty was 34.1kg and measured 1.663 metres and the weight of Gordon was 36.9kgs and he measured 1.630 metres. Pictured below is myself with "Gordon the Gourd". The Guinness Book of Records recognised these as new Australian Records.

Competition Ideas There are many ways to conduct a Giant Pumpkin, Giant Tomato, Giant Watermelon etc, Competition. You can order bulk seeds from Atlantic Seeds or encourage competitors to purchase their own. Bulk Seeds can be purchased and distributed through the community with an extra fee included to cover costs of the group running the competition. This could act as an entry fee into the Competition or as a registration fee. By doing this, you have a fair idea of who will be entering if their crop is successful and be able to contact them through the post or phone to further promote the competition or seek photo opportunities, etc to promote the competition. By having an open competition where competitors can purchase seeds of their own choice, will lessen the amount of work for organisers, but will also make the unknown (i.e. who will enter, how many will enter) a more anxious time for organisers. Growing the seedlings as a group, and distributing growing plants is another option and either selling the seedlings or distributing them free of charge will help promote the competition. Pre-registration without a fee or giving seeds is another option, but people do not usually respond well, and number of entries cannot be identified. Rules need to be identified early, and advertised with the promotion of the competition or distribution of the seeds. Decide on how, where and when the competition will be held, and attempt to advise contestants at the earliest possible time (i.e. at the time of registering to enter the competition). Be aware, that not everyone who registers or says they will enter, will. There are a number of reasons why this occurs. For example, their fruit did not grow as they expected it to; they feel their fruit is not as big as other people and are scared away (to counteract this, offer prizes for not only the heaviest, but perhaps a lucky number, or a lucky weight prize, and advertise this fact); they moved, they did not grow the vegetables; the weather; an unexpected wedding etc. Contact The Pumpkin Lady for information and suggestions on running a giant pumpkin or vegetable competition.

OFFICIAL RECORDS

Heaviest Australian Grown Pumpkin	Ben Boyton, NSW (2006)	512kgs**
World Record Pumpkin	Larry Checkon, USA (2005)	667kgs or 1,469lbs
Tallest Australian Sunflower	Paul Latham (2001)	5m
Heaviest Australian Gourd	Robert Weber (2001)	42.8kgs
Largest Circumference Australian Gourd	Robert Weber (2001)	1.770m
Heaviest Australian Watermelon	Galen Pettigrew (2001)	95kgs*

*not officially recognised