A giant pumpkin grown by Kelowna resident Jordan Abbate won the 2026 B C Giant Pumpkin Contest in Langley, on Saturday, with just one pound separating the top two entries. Abbate’s pumpkin weighed 1,485 pounds, while Team Halliday’s entry came in at 1,484 pounds.The contest was held at Krause Berry Farm in Langley. According to Castanet, Abbate’s win was also a first for the B C Interior, as no grower from the region had previously won the event in its 13-year history.The winning pumpkin was the result of about six months of regular care. Abbate said he spent several hours each day looking after the plant, including watering, pruning and caring for the soil. The work continued even through winter as he prepared the soil for the growing season.Abbate, however, was not very confident about winning before the weigh-off. After learning that his pumpkin had taken first place, he said he was “very satisfied”.
A global competition
The B C Giant Pumpkin Contest is the only competition in British Columbia sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, an international organisation that sets rules and standards for growing giant pumpkins and other oversized fruit and vegetables.The organisation holds about 800 competitions around the world each year. The 2026 event was the 13th B C competition.Contest host Jeff Pelletier had predicted that the scale of the event could lead to records being challenged. “The event gets better every year, and the scale is getting bigger. I believe several B C records will be challenged today, and some may even be broken,” he said before the weigh-off, as quoted by Sing Tao Canada Dushi.True to his words, some records were broken during the competition. Although Abbate’s 1,485-pound pumpkin did not set a new B C record, a 1,149-pound giant squash established a new provincial record in its category. Meanwhile, a long gourd measuring 131.5 inches also set a new B C record.The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth recognises eight record categories including giant pumpkin, giant squash, field pumpkin, long gourd, bushel gourd, tomato, watermelon and giant zucchini.
Working with the pumpkin for 6 months
Growing a pumpkin to this size requires regular attention over a long period. Abbate said he spent several hours every day taking care of the plant during the six-month growing period.“It took many months of watering, pruning and taking care of the plant. Even when winter came, I was still working on the soil,” he said.The work does not end once the pumpkin begins growing rapidly. According to Pelletier, giant pumpkins need to be checked almost every day during their fastest growth period.They can also gain weight at a remarkable rate. Pelletier said a giant pumpkin can add up to 60 pounds in one day during this stage. “This growth rate will continue for two weeks. For the six months you grow it, it is like your pet,” Pelletier said.That rapid increase in size also creates practical challenges. Giant pumpkins and squash can become so heavy that moving them to a weigh-off requires lifting straps and forklifts. For Abbate, the months of work did bear a sweet fruit.
The organisation holds about 800 competitions around the world each year.
Kelowna grower friend wins too
Abbate was not the only Kelowna grower at the event. His friend and fellow Kelowna resident Cassidy Murrell also competed, finishing 10th with a pumpkin weighing 756 pounds.Murrell began growing giant pumpkins about four years ago. He described the hobby as an everyday activity that can take several hours of work.“It’s pretty much an every day hobby,” he said. “I spend at least an hour, maybe even two or three hours a day in the patch. That’s doing everything from pruning to training vines, spraying, fertilizing, checking irrigation, checking on the pumpkin, fighting off the vermin,” Murrell added.The process also involves research before the seeds are even planted. Growers look for seeds with particular lineages, some of which date back to the 1970s and 1980s.Murrell said growers study the history of those lineages to identify traits they want in their pumpkins, including colour and density. They also consider whether a particular lineage is more likely to split.“We use that to determine favourable traits, whether its colour or whether they tend to be denser than other pumpkins. If one lineage tends to split more than others, then we’ll avoid that one. It’s so extensive it’s almost difficult to explain,” he said.
Bigger Pumpkin next year?
Murrell’s interest in growing giant pumpkins began with his family’s tradition of hosting large Halloween parties. His parents later gave him a gift basket containing a seed-starting tray made by his father. That became the starting point for his own giant-pumpkin hobby.He eventually grew a 70-pound pumpkin and took it to a weigh-off. There, he met Abbate and saw Abbate’s much larger 1,090-pound pumpkin.“I grew a 70 pound pumpkin that I was super proud of, took it to a weigh-off, and that’s when I met Jordan Abbate, with his 1090 pound pumpkin that dwarfed my little 70 pounder,” Murrell said.Murrell now hopes to challenge his friend for the title at Krause Berry Farm. He even supplied Abbate with a seedling this year, turning their friendly competition into another reason to watch next year’s contest. “I gave him his seedling this year, so he better watch out next year,” he joked.Last year, Leif Palmberg and his son Victor from Galiano Island, BC, were placed 1st with their 1,758 pound Giant Atlantic Pumpkin.
