Rhode Island Man Grows First Ever 3,000-Pound Pumpkin

Ron Wallace tucked a single seed into greenhouse soil on April 15 in Greene, Rhode Island. Six months later, that seed became the heaviest pumpkin on Earth.

Wallace's enormous orange gourd tipped the scales at 3,156 pounds on October 10 at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off. It's the first pumpkin ever to break 3,000 pounds, crushing the previous record of 2,857 pounds set just one week earlier by British grower Ian Paton.

This isn't Wallace's first rodeo. In 2006, he grew the first pumpkin to top 1,500 pounds. Six years later, he broke 2,000 pounds for the first time in history.

But this victory feels different. "I had a few off growing years as I was taking a more scientific approach," Wallace said. "It felt great to see it all come together."

His secret weapon? A greenhouse, actually suggested by Paton himself. The two competitors talk weekly, sometimes daily during growing season, swapping tips and celebrating each other's wins.

The controlled environment let Wallace manage every detail, from water levels to temperature. At its peak, the pumpkin gained 60 pounds per day, sometimes nearly 500 pounds in a single week.

Wallace credits more than just his greenhouse. Top genetics and a generous pumpkin-growing community that freely shares knowledge helped push the entire hobby forward. While most growers edge out records by 20 to 30 pounds, Wallace beat the previous champion by nearly 300.

The Ripple Effect

Wallace's giant pumpkins do more than break records. They bring pure joy to everyone who sees them.

"You ever see anybody say a bad word about a pumpkin?" Wallace asks. "When you see one of these giants, everybody is just in awe. They want to touch it. They want to sit on it."

He adds that giant pumpkins don't care where you're from or what nationality you are. They simply make people smile.

The winning gourd is now on tour, stopping at festivals in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts before becoming the world's largest jack-o-lantern. Eventually, it will end up in a compost pile, but its legacy will live on.

Wallace plans to save and donate the pumpkin's seeds to growing clubs worldwide for fundraising auctions. These genetics could help the next generation of growers chase even bigger dreams.

Transport day required careful planning. Wallace's team used a harness and heavy-duty rope to lift the massive gourd, wrapping it in damp sheets, a comforter, and shrink wrap before loading it onto a flatbed truck.

Wallace never weighs his pumpkins before the official weigh-off. "It would be like opening up your gifts before Christmas," he explains.

When the scale revealed 3,156 pounds, the crowd at Frerichs Farm exploded in celebration.

Wallace never imagined pumpkins would reach 3,000 pounds, so he has no idea what the upper limit might be, but he's willing to let someone else chase the next milestone for a while.