A new record has hit the recordbooks: the world’s largest pumpkin
Photo Courtesy of MamaGeek- Wikimedia Commons
On Oct. 3, 2026, Ian Paton shattered his own world record for the world’s largest pumpkin, weighing in at 2,856 pounds and 12.8 ounces, according to Guiness World Records. However, this record was not held long, as it was broken again on Oct. 10, 2026 by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, as reported by USAToday. While Wallace remains “waiting for the Guinness Book of World Records to confirm he smashed the record,” AP News has already reported that Wallace is on his way to being the verified pumpkin-record holder. As quoted by AP News, Wallace admitted the pumpkin “was a pleasure to grow.”
This record-breaking pumpkin not only beat Ian Paton’s record, but cemented itself a place in larger pumpkin history. Wallace’s pumpkin was reported by the Wisconsin State Farmer as weighing 3,156 pounds. “The colossal gourd is the first pumpkin ever to break the 3,000-pound barrier, a milestone giant-pumpkin growers have been chasing for years,” the newspaper noted.
Giant-pumpkin-growing is a hobby that first took off in New England, with Wbur News, a Boston-based public news source, explaining that the hobby took off in the 1980s and throughout the 1990s. Farmers attempt to grow the biggest, heaviest pumpkins possible, before bringing them to weigh-offs, where their pumpkins compete for biggest pumpkin. The sport is not only competitive, but has its moments which are sweeter than (pumpkin) pie, with the most recent record holder telling ABC News, “he owes a lot to the pumpkin-growing community who always freely share tips and tricks to grow the biggest gourd.”
At the beginning of the growing season, Guinness World Records interviewed the then-champion Travis Gienger about both the community and people getting into growing giant pumpkins, with Gienger saying, “There are plenty of growers out there who will give you seeds for basically the price of postage. If it’s your first time, try to find seeds with genetics descended from large pumpkins. Most growers are pretty forthcoming with this information.”
USAToday further reported that Ron Wallace has already broken the record for largest pumpkin three times—in 2006, 2012, and now, 2026. While anyone can grow a giant pumpkin, according to Homes and Gardens magazine, “[i]t all comes down to seed, site, and feed if you want to impress with large pumpkins.”
According to The New York Times, Wallace planted his seed, which became the world’s largest pumpkin, more than six months ago on Apr. 15. “[Thirty] days” after pollinating the seed, Wallace commented that the pumpkin “was 600 pounds, which is incredible.” The New York Times further documented what will happen to the record-breaking pumpkin now that its seed has finished growing and the final product has been sent for weighing. The over 2,000-pound pumpkin will “live a celebrity lifestyle,” as Wallace put it. The pumpkin will be carried on parades and a tour, including stops at showing events in Pittsburgh and Massachusetts. However, after Halloween, Wallace admitted the pumpkin’s fame and celebrity status declines as the autumn season crawls to an end. The record-breaking pumpkin will meet the same fate as any other unused seasonal produce: becoming compost.
The WasteNot Compost organization details that pumpkins, when they decompose in landfills, release a greenhouse gas called methane. “Methane traps over 28 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide,” another greenhouse gas which negatively affects climate change, the organization explains. This emphasizes the importance of composting, but especially the importance of composting pumpkins.