Minot pumpkin estimated at more than 1,600 pounds

MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A Minot man believes his behemoth pumpkin may be the biggest ever grown in North Dakota.

Danny Gates estimated that the giant pumpkin dubbed "Grace" weighs more than 1,600 pounds and is still growing.

Gates said it was pollinated June 13 in a greenhouse west of Minot. The portly pumpkin began to grow so fast that change was actually visible by the hour, he said.

"Oh, yes, it was pretty crazy," Gates told the Minot Daily News. "It started growing at 35 to 40 pounds a day. The height of growth was from the middle of July to the middle of August."

The idea for growing a big pumpkin came from Calvin Berry, owner of Berry Acres Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze. Berry told Gates he'd like to add a nice pumpkin to his Pumpkin Patch display this fall.

Gates accepted the challenge.

The pumpkin is scheduled to be removed from its life-giving vines Oct. 1 and placed on display at Berry Acres on Oct. 2.

Terry Hunter, owner of the Green Thumb greenhouse, fully endorsed the effort by Gates and Berry to attempt to grow the massive pumpkin. The process resulted in a lot of learning and created a desire to make attempts at growing even larger pumpkins in the future, he said.

Gates says the current state-record pumpkin weighed in at a whopping 1,280 pounds.

"We've found out a lot of things about growing a big pumpkin," Hunter said. "What kind of surface to put in on. What type of fertilizer and how much fertilizer. It's been fun for us. This was the first attempt. We're in the heavy-hitters right now. Anytime you get to 1,500 pounds, that's a pretty elite group."