Local firefighter's side hobby could break state record with over 2,000 pound pumpkin

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DENVER (KDVR) — One local man’s journey to growing the state’s largest pumpkin started four years ago with an empty spot in the Aurora firefighter’s front yard and a seed that grew into an unexpectedly large pumpkin.

Four years ago, Brad Bledsoe wanted to grow a big pumpkin.

There was an empty patch of space in the front yard of his home north of Fort Collins, and his wife suggested growing a pumpkin in the area. So, Bledsoe planted one, which turned out to be almost 200 pounds by the time it was done growing.

“It was like the pride and joy of the neighborhood,” said Bledsoe.

Bledsoe said the pumpkin was so big that he took it to a contest in Fort Collins where it wound up being one of the smallest ones.

“My daughter, who was like four at the time, she goes, ‘Dad, why’s your pumpkin so small?’ And I was like, OK, that’s got my competitive bug,” said Bledsoe.

The next year, Bledsoe said he grew the second-biggest pumpkin in the state in the same patch in his front yard. After that, he grew the biggest pumpkin in Colorado for the year. This year, he’s back for more.

Pumpkin estimated to weigh over 2,000 pounds

This year, Bledsoe is growing three giant pumpkins, except this time, he’s not throwing seeds into his front yard.

“There are all kinds of tiny little things that go into it,” said Bledsoe.

Bledsoe planted this year’s pumpkins in a 3,000-square-foot tunnel in his backyard, and as of mid-September, Bledsoe said all three are measuring to be over the state record, which sits at 1,783 pounds, according to Colorado Pumpkins.

Within the next few weeks, each pumpkin will be taken to a contest to be weighed. Bledsoe estimates that each will weigh over 2,000 pounds.

Contest for state’s largest pumpkin

Once the pumpkins are ready, Bledsoe loads them in a truck using a forklift or skid steer and weighs them at a Great Pumpkin Commonwealth event, which takes place all over the country.

The people with the biggest pumpkin get prize money sometimes worth thousands of dollars.

This year, one of Bledsoe’s pumpkins is heading to California, while the other two will be weighed in Aurora and Fort Collins in early October.

After the contests are finished, Bledsoe sells the pumpkins and rents them out. If he gets the pumpkins back, his family will carve them for Halloween and sell the seeds, feed the bison at Colorado State University and take some seeds to plant for next year’s competition.

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Maddie Rhodes

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