Kelly & Michael: John Hawkley America’s Largest Pumpkin Winner

Kelly & Michael: Largest Pumpkin

Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan’s last segment for the week was the largest pumpkin, which I was really excited for. It was just a fun light-hearted segment about the largest pumpkin, obviously, and it was so much fun. It was perfect for fall and I also just happen to love pumpkins. Next week, of course, they’ll be doing a ton of things for Halloween, butt this largest pumpkin segment was a great way to kick it off. It looked like Kelly & Michael had a really good time with it, but I wonder how they got the pumpkin to the studio. It was a great segment.

This is the time of the year where farmers face off for the record breaking gourd. “This is the most important segment we do every year,” Kelly said. The winner was from Napa Valley, California, and weighed an amazing 2,058 pounds. That pumpkin was huge. How do they grow pumpkins that big? “Feel the majesty of the pumpkin,” Kelly said.

Kelly & Michael: John Hawkley Largest Pumpkin

The farmer was John Hawkley. He grew America’s biggest pumpkin. He got the seed for this year’s pumpkin from last year’s winner. That’s awesome. The farmer gave Kelly & Michael one of the seeds too, but Kelly didn’t put hers in the ground yet. Maybe she’ll have America’s biggest pumpkin next year.

How did he grow his pumpkin so big? He said he wasn’t really sure. Napa Valley weather had a lot to do with it. Water, really great soil, and the really great seed he got from Tim last year all contributed to growing this year’s biggest pumpkin in America. He said it’s been really fun. Last year’s winner doesn’t live too far away from him and came to visit his patch.

Kelly & Michael: Napa Valley Pumpkin Growing

He’s the second person in the world to grow two pumpkins over 2,000 pounds in the same year. That’s really impressive. He said he didn’t even know it was happening, but they got them to the scales and it was great.

He wouldn’t say what else he grew in his patch. He also didn’t name it, but Half Moon Bay named it Colossal Ghost because it’s so light. She’s also a female apparently. She’s so white because it’s so warm in Napa and he keeps her covered with a tarp. He doesn’t want her to get wet from his misters. She was also still growing when he cut her off the vine. It could be a good pumpkin for a pumpkin pie. Now she’s going to the Botanical Gardens and he’s going to harvest her seeds. Tim gave out over 500 seeds last year.