1,700-Pound Pumpkin Is Largest In Illinois

WHEATON, IL — What’s lumpy, pale orange and weighs 1,760 pounds? Why, the biggest pumpkin in Illinois, of course!

The great gourd was grown by none other than Joe Adkins, who nurtured the sizable squash in his Wheaton yard, according to the Daily Herald, which reported that Adkins grew three such promising plants this season and that they weighed in at a combined total of 4,528 pounds.

Adkins confirmed that his plumpest pumpkin was the heaviest in the state at an Illinois Giant Pumpkin Growing Association event last month in Minooka, WLS reported. His love of pumpkins started with artistic carvings he would make using the gourds, but, as his desire for larger canvases grew, so did his crops, according to WLS.

Local business Wheaton Mulch helped Adkins move his prized pumpkins on the day of the big weigh-in.

And while he has taken the championship belt five times, Adkins has his sights set on even more substantial squash, the Herald reported. He hopes to one day achieve his dream of growing a 2,000-pound pumpkin, according to the Herald.

“I have pumpkin juice running through my veins,” he told the newspaper.