The 100 Largest Pumpkins Of All Time & Where They Were Grown
Pumpkins may be popular in October, but you probably have yet to see a 2,000-pound pumpkin. We certainly hadn’t until we mapped the 170 largest pumpkins ever grown. Visualize where in the world these massive pumpkins sprouted their first roots, where the growers who produced five or more of the largest pumpkins ever are from, and where top pumpkins with the same weight were produced.
View Largest Pumpkins in a full screen map
Finding the perfect data isn’t always easy. Unlike our maps of the presidential nominating convention locations and the national animals of every country, we weren’t satisfied with the single datasets available of the largest pumpkins of all time & where they were grown. Instead of settling for mediocre data, we combined two data sets. The first is from GiantPumpkin.com and the second from the Backyard Gardener. So if you find yourself dying to make a map but can’t find the perfect data, combine two datasets in one spreadsheet. Just make sure to put common data in the same column and remove any data that isn’t shared between the two datasets.
Oh My Gourd: The Top Ten Largest Pumpkins Ever Grown
The top ten largest pumpkins ever grown all weigh well over 2,200 pounds. That’s nearly two times the size of an adult grizzly bear! Who grew these gargantuan gourds, where, and what is the exact weight? Find out below.
- 2,624.6 pounds grown by Mathias Willemijns of Belgium
- 2,528 pounds grown by Steve Geddes of New Hampshire
- 2,469 pounds grown by Steve Daletas of Oregon
- 2,433.9 pounds grown by Ian and Stuart Paton of England
- 2,416.5 pounds grown by Karl Haist of New York
- 2.363 pounds grown by Joel Holland of Washington
- 2.323.7 pounds grown by Beni Meier of Switzerland
- 2,283 pounds grown by John Barlow/Jacobus of Wisconsin
- 2,269.4 pounds grown by Ian and Stuart Paton of England
- 2,261 pounds grown by Dick Wallace of Rhode Island
The largest pumpkin ever grown was done so by Mathias Willemijns of Deurle, Belgium. Willemijns’s #1 pumpkin is 96.6 pounds more than the runner-up. You’ll find this pumpkin connoisseur more than once on the map. He grew five out of the six largest Belgian pumpkins on the list and all rank within the top 50. Plus, Willemijns is just 24. His #1 ranking pumpkin claimed its title in 2016 and hasn’t been beat yet. Though not from lack of trying.
In 2018, two growers attempted to overthrow Willemijns’s #1 pumpkin (unsuccessfully) with their own massive fruits. Or are they considered vegetables? The current second and third place pumpkins of all time were both grown by Americans named Steve. Steve Geddes of Boscawen, New Hampshire grew a 2,528-pound pumpkin (#2) and Steve Daletas of Pleasant Hill, Oregon’s third-place 2,469-pound pumpkin made headlines that very same year.
The top ten largest pumpkins also have representation from Lymington, England, Clarence Center New York, Sumner, Washington, Pfugen, Switzerland, Gays Mills, Wisconsin, and Greene, Rhode Island.
Grow Big or Go Home: Growers With Many of the Largest Pumpkins
We mentioned Mathias Willemijns of Belgium has multiple pumpkins on the list of the 170 largest pumpkins of all time. However, he’s not the only grower with many of the largest pumpkins, nor does he even have the most. The following growers carved names for themselves among the top pumpkin growers in the world. Previously discussed Steve Daletas of Pleasant Hill, Oregon, Karl Haist of Clarence Center, New York, and brothers Ian and Stuart Paton of Lymington, England have each grown eight super-sized pumpkins.
As we’ve mentioned, one of Daletas’s pumpkins is currently the third-largest ever grown. This bad boy was 2,469 pounds. His other seven pumpkins range between his smallest of 1,969 pounds (ranked #80) and his second-largest of 2,170 pounds (#15). Like Daletas, Karl Haist’s eight pumpkins are all ranked in the top 100. His most notable gourd is #5, weighing in at a whopping 2,416.5 pounds. His next seven pumpkins tip the scales anywhere between 1,962 pounds and 2,027 pounds.
Brothers Ian and Stuart Paton, who have been growing pumpkins since they were 11 and run a flower nursery together, have eight pumpkins on the list. Their largest is #4 in the world at 2.433.9 pounds. They also hold the #9 spot. Though aside from two top ten pumpkins, their rankings vary greater than those of Daletas and Haist. The Paton brothers’ smallest pumpkin barely makes the top 100 at #99. Pumpkins grown by these brothers range between 1,945.6 pounds and 2,269.4 pounds. They’ve said their goal is to hold the world record one day, and they’re not too far off. The brothers noted that the first pumpkin they grew was just 54 pounds. They now watch their massive gourds grow by at least 60 pounds. each day. Watch out Willemijns, these brothers are coming for your spot!
Also worth mentioning are Dick Wallace and Josiah Brandt. These two growers are moving up in the ranks one pumpkin at a time. They each currently have five on the list, the same quantity as Willemijns.
Size Matters: 13 Pumpkins That Tied
Size matters in the pumpkin industry. One-tenth of a pound could make the difference between growing the #43 largest pumpkin in the world or being tied for the #43 largest pumpkin in the world. This is exactly the case for two familiar growers from the top ten: Ian and Stuart Paton and Mathias Willemijns. In 2016, Willemijns grew a 2,048.1 pound pumpkin. In 2017, Ian and Stuart Paton grew a pumpkin of the exact same size, right down to the .1th pound. Also tied are Bavaria’s Mario Weishaeupl and Pennsylvania’s Quinn Werner. Both of their pumpkins, Werner’s grown in 2015 and Weishaeupl’s from 2018 were 2020.5 pounds, making them tie for 51st place.
Two more familiar growers, Karl Haist and Steve Daletas are tied for the 62nd largest pumpkin ever grown. Both pumpkins weigh 2003 pounds. Two pumpkins are also tied for #63 at 2002 pounds. These belong to California’s John Hawkley and Washington’s Cindy Tobeck. Tied for #77 are two 1971.5-pound pumpkins grown by Wisconsin’s John Barlow and New York’s Andy Wolf. Last but not least is #80’s three-way tie, once again between Karl Haist, Steve Daletas, and… Karl Haist? Yes, Haist tied himself, along with Daletas (who he’s also tied with for #62). In regards to the #80 spot, Haist grew a 1969-pound pumpkin in 2014. Then, in 2015, Daletas also grew a 1969-pound pumpkin. A year later, in 2016, Haist grew another 1969-pound pumpkin. Way to give ‘em pumpkin to talk about, Haist!
You’ve just seen how easy it is to visualize data like the largest pumpkins when displayed in map-form. Learn more about the different ways of visualizing your data with our post on Excel data visualization. It contains examples of how to create basic data visualizations like bar and column charts, line graphs, and pie charts, as well as advanced excel data visualizations such as combined charts and graphs, stacked charts, and even more maps.
