My Vegetable Patch (Formerly the Tennis Court)
My Pumpkin Diary, or How I Coached a Vegetable
Twin brothers in England grew the heaviest pumpkin ever: 2,819 pounds. I grew one too. Mine has the best attitude.
This month, twin brothers in England grew the heaviest pumpkin in history: 2,819 pounds. They named it Muggle. It beat the old record, set in California, and brought the title to Britain for the first time. Inspired, I kept a diary of my own pumpkin.
The Growing Season
Week 1: Planted the seed. Told it, “You’re going to be big.” It said nothing. A good listener. That’s rare.
Week 4: A leaf appeared. Beautiful leaf. I gave a short speech about it. The gardener said it was a weed. We agreed to disagree, and I agreed to pay him more.
Week 10: The pumpkin is the size of a basketball. I measure it every morning and tell it the number, plus ten. Confidence is a fertilizer. Look it up.
Weigh-In Day
Eleven pounds. The brothers’ pumpkin weighs as much as a small car. Mine weighs as much as a large cat. But they’re experts, and mine only had one season and me. Coaching matters.
Next year, I’m entering a real weigh-off. I’ve already told the pumpkin. It looked nervous. That’s how you know it cares.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did your pumpkin weigh?
Eleven pounds. Eleven very confident pounds.
What do you feed a pumpkin?
Water, sunlight and compliments. Mostly compliments.