Biggest Pumpkin In The Patch: Can Arvada Beat U.S. Record?

DENVER, CO — Many of the pumpkins you'll see this year at Colorado farms and shops won't come close to breaking the U.S. and world records, but it could be educational to ask the kiddos to figure the circumference of the gourds.

There’s a contest for everything, and pumpkins are no exception. You may be rightfully proud of that enormous pumpkin in your patch, but unless it weighs upward of 2,500 pounds, you’re not flirting with any kind of record. It could be a record in metro Denver, though.

That’s a fun challenge to consider as you and your family head out on a rite of fall and visit the pumpkin patches around Denver. Where’s the biggest pumpkin you’ve seen?

You can even make it a diversion from the coronavirus pandemic with a classroom outing. Teach them a little about pi — not pumpkin pie, but the mathematical formula to calculate the circumference of a circle — or how to convert pounds to kilograms.

Here’s where to start:

Arvada Community Garden U-Pick Pumpkin Patch

• Address: 9195 W 57th Ave., Arvada
• Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 26 until sold out
• Hours: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
• Pricing: By donation; donations also accepted for gourds, Indian cor, squash, mini pumpkins and corn stalks
• Website: arvadagardeners.org

Chatfield Farms

• Address: 8500 W Deer Creek Canyon Rd., Littleton
• Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 1 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: corn maze, mini maze, many different gardens
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily
• Pricing: General admission tickets are $7 for adults; $5 for students and seniors. Children under age 12 get in free. Tickets will not be available on site and must be purchased here.
• Phone: 720-865-3500
• Website: botanicgardens.org/Chatfieldfarms

Maize in the City

• Address: 10451 McKay Rd., Thornton
• Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Corn field maze, mini maze, playground, sand art, face painting, petting zoo, barrel train, corn launcher, pony rides
• Hours: 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; however mazes close at 6 p.m.
• Pricing: Pumpkin field admission is free; Corn maze is $12 for adults and $9 for children; the mini maze is $5 per child.
• Phone: 720-408-0006
• Website: maizeinthecity.com

Flat Acres Farm

• Address: 11321 Dransfeldt Rd., Parker
• Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Corn Maze, hay bale maze, duck races, giant Jenga, bouncy house, hay rides, petting zoo, climbing wall
• Hours: From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday
• Pricing: Fall Festival tickets are $15; $5 for seniors; Age 2 and under: Free
• Phone: 303-805-1038
• Website: flatacresfarm.com

Anderson Farms

• Address: 6728 County Road 3-1/4, Erie
• Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 25 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Pumpkin patch rides, 25-acre corn maze, pedal karts, farm animals, roller slides, rainbow maze, Fort A-Lota-Fun, combine slide
• Hours: Monday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (Note: the farm's pumpkin patch closes at dusk)
• Pricing: Fall Festival tickets are $12; Kids under 3 get in free.
• Phone: 303-828-5210
• Website: andersonfarms.com

Munson Farms

• Address: 7355 Valmont Road, Boulder
• Season opening/closing dates: Sept. 15 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Hay rides, corn maze
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
• Pricing: Free admission
• Phone: 1-415-298-1500
• Website: Munsonfarms.com

Cottonwood Farms Pumpkin Patch

• Address: 10600 Isabelle Rd., Lafayette
• Season opening/closing dates: Open every day from Sept. 26 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Corn and straw maze, wagon rides on weekends
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily
• Pricing: $5 per person, kids under 5 and those over 65 get in free
• Phone: 720-890-4766
• Website: Cottonwoodfarms.com

7th Generation Farm

• Address: 1536 Courtesy Road, Louisville
• Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 1 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Hay Bale Maze, Big Bale Hay Mountain, farm animals, pumpkin painting, Tractor Hay Rides
• Hours: Friday - 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday - 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Closed Sunday through Thursday
• Pricing: Free admission
• Phone: 1-720-841-3836
• Website: 7thgenerationfarm.com

Rocky Mountain Pumpkin Patch

• Address: 9059 Ute Hwy/CO 66
• Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 3 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Pony rides, Petting Zoo, Hay Maze, Animal Train Car Ride, Cornstalk Tunnel, Inflatable Obstacle Course, Dragon Roller Coaster, Tumble Bubbles, Paint a Pumpkin
• Hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Pricing: Free admission; pay per activity
• Phone: 303-684-0087
• Website: www.rockymtnpumpkinranch.com.

The Bee Hugger

• Address: 12590 Ute Hwy, Longmont
• Season opening/closing dates: Oct. 5 to Oct. 31
• Attractions: Hayride, Haunted VW Bug Yard, sunflower field, animal feeding, miniature horse rides (approximately 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)
• Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily
• Pricing: Free admission; some activities have a fee.
• Phone: 303-330-8277
• Website: The Bee Hugger Facebook page only

Read more here: Top Pumpkin Patches Near Arvada For 2020

The largest pumpkin ever recorded in the U.S. was grown by Steve Geddes. The pumpkin that the Boscawen, New Hampshire, man grew in 2018 tipped the scale at 2,528 pounds to win the top prize at the Deerfield Fair. The impressively sized pumpkin was 165 pounds heavier than the previous U.S. record-holder.

Neither came close to besting world record-holder, Mathia Willemijn, whose 2016 record still stands for the 2,624.6-pound pumpkin that won that year’s European Weigh-Off in Germany, according to Guinness World Records, which describes the gourd as “car-sized.”

Whether pumpkins are in the 2,500- or 2,600-pound range, it’s a lot of pumpkin.

Ask the kiddos this: What else found in nature weighs that much?

A hippopotamus living in the wild can weigh about 5,800 pounds, but some of the smaller hippos weigh about the same as Geddes’ pumpkin.

The largest and heaviest bovine species is the Asian gaur. The bulls can weigh up to 2,500 pounds, but cows weigh significantly less. Another fun fact that separates these cattle from many other species: Both male and female gaurs have horns.

The world and U.S. record-setting pumpkins both are larger than the Australian saltwater crocodile, the largest croc species in the world. They can weigh more than 2,200 pounds.

And here’s another fun fact from Bengtson’s, a Chicago-area pumpkin patch, and perhaps a lesson in agriculture for the spring: The health of the vine matters.

“If you are attempting to grow a massive pumpkin, you should realize that the entire vine is working toward that same goal,” the site says. “All of the water and sunlight received by the leaves and roots are being dedicated to the single pumpkin.”

Making sure the pumpkin has room to grow is another key. Growers should tear out roots that may be near the pumpkin while taking care not to detach the stem.

Once the pumpkin reaches the size of a softball, remove all the other pumpkins from the vine so all the plant’s energy is directed at creating a prize-winning pumpkin.