A farmer from New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) on Saturday took back his title as the grower of the heaviest pumpkin at this year’s National Giant Pumpkins Championships.
Lin Chien-hsun (林建訓) won the weight category of the 14th edition of the annual event with a pumpkin weighing 439.2kg, so hefty that it could only be lifted by a crane.
Lin, an eight-time winner of the category, said that reflecting on the mistakes he made last year after coming second with a 374.4kg pumpkin enabled him to retake his former title.
Photo: CNA
His pumpkin last year was not sufficiently nourished due to the low number of vine leaves, he said.
Learning from his experience, Lin said he specifically selected seeds from pumpkins with more vine leaves to pollinate his crop to ensure that his gourds would get the most nutrients for the competition this year.
As a result, this year’s pumpkin was more than 60kg heavier.
Lin said he also adjusted the density of his crops — for example, reducing the number of pumpkins grown in greenhouses from two to one — while erecting protective nets to safeguard them from harm.
Regarding his win, Lin expressed happiness at keeping the title in Tamsui and said that he hopes giant pumpkins can become a signature symbol for the district.
The championships also include “creativity,” “edible excellence” and “quality” categories.
The competition, organized by the Tamsui Farmers’ Association and sponsored by the New Taipei City Agriculture Bureau, drew more than 150 participants from New Taipei City, Taoyuan and Nantou County.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) personally presented the awards to the winners, praising Tamsui for its progress in pumpkin farming in recent years.
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