(Missourinet) – Nick Voss, a regular participant in the Missouri State Fair’s contest to see who can grow the largest pumpkin, has once again taken the top prize. This year, his orange giant tipped the scales at an impressive 725 pounds.
Voss attributes his success to a combination of factors. “You know, it takes a lot of water,” says Voss. “You can always experiment with different types of fertilizers and pruning techniques. But it’s also about having the right genetics and good soil. Soil quality would probably be my second priority; it needs to be organic and rich.”
Voss believes his pumpkin could have been even larger if the weather had been more cooperative. “We did receive some rain, but it was towards the end of the growing period,” he explains. “If that rain had come at the peak of the growing season, the pumpkin definitely would have been much larger than 725 pounds. You can’t control the weather; you just pray and hope for some rain throughout the summer to help it grow.”
The great pumpkin’s journey began as a family competition, harvested each year at their family Oktoberfest. “I kind of got together with some of my in-laws and proposed a pumpkin-growing competition,” Voss shares. “For the last eight or nine years, we’ve held our own family Oktoberfest, and we still have our little competition. My wife says I’m obsessed with it, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
On the last day of the Missouri State Fair, Voss plans to collect a seed or two from his prize-winning pumpkin to restart the competition next spring.
Voss previously won the contest in 2019 and 2021, making this his third win in four years.
