A giant pumpkin grown by Kelowna resident Jordan Abbate won the 2026 B C Giant Pumpkin Contest in Langley, on Saturday, with just one pound separating the top two entries.
asserted
pound → grow → entries
Abbate’s pumpkin weighed 1,485 pounds, while Team Halliday’s entry came in at 1,484 pounds.
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entry → weigh → pounds
The contest was held at Krause Berry Farm in Langley.
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contest → hold → Langley
According to Castanet, Abbate’s win was also a first for the B C Interior, as no grower from the region had previously won the event in its 13-year history.
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grower → accord → history
The winning pumpkin was the result of about six months of regular care.
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pumpkin → win → care
Abbate said he spent several hours each day looking after the plant, including watering, pruning and caring for the soil.
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he → say → soil
The work continued even through winter as he prepared the soil for the growing season.
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he → continue → season
Abbate, however, was not very confident about winning before the weigh-off.
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Abbate → win → off
After learning that his pumpkin had taken first place, he said he was "very satisfied".
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he → learn → place
A global competition
The B C Giant Pumpkin Contest is the only competition in British Columbia sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, an international organisation that sets rules and standards for growing giant pumpkins and other oversized fruit and vegetables.
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that → sanction → pumpkins
The organisation holds about 800 competitions around the world each year.
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organisation → hold → world
Contest host Jeff Pelletier had predicted that the scale of the event could lead to records being challenged.
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records → predict → event
"The event gets better every year, and the scale is getting bigger.
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scale → get → ?
I believe several B C records will be challenged today, and some may even be broken," he said before the weigh-off, as quoted by Sing Tao Canada Dushi.
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he → believe → Dushi
True to his words, some records were broken during the competition.
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records → break → competition
Although Abbate’s 1,485-pound pumpkin did not set a new B C record, a 1,149-pound giant squash established a new provincial record in its category.
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squash → set → category
Meanwhile, a long gourd measuring 131.5 inches also set a new B C record.
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gourd → measure → record
The Great Pumpkin Commonwealth recognises eight record categories including giant pumpkin, giant squash, field pumpkin, long gourd, bushel gourd, tomato, watermelon and giant zucchini.
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Commonwealth → recognise → pumpkin
Working with the pumpkin for 6 months
Growing a pumpkin to this size requires regular attention over a long period.
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Growing → work → period
Abbate said he spent several hours every day taking care of the plant during the six-month growing period.
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he → say → period
"It took many months of watering, pruning and taking care of the plant.
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It → take → plant
Even when winter came, I was still working on the soil," he said.
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he → come → soil
The work does not end once the pumpkin begins growing rapidly.
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pumpkin → end → ?
According to Pelletier, giant pumpkins need to be checked almost every day during their fastest growth period.
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pumpkins → accord → period
They can also gain weight at a remarkable rate.
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They → gain → rate
Pelletier said a giant pumpkin can add up to 60 pounds in one day during this stage.
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pumpkin → say → stage
"This growth rate will continue for two weeks.
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rate → continue → weeks
For the six months you grow it, it is like your pet," Pelletier said.
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Pelletier → grow → pet
That rapid increase in size also creates practical challenges.
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increase → create → challenges
Giant pumpkins and squash can become so heavy that moving them to a weigh-off requires lifting straps and forklifts.
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moving → become → straps
For Abbate, the months of work did bear a sweet fruit.
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months → bear → fruit
The organisation holds about 800 competitions around the world each year.
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organisation → hold → world
Kelowna grower friend wins too
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friend → win → ?
His friend and fellow Kelowna resident Cassidy Murrell also competed, finishing 10th with a pumpkin weighing 756 pounds.
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friend → compete → pounds
Murrell began growing giant pumpkins about four years ago.
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Murrell → begin → pumpkins
He described the hobby as an everyday activity that can take several hours of work.
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that → describe → work
“It’s pretty much an every day hobby,” he said.
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he → ’ → ?
“I spend at least an hour, maybe even two or three hours a day in the patch.
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I → spend → patch
That’s doing everything from pruning to training vines, spraying, fertilizing, checking irrigation, checking on the pumpkin, fighting off the vermin,” Murrell added.
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Murrell → do → vermin
The process also involves research before the seeds are even planted.
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seeds → involve → research
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
