By Melissa Coleman
Pumpkin patches across southeast Queensland will be packing on the pounds as growers vie for the Royal Queensland Show’s 2023 (Ekka) giant gourd competition, including Stanthorpe’s own green thumb, Jim Baxter.
He comes up against some pretty stiff competition in Minden grower Geoff Frohloff, who holds the record for the Ekka giant pumpkin of 261.5 kg in 2015.
Geoff and his son Tony Frohloff have confirmed they’ll be entering the competition again, hoping to crush their rivals – and that includes each other.
However, Jim intends on ‘cleaning up’ after taking out first and second place in August 2022.
Jim said that winning was a funny story.
“I actually wasn’t going to enter the competition this year, but the exhibition people rang me,” he explained, “They rang because the pumpkin pox annihilated the opposition, and I was the only guy left with a pumpkin.
“It was a Steven Bradbury victory; I won because no one else was there,” Jim said.
Pumpkins are judged by weight, not size.
Atlantic Giant pumpkins can grow more than 500kg.
Jim’s pumpkin was a featherweight, only tipping the scales at just over 100 kilograms.
“I loaded up the ute with two pumpkins and placed first and second.
“I regretted not taking a third because I would have beat the contender with that.
“But the prize money has to be spread around, so it worked out well,” he said.
Jim started growing mega-sized pumpkins for the Stanthorpe Show over 10 years ago in his backyard.
“I kept the seeds from my winning pumpkin and have begun the process of growing the next generation of award-winning giants.”
“At the moment, there is no sign of flower or fruit on my vine, though the growth is behind schedule,” he said.
Apparently, there is no secret to growing Atlantic Giant pumpkins.
All they require is a lot of water and fertiliser.
But if you’re thinking of growing them to eat, think again.
“The Atlantic giant pumpkins originated in North America.
“They grow them in cold, miserable places where they have to keep their cattle inside during the winter months.
“The cattle eat them because apparently, they are not good for eating,” Jim said.
The giant gourd competition 2023 offers more than $3,400 in prize money, with a new bonus of $1,000 for the heaviest pumpkin over a whopping 500kg.
The prize money on offer for the Open and Youth classes is $600 for first place, $400 for second and $300 for third.
The Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is now accepting entries for its iconic Giant Pumpkin Competition, which is supported by Pillow Talk.
The pumpkins will roll into the Brisbane Showgrounds on Saturday 29 April 2023 for judging.
The competition will be held outside the August Ekka dates to take advantage of the premium pumpkin growing season.
