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CEDARBURG, Wis. — A giant pumpkin weighing in over a ton squashed the North American record at a Wisconsin festival this past weekend.
Gene McMullen smashed the previous record of 2,058 pounds with a pumpkin that weighed 2,145.5 pounds, the second biggest in the world. The Illinois factory worker's 2014 entry weighed only 1,600 pounds, but he credits this year's record-breaking pumpkin to "dumb luck."
New leader for pumpkins and new North American record - 2145.5 pounds by Gene McMullen pic.twitter.com/YFQULjzLDP — GPC (@GPCpumpkin) September 19, 2015
"I don't do anything different than any other growers do," he [told fox6now.com](http://fox6now.com/2015/09/19/giant-pumpkin-breaks-north-american-record-at-cedarburg-wine-harvest-festival/).
The world record for giant pumpkins started in 1900, with the winning pumpkin weighing in at 400 pounds, presented at the Paris World Fair, according to giantpumpkin.com. Pumpkins didn't hit 1,000 pounds until 1996 and just barely broke the 1-ton limit in 2012. According to the National Gardening Association, novice growers just need a good seed, good soil and lots of luck to grow a giant gourd.
