Lockwood Man Sets New Montana Record For Giant Pumpkin

Montana’s Giant Pumpkin Grower Breaks State Record

What is the biggest pumpkin you've ever grown?

Well, I'm sure that no matter how big it was, the pumpkin that recently set a record dwarfs the biggest one you've ever grown.

Meet Montana’s Record-Breaking Pumpkin Grower

Each year my family grows pumpkins for Halloween. The kids love picking their pumpkin out and watching it grow.

For one man in Montana, watching his pumpkins grow has become almost a full-time job, but one that has put him in the record books.

Joe Nigro, an insurance agent from Lockwood, has for the past 5 years been growing giant pumpkins.

From Backyard Hobby to Pumpkin Powerhouse

After receiving some giant seeds from friends back east, Joe's first pumpkin weighed an impressive 950 pounds, which only fueled his desire to grow bigger.

Talking to KRTV, his girlfriend said this about their first foray into growing giant pumpkins:

Montana Pumpkin Sets New State Record

Applying what they learned resulted in two pumpkins this year that topped the scales at over 1,000 pounds.

The first one was sent to Rapid City, South Dakota, which officially weighed 1,247 pounds, but it was their second biggest one that went on to be the record setter.

That pumpkin was brought to the Wyoming State Weigh-Off that saw 30 growers take part in a Great Pumpkin Commonwealth sanctioned event.

While Nigro's pumpkin didn't take home first place, it did weigh an impressive 1,591 pounds, coming in second place behind the winning pumpkin, which had a weight of 1,788 pounds.

It did, however, break the previous Montana state record for largest pumpkin, which was previously held by Mike Cotter, from Fairfield, who set the record in 2023 with a pumpkin weighing 1,348.

Source: KRTV