It’s the Great Pumpkin, Santa Barbara

A giant pumpkin has been grown by rookie pumpkin-grower and Santa Ynez resident Steve Encell and his nine-year-old son, Pace. The pumpkin has a chance at shattering the record for the heaviest pumpkin at the 3rd Annual San Luis Obispo Great Pumpkin Contest in San Luis Obispo on Thursday, October 16. The previous record for the heaviest pumpkin in this contest was 725 pounds. The Encells’ largest pumpkins weigh 650 pounds and 825 pounds.

This is the first year Encell and his son have grown pumpkins. Initially, the inspiration to grow a gigantic pumpkin was simply a hobby for the father and son. “Our goal at first was to grow a pumpkin big enough for my son to hide inside,” Steve explained. However, the pumpkins continued to grow far past their goal. “It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “The pumpkins at certain points grew 23 pounds a day. It’s fascinating to watch them grow.”

The contest draws pumpkins from Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey counties. Steve and Pace will are hoping they will walk away with the new record.

Check in at independent.com later this week to see how the Great Encell Pumpkin fares.