BC’s Official Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) and Certified World Recognized Giant Pumpkin Championship!!!
Saturday, October 4, 2025, the results are in…
1st Place:
Leif Palmberg and son Victor from Galiano Island, BC, placed 1st with their 1,758 pound Giant Atlantic Pumpkin! 🎃
HUGE achievement for FIRST TIME growers! CONGRATS!!! 🏆💥
“I had been quietly lurking for a year or two on the backyard giant pumpkin growers Facebook page, and thought that it would be fun to try my hand at growing an Atlantic giant pumpkin. Early in 2025, I decided to aquire some seeds and figured it could be a good family project that would be fun for my two year old son. I had started with the intention of just growing a big pumpkin (500 pounds or better was sort of the target I had in mind), then when ordering seeds from Emmett Andrusz, I started looking at the pumpkins they were growing and realized I was probably setting my sights too low. I got some tips from him on how to grow a giant and things took off from there!”
“I started my seeds April 14th in the windowsill and planted seedlings out in the field second week of May. I put together a scabby little temporary greenhouse that I would close at night and open in the morning, but without supplementary heating growth was very slow for another month. Once it outgrew the greenhouse I removed it and things started to take off. I watered, fertilized, and trained vines as best I could with the limited time I could invest. My first female flower was ready for pollination June 30th and luckily it set on the vine, as my next female flower was about two weeks behind which would’ve pushed me a lot further behind into the growing season. There were typical issues that one runs into late in the summer including mildew and aphids that I really didn’t do anything about, and I’m sure cost me some weight. My stem had some rot appear as well that I scrubbed out with a toothbrush, wiped with alcohol and put sulphur dust and a fan on. Luckily, it healed over and kept chugging along.”
“Finally, we were ready to load up for BC’s Annual GPC weigh off at Krause Berry Farms! We got it loaded on a pallet in the back of my truck, and took the ferry over from Galiano, and spent the night in a hotel (there was unfortunately no Saturday morning ferry to get us there on time). I knew we had a contender, but when I got to site and saw Herman’s pumpkin I was certainly not confident we’d be leaving with a win. Luckily for us our Giant was enough for first place!”
“All in all it was a fun season, and we had a great time at the weigh off! What an amazing event! Big THANK YOU to all the organizers, volunteers, sponsors and of course Krause Berry Farms! We hope to see everyone there again next year and have hopes to return with an even BIGGER pumpkin!” – Leif Palmberg, Galiano Island, BC.
Leif Palmberg’s Giant Atlantic Pumpkin (seed genetics: 2,342 Andrusz) had an estimated weight of 1,832 pounds with an actual weight of 1,758 pounds (-4% light) at BC’s ONLY GPC event in Western Canada on October 4, 2025.
Follow Giant Pumpkins BC Facebook page and our NEW Giant Pumpkins BC Instagram page for BC’s Annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off Event videos, photos and stories!
50/50 CASH Prize winning raffle ticket number was – 0 7 1 4 2 1 – CONGRATS to Steve Reid from New Westminster, BC!!! Steve was very kind and generous to donate HALF of his winnings towards next year’s gargantuan event! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
“Eden’s Flower” QUILT Prize Raffle winner – CONGRATS to Karey Durante from New Westminster, BC!!! Enjoy this beautifully handcrafted heirloom quality quilt provided by Sleeping Bee Quilts!!!
Media…
Stay tuned for more news!!!
Pumpkin pals squash the competition at Langley weight-in. Event draws record-breaking pumpkins and passionate growers from across the province. Aldergrove Star & Langley Advance Times, Saman Dara, Oct 7, 2025.
After winning heaviest pumpkin contest, B.C. man wants to grow even bigger gourd. CTV News, Kaija Jussinoja, Oct 7, 2025.
North Vancouver gardener dishes dirt on growing giant vegetables. His giant pumpkin topped 1,200 pounds this year, a new personal best. North Shore News, Brent Richter, Oct 6, 2025.
North Vancouver gardener’s giant pumpkin in the running for biggest in B.C.
Humongous horticulture: Cinderella may weigh 1,200 pounds. North Shore News, Brent Richter, Oct 3, 2025.
Going for gourd: B.C. pumpkin grower Dave Chan looks to defend his title in U.S. competition. CTV News Vancouver.ca Staff, Sep 27, 2025.
Giant produce take the stage at B.C.’s official weigh-off. Get growing for Langley’s giant pumpkin weighing contest. Aldergrove Star, Saman Dara, Sep 24, 2025.
GIANT THANKS to all of our #PumpkinPals – seasoned growers, first timers, sponsors, volunteers, cheerleaders – for keeping the spirit alive for 2025 and supporting BC’s beloved event!
Click 2024 – 2023 – 2022 – 2021 – 2020 – 2019 – 2018 – 2017 – 2016 – 2015 – 2014 – 2013 for past events.
Click 2003 to see how it all began!
Giant Pumpkins British Columbia – Giving back to our farming heritage, supporting local growers and bringing community together!
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