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PHOTOS: Pumpkins big - really big - and small invade Armstrong IPE Grounds

Pumpkin launch and biggest pumpkin contest among highlights of 19th annual Harvest Pumpkin Festival

Lots of water. Lots of fertilizer. Cover so as not to crack the skin.

If you want to know how to grow a large pumpkin, heed the advice of Spallumcheen couple Erma and Lloyd Main.

The wife-husband duo finished one-two, and their son, Russell, was fourth, in the largest pumpkin contest Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Armstrong Spallumcheen Chamber of Commerce’s 19th annual Harvest Pumpkin Festival at the IPE Grounds.

Erma’s first-place gourd weighed in at just under 800 pounds – 797 to be exact.

“It would have been more than 800 had we not had an early frost a few weeks ago,” laughed Erma. “We lost three weeks of growing and the pumpkins near the end can grow up to 20 pounds per day.”

While she’d like to say she has bragging rights over Lloyd – whose second-place pumpkin weighed in at 775 pounds – Erma did give credit to hubby.

“He did most of the growing and most of the looking after them,” she said.

Russell’s fourth-place pumpkin weighed in at 675 pounds. Third place went to Kelowna’s Jordan Abbate, who the Mains thought had brought in the winner, but the pumpkin tipped the scales at only 737 pounds.

The two pumpkins were the biggest the Mains have grown.

The Mains plan to use one of their winning pumpkins for Halloween, where they will carve one, put it on the back of their truck, prop it up and use a big light to light the pumpkin, driving around the area with the tailgate down.

Other Main pumpkins will go to Erma’s sister house in Armstrong for Halloween displays.

Pumpkins were launched, catapulted, drawn and carved during the popular festival which, as always, drew a huge crowd for the fun and frivolity.


@VernonNews
roger@vernonmorningstar.com

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Roger Knox

About the Author: Roger Knox

I am a journalist with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. I started my career in radio and have spent the last 21 years working with Black Press Media.
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