A 1741 lbs Pumpkin Called Johanna, Grown In Gauteng, Just Broke A Record

A giant pumpkin of 1741 lbs (almost 800 kg) has just been named the heaviest ever cultivated north of the Orange River.

Wykus Lamprecht of Meyerton in Gauteng grew the pumpkin from a seed planted in October last year, Landbou.com reported.

The fast-growing pumpkin was named Johanna, and required at least 200 litres (53 gallons) of water a day, Lamprecht told Landbou.com. Some days, this would run up to as much as 700 litres (185 gallons).

The pumpkin was nurtured under a gazebo to protect it against the sun and rain, and a fan kept its stem dry. (A moist stem can cause decay.) Johanna was also wrapped in blankets at times to shield it against the elements.

Johanna was a triumph after a difficult year for Lamprecht, who lost many pumpkins due to disease in 2019. After testing the soil, he consulted with agricultural experts to secure the right supplements.

Weighing in at 1741 lbs, Johanna won the “Goliat van Gat” competition in Pretoria for the biggest pumpkin last week, with a record weight for the competition.

But the title for the biggest ever pumpkin cultivated in South Africa – in the whole southern hemisphere, in fact – was awarded last year to a pumpkin that weighed 860kg (1896 lbs), Landbou.com reported.

Source: www.businessinsider.co.za