On a scale in Rhode Island, a single pumpkin tipped past 3,000 pounds for the first time in recorded history — and it wasn't even a photo finish, because the world record had already changed hands once that same week.

  • 3,156 lbs (1,431.5 kg) — the new world record weight, more than twice as heavy as a Holstein cow
  • 300 lbs heavier than the record it broke, set just seven days earlier in the UK
  • 3rd time Ron Wallace has held the title of world's heaviest pumpkin
  • 35 years he has spent growing giant pumpkins

A record that didn't last a week

On October 3, British grower Ian Paton set an all-time record of 1,295.8 kg (2,856 lb 12.8 oz) at a competition in Berkshire, UK. Just a week later, 60-year-old Ron Wallace of Rhode Island broke it decisively, weighing in at 1,431.5 kg (3,156 lb) at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Warren, Rhode Island.

According to Guinness World Records, a title changing hands this quickly is almost unheard of in the sport. The only closer precedent in the organization's archives dates back to October 2, 1999, when the record was broken twice in a single day — first in the UK, then again in the US.

The first pumpkin to break 3,000 pounds

Wallace's gourd, assessed by officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth after passing the group's quality-control checks, is officially the first pumpkin in history to surpass the 3,000-pound mark. By itself, it's large enough to make more than 3,000 pumpkin pies.

It's also Wallace's third world record. He first broke new ground in 2006 with a 1,502-pound pumpkin, the first ever to exceed 1,500 pounds. He did it again in 2012 with a 2,009-pound specimen, becoming the first grower on record past 2,000 pounds. Now, 14 years later, he's done it a third time.

"[My first two records] were both historic accomplishments at the time, but this one feels a bit more special. I had a few off growing years as I was taking a more scientific approach. It felt great to see it all come together!" — Ron Wallace, three-time world-record pumpkin grower

Decades of patience pay off

Wallace, an online garden-supply retailer, has been growing giant pumpkins for 35 years, after taking inspiration from his father, one of New England's earliest giant-pumpkin growers. He credits a more methodical, scientific approach this season — plus what he called "near perfect" greenhouse weather — for finally pushing past the 3,000-pound threshold he had chased for years.

Meanwhile, Ian Paton's UK record lives on in a different category: a 2025 pumpkin grown with his twin brother Stuart, nicknamed "Muggle," still holds the record for largest circumference ever measured at 649.8 cm (21 ft 3.8 in) around. Wallace's new champion came close, measuring 640 cm (21 ft) around, but didn't quite claim that crown too.

For anyone inspired to try growing a giant pumpkin of their own, Wallace's advice is refreshingly low-barrier: start with as little as 150 square feet of growing space, connect with a local giant-pumpkin growers' club for mentorship and seeds, and treat the first few seasons as a learning process rather than a record attempt. His own three world records, spread across two decades, are proof that the patient approach eventually pays off.

Between a car-sized gourd, a record that keeps finding friendlier competition, and a grower who still loves "the networking with the growers and the science behind pushing these to higher weights," it's shaping up to be a very good autumn for giant pumpkins — and for the people who grow them.