Awesome! Missoula Man’s Pumpkin Surpasses 700 Pounds

It's that time of year when we start thinking about what to do for pumpkins as Halloween draws closer. If you're looking for a few options outside of just grabbing a gourd at the grocery store, check out this list of places to get your pumpkins around Missoula. But here's one Missoula man that won't be making the trip to a grocery store, farm, or pumpkin patch when it comes to his pumpkins. Last year, we shared the story of Adam Wulf and his pair of 500+ pounders that he grew in his quest to set a state record. Well, he's back at it again this year, and although it might not be a Montana record, it's the largest pumpkin he's been able to grow so far.

How does he do it?

Adam sent us a timeline of events that went into producing the monster he was able to grow this year. It takes a lot of dedication, patience, and luck to get the amazing results that he does. Check out this year's effort with a recap and pictures below.

It all starts in April

The journey started with seeds on April 1 and they were put in the ground inside a greenhouse on April 15. What started as four plants became two as they started to grow. The weather turned cold and several inches of snow fell on the greenhouse. But a combination of inground heat, portable heaters, buckets of water, and blankets, helped to make it through the cold temperatures and the plants took off. Adam says they were the fastest-growing plants he's ever had.

Some issues from the heat and smoke of summer

Adam shares:

We pollinated earlier on larger plants than in previous years. So hopes were high early season. Then July hit, all that heat and smoke slowed the growth way down on our fruits. Unfortunately, during this time, the one plant wouldn’t keep a pumpkin. In fact, it never did throughout the season. They’d get a few weeks old then turn to mush.

The biggest pumpkin Adam has grown to date

After fixing an issue with the watering schedule, the pumpkin really started to grow! The finished product is estimated to be about 730 pounds! Adam told us the pumpkin is now resting up for Halloween, where it'll be carved up for trick-or-treaters to enjoy. Dang, that's a lot of pumpkin guts!

Given the year and the many struggles growers faced across the country, we were stoked to have one like this.

There's no downtime in the world of competitive pumpkin growing

After having pumpkins in the 500-pound range last year, and one topping 700 pounds this year, Adam has already turned his focus to what adjustments can be made for next season. He's already planning out his approach and figuring out changes that will help him get closer to the Montana record that stands at just under 1,200 pounds. New techniques? New seeds? We'll have to wait and see. But we'll follow along and let you know what next year brings!