It's The Great Pumpkin! Romulus Man Grows 527-Pounder [VIDEO]
ROMULUS (WWJ) - It's October, and for many metro Detroit families that means it's just about time to pick a pumpkin.
For those shopping for something special, Cyril Bird has a winner at a whopping 527 pounds.
Bird, who grows pumpkins with his son Jeff for Bird's Big Pumpkins in Romulus, says it wasn't a great growing season. A cold and rainy June has reduced his crop by 30 to 50 percent.
"You've got 120 days to grow these pumpkins," he told WWJ's Sandra McNeill. "And when you squeeze that down to about 90 days, then it has an effect on your final product."
Most of Bird's big pumpkins weigh "only" about 150 to 180 lbs. this year.
Why would anyone like them so large?
"Well, everybody with a $300,000 house has gotta have a big pumpkin," Bird said. "A big, bright pumpkin that nobody else can have!"
Something else unique: Bird grew a gourd that looks like a swan. That one's already sold.
Bird is currently awaiting the annual influx of pumpkin pickers and says he'll be swamped every weekend through Halloween. Each year, no matter how many he grows, Bird sells out to the grass.
What the secret to growing 'The Great Pumpkin'?
Birds says it's just a lot of Miracle Grow...plus prayer.