Plainfield man breaks 11-year Illinois record with 2,492.5 pound pumpkin

A Plainfield pumpkin grower broke the 11-year Illinois record. 

Phil Groenewold's 2,492.5-pound pumpkin broke the 11-year-old record by 347 pounds.

The giant pumpkin was weighed last week at the Bluegrass Championship Weigh-Off in Kentucky, known also for large watermelons. Groenewold said he picked the pumpkin two weeks early to make it to the weigh-in in Kentucky.  

The pumpkin also took the title for the heaviest pumpkin weighed in the United States during the  2026 Great Pumpkin Commonwealth season.

While Groenewold said he can't pinpoint just one factor that contributed to his pumpkin's success, he did say the right seed, while adding nutrients to the soil, and up to 80 gallons of water per day, helped. 

The pumpkin grower of 10 years said it took a "lot of care and a lot of stress to grow it." 

The pumpkin is currently on display in Groenewold's front yard in Plainfield. 

The grower said he has received offers to sell, mostly to turn his pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern.