Anoka County pumpkin grower wins California title for 5th time in 7 years

A pumpkin weighing just under 2,400 pounds has made Anoka County grower Travis Gienger a champion in California for the fifth time in seven years.

The pumpkin, named Rocky, competed against 50 other growers from around the world at the Half Moon Bay festival. Its weight is about the same as an adult polar bear or a full-grown American bison.

Gienger began growing Rocky in April. He spent the summer weeding, trimming, fertilizing and feeding it sugar water.

"They can grow 60 to 70 pounds a day," Gienger said.

"It grew almost 1,700 pounds in the month of July. I thought we got a shot at a world record here," he said.

Gienger set the world record in 2023 with a 2,749-pound pumpkin, and won again in 2024 with one weighing 2,471 pounds.

To get Rocky to California, Gienger used a skid loader to put it on a trailer, then hauled it to Half Moon Bay. He was paid $9 a pound for the win, which totaled more than $21,000.

Half Moon Bay also held a parade, and organizers created a float for Gienger.

A pumpkin he grew that's half Rocky's size will be featured in Anoka's "Halloween Capital of the World" parade, a few miles from Gienger's garden. As soon as the parade ends, he'll start planning for next year's crop.

"For me it's like fishing. You cast out a bobber, and you wait and you never know what you're going to get," Gienger said.