Sacramento-area growers break California state record with giant pumpkin
SACRAMENTO — A team of two Sacramento-area growers has broken a California state record with their giant pumpkin.
Weighing in at a whopping 2,497 pounds, the massive pumpkin, "Pohaku," broke the state record at Half Moon Bay's giant pumpkin contest.
The men behind the masterpiece - Nick Kennedy and Ron Root, of Citrus Heights - have a "Mr. Miyagi and Karate Kid-like" relationship. The duo teamed up when Kennedy asked the award-winning Root to be his mentor.
"Right away, I wanted to peel his brain back and say, 'Tell me everything you know about pumpkins and what (sic) can I get started, and that just opened up the encyclopedia of information," Kennedy said.
"I took 6-7 years off," Root said. "I wasn't growing after the death of my mother, but he talked me into growing and yeah, it's been great."
With a name like Ron Root, it feels like fate that the 63-year-old became a grower. But it was Root's hardships 20 years ago that led him to the pumpkin patch.
"I ended up losing a leg and having a lot of pain, so I sit at home, sitting on my easy chair all day long," he said. "My pain doctor said, 'You've got to get out of the house and do something so you won't feel as much pain.' "
Root found a purpose in pumpkins, spending years perfecting his craft. Only having one leg certainly has its obstacles, but Root just "keeps on keeping on."
"Just plod along like a possum," he said. "I'm really slow. I'll spend hours a day whereas my growing partner Nick might only spend a couple of hours whereas he gets the same amount of work done as I do."
Now, the student becomes the teacher as Kennedy hands down his knowledge to his 6-year-old son. This team of two is inspiring the world to dream big as they quite literally plant the seeds for the future.
Despite breaking a state record, Kennedy and Root took home second place in the Half Moon Bay competition, as a Minnesota man won it all, breaking a word record in the process.
You may be wondering: "What happens to the giant pumpkin now?" The duo sold their pumpkin to a buyer in Sacramento's Fab 40s neighborhood who will carve it into a jack-o-lantern and put it on display for Halloween.
