ARVADA —In the world of giant pumpkins, the difference between a record-breaking monster and a failed season can rest on something as trivial as a bug bite.
That’s one of many lessons Arvada resident and pumpkin obsessive Jamie Johnson, 43, has learned over the years as he guns for the state record.
This summer a squash bug nibbled on what he called “the prettiest pumpkin I’ve ever grown,” infecting the 453-pound, bright orange beauty with the assured death of yellow vine disease.
He had to cut “Bo” and a few other pumpkins off the vine prematurely, ending his 2014 season. He managed to salvage a 511-pound “baby.”
Last year, a personal record-breaker that topped 1,220 pounds split, disqualifying the gourd from competitions.
Johnson’s official best is 924 pounds from 2011.
“Split, rot and disease are the three worst words in pumpkin growing, and I’ve had more pumpkins not go to the scale than made it,” Johnson said.
The recent mishaps haven’t dampened his enthusiasm, and Johnson is already prepping soil in a small lot behind his house for next year.
The hope is that someday soon, a combination of the right seed, cooperative weather, good soil, hard work and luck will produce a state record exceeding 1,479 pounds, currently held by Wheat Ridge dentist Joe Scherber.
Johnson got pumpkin-growing fever about eight years ago, when he brought a prize-winner variety for his backyard garden. He couldn’t believe it when it hit 141 pounds and took first place at
“We make it out that Jamie’s the pumpkin-growing celebrity of Arvada,” said Bill Orchard, the event organizer. “It started out as a small event with a bathroom scale; now we have a thousand-pound scale out there.”
Much to the chagrin of his wife, Amber, Johnson got it in his mind to grow a 1,000-pounder. He now runs a detailing the trials, tribulations, joy and heartbreak of growing record pumpkins.
“He spends way too much time with the pumpkins. He’s totally obsessed and it was not full disclosure before marriage,” said .
Jamie Johnson began spending an hour a day adding yards of organic matter to soil as he crossbred varieties of Atlantic Giant while battling bugs, hail, diseases and scouring the Internet for tips and advice.
He said each pumpkin requires about 600 square feet of ground space; the rope-like vines spread into the ground, soaking up to 80 gallons of water a day and pounds of nutrients, as the monsters can easily gain 40 pounds a day.
“The real secret is there is no secret outside of a lot of hard work and a lot of research,” Johnson said. “There’s no special plant hormone, or some super-crazy seed.”
where Jerry Seinfeld, Ricky Gervais and Julianne Moore sided with Jamie Johnson in support of his hobby.
Along the way, he’s collected a few mid-range awards but has yet to take top honors, something that thinks will change.
“It’s just a combination of Mother Nature and the magic seed before anyone breaks loose,” Grande said. “I have no doubt one of these days Jamie will be a state champ.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729 or abriggs@denverpost.com
