DENVER ( KDVR ) — One local man’s journey to growing the state’s largest pumpkin started four years ago with an empty spot in the Aurora firefighter’s front yard and a seed that grew into an unexpectedly large pumpkin.
Four years ago, Brad Bledsoe wanted to grow a big pumpkin.
There was an empty patch of space in the front yard of his home north of Fort Collins, and his wife suggested growing a pumpkin in the area. So, Bledsoe planted one, which turned out to be almost 200 pounds by the time it was done growing.
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“It was like the pride and joy of the neighborhood,” said Bledsoe.
Bledsoe said the pumpkin was so big that he took it to a contest in Fort Collins where it wound up being one of the smallest ones.
“My daughter, who was like four at the time, she goes, ‘Dad, why’s your pumpkin so small?’ And I was like, OK, that’s got my competitive bug,” said Bledsoe.
The next year, Bledsoe said he grew the second-biggest pumpkin in the state in the same patch in his front yard. After that, he grew the biggest pumpkin in Colorado for the year. This year, he’s back for more.