COLUMBIA, S.C. — When you go to the State Fair, you’ll see plenty of pumpkins ranging from 49 pounds, 80 pounds, and 359 pounds, but it was this 490 pound prize winner that greets you in the Ellison building.
“Oh, I was super excited, I am so glad to see the other pumpkins too.”
Beth Darragh of Greenwood was ecstatic when she found out her months of work led to a prize-winning pumpkin.
“I start in May, it's when I plant the seed and I start in a greenhouse. I like to have my I like to have my plant in the ground by June 1st.”
Weather can play a huge role when it comes to growing, the first half of the year saw over 3.5 extra inches of rain compared to the average to start the year. The summer was drier but still featured just enough rain to grow giant pumpkins.
Temperatures while warm, didn't feature much in the way of extreme triple-digit heat this year in the state,
“We had a lot of rain in the Spring but very little in the Summer which is kind of beneficial to a pumpkin because too much rain can be very, very harmful and it causes a lot of diseases, mold, and mildew.”
And for our Gandy’s Gardeners out there Beth has a few tips for growing prize-winning pumpkins.
“I would encourage people to get a good see and to make sure to do your research.”
Along with pumpkins, the Fair features a 200-pound watermelon, prize winning corn, sweet potatoes, apples all grown here in South Carolina.
