Ennismore Man Puts His 1,659-Pound Pumpkin On Display At Toronto Fair

It may be one of the biggest pumpkins Peterborough County has ever seen as Ennismore’s Norman Kyle grew and displayed his 1,659-pound pumpkin at the 2022 Royal Agriculture Winter Fair in Toronto from Nov. 4 to 13.

Kyle has grown a slightly smaller pumpkin that weighed 1,490 lbs. which was his then-biggest grown. Photo courtesy of the Ennismore Garden Club.

“If you did a circumference (measurement) on my pumpkin, it was 16 feet, eight inches,” recalls Kyle. “It’s a huge veggie no question.”

Kyle is no stranger to growing larger-than-life vegetables as he has grown a pumpkin that weighed 1,490 lbs. His four-pound tomato and 35-pound rutabaga are two other grown produce that accompanies his massive pumpkin.

The Ennismore man has grown giant vegetables for fifteen years. It started as a retirement project that quickly turned into a passion.

He belongs to the Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario, a non-profit group of vegetable growers.

Kyle says this year’s prized pumpkin grew from a seed which came from a pumpkin grown within the group.

“One thing about our organization is that they share everything. All kinds of information. What’s working good, we pass it along.” he explained. “I can’t honestly tell you that there are any secrets. If you ask a question to another grower, he is only too happy to provide the answer to you.”

For beginners growing their own giant vegetables, Kyle says to remember that soil is a major component.

“I use compost. I probably add to my garden between five and ten cubic yards of compost every year. Everything is pretty well organic that we use,” says Kyle. “Get some good soil, get a good seed and away you go.”

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