Firefighter grows Colorado's second-biggest pumpkin in Fort Collins front yard

After months of tending to the ever-growing pumpkin in his Fort Collins front yard, Brad Bledsoe admitted he was nervous as the moment of truth arrived Saturday.

The behemoth Atlantic Giant pumpkin — which Bledsoe's wife and daughters named Greta — seemed to be neck-in-neck with another gargantuan pumpkin at Fort Collins Nursery's annual Great Pumpkin Weigh-Off event Saturday. But, after officially clocking in at 1,729 pounds Saturday afternoon, Greta solidly took the crown of the event's biggest pumpkin and the title of second-largest pumpkin ever grown in Colorado.

Greta is second only to Howie, a pumpkin grown by Denver-area hobby farmer Chad New. Howie weighed in at 1,783 pounds on Oct. 1, shattering Colorado's previous pumpkin record of 1,685 pounds.

Wanting to get rid of the grass in his front yard, Bledsoe grew a much smaller Atlantic Giant pumpkin at his west Fort Collins home last summer. This year — in what he's called his rookie season — he went all in.

Bledsoe — who works as a firefighter for Aurora Fire Rescue — planted Greta as a seedling this spring and meticulously tended to and tented the pumpkin as summer neared. Unexpectedly, Greta grew and grew and grew. Last month, measurements of Greta's exterior indicated the pumpkin weighed more than 1,600 pounds — closing in on the previous state record of 1,685 pounds, which was set in 2016.

"It was a lot of relief and excitement," Bledsoe said of Saturday's weigh-in, noting that no matter how big a pumpkin is measuring, it can always skew lighter when it's weighed.

"I can't believe we actually won (the weigh-off)," he added. "It's better to be lucky than good."

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After a successful season, Bledsoe said he's officially hooked on competitive pumpkin growing — so much so that when asked Monday when preparation for the next pumpkin season begins, he responded, "It started yesterday."

After clearing Greta's vines from his front yard, Bledsoe said he plans to plant winter rye as a cover crop to help restore nutrients in both his front and back yards, where he'll plant pumpkins next year.

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In the meantime, Bledsoe is taking Greta on a little victory tour around town. On Monday, he drove Greta to Bauder Elementary so his daughter's kindergarten class could see the giant pumpkin. Later this week, he's hoping to take Greta to his younger daughter's preschool.

Once the tour is over, Greta will be returned to the Bledsoes' front yard, where the family will carve it into a giant jack-o'-lantern.

In the process, Bledsoe said he'll squirrel away some of Greta's seeds — for next year's planting season, of course.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado's 2nd biggest pumpkin grown by firefighter in Fort Collins