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Entry Date
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Nick Name
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Location
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Sunday, August 02, 2026
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Matt D.
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Connecticut
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Entry 32 of 33 |
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1430 DeBacco '26 UOW dmg (F: 2154 Sperry x M: 2587 DeBacco dmg) 31.7% Heavy!!
What a surprise!
OTT = 369.5"
Est. weight = 1085.5 pounds
Expected Range: 990.5 - 1179.5 pounds
This was a special pumpkin as it is only 51 days old and went way over chart. I know some people will say the measurements are off or the scale is not calibrated, because even I find it hard to believe the scale readout. There will be a cut away provided to get an idea of the structure, but hard to think there is much cavity and very sad to know that it split.
While this is only one pumpkin, it does bring into question that percent heavy is an old pumpkin trait. It seems that some (ex. 2154 Sperry at least for me) does not grow very impressively by the tape, but are actually packing on the pounds.
OTT measurements are an easy (and somewhat consistent) data point to take, it may not be the best and could be misleading. Where I think these measurements come into play in a more valid way is was has been called an enhanced OTT chart for estimating weights. This chat provides a range of weights for a given OTT. This is where the true outliers can be found and is something more growers should consider.
Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20131102065127/http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Attachments/Team-Pumpkin_2013_Enhanced_OTT_Chart.pdf
Yes, growers and weigh-off coordinators like a single number to match with the size of the pumpkin, but this is not as valid when there is natural variability with measuring due to the shape of the pumpkin.
This was certainly a pumpkin that had big potential at the scales, since it was so far out of the expected weight range for this size. So to all growers keep at the plant and pumpkin, even if the estimated weights are not what you were hoping for since it could be a surprise at the scales. While this could mean your pumpkin could go under the estimate, think positive;-)
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