How to Grow a Giant Pumpkin

"Preparing the soil is the key," Leonardo Urena explains. He's proudly showing off his winning entry in Elk Grove's annual pumpkin weigh-off, a 1,685-pound monster that had to be carried in by forklift.

"We use organic fertilizer, but if the leaves look green, shiny and healthy, we leave it alone. Why mess with the plant?"

Urena's been growing pumpkins for 11 years. He also won Elk Grove's contest in 2005, with a 1,200-pound specimen. There's been some pumpkin inflation since then: Each of this year's runners-up also came in at over 1,500 pounds.

"Pumpkins and gourds are my hobby," says Urena, whose day job is growing everything from radishes to shelling beans on Napa's Hudson Ranch. The farm's owners let him raise his prize-winning orange orbs there in his spare time.

At the Giant Pumpkin Festival Sunday, awestruck passers-by pepper him with questions.

"Is it moldy?" one asks.

Nope. Just harvested Friday, the pumpkin's only 100 days old. Urena used tents to protect its delicate skin from the sun. A combination of sand and fabric underneath the plant helped the pumpkin expand smoothly across the ground as it grew.

The 100-day time frame is important, Urena says: not more, not less.

"If the plant gets weak or tired, you might lose weight if you leave it on the plant."

Urena checks his plants twice each day, warding off problems like mice and rot.

"It takes a lot of time," he says. "I tell people, 'If you have the time, go for it. If not, you better grow something else.' "

In a couple of weeks, Urena will head to the mother of all pumpkin contests, in Half Moon Bay. He'll have to bring a different pumpkin from his patch, though—no double-dipping allowed.