Aidie Creek Gardens is donating a 1,711-pound pumpkin to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat
ENGLEHART — After falling short of winning a competition, a farmer’s 1,711-pound pumpkin is getting a second life as a treat for two of Cochrane’s biggest residents.
Jeff Warner, who owns Aidie Creek Gardens in Englehart, is donating the pumpkin to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, where it will be given to resident polar bears Ganuk and Henry.
The pumpkin was disqualified from the giant vegetable weigh-off at Port Elgin Pumpkinfest earlier this month because a soft spot had grown beyond the size permitted under competition rules.
Warner said he first noticed the spot about a week before harvesting the pumpkin. It was initially about the size of a loonie, prompting him to harvest it a few days early and store it somewhere cool and dry in hopes of slowing the rot.
He knew it might not pass inspection, but made the trip anyway.
“I said, ‘I’ve got a 50-50 chance I’m going to get disqualified,’” Warner told TimminsToday. “But I said, ‘I’m just going to take it, whatever.’”
The soft spot kept growing while the pumpkin was on the trailer. At the competition, a judge measured it and determined it exceeded the allowable size by about an inch.
While the result was disappointing, Warner understood the decision.
The pumpkin weighed 1,711 pounds, enough to surpass the winning entry’s 1,542 pounds.
Warner’s Ontario record stands at 1,966.5 pounds, grown in 2024.
“The biggest pumpkin ever grown in Ontario came from here,” he said.
Warner has been growing giant pumpkins for roughly 20 years, and said producing one of that size takes months of planning, preparation, and hands-on work.
It begins in the winter, with selecting seeds from the Atlantic Giant variety. Growers study the lineage of individual seeds, looking at the pumpkins produced by previous generations and deciding which crosses have the best potential.
From there, Warner prepares the growing environment. He plants seeds in a greenhouse in April and moves them to their permanent growing space toward the end of the month or beginning of May.
He grows his pumpkins indoors in large greenhouses, where heaters help create conditions similar to those found farther south.
Each plant gets approximately 1,000 square feet of growing space. Warner typically grows three plants, aiming to produce one pumpkin from each.
The work includes watering, fertilizing, pruning, pulling weeds, and maintaining the vines. By mid-June, he begins pollinating the plants and monitoring the pumpkins as they grow.
At their fastest, the pumpkins can gain between 30 and 50 pounds a day, Warner said.
Keeping the plants healthy throughout the growing season is essential, he said, and the work requires consistent attention.
“You have to do the early work to get the late results,” he said.
Even with careful planning, there are no guarantees. Warner said he lost two of his three pumpkins this year before the competition, leaving the 1,711-pound entry as his only remaining contender.
Despite the disappointment at Pumpkinfest, Warner said he was glad to see a friend and fellow grower take the win.
The donation to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat is also becoming a tradition.
Warner donated a giant pumpkin to the habitat for the first time last year after staff noticed his vehicle returning from Pumpkinfest and asked if they could have it for the bears.
Watching the polar bears interact with the pumpkin was an experience he won’t forget.
“It was cool as hell,” Warner said.
“These bears were massive, and they’re like up on their feet, pushing on it and shaking the whole thing. It’s amazing how powerful they are, because these pumpkins are big and are fairly strong.”
He also brought his daughter along to see the bears and learn more about how the habitat cares for them.
This year’s pumpkin is set to arrive at the habitat today (Oct. 21). Those unable to attend in person can follow along through the habitat’s live cameras at polarbearhabitat.ca.
As for Warner, he’s already looking ahead to next year’s growing season.
“Ontario’s never grown a 2,000-pound pumpkin yet,” he said. “I want to be that person.”