AUSTRALIAN GIANT PUMPKIN AND VEGETABLE SUPPORTERS (AGPVS)

Growing large vegetables has a long history in Australia. A pumpkin of unknown variety, then called a mammoth gourd, that weighed 98.5 pounds was grown by W. S. Button in Tasmania and entered in the Horticultural show April 3 1844.(1)

Seeds were imported from California by Mr J. T. Thornton of NSW. The squash he sourced seeds from were a 264 pound Comanche variety grown one mile from San Jose by Asa Vestal and a 239 pound squash grown by Mr Chancey of Alameda County, likely to have been harvested in 1857. In Australia they were called Californian Comanche or Texan species of pumpkins.(2-3) In later news articles they were called California Mammoth or mammoth pumpkins "of the species introduced from California".(4) The first recorded weight able to be found for this variety by searching digitised newspapers was a 243 pound squash grown by Mr Brown at Newtown, Sydney NSW, awarded a society's medal in 1859.(2-3)

The term "mammoth pumpkins" was generally used as a descriptor rather than referring to a particular variety, and was used in a very poetic depiction of South Head NSW in 1857, describing the large pumpkins and "monster cabbages" grown in the area. It can be surmised that one or more large varieties of pumpkins were already being grown in NSW prior to California Comanche pumpkins being introduced.(5)

Seeds to grow "mammoth pumpkins" were made available through commercial seed catalogues. For example, "mammoth cattle pumpkins" were advertised in Messrs. Anderson, Hall, and Co.'s seed and plant catalogue in 1876, a time when Jacaranda trees were still rare.(6) Anderson and Co., Seedsmen, offered a 10 pound prize for the largest pumpkin grown from their "Mammoth Cattle Pumpkin" seeds in 1898.(7) A search of old newspaper articles will reveal many "mammoth pumpkins" that were advertised as being on display for the public to see at various locations, such as the 147 and 145 pound pumpkins grown by head gardener Mr E. C. T*nner in 1896 using seeds obtained from and then displayed at the establishment of Messrs R. U. Nicholls and Co.(8)

​

Russ Zimmer, a newly arrived Aussie from Milwaukee United States, started the first "official" Giant Pumpkin Competition in South Australia back in 1987. Now, giant pumpkin competitions are being held across Australia.

​

Most modern lines of giant pumpkin seeds now grown in Australia for competition have been imported more recently from America and Europe, and are of the Atlantic Giant variety developed by Howard Dill; rather than a continuation of the seeds originally imported into Australia during these earlier times.

​

Article written by Marie Kalkaus © 2018