March 20 2014
Pumpkins Promise To Be Prodigious
Will it be a witch’s wart, a grisly goblin or a freaky Frankenstein growing in your garden?
Are you watering it?
We bet it’s big by now.
Is it bigger than you?
We think it might be, because….
You only have just over two weeks to grow the biggest, ugliest pumpkin in New Zealand!
Mitre 10 MEGA’s annual BIG Pumpkin Grow-off will be taking place at stores around the country on Saturday 5 April 2014.
Registered contestants Monique and Cameron Fitzpatrick (5 and 7 years old) have been growing their pumpkins on their
large section in Maungaturoto. After feeding the pumpkins around 9 litres of water a day, as well as a tasty mix of cow
dung fertiliser (home made!) the pumpkins are looking BIG. Monique and Cameron’s mum, June Bolton, says that they’re
probably twice the size of last year’s entries, with both children winning prizes in last year’s local weigh off.
“Cameron’s is quite round and perfect looking, whereas Monique’s is looking pretty ugly and angular. It’s quite
deceptive too – we didn’t think it was as big as her brother’s - but the tape measures don’t lie! They’re about even at
almost 2 metres wide each,” said June Bolton.
The pumpkins, suspected to be hovering just under the 100kg mark, dwarf the children who have grown them. They’re
anxiously awaiting the weigh off, and it looks like Poppa might be making the drive from Auckland to help load the
pumpkins on the back of the ute come 5 April.
There are three categories for entrants competing in the BIG Pumpkin Grow-off including Biggest, Ugliest and Best
Dressed. The national winner will be picked following the final weigh-in on Wednesday 9 April.
The prize for the national winner is an iPad mini as well as a gardening pack to ensure those green thumbs continue to
grow.
Visit mitre10.co.nz/kids for pumpkin updates. Alternatively, contact your local store for more information.
ENDS