Lower Austrian wins Austria’s giant pumpkin title with 881-kilogram entry

A Lower Austrian grower won Austria’s giant pumpkin championship with an 881-kilogram entry, ORF reported.

Friedrich Melka, from the district of Tulln, took the title at the competition in Schiltern, in the district of Krems. His pumpkin weighed more than 150 kilograms more than the runner-up.

Twenty-five pumpkins of the Atlantic Giant variety were entered in the official contest and weighed in the garden arena at Kittenberger Erlebnisgärten, a garden complex in Schiltern. Other giant vegetables on display included squash, long gourd, marrow, field pumpkin and giant tomatoes.

Growers from Lower Austria took first and third place, while a grower from Tyrol came second. Organisers said the weather had made growing the giant pumpkins more difficult this year, with high temperatures, little rainfall and low humidity.