Dave and Carol Stelts, giant pumpkin growers from Western Pennsylvania, have been awarded the highly-coveted “Grower of the Year” title at this year’s Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-off, writes Jason Nark for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

The couple’s three pumpkins weighed in at a whopping 7,729 pounds. Their largest pumpkin weighed in at 2731.5 pounds, which is just 18 shy of the current world record. 

“We absolutely slayed it,” said Dave. 

The couple’s farm in Enon Valley, northwest of Pittsburgh, is appropriately named the Valley of Giants. Inside their home, there are dozens of ribbons, pumpkin-shaped trophies, and fake, giant checks they received for their pumpkins over the years. But through it all, the GOTY title managed to elude them – until now. 

Dave was overjoyed to finally beat his main – but friendly – rivals, the Paton Brothers, who grow their pumpkins along England’s southern coast. 

This year, “they weren’t as heavy as they thought and we were heavier than we thought,” he said. 

While he thought finally winning the GOTY might prompt him to retire from pumpkin growing, it just fueled his pumpkin passion more. 

“Oh yeah, I have to keep beating those limeys,” said Dave. 

Read more about Dave and Carol Stelts and all the huge pumpkins they grow in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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