Retired Princeville farmer takes love for gardening to giant horizons

PRINCEVILLE ( 25News Now ) - It wouldn't be the fall season without pumpkins, but a Princeville man is taking his pumpkins to new heights and pounds on his land of giants.

A retired farmer, Joe House took his gardening hobby to another level.

"I had a small pumpkin business. I was growing many types of jack-o-lanterns and specialty pumpkins, and I happened to see a picture of the giants, so I decided, hey, that would be a great addition to this as a draw," he said.

His fascination with growing giants only grew from that point. He added that his first try was successful, with his first giant pumpkin weighing around 900 lbs. Now, House runs Joe's Giant Pumpkins in Princeville.

"It's enjoyable to see them throughout the year because that sheet will keep growing and growing," said House.

But how do these giants grow to thousands of pounds? The key to a giant pumpkin is the genetics of its seed.

"One year, one seed went for $1,000 from the world record. Probably the most I've ever paid for a seed was $50," House added.

The seeds start in a greenhouse, and the goal is to get them in the ground by the first two weeks of May. Next, it takes lots of water. These giants can take up to hundreds of gallons of water a day. A giant pumpkin growing at its peak can gain 50 lbs a day. Some growers even create their form of miracle grow to help fertilize the orange giant. Then, a sheet is put over the pumpkin as it grows to protect the outer skin from tightening due to the sun.

"After, I think there's a lot of finger-crossing," House added.

Sometimes, even at the last moment, your pumpkin may be too heavy to lift out of the patch, which happened to House's largest pumpkin this year.

"I was up to 900 lbs, and it still had some on the ground, and then my strap broke, and I dropped it, and she just cracked," explained House.

But House didn't stop at pumpkins. He also grows giant gourds, butternut squash, watermelon, tomatoes, eggplants, sunflowers, Indian corn, and more.

House explained that he is part of a giant plant seed exchange that sometimes comes from other giant plants besides pumpkins. He is always excited to see what kinds of seeds he gets and how big he can grow the next one.

Joe's Giant Pumpkins is open to anyone to take a look, even if you don't intend to purchase a giant pumpkin. His farm can be found at 9615 W Oertley Rd, Princeville, IL, United States, Illinois.