Allegheny Township's Great Pumpkin, Olga, goes to state weigh-off

Olga the 1,174,5 pound pumpkin was severed from her stalk in an Allegheny Township patch Friday evening and loaded into a truck bound for the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association weigh-off Saturday in Cambria County.

Olga beat Justin Reiter’s personal pumpkin best of 1,136.5 pounds during Saturday’s weigh-off. This great pumpkin barely fit on Reiter’s trailer for Friday’s trip. Reiter and family has to use a two-ton chain hoist to lift the monster gourd out of the pumpkin patch.

He also placed sixth for growing the longest long gourd — just over 7 feet — on Saturday.

Reiter learned to grow giant pumpkins more than a decade ago from his father-in-law, Russ Baptiste.

He was able to spend more time in the pumpkin patch this year as pandemic restrictions kept him working from home. Without the daily commute to Pittsburgh, each morning Reiter spent an hour in the pumpkin patch.

Although it looks like he has some winning pumpkins, two ginormous specimens, Reiter hopes to crack the top 10 in two upcoming competitions. But he realizes other growers likely also had more time at home to work in their pumpkin patches.

“Could be competitive this year because other weigh-offs were cancelled due to covid-19 restrictions,” he said.

Reiter needs to tend to his patch daily in order to supersize his pumpkins and some long gourds.

Baptiste’s mantra: “Think Big. Grow big. Or go home.”

Baptiste believes that the most important factors in growing such huge pumpkins and gourds is the quality and balance of soil.

The other ingredient: “You got to have fun, because you won’t want to do it.”

Reiter said growing big requires seeds with good genetics, good soil and feeding it all year.

The unusually dry weather this summer was a concern, but Reiter just kept watering and watering.

He doubled his water bill in August — which came with a letter of concern from the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County that he had a leak somewhere.

But Reiter didn’t pay any mind to the water bill.

That’s a small price to pay for this self-described pumpkin king to compete the big boys.

Olga will be on display Sunday at Renshaw Farm’s annual pumpkin festival in South Buffalo Township.