Jefferson Twp. couple shows a green thumb for pumpkins
JEFFERSON TWP — The Emert family could make one monster of a jack-o'-lantern this year, if they so choose.
Ron and Lori Emert got some Stella variety pumpkin seeds from a neighbor up the road named Bob Wagner. Ron said he hadn't grown pumpkins before, but gave it a shot this May. This week, he's reaping the rewards.
The seeds grew three big ones. After having a friend measure them in the pumpkin patch, Ron said he believes one weighs 300 pounds, another 500 pounds and the third weighs close to 800, or at least over 750.
“It's the soil,” Ron said. “Well, that and my wife talks to it every night.”
Lori, for the record, denies speaking to the squash.
“We watched it grow every day,” Lori said. “Every day we watched it. But I don't say nothing to it. He's being silly.”
Ron, she said, “really cares about that pumpkin.”
His concern showed Thursday night. Ron gathered several friends in his garden to help load the biggest one out of the pumpkin patch and onto a trailer.
The process involved a truck, a trailer, two pallets, some pieces of foam board, a carpet and five men. Once on the trailer, they wrapped the pumpkin in Ron's sleeping bag.
Ron has big plans for the pumpkin, and he's eyeing a grand prize of $50. This Saturday, he's hauling his pumpkin up to Canfield, Ohio, for the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off.
Read more in the Butler Eagle
