Plumpest pumpkin: 2,058-pound gourd sets record

A pumpkin weighing 2,058 pounds has taken first prize and set a tournament record at an annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California.

John Hawkley, 56, was crowned the victor Monday.

Tim Beeman, a spokesman for the weigh-off in Half Moon Bay, says Hawkley “squashed” his competition, beating the runner-up by more than 300 pounds.

Hawkley grew the winning pumpkin in California’s Napa Valley, which is famous for its wine grapes. He says he will use the $13,000 in prize money to make repairs on his home, which was damaged during a strong earthquake in the Napa area in August.

Hawkley credited his success at least in part to warm weather. He ended up with a total of six pumpkins, another one of which also weighed more than 2,000 pounds.