Although the 60-pound pumpkin that Kevin Smith grew behind his Herndon home may not be a record-breaker, it is the largest pumpkin that the Floris Elementary second-grader ever grew. In fact, it's the first pumpkin that he ever grew.
Kevin started his pumpkin crop last spring when he bought a seed packet from the now-closed Southern States store. The packet only contained eight seeds, but they produced several large vines that have taken over a sizable chunk of land behind the Smith's home on Copper Ridge Drive. The result: three pumpkins almost as big as Kevin.
"I didn't have a clue how pumpkins grew," said Kevin's mother Rosie Smith. "But I thought we'd try and see what happened."
The only advice about successful pumpkin-growing that Rosie Smith received was that the plants needed bees to pollinate the flowers. "We just fertilized it once and watered it," she said.
Kevin plans to carve the three, large pumpkins for Halloween. He thought about taking one into school to show his classmates, but said "It's too heavy."
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