Wise family works overtime growing giant pumpkin for Bream Creek Show

GROWING a whopper of a pumpkin is a 24/7 operation for a Tasmanian family preparing to go into battle at the Bream Creek Show.

Giant pumpkin is still packing on the pounds ahead of the Bream creek show in a couple of weeks. The pumpkin is headed towards 160kg, fed on compost lasagne, wrapped in blankets at night and covered by day to protect from sun, picture of Honey Wise 2 and a half of Cambridge with the massive pumkin,Picture;KIM EISZELE

GROWING a whopper of a pumpkin is a 24/7 operation for a Tasmanian family preparing to go into battle at the Bream Creek Show.

Optimum growth involves a nightly routine of being tucked in with blankets and a daily devotion to protecting its smooth skin from the harsh elements.

Most importantly, the Wise family are feeding their pumpkin a nutrient-rich diet: lasagne.

“This is the first time I’ve used the lasagne method, and it seems to be working,” said Jillian Wise, of Cambridge.

The “lasagne” is not the traditional Italian variety, but a method of composting where the ingredients are layered: first the chook poo, then the straw and then the vegie scraps – layer upon layer.

All this soil preparation started last year, when Mrs Wise was pregnant with her second child.

“I shovelled all this in while I was four and five months pregnant,” she said.

But the effort was all worth it and the proof is in the pudding, which in this case is a pumpkin estimated to weigh about 350kg.

Honey Wise, 2, with the giant vegetable.

With more than a week to go before this year’s show on March 19, it is hoped the pumpkin still has time for further fattening.

Matt Wise, who has helped tend to the pumpkin with his wife, said the final days were crucial.

“These things just pack on the pounds when the weather is good – and it looks like it’s going to stay warm,” Mr Wise said.

The family took out third place with a 118kg pumpkin in the Show’s biggest pumpkin section two years ago.

Last year they grew a fizzler, which was smaller than a regular pumpkin.

This year their hopes are high, although they know there is other competition is out there.

“We’ve heard about another pumpkin being grown which is pretty big, so it’s hard to know,” said Mrs Wise.

The family has named the pumpkin Gregory and will keep tending to its every need until the big day.

It is kept warm at night with three blankets and covered by day to keep away direct sunlight and rain.

And nobody is allowed to touch it.

“It’s very serious,” Mrs Wise said.