It’s the Great Pumpkin, North Tampa, at least the greatest in Florida this year

If only Linus had known the greatest of all pumpkins was arriving at a North Tampa market, he could have saved himself a lot of sleep and even some embarrassment while his Halloween might have been a little more enjoyable in the Peanuts cartoon classic.

But an 868-pound pumpkin has been transported to Bearss Grove on Lake Magdalene Boulevard in the northern Tampa Bay metro area. The family market is now home to Florida’s largest pumpkin during this Halloween season.

While the claim of hosting the biggest pumpkin in the state is a bold one during the Halloween season, it’s not really a Florida bragging right in terms of its origins. The great pumpkin actually hails from Indiana, according to a Bearss news release.

“The 868-pound pumpkin was purchased and transported from Indiana,” the Bearss news release said.

The great pumpkin actually arrived in North Tampa on Friday. It became an instant curiosity in the area as school children congregated around the pumpkin shortly after it arrived.

“A group of Pre-K students from Corbett Preparatory School of IDS were the first to experience Florida’s largest pumpkin. The children watched as the 868-pound pumpkin was transported by tractor and placed in front of the farm stand. According to the Child Mind Institute, outdoor play and nature builds confidence, promotes creativity and imagination, teaches responsibility, encourages physical activity, and reduces stress and fatigue,” the Bearrs news release said.

While the Bearss Grove pumpkin is a great one and a big one and is the largest in Florida for the time being, it’s still outweighed by the greatest pumpkin of all that was recorded about a year ago.

According to a report from The Associated Press, the greatest pumpkin of all was celebrated in October 2023 when a gourd weighing 2,749 pounds was recorded at an event in Half Moon Bay, California. The jack-o-lantern was actually grown in Minnesota by horticulture teacher Travis Gienger who set the world record at the 50th World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in the California coastal town.