Linus Van Pelt is nowhere to be seen, but you could find plenty of great pumpkins this fall in Kewaunee County. Casco’s Bill Roethle and Algoma’s Chase Romdenne and Matthew Fay are taking on the challenge of trying to grow giant pumpkins this year in their respective patches. It is Roethle’s first year of trying to grow big after harvesting pumpkins for Hillside Apples for several years. It has been a learning experience for Roethle, who says there is a lot of care and maintenance you have to do to make sure the pumpkin grows big, up to 25 pounds a day in some cases.

Whether they are giant, small, or in between, Roethle credits the warm weather in June for what looks to be another large pumpkin crop.

With the cooler temperatures, Roethle covers his oversized gourd with a blanket to make sure nothing goes wrong before he takes his 800-plus pound pumpkin to Mishicot for one of five Wisconsin Giant Pumpkin Growers Association weigh-ins on October 16th. Last year, the biggest pumpkin grown in Wisconsin was 2,114 pounds.