OH MY GOURD! Margaret River pumpkin claims title

Competitors at the 2025 Lower Kalgan Pumpkin Festival didn’t know what hit them, when a pair of self-described ‘blow-ins from Margaret River’ rocked up with a mammoth vegetable to claim the heaviest pumpkin prize.

The festival is held each year to celebrate the autumn pumpkin harvest and features a range of competitions and activities based on the vegetable.

Osmington business owners Anthony and Tini Quinlan spent the better part of a year tending to their award winning, gigantic gourd.

“We got it into the ground in early October, with the aim to grow it entirely organically,” Anthony explained.

“It’s quite involved, they’re highly prone to leaf disease and they’re super thirsty as they grow. There are dozens of fruit on the plant, so in the early days you have to decide which to keep and where you’re going to focus your energy.

“Then you have to protect it from the sun – we built a little shelter for this pumpkin to keep it safe.”

The couple had some top quality research and development behind them, having owned and operated their business, Soil Dynamics for two decades.

Their range of Home Organics and Agri Organics products are designed to improve the quality and health of soil, giving plants the best possible conditions to grow in abundance.

With Anthony advising on agricultural and viticultural operations around WA and Tini passionate about helping home gardens become the best they can be, the parents of two have a deep motivation for restoring and supporting the land on which they live and work.

Their regular stalls at the Perth Garden Show and events around WA puts them in contact with plenty of growers, and soon enough they had been set the challenge to outdo the last winning pumpkin at the festival.

“We got the seeds off the guy who won the competition last year – as far as I know it’s the only giant pumpkin competition left in the state,” Anthony said.

“A lot of people are growing them using conventional methods, the result we took down shows that our products do the job.”

The current world record for the heaviest pumpkin is 1,247 kg, set by American Travis Gienger in 2023.

Anthony said seeds for the monster North American winners can go for as much as $500 apiece, and while they’re not aiming to grow pumpkins quite so large, they have been set another challenge for 2026.

“I shook hands on a bet to grow a 500kg one next year, so we’ll see what we end up with!”

For more info on Anthony and Tini’s products, visit soildynamics.com.au