Ron Wallace's 3,156lb pumpkin tops Ian Paton's world record by nearly 300lb at Rhode Island weigh-off

The world's heaviest pumpkin record may have lasted only a week. On Saturday 10 October, Rhode Island grower Ron Wallace's giant pumpkin weighed 3,156lb (about 1,431kg) at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off in Warren, according to local broadcaster NBC 10 WJAR. That is nearly 300lb more than the 1,295.8kg (2,856lb 12.8oz) world record that Britain's Ian Paton set on 3 October. It would also be the first pumpkin on record to weigh more than 3,000lb.

The numbers

The pumpkin was weighed on the official scale at Frerichs Farm in Warren, which hosted the annual weigh-off. The 3,156lb reading is about 299lb (roughly 136kg) more than Paton's record. In a sport where records usually go up by a few dozen pounds at a time, that is an unusually big jump.

Local reports describe Wallace as being from Greene, a village in the town of Coventry, Rhode Island. At the time of writing, no official ratification of the new weight had been announced. Guinness World Records still lists Paton's Bagheera as the heaviest pumpkin.

A record that was only a week old

Paton, a nursery owner from Hampshire in England, set his record at the Wargrave Weigh-Off in Berkshire. Officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the body that governs competitive giant-vegetable growing, confirmed the weight. It beat the 1,278.8kg record he and his twin brother Stuart set in 2025 with a pumpkin called Muggle. Muggle had in turn beaten American Travis Gienger's 2023 mark of 1,246.9kg.

Paton grew Bagheera in a greenhouse over about 120 days. He had said his next goal was a 3,000lb pumpkin. A grower in New England got there first.

Wallace's history of firsts

Wallace has broken big barriers before. In 2006 he grew a 1,502lb pumpkin, the first over 1,500lb. In 2012 he grew a 2,009lb pumpkin, the first ever to weigh more than one ton (2,000lb). Both set Guinness World Records.

Giant pumpkins run in the family, and in Warren in particular. In 2015 Wallace set a North American record with a 2,230lb pumpkin. A year later, at the same Warren weigh-off, his father Richard beat it with a 2,261.5lb entry.

What happens next

Weigh-offs in the northern hemisphere carry on through October. If ratified, Wallace's weight would replace Paton's on the official lists. For the moment, Paton's record stands, but it is unlikely to stay at the top for long.

Key takeaways

• Ron Wallace's pumpkin weighed 3,156lb (about 1,431kg) in Warren, Rhode Island, on 10 October.
• That is nearly 300lb more than Ian Paton's 1,295.8kg record, set on 3 October.
• It would be the first pumpkin on record over 3,000lb.
• Wallace previously grew the first pumpkins over 1,500lb (2006) and over one ton (2012).
• No ratification had been announced at the time of writing, and Guinness still lists Paton's record.

FAQ

How heavy was Ron Wallace's pumpkin? It weighed 3,156lb, which is about 1,431kg, at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Growers Weigh-Off on 10 October.

What is the official heaviest pumpkin record? Guinness World Records currently lists Ian Paton's Bagheera, which weighed 1,295.8kg (2,856lb 12.8oz) at Wargrave in England on 3 October 2026.

Has Ron Wallace held the record before? Yes. He set Guinness records in 2006 with 1,502lb and in 2012 with 2,009lb, the first pumpkin to weigh more than one ton.

Sources: NBC 10 WJAR, WPRI, Guinness World Records