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Cucurbita maxima 'Prizewinner' is one of the pumpkin cultivars favored by gardeners attempting to grow the world's largest pumpkin. Glossy skin in dark orange with a classic shape and ribbing makes these 100- to 300-pound pumpkins a favorite of gardeners attempting to win pumpkin-growing contests. This cultivar is a hybrid developed by the Burpee Seed Company, and it continues the long and distinguished legacy begun when 18-year-old W. Atlee Burpee started the business in 1876 in Philadelphia.
The competition for growing the largest pumpkin — there are dozens of contests around the country — relies on seeds of genetic superiority, excellent soils, frequent irrigation, weekly fertilization, and constant attention. Some of the most recent winners have perfected techniques to graft two vines together so that double the nourishment is supplied to the single fruit allowed to grow. "Secret" fertilizer recipes range from "teas" brewed from a number of different plant and animal parts (fragrant is too polite a term for the odor) to those favoring the recipes developed by NASA to grow plants in space habitats.
Not for the small garden, these plants get enormous. Seeds from previous winners are sold for thousands of dollars.