19 March 2024
This year’s winner of the largest pumpkin at the Goliat van Gat Pumpkin Festival in Pretoria was Cornelis Bester from Heidelberg in Gauteng with a pumpkin weighing 730,8 kg.
This year marks the 20th year that TLU SA’s farmers from Cullinan have hosted this pumpkin festival where the biggest, most beautiful and ugliest pumpkins are judged. Nineteen pumpkins weighing a total of 3 214 kg were exhibited at the farmer’s market in Silverton over the weekend.
Bester grew his winning pumpkin in the backyard of his Heidelberg property with seeds from last year’s winning 890 kg pumpkin. Wykus Lamprecht from Meyerton grew last year’s record winner. He came second this year with a 568 kg pumpkin.
“Wykus was a very good mentor to me, always willing to help, and he’s already a legend in pumpkin circles,” says Bester. “Furthermore, one needs a lot of patience and grace from Above to walk the path with your pumpkin.
“Then, of course, you also learn constantly from your mistakes. This year was my fifth attempt – my first pumpkin weighed only 42 kg. I rely on town water, and as it goes these days we have many interruptions. Luckily, I have friends with boreholes who were willing to help, and many days I had to drive to go get water. Furthermore, aspects like soil preparation, compost, soil analysis and agricultural chemicals are all important.”
The third-largest pumpkin, weighing 467,4 kg, was grown by Dirk Small from Sundra near Delmas.
Lamprecht produced the most beautiful pumpkin, while a team known as “Oupa se span” grew the ugliest but still won the prize for team spirit.Festival organiser Henri Combrink says they will again harvest seeds from the largest pumpkins this year and make them available for next year’s competition. Seeds and entries will be available from May and interested parties can contact him at culliboer@gmail.com
