Volodymyr Oliynyk, a 13-year-old schoolboy from the city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine, has grown a pumpkin weighing 210.7 kilograms on his family's summer garden plot.
The massive fruit is poised to shatter the current Ukrainian national record for the heaviest pumpkin, which stands at 137.5 kilograms, according to local broadcaster Suspilne Sumy. Video evidence of the weigh-in has been submitted to the National Register of Records, and the teenager is currently awaiting official confirmation.
Oliynyk decided to cultivate the squash several years ago with the explicit goal of claiming the record. He planted seeds from the Atlantic Giant variety, a type of pumpkin famous worldwide for producing the heaviest specimens ever recorded and a staple of agricultural weigh-off competitions.
To support the plant's rapid growth, the teenager excavated a planting hole with a volume of 2.5 cubic meters, which he filled with humus and fertilizers. The pumpkin was actively watered and regularly supplied with nutrients throughout the entire growing season.
The final weight pleasantly surprised Oliynyk, who said he had only expected the fruit to reach about 186 kilograms. He noted that the most valuable part of the harvest is the seeds, explaining that he plans to keep some for himself and likely sell the rest. He described the achievement as having a sacred value.
Regional agriculture
Agricultural experts pointed out that cultivating such large gourds is not traditional for the Sumy region. Local farmers typically grow pumpkins primarily to harvest their seeds, meaning fruits weighing between 20 and 30 kilograms are already considered large for the area.
Experts called the case unique not only because of the pumpkin's immense size, but because the teenager mastered and executed the entire technological growing cycle independently.
Ukrainian vegetable market
Elsewhere in the country, the broader harvest season for melons and gourds is gradually drawing to a close. Over the past week, the price of melons rose significantly from between 20 and 35 hryvnias per kilogram to between 35 and 50 hryvnias. Conversely, wholesale prices for watermelons have seen a slight decrease, dropping from between 10 and 20 hryvnias down to between 10 and 12 hryvnias per kilogram.
Meanwhile, wholesale prices for carrots have been falling for six consecutive weeks due to a surge in market supply. However, despite this prolonged price drop, carrots remain an average of 32 percent more expensive than they were last year.
