Don Barron of LaSalle, Michigan, took the Great Chattanooga Weigh-Off at The Barn Nursery on October 10 with a 2,109.5-pound pumpkin. Here are the official results and what was on the line.
Updated October 12, 2026: official results are in, from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth results database.
Results: A 2,109.5-Pound Winner
The heaviest pumpkin at the Great Chattanooga Weigh-Off on Saturday, October 10, weighed 2,109.5 pounds. It was grown by Don Barron of LaSalle, Michigan. Here are the top weights by category, as listed by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth:
- Giant pumpkin: Don Barron (LaSalle, Michigan), 2,109.5 pounds. Second heaviest was Terry and Lois Nelson (Thomas, West Virginia) at 1,944.5 pounds. (pumpkin results)
- Giant watermelon: Chris Kent (Sevierville, Tennessee), 266.5 pounds. As of October 12, that is the fifth heaviest watermelon in the GPC's 2026 results worldwide. It did not reach the 350.5-pound world-record bonus mark. (watermelon results)
- Giant squash: Cindy Synder (Thomas, West Virginia), 869 pounds. (squash results)
Barron's pumpkin was the only one at Chattanooga to clear 2,000 pounds, the mark set for the contest's $500 bonus.
Want to see one of these giants up close? The Barn Nursery shared a video of a giant pumpkin on Facebook, sitting on a pallet outside the store.
Growing a pumpkin the size of a hot tub is one problem. Getting it onto a trailer and across a certified scale is another. On Saturday, October 10, the Great Chattanooga Weigh-Off came to The Barn Nursery, where growers could find out exactly how big their fruit was. Admission was listed as free, so anyone could walk in and watch.
If you have never seen a competitive giant pumpkin up close, it is hard to picture. These are not jack-o'-lanterns. They are lopsided, pale orange monsters that can weigh as much as a small car, lifted onto a certified scale one at a time while the crowd waits for the number.
How Big Can These Things Get?
Bigger than you think. At the Nashville Fair's weigh-off on September 14, a pumpkin grown by Josh Monin of Caneyville, Kentucky, tipped the scale at 2,479 pounds. That made it the heaviest pumpkin weighed in Tennessee this year and the third largest weighed anywhere in the country, according to Franklin Is.
The Chattanooga contest was built with fruit in that class in mind. The rules offered a $500 bonus for any pumpkin over 2,000 pounds, and Barron's 2,109.5-pounder cleared it.
What Was Up for Grabs
Per the official listing on the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth event calendar, there was real money on the line:
- Giant pumpkins and squash: $5,000 for first place, with prizes paid all the way down to 15th place. A pumpkin had to weigh at least 300 pounds to win cash.
- Giant squash: a separate prize table topping out at $800.
- Watermelons: $2,000 for first, plus a $3,000 bonus for any melon over 350.5 pounds, which would be world-record territory.
- The fun categories: tomatoes, bushel gourds, long gourds, marrows and field pumpkins, each with smaller cash prizes.
Every entry had to be grown by the person entering it, and growers had to be on site with their fruit registered by 9:30 a.m. Entry was free for growers, and the listing promised custom trophies along with the cash.
Event Details
- When: Saturday, October 10, 2026, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This event has passed.
- Where: The Barn Nursery, 1801 East 24th Street Place, right off I-24 at the 4th Avenue exit
- Cost: admission was free, per Local 3 News' fall events roundup
- Results: see the Results section above. Official weights are listed on the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth results pages, and The Barn Nursery shared video from the event on its Facebook page.
- Questions: The Barn Nursery is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and can be reached at 423-698-2276.
Missed it? One thing worth knowing for next time: at weigh-offs like this one, the biggest pumpkins usually go on the scale last, so the afternoon is when the top weight tends to land.
More Fall Fun Around Chattanooga
The weigh-off is over, but pumpkin season is not. Our pumpkin patches and corn mazes near Chattanooga list has plenty of places to pick your own (much smaller) pumpkin. For the rest of the season, see the best things to do in Chattanooga this fall, our fall in Chattanooga guide, and the full rundown of Halloween events in Chattanooga. You can also browse what else is happening around town on our events calendar.
Sources
- Great Pumpkin Commonwealth 2026 results: pumpkins, watermelons, squash (official weights and growers)
- Great Pumpkin Commonwealth: The Great Chattanooga Weigh-Off at The Barn Nursery (date, time, rules and prize schedule)
- Local 3 News: Fall 2026 events around the Tennessee Valley (free admission)
- Franklin Is: Third largest pumpkin in the country weighs in at the Nashville Fair
- The Barn Nursery (address and hours)
- The Barn Nursery on Facebook (posts and video from the day of the event)
Details about businesses mentioned in this article (hours, offerings, atmosphere, and more) may change or may not be fully accurate. Spot something that needs a correction? Let us know and we'll fix it right away.
