Dr. Joe Scherber’s pumpkin is large enough to transport Cinderella.

The pumpkin, which won the Giant Pumpkin Contest at Longmont’s Flower Bin Garden Center and Nursery Saturday, weighed in at 1,073 pounds.

Scherber, a dentist from Wheat Ridge, said the pumpkin barely fit on the pallet he put it on.

“I’m just glad the pumpkin weighed right around where our chart said it should,” said Scherber.

“He has the Garden of Eden at his house,” Andy Corbin, whose 858-pound pumpkin placed third, said of Scherber.

Scherber said his yard was more like Jack and the Beanstock.

Scherber came in second last year behind Corbin.

Scherber said he had a pumpkin in September that was 1,400 pounds before it split, but those are the risks of growing giant pumpkins.

“If you ain’t blowin’ ’em you ain’t growin’ ’em,” Scherber said.

Now that the pumpkin has been weighed, Scherber said he has no more use for it.

“It’s gonna sit here until it rots, basically,” Scherber said. “I’m gonna come get the seeds next week.”

Scherber said he has been growing giant vegetables since 1997. That year, he said, he produced the Colorado state record pumpkin, at 746 pounds. The current record pumpkin, also grown by Scherber, weighed 1,478 pounds.

Corbin said his pumpkin was putting on 17 pounds per day when a killing frost stopped its growth on June 13. Corbin said he dealt with several weather hazards, including another frost and hail.

Corbin journeyed south from Cheyenne, Wyo., to display his pumpkin. Corbin said he usually donates his giant pumpkins to charity or friends, but this year he might just let it sit in front of his house.

“Burying the vines is the key. That’ll get you to the next level,” Corbin said.

Corbin said the most important aspects of growing giant pumpkins are soil nutrient balance and burying the vines.

Gary Grande grew a green squash that placed second. The squash weighed 866 pounds.

Grande said he has been growing pumpkins for 20 years, and competing for 10 years.

“We’re trying to promote more green squash,” Grande said.

Grande said his green squash will be dropped from a crane and smashed at Jared’s Nursery in Littleton on Nov. 3.

Both Grande and Scherber said this summer’s weather helped — yet also hindered, their growing operations. The wetter-than-usual summer helped some, but the colder-than-normal nights somewhat stunted their pumpkins’ growth.

“We like it wet but it was too cool,” Grande said.

“The water is a blessing to everybody in agriculture, but (the pumpkins) need the warm nights,” Scherber said.