Feb 15, 2017
The 7th annual Giant Pumpkin Festival takes place in Heidelberg on 24 & 25 March 2017 and Shoprite Checkers has again supplied the sixty-five entrants with special hand-selected pumpkin seeds imported from Canada.
Especially bred for size, Dill’s Atlantic Giant is the grand-daddy of giant pumpkins. Non-treated or genetically modified in any way, these seeds are the variety of choice for those wishing to produce pumpkins in excess of 300kg.
Louwrens van Deventer was crowned the Giant Pumpkin Champion in 2016 with a pumpkin weighing 373kg, whilst Pinkie Swart won in both 2015 and 2014. Prize money is sponsored by Shoprite Checkers and additional prizes are also awarded for the smallest, prettiest and ugliest pumpkins.
Heidelberg’s annual Giant Pumpkin Festival is a community initiative and all proceeds are donated to the local schools and old age home. Additional activities at the festival include an MTB race, 35km trail run, golf day and bowls competition. There will also be pumpkin carving and pumpkin throwing competitions, which promises to be lots of fun for both young and old.