Two blue-ribbon winners share their secrets for growing massive produce
MEGA MELONS
Justin Martin hit two big firsts last year. He entered the largest watermelon contest at the Missouri State Fair for the first time, and he won the first-place ribbon. Even during one of the driest summers in Missouri history, he grew a melon weighing 147.5 pounds.
In 2023, Justin Martin grew a pair of massive watermelons, including one that hit 147.5 pounds and won first place at the Missouri State Fair. Justin and his wife, Sally, live near Clarksburg. They have three children: Lyndsi, Trevor and Brili.
A 20-year employee at Co-Mo Connect, Justin spends his days supervising the warehouse of equipment and supplies for the electric cooperative based in Tipton. Much of his free time is focused on growing giant watermelons at his farm near Clarksburg.
Nearly a decade ago, Justin’s friend Mark Crawford inspired him to grow mega melons. Unfortunately, Mark passed away last year. “The winning melon was grown in Mark’s memory,” Justin says.
A giant watermelon in August is the result of months of planning. Justin planted tiny watermelon seeds of the Carolina Cross variety indoors on March 20 last year. In April, when ground temperatures were in the low- to mid-70s, Justin moved the tiny plants to his garden. Then the vines were off to the races.
Once the melons start growing, Justin evaluates which one or two has the most potential. He’ll continually prune the vines and pluck the runts, so the plant pours all its energy into just one melon. “You want the melon to be on the main vine because it’s like a river to the melon,” he says. His variety of watermelon is grafted with a bushel gourd to give it a thick and stable vine.
Ideally, Justin says, you want dry weather conditions throughout the growing season. Then you can add just the right amount of water. He spends the summer meticulously checking his watermelon patch for any signs of insect damage or disease growth, which are the two biggest watermelon enemies.
As the watermelons grow, they are given a comfortable hammock to rest above the ground, which reduces the chance of rot. They also get a canopy to provide shade, which keeps the melons from bleaching out. These tweaks extend the growing season to add pounds. Justin is always asked about the taste of a giant watermelon. His reply: “They are edible, but not very sweet. They have more water, which dilutes the sugar.”
A few years ago, Justin grew a hefty 162-pound watermelon, so he is already fine-tuning his plan to beat his blue-ribbon melon from 2023.
PRIZEWINNING PUMPKINS
Twelve years ago, Nick Voss was at the local garden store. A packet of pumpkin seeds caught his eye and sparked an idea — he would give a few seeds to several of his family members. They could all plant pumpkins and see who grew the biggest at their family Oktoberfest celebration.
Nick Voss of St. Elizabeth grew a whopping 725-pound pumpkin in 2023. He has claimed the blue ribbon at the Missouri State Fair for the largest pumpkin the last four years. His largest one was a massive 751.5 lb. He and his wife, Dana, have three kids, Demi, Hazel and Lennox.
That friendly competition ignited Nick’s interest in pumpkins. Now he’s officially obsessed. As a physical education teacher and boys basketball coach at Blair Oaks High School, Nick is competitive. It only took a few years for his pumpkin hobby to transform into entering the Missouri State Fair largest pumpkin contest.
“My first years were trial and error,” he says. “There is a science and chemistry to it all; it’s fascinating when you dive into it.”
First Nick focused on seed genetics, which he says is vital for growing giant pumpkins. While he grows his plants outdoors, he tries to control as many of the variables as possible. He installed a drip irrigation system so he could precisely water his plants throughout the growing season.
“I start my plants April 1 inside,” he says. “I built little hoop houses with a heater to get the ground warm so when I do transplant them, it’s as warm as I can make it.”
As the plants progress, Nick hand-pollinates the blossoms. He’ll see which one or two pumpkins have the biggest potential and focus on those. Once they start growing, he’ll shade them with a card table. “There are measurements you can take to get an estimated weight,” he says. “At some point, a pumpkin could be gaining 30 to 40 pounds per day. For the pumpkin’s skin to expand that fast, you shade it and keep it soft.”
Nick has won the Missouri State Fair largest pumpkin contest the last four years. His winning pumpkins have weighed 529, 725, 738 and a whopping 751.5 pounds. He is already prepping for his 2024 crop. The real prize for him is sharing his produce with others. “It’s challenging at times,” he says. “But I love to see someone’s face when they say, ‘That’s a pumpkin? Are you kidding?’ ”
The 2024 Missouri State Fair runs Aug. 8-18. Entries for the largest watermelon and pumpkin categories will be submitted on Aug. 6 at the Agricultural Building on the Missouri State Fairgrounds. Rural Missouri is proud to sponsor the largest watermelon contest. For more contest information, visit www.mostatefair.com.