FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - It's the great pumpkin Fort Wayne! A Fort Wayne resident is growing giant pumpkins right in his backyard and is sharing them with the community. 2,749-pound pumpkin sets world record Meet Dave Rogers, informally known as the giant pumpkin guy. He is the only person in our area growing giant pumpkins right out the window of his house in the Summit City. He also has a heart of gold, as he uses his pumpkin growing talents to give back to the kids at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School. Inspiration After "failing miserably" to grow them for three years, Rogers gained inspiration from taking one of his granddaughters to the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo. The zoo had their fall display up, which included a couple of giant pumpkins. He was in awe of the size of them versus the regular pumpkins that were on display. This ignited his passion and he began to research who grew these pumpkins. His research led him to Tom Beachy, a Fort Wayne man who has been growing giant pumpkins in an acre of farm field for years. Beachy was kind enough to share his cliff notes with him as to how they are grown, and he referred Rogers to Bill Bradford, who also grows them in a field in Warren, Indiana. Between these two individuals, Rogers mastered the art of giant pumpkin growing over the past two years. This year though, Rogers did the giant pumpkin growing completely on his own and had his most successful year yet! He was able to grow not just more than one giant pumpkin, but he grew one to a larger size than ever before. Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne.Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne.Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne.Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne. Growing Process Growing these giant pumpkins is a complex process that involves a lot of care and maintenance. The process starts in April, when Rogers starts to experiment with germinated seeds. This is completed using a zip lock bag and a wet paper towel. It takes about four to five days for a little root to emerge out of the seeds. Once this occurs, then the seeds are transplanted to a growing cup container and buried under a half inch or so of soil. It takes about five to six days for the seed to pop up and produce seedlings. After this happens, it is a waiting game for the plant leaf (third leaf) to appear. After that, you fold back this leaf to reveal the vine (fourth leaf). You then put the seeds in the ground a certain way in order to steer the growth of the plant based on the location of this main vine. The plants go in the ground around the second week of May or when they are deemed safe from a spring freeze. Then it is all about giving them lots of love and care. Rogers has plenty of protective devices in the case of a bad storm or weather event. But there was not a lot he could do during the big heatwave of mid-June this year. All the days in the 90s in a row were detrimental, as the plants were not big enough and developed enough to handle this level of heat. It took a toll and the plants basically went dormant. Some plants were not able to get side vines, which are really important. These vines grow 12 to 14 feet away from the main vine and get shorter down to the pumpkin. They help funnel sustainable nutrients down to the main vine and thus the pumpkin. The pumpkins that didn't develop these vines suffered. Watering the giant pumpkins.The pumpkins being grown in a raised bed.The pumpkins being grown in a raised bed.The main vine of the giant pumpkins.The side vines of the giant pumpkins.The side vines of the giant pumpkins. Rogers does take some additional steps to protect the pumpkins while they are growing. He buries the tap roots and covers them with a soil mixture and cow manure. He also staples the vines to the ground so they cannot move during high winds. He also can bury vines at times in order to prevent a tear. He will even start out by growing two pumpkins on the same vine, then choosing the best one to keep on the vine after a week or two. The number one secret to growing giant pumpkins is you have to use insecticides and fungicides. Rogers uses two insecticides and six fungicides that he religiously sprays every seven to ten days. He has to be diligent, as they need to be reapplied after it rains. Another key is taking care of the side vines and growing the pumpkins in a raised bed. This allows for rain water to wash off so the plant does not sit in water. He applies weedguard around the area and does his best to ward off any bugs and vineborers that can cause disease. He also waters every night after sunset. It is a delicate balance of spraying, fertilizing, and watering. Weighing and Transporting Them Rogers likes to keep a log of the weight of the giant pumpkins as they grow. Once they reach the size of a beach ball, he will place a long piece of string under the pumpkins. Each night, he will touch the ends of the string, then come back the next morning and remeasure the gap between the two ends. He will keep adding more string to the main string as the pumpkins grow bigger. Incredibly, the biggest pumpkin this year grew as much as 42 pounds in a single night! Most growing happens in August, where they average 20 to 30 pounds a night. Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne.Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne.Giant pumpkins growing in the backyard of Dave Rogers in Fort Wayne. When the pumpkins are ready to be harvested in September, Jim Logue Landscaping helps out by bringing his Dakota skid steer to the house. Using this and a harness, they lift the pumpkins just high enough to be put on palettes. Watch the video below to see how the process works. Once on palettes, the pumpkins go to Summit City Landscaping to be weighed on giant scales. Personal Impact Rogers has two sons and he likes to think of growing these pumpkins as like having a third child. He does all he can to take care of them and do everything, especially in the May to June critical growing time. He feels fortunate to have grown such big pumpkins still despite the heat of mid-June. It takes a lot of time and financial investment. The best part though for Rogers is using them to give back to the community. Community Impact This community impact is that the pumpkins are taken over to Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School in late September and they stay there through the end of October. The giant pumpkins on display at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School.The giant pumpkins on display at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School.The giant pumpkins on display at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School.The giant pumpkins on display at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School. A display of the biggest pumpkins are set up for the kids to see. This year, Rogers named each pumpkin after the four priests there. The kids then take part in a 'guess the weight' contest for the biggest pumpkin. The kids are split into three groups (Kindergarten through 2nd grade, 3rd grade through 5th grade, and 6th through 8th grade), with the closest guesser from each group winning a prize. Zac Coyle, Principal at St Vincent's, raves about the contest and all that Rogers does for the kids. This is the third year for the guessing contest. Rogers brings the pumpkins there and even supplies the gift cards to the three winners. The kids love the contest and it brings them a lot of joy. How it works is that the teachers follow a schedule to bring groups of kids down by the pumpkins for two to three weeks. Then the kids write down their formal guesses for the weight of the biggest one. Last year, the biggest pumpkin was 427 pounds. Coyle says that sometimes we have to remind the world that school and learning is fun. The approximately 800 students at the school are amazed to learn that they can grow 42 pounds in one night. For the young kids, guesses can range from one pound to one million pounds as they do not quite yet understand the concept of weight. The giant pumpkins on display at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School.The pumpkins are each named after a priest.Rogers and Principal Zac Coyle chat. In fact, teachers have done some extension work by bringing in watermelons and cantaloupe as comparative weights. The students can learn more about weight and mass in this way, as sometimes a smaller object can be heavier than a larger object. Kids also gain an appreciation for farming, learn about how to wait after making their guesses, and practice remembering their guesses. The winners then express gratitude for winning a prize. Conclusion Drum roll...the biggest pumpkin Rogers grew this year (Fr. Eustace) was a whopping 747 pounds! Congratulations to Xavier, Mae, and Stephen for being the closest guessers this year! The winners of the weight guessing contest for the biggest pumpkin! Coyle hopes this partnership with Rogers will become a long tradition, as this level of charity is heart warming. He says we need more human goodness in the world like what Rogers provides here to the kids. I know we at WANE 15 are excited to hear how big the pumpkins get next year! So the next time you pick out a big pumpkin in the fall, think of Rogers and all the effort that goes into growing them each and every year.