How did it all begin?

It all started when Cláudia and José were browsing on social media and came across videos of pumpkin festivals and fairs featuring huge fruits. They were fascinated and wanted to try to do the same themselves.

They already knew a lot about agricultural work as José grew up in Alte and Paderne, small villages in the Algarve, where his father taught him everything about farming and agriculture. “From there, growing giant vegetables was just a small step. The president of the parish of Paderne took an interest in this and has helped us as much as he can”.

Naming and nurturing the giants

The pumpkins are named after their mothers and grandmothers, “We thought it was funny”, says José. “The one named after my wife, unfortunately, didn´t survive the second year”.

They have had several disappointments, usually due to the heat. The pumpkins and melons start to crack because of rapid growth, and when the air gets inside, the fruit is no longer good.

The whole family helps with picking weeds, covering the roots of the giant pumpkins and the kids help with tougher tasks on weekends.

“It gives you enormous motivation to see the pumpkin grow 30kg per day, at the peak of its growth. It’s spectacular. If I had to find a fruit that represents our personalities, it would be our giant pumpkin without a doubt, because a lot of hard work can lead to great results”.

What is interesting to know is that pumpkins are actually fruit, not a vegetable. José explained that a pumpkin is botanically a fruit because it develops from the flower of the plant and contains seeds. In the kitchen, it’s considered a vegetable, because it’s usually used in savoury dishes.

Championship success

The giant pumpkin is also the fruit that won the biggest prize.

“I have been the national champion with a giant pumpkin of 857kg, a watermelon of 80kg and a melon of 24kg since 2019. Also, I have always won the competition in my village, which also counts towards the international GPC. This year I went to Valtierra, Spain, where I won third place with the watermelon and first place with the melon. The giant pumpkin for this competition was the biggest I ever had, it cracked at 926kg, just 50 days before the competition.“

The International Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) is a specific organisation known for growing giant pumpkins. Here, growers can win the title of Grower of the Year. Pumpkins in these competitions normally weigh in at around 500kg, with top contenders exceeding 900kg. To win, a grower’s three pumpkins must be weighed on three different occasions and get a minimum combined weight.

I asked José what they do with the giant “abóboras” (pumpkins) after the competitions, and he explained that, once the seeds are removed, the pumpkins are given to various organisations to prepare soups and other dishes.

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: Client;

Challenges and climate

Attending these competitions is not easy because of the logistics. “Transportation is done with the help of machinery from the parish of Paderne. You also need a double pallet and have to rent a van”.

“It is interesting, but in Paderne, I don´t know why, there is kind of a microclimate. It’s very cold in the winter and can reach fifty degrees in summer. I use cloud control, fans and a hydrometer to monitor temperature and humidity, which is almost zero in the summer. I think it would be much easier by the sea”.

The Pitaya adventure

Beyond giant pumpkins, Cláudia and José also cultivate pitayas (dragon fruit), which they sell in the municipality of Albufeira, in the local stores and markets and they also deliver throughout the country. “Our pitayas have already reached every corner of Portugal; the end consumer just needs to buy them. We now have around 180 varieties of this fruit”.

They decided to start growing pitayas after buying four plants in Spain in 2017. “We grew them at home and loved the taste. Everyone who tried them wanted to buy some”, they explained. Growing these fruits is not easy, but Cláudia and José have figured it out perfectly.

“This plant doesn’t adapt well to our climate in Paderne, so I have to help them a lot and adjust the conditions. Shade nets are essential, and watering too. Giant pumpkins require more water and never-ending labour, but that is what I do, we cannot afford to hire help, we do everything ourselves”.

Hard work and dedication

“There is no secret,” José says. “You need a seed with good genetics and that costs a lot of money, and you also need proper land preparation, soil microbiology and a lot of hard work.“

Both José and Cláudia have full-time jobs, and all their free time is dedicated to taking care of their fruit. “Sometimes we’re out at 2 a.m. to pollinate the pitayas manually,” they laugh.

Stay updated about their latest fruits and news by following their Facebook page, PitayaGarve.