Oh my gourd!

POLSON — That’s a lot of pie.

At the Ronan Harvest Fest on Sept. 24, it wasn’t so much a matter of if Polson’s Emmett May had set a new state record for heaviest pumpkin, but by how much.

“I pretty much knew (I had a state record),” May said. “I take measurements and use charts.”

When the official weight was announced, May’s pumpkin tipped the scales at nearly half a ton, 893 pounds, to break the previous record of 782, set last year.

It’s the fourth year May has grown huge pumpkins, but he finagled with this one a bit, moving it around from his home to an outdoor shelter to protect it from weather’s variables such as temperature and hail. His secret?

“Well it wouldn’t be a secret then,” May said, laughing, before admitting he’s tinkered with samples, adjusting elements to what pumpkins require to thrive.

May has no plans to rest on his laurels, however, as he hopes to establish a new mark next year.

“That’s the goal,” May said.

And if he can reach the four-digit plateau, he’ll squash his own record.