Holly Township man grows giant pumpkin - ABC 12 – WJRT – Flint, MI

(10/12/12) - This time of the year, many of us are hunting for that perfect pumpkin to carve.

This one will keep you busy for a while - and it has a name, too.

"This is Jackson Reid Clementz, who is 5 months old. To grow one of these is amazing. You watch it everyday. You started this from a little tiny seed and look what you grew," said giant  pumpkin grower Mark Clementz.

Clementz isn't talking about his grandson. Rather, the giant pumpkin the little boy is sitting on.

"It's estimated at 1,600 pounds," Clementz said.

Clementz planted the seed, which came from the world's largest pumpkin in May.

"Jackson" developed considerably faster than his namesake, who was born in the same month.

"It grew 23 pounds a day for like three weeks. At one point it was growing 5 inches a day in circumference," Clementz said.

Friday, Clementz called in a wrecker to help move it from the ground to the bed of truck. He's transporting his prize pumpkin to a competition in Ohio where he hopes to break some records. But first - the very delicate process of getting it safely in the truck.

After an hour of careful labor, Jackson is ready to travel. A milestone for both Clementz and the wrecker.