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Growing big pumpkins has been a lifelong passion for Ian Robinson, but this year is the first time he’s going for the gold.

Robinson is planning to enter “Autumn,” his big white pumpkin, in the Saanich Fair, which runs Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Stellys Cross Road fairgrounds.

The weigh-in is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday at the Thrifty Foods community stage.

Robinson will be there — provided he and his pals can get the giant gourd loaded onto a truck for the event. Heavy equipment is set to arrive at his Brentwood Bay home mid-afternoon on Friday.

If it looks as though the pumpkin is going to break apart, he plans to leave “her” in the ground for Halloween.

Robinson is not sure how many other competitors are vying for the title at the fair. But he has heard that a man from up-Island is entering with a big specimen. “I heard it through the pumpkin vine,” he said with a chuckle on Wednesday.

Like others in this highly competitive world, he uses Dill’s Atlantic giant pumpkin seeds.

Robinson’s father enjoyed growing unusual plants in his own garden, carving the grandchildren’s names into the young squash so they each had their own pumpkin.

The tradition continued through the decades. Today, Robinson’s grandchildren are “pumped” about Autumn’s chances.

It was during the cold days of the past winter that the idea sprouted to grow a giant pumpkin and enter the fair this year.

Robinson planted three seeds indoors in late April and two germinated. He chose the most robust for this year’s effort.

Robinson and wife Rhonda co-own Brentwood Grounds Maintenance, so they are already skilled in the art of growing.

They visited Autumn daily in the evenings.

Those visits — plus lots of water, good soil, pats and rubs from the grandchildren and playing a few Bob Marley tunes — have paid off.

Robinson estimates the pumpkin is about 800 pounds, which is big, but not as big as others around the globe, which have tipped the scales at 2,000-plus pounds.

Bedsheets were used to cover it, but it outgrew them. Now it has a tarp to keep it warm.

“I want to keep it as warm as I can. The nights are becoming colder.”

Robinson has done a few other things to ensure the pumpkin’s health, but he won’t spill the beans, since he plans to use those techniques and other new ideas in next year’s competition.

Growing the pumpkin has been a “completely wonderful experience,” he said.

Like any farmer, Robinson and his family are looking forward to the harvest. Plans call for soup, roasted seeds and a pie for the grandchildren.

This year will see a pared-down version of the Saanich Fair, which only had online events in 2020 because of the pandemic. Even so, the upcoming fair includes a midway, livestock and plenty more. Go to saanichfair.ca for details.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com