From pumpkins to tomatoes: Chubbuck gardener grows record-breaking produce
Sam Ross
CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI) — Local gardener, Cliff Warren, recently set a new state record for largest tomato with a whopping 3.57-pound fruit; the tomato went through a rigorous weighing and judging process before it was declared a record-breaker at the Center Street Giant Pumpkin Festival in Logan, Utah, on September 27.
Warren, a retired engineer turned school bus driver, said he started cultivating giant fruits, vegetables, and flowers after moving to the Chubbuck countryside 25 years ago.
“We had a lot of space and I always wanted to be a gardener,” said Warren. “My sister went to the library and found a book, ‘How to Grow Giant Pumpkins’; I read the book, I got hooked, and I’ve been growing giant pumpkins ever since.”
Warren’s pumpkins have won titles in the past; most recently, his 700-pound gourd came in tenth place at the same festival where his tomato broke state records. At the 2024 Eastern Idaho State Fair, Warren got a first-place ribbon for a nearly 800-pound pumpkin.
Other notable achievements in Warren’s garden include his personal record-breaking pumpkin that weighed in at a little over 1,100 pounds and a 16-foot-tall sunflower that sprang up this summer.
“It just takes a lot of care,” said Warren. “You have to be very mindful of what you’re doing; you have to know what the weather’s going to be like overnight and the next day, so you have to be prepared for anything that can happen in your patch.”
Warren chronicles his giant gardening endeavors on social media; you can follow him on Facebook.