Mark Clementz alter ego

World Wide Giant Growers founder Mark Clementz (Bubba) has a long history of growing.

It all started with an ad in the back of a comic book and continues to be a fun learning experience. His grandson Jackson Reed is his growing partner. Jackson was born in 2012 and that year Mark grew his first over 1,000 lb giant pumpkin. It weighed in at 1478 lbs at Canfield. Mark named the pumpkin Jackson Reed.

“I loved gardening as a child, I sold flower and vegetable seeds for American seed company when I was ten and won prizes and awards as a top seller! At age 13 I received my first rototiller from my mom and grandmother. That 1/2 acre lot in Holly, MI taught me how to garden. We canned jams and vegetables for the farm pantry.

Uncle Jud bought me a Ray Watermans newsletter in 1996 and there was an offer of $50,000 for the first 1,000 lb pumpkin to be weighed in. That was motivation enough to give it a try. I just broke 500 lbs but Paula and Nathan Zehr had a pumpkin weigh in at 1061 lbs. I was hooked. I grew a couple 700 – 800 lb pumpkins the next year. In 2002 I earned the State of Michigan title with an 848 lb pumpkin, just 36 lbs shy of the state record. 

My first screen house was erected in 2003. Then a torn rotator cup derailed my plans and it wasn’t until 2010 that I got serious about growing giants again. I listened more to what was working for other growers and created Marks Mix to feed the pumpkins with the right nutrients. My big Orange weighed in at 1,947 lbs for  State of Michigan record in 2014. Now my giants routinely weigh in over 1,700 lbs. I prefer the orange pumpkins.

Don’t you grow no ugly pumpkin!”

Mark Clementz