Canadian boy wins top two prizes by growing giant pumpkins

A 13-year-old boy from Winnipeg, a city in Canada's Manitoba province, has been awarded lump sums of bounty totaling 2,500 Canadian dollars (about 1,909 U.S. dollars) after the two pumpkins he grew won the first two prizes at a local competition.

Milan Lukes, the boy, beat other competitors to win the first and the second prizes at the Roland Pumpkin Fair, a rural pumpkin growing competition held in Manitoba Saturday, by submitting two pumpkins weighing 612 kilograms and 583 kilograms pumpkin, respectively, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported Monday.

"I'm only so young and considering (I grew it) here in the city, I'm really proud," CBC quoted the boy, a junior-high student, as saying.

Lukes was competing against other farmers much elder than him but ended up taking home 1,500 CAD (1,120 U.S. Dollars) for his first-prize pumpkin weighing 612 kilograms and 1,000 dollars for his second prize pumpkin, which weighed in at 583 kilograms.

"Growing these things -- it's like taking care of a child," he said. "They need a lot of care and attention, and you can't just leave them."

Lukes has been growing giant pumpkins in his backyard since he was six years old. He said it's taken a lot of hard work, research and sacrificing things like family trips. Endit