What Is Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG)?

Updated

Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers (PGVG) is an association of gardeners devoted to the competitive hobby of growing extremely large vegetables. It hosts annual weigh-offs and community events, including the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta, and welcomes both experienced growers and newcomers who want to learn about the hobby. If you are looking for a community to grow giant produce with, follow competition rules, or attend a weigh-off, PGVG is the organization behind those activities.

What PGVG does

PGVG describes itself as a community organization focused on the "fun-filled, competitive hobby of growing obscenely large vegetables." Its activities center on:

  • Competitive growing — members grow and compete with oversized fruits and vegetables.
  • Annual weigh-offs — official events where growers bring their harvests to be weighed and recognized.
  • Community events — including the West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta.
  • Encouraging family gardening — the organization aims to help individuals and families enjoy gardening together.

Atlantic Giant pumpkins and squash are the most visible crops, but the organization says it grows and recognizes all fruits and vegetables on the international competition list defined by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC).

Who it is for

PGVG explicitly invites two groups:

Audience What PGVG offers
Seasoned growers Weigh-offs, competition recognition, seed sales, and member updates
Newcomers A welcoming entry point to learn about the hobby at events

The organization states that it strives to treat all members equally and fairly and wants the hobby to be "fulfilling, rewarding, and fun for everyone involved."

How to get involved

  1. Attend an event. PGVG's events calendar lists upcoming events and deadlines; the organization says it would love to see both seasoned growers and curious newcomers there.
  2. Become a member. Membership is handled through the organization's membership page at https://www.pgvg.org/membership. Members receive updates on upcoming events, including weigh-offs and seed sales.
  3. Check sponsorship options if you represent a business. PGVG offers tiered sponsorship packages and states that its events can put a local business in front of 25,000+ potential local customers.

Who runs it

PGVG lists its leadership team publicly, including President Jon Sestak, Vice President Russ Pugh, Secretary Brad Bahns, Treasurer Brian Williams, and a Weigh Off Coordinator, Social Media Manager, Fundraising Committee Chair, Seed Committee Chair, Outreach Chair, Webmaster, and several Members At Large.

Bottom line

PGVG is a Pacific-region gardening association built around giant-vegetable competition under GPC rules. If you want to grow giant pumpkins or other oversized produce, compete at a weigh-off, or simply watch the spectacle at a community event, start with the events calendar and the membership page on pgvg.org.