How a Focus on Biology Secured Jessica Murison’s Historic Top 3 Finish
SAN BENITO, CA — The annual Tri-Counties Giant Pumpkin Growing Contest at the Hope Harvest Festival celebrated a historic milestone this year. Our very own, Jessica Murison, became the first woman ever to place in the Top 3 of this competition that draws growers from Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties.
Murison secured third place with a remarkable pumpkin weighing 846 pounds. She attributes her pumpkin’s ability to withstand the season's stress to biological fertility and the use of EnSoil Algae™.
A Challenging Season and the Key to Success
The 2025 season was one of the most difficult in the competition's decade-long history, marked by extreme environmental stress and pest pressure. Of the 55 initial entries, only ~12 made it to the final weigh-off.
The key factor separating the winners from the rest was a focus on biological fertility in their growing programs.
"Biological fertility was why the Top 3 placed in the Top 3 because of stress this season. All winners had a focus on biological fertility," Murison noted.
Murison attributed the success of her 846-pound gourd to the use of EnSoil Algae:
"I used EnSoil Algae™ on my pumpkin. It helped maintain weight gain and kept [the pumpkin] on the vine throughout the whole season."
The grand champion weighed in at 1,218 pounds, who later went to enter into the Half Moon Bay weigh off missing 10th place by 4 pounds
A Record Win for Charity
Ultimately, the competition was a success for the community. All proceeds from the contest and the festival benefited the Hope Harvest Cancer Fund, which provides financial assistance to local San Benito County residents battling cancer. This year's event raised a record amount of money for the charity.
You're Either on the Scale, or You're Compost. 🎃
For more information or to set up a free consultation, contact:
Jessica Murison - Business Development (West)
(408) 234-6918
