John Rauch of New Tripoli grew a 1,200 pound pumpkin.

He was expecting it to be exceptional by the time it finished growing.

One day, he went out to the patch and the pumpkin had a tiny split. He knew the split meant the end of the pumpkin.

He cut a square out of it.

Around the center of the pumpkin is a line called a dill line where it did not grow and there was little meat on the inside.

That is where the split was found.

But Rauch had two other pumpkins for which he had high hopes. A 910-pound pumpkin went to The Great Allentown Fair.

One at 1,000 pounds, and still growing, will be taken to a weigh-in at Stony Brook near Delaware Valley College. There are plenty of activities including for kids making it a family affair.

Monster Pumpkin Madness begins with the weigh-in at 1 p.m. and awards presented at 4 p.m.

The remaining two big ones Rauch has, meet the challenge of being big pumpkins while the other one was a heartbreaker.

In 2011, he had one that weighed 1,470 pounds. Rauch took it to a weigh in at the Roba Valley Farms in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Twenty pumpkins were chosen from the ones measured to estimate their weight.

At the weigh-in there is a certified scale for an exact weight. That year he placed first and received a $2,000 prize. Since it was still growing the seeds were immature and could not be saved for the following year's crop.

Rauch said pumpkins are susceptible to viruses and pathogens but he still managed one pumpkin weighing more than 1,000 pounds the last two years.

If a tiny crack develops, it can be stopped by filling in with a paste made with Captan and hydrogen peroxide. If air is allowed to get into the crack it will allow rotting from the inside. However, one that has been patched is not eligible for weigh ins.

This was the nicest summer Rauch can remember because if temperatures go over 85 degrees they lose moisture. One year he was taking one to the farm show and he lost many pounds of moisture between the local fair and going to the state.

In 1998, the first pumpkin weighing more than 1,000 pounds was grown. The last two years there was one that was over 2,000 pounds.

Tim Matheson of Napa Valley had a 2,035 pounder, Rauch said.

The prize for the largest pumpkin is $20,000. Rauch said it doesn't matter what they look like, only weight matters.

"It provides an incentive. It's a personal challenge," he said.

Rauch is a member of the Mid Atlantic Pumpkin Growers, which have an annual picnic followed by a patch tour.

"We went to Halifax," Rauch said. "Paul Fauk uses heating cables and fans. He dug out his planting area and filled it in with nutritious soil.

"Last year, he had five growing, and one of them hit 1,700 pounds."

A main stem grows in the direction where a pumpkin will be allowed to grow since only one pumpkin is allowed on one plant. Branches from that main stem are covered so they develop more roots. The leaves are immense and a single plant fills a square of about 25 feet. Tertiary branches are cut off. The main stem and secondary branches feed the pumpkin.

"By September you can see them grow day by day," said Rauch. "The cracked one I'll take down in the woods for the animals to eat or move in and live there till it rots."

He said a person needs to be borderline crazy to grow giant pumpkins.

"You take a seed and start it late in April," Rauch said. "By May, it is transplanted to the patch.

"If they are not watered regularly and get dry, a rain will be apt to start a split at the blossom end."

John's wife, Lorrie, said as long as he has been growing the pumpkins he always learns something new.

Club members share their knowledge. They like the experimentation and challenge, she explained.

Jim Gerhardt of Kutztown is president of the group. Morris Romig of Weisenberg Township has a pumpkin that is more than 1,000 pounds and still growing.

Howard Dill pioneered the challenge to grow big pumpkins, which is why the circle that develops around some of them is called the "dill ring."

He said he has little problem with wildlife but one year a rat ate its way into the center overnight.

Rauch's 1,470 pounder was purchased by Dan Schantz for $800 as a draw to have customers visit his store.

His old patch has been devoted to jack-o-lantern pumpkins and weird squashes, all of which are given away.

For information, go to bigpumpkins.com. Growers post their diaries at the site.