With Halloween coming up soon, many Coloradans are picking out their pumpkins or even growing their own. The Colorado School of Mines has joined in on the fun, showcasing one of its students' great pumpkins as he aims to break records in the future.

CBS

When Colorado School of Mines senior Leif Ritter set his sights on growing a gigantic pumpkin, it came with some challenges.

"How do I optimize growth, not split it, and still get it to grow as quick as possible?" he said.

Ritter fell in love with growing large plants at a young age. He said it began 14 years ago when he saw a 1,000 pound pumpkin at a competition at Nick's Garden Center.

"I thought, 'Man, that's so cool! I want to grow one,'" said Ritter.

This year, Ritter grew a pumpkin weighing in at 1,579 pounds.

"These can really

See Full Page