Artyom Efremychev (born around 2010) is a schoolboy from Navashino Municipal District in Nizhny Novgorod Region, known for growing giant vegetables. In 2026, at the age of 16, he won the national "Aminosil Giants 2026" competition with a pumpkin weighing 612.5 kg, and also took first place in the country for cabbage with a head weighing 22.5 kg.[1][2]

The Beginning of a Passion

Artyom's interest in large vegetables began about seven years before his first competition successes, with an ordinary pumpkin weighing around 30 kg, which he considered very large at the time. For several years he tried to surpass that result using seeds of ordinary varieties.[1] The schoolboy had loved tending the garden since childhood, helping his parents and watching the plants grow.[2] Artyom decided to deliberately grow giant vegetables and take part in championships about four years ago; his parents supported his hobby and helped him build a greenhouse.[2]

In 2022, Artyom learned that Andrey Gusev had grown a pumpkin weighing 771 kg, bought seeds from him, and began studying the cultivation techniques for giant pumpkins. His first attempts were unsuccessful: the fruits rotted before reaching 50 kg. When Artyom returned from summer camp, he found that two pumpkins had nevertheless grown, weighing about 160 and 232 kg.[1][2]

Competition Seasons

In one of the following seasons, the pumpkin was damaged by mice that burrowed a hole inside the fruit. In the preceding year, 2026, Artyom had grown a pumpkin weighing 447 kg, but an air cavity formed inside and the fruit dried out. He failed to win that competition, but he was recognized in the "Biggest Pumpkin" category.[1][2]

For the 2026 season, Artyom ordered three seeds from Europe for about 20,000 rubles each, but the plants that grew from them did not look like contest winners. At the decisive moment, Aleksandr Chusov — holder of the Russian pumpkin record at 969 kg — came to the rescue: he gave Artyom two plants, from which the largest fruits of the season grew.[1][2] A pumpkin weighing 612.5 kg earned the young gardener first place in the all-Russian competition "Giants Aminosil 2026." Artyom plans to spend the prize of one million rubles on seeds, fertilizers, and a new greenhouse; for the next season he has set himself a target of 800 kg.[2]

Alongside pumpkins, in 2026 Artyom also grew a zucchini weighing about 26–30 kg, a watermelon weighing 70.8 kg (he took up watermelons on his father's advice), and a cabbage weighing 22.5 kg — a result that exceeded the figure of the winner of similar competitions in the United Kingdom (21.95 kg).[1][5]

The "Battle of the Giants" Festival

In September 2026, 15-year-old Artyom Efremychev took part in Russia's first giant pumpkin regatta, held as part of the "Battle of the Giants" festival in Moscow. His "vessel" — a pumpkin he had grown himself, weighing 412.5 kg — was prepared by him personally: Artyom carved, cleaned out, and decorated the fruit over about two hours.[4] Fourteen participants in costumes took part in the regatta; Artyom chose a frog outfit and, despite overheating in the inflatable suit and poor visibility, reached the finish line and won the social media audience vote.[4]

Technology and Difficulties

Seedlings of giant pumpkins have to be prepared while snow is still on the ground, and the plants must not be kept in pots too long — they lose their growth vigor. In spring the plot is often flooded with meltwater. Mistakes in watering, feeding, or treatment with chemicals significantly affect the result: according to Artyom, he once overdid the growth hormone and the plant suffered severe stress.[1] Giant-pumpkin farmers do not throw away the seeds from ripened fruits — they carefully pick them out of the flesh, dry them, and save them for future experiments.[4]

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — "Lost All His Nerve Cells": How a 16-Year-Old Nizhny Novgorod Resident Grows 600-kg Pumpkins Nizhny Novgorod News
  2. Nizhegorodskaya Pravda — Nizhny Novgorod Schoolboy Grows the Largest Pumpkin in the Country September 23, 2026
  3. Zhivyom v Nizhnem — A Real Giant: Young Gardener from Nizhny Novgorod Region Grows a Pumpkin Weighing Over 600 kg — Zhivem v Nizhnem (archive)
  4. gazetametro.ru — 15-Year-Old "Frog" Barely Reaches the Finish but Wins the Swim
  5. max.ru — 🤯 Giant Vegetables Grown by 16-Year-Old Vegetable Grower Artyom Efremychev from Navashino District! — Nizhny Novgorod WITHOUT CENSORSHIP on the MAX Messenger