Jay and the giant PUMPKIN: Meet Wyoming's green-fingered Pumpkin King who grows gargantuan veg inside his 85 degrees greenhouse - and occasionally blows them up!

Watch out Wyoming, there is a new king in town - a Pumpkin King.

After catching pumpkin fever 13 years ago, competitive vegetable grower Jay Richard, 55, has carved out a legendary reputation in his home state of Wyoming in recent years.

Indeed, so in love with his sport is he that he even refers to his pumpkins as 'girlfriends' - much to the amusement of his ever-patient wife Dorothy. 

But his dedication is paying off. Just last September, 'Marion', named in honor of the 80s Happy Days sitcom, took top prize at the Center Street Pumpkin Festival in Utah after tipping the scales at a staggering 1,784 pounds. 

Speaking to DailyMail.com from his home in Worlen, he said: 'I had a storybook year. The stars aligned. Probably never happen again like that.' 

But what's his secret to success?  

Meet Jay Richard the 'Pumpkin King' who grows gargantuan vegetables inside his 85 degree Wyoming greenhouse and competes in different competitions for fun

In September, Richard stands on his prize-winning pumpkin 'Marion', named after the 80s Happy Days sitcom, after it tipped the scales at a staggering 1,784 pounds at the Center Street Pumpkin Festival in Utah 

To celebrate his victory, Richard blew up the pumpkins on his property in Worland, Wyoming 

The green-fingered genius said: 'It takes a good seed or good genetics, good fertile soil, good weather, good work and good gardening practices.'

He also puts much of his success down to his baking greenhouse which he keeps at a balmy 85 degrees. 

This has been a 'game changer', he said, because it helps regulate the frequent temperature springs of the northwestern Wyoming climate. 

He explained that Worland, located within the Big Horn Basin and along the Big Horn River with an elevation of about 4,000-feet, is extremely dry and only gets only around seven-and-a-half inches of rain per year.

'There's mountains all around us and it's a high desert,' he said. 'It's really unique area. Everything has to be irrigated and it's kind of harsh to be growing things.'

'If it isn't temperature swings, like what we have, it might be bugs or could be funguses from the humidity that places like Minnesota, Michigan or Indiana may have.'

Pumpkin Marion's baby pictures at 36 hours old 

Though he added that while those states are warmer and may not have issues with the cold, 'it doesn't matter where you are, they have their problems too.'

The married father of two said his pumpkin journey began when his 21-year-old daughter was aged one. 

Around 13 years in, he caught pumpkin fever and began entering competitions around country - a fun activity for Richard, who admits he has a bit of a competitive streak.

'It's a hobby sport,' he said. 'Some people like racing, some golf or bowling.' 

As charming as these pumpkin contests sound, they are serious business, and sanctioned by the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth's (GPC) to make sure, he said, 'everyone is playing by the same rules'.

He always names his 'girlfriends' for competitions - with some notably entries including Blanche, Dorothy, Sophia and Rose after '80s sitcom 'The Golden Girls.' 

Laughing, he added that his wife's name is 'Dorothy' so that 'worked out well.' 

Among his gargantuan gourd victories include Joanie who weighed in at 1,686 pounds and Leather Tuscadero at 1,399 at the Pumpkin Festival at Chatfield Farms in Littleton, Colorado in October 2023.

'I've been really fortunate to be on a pretty steady climb of improving each year,' he said. 

Richard's son and their law enforcement officer friend (pictured), who was there to help ensure safety, shot a machine gun at the target, blowing the massive gourds to smithereens

Richard and his 18-year-old son, celebrated the end of his 2023 successful pumpkin season with a bang - literally.

He removed the innards of winning pumpkin Marion and Joanie and filled them up with more than forty pounds of the explosive device, Tannerite, before placing them in an empty field.

His son and their law enforcement officer friend, who was there to help ensure safety, then shot a machine gun at the target, blowing the massive gourds to smithereens.

He said, he shot up the pumpkins one at a time,, the he sad, 'We blew the hell out of it...boy, was it fun.' 

With that party over, he is now preparing for the 2024 season. 

And when he is not running his auto detailing business, he can be seen in his 2,100-square-foot greenhouse tending to his bounty.

A normal day consists of managing the temperature, checking the soil and watering the pumpkins - that require a stunning 150 gallons of water a day per plant.

'It's a 180-day commitment,' he said.  

He explained that his 30-by-70 feet indoor habitat is spacious enough that each pumpkin gets 850-square foot of room to grow.

But it's not just pumpkins on Richard's radar.  

Each year he picks a new plant to learn about and grow in his garden.

One year it was extreme potatoes, that he described as 'so darn near as big as a football.' 

He also tried his hand at tomatoes that weighed a robust two-and-a-half pounds. Meanwhile, he said a jalapeno plant grew a whopping five feet tall and was so massive, it had 300 jalapeños on it.

'I tell everybody if you grow giant pumpkins, there's a real good chance the rest of your garden doesn't suck because as you learn about pumpkins, they're just a plant,' he said.

Marion the pumpkin is ready for the pageant or better known as the competition as she gets removed from the greenhouse 

Here pumpkin Marion makes her way from the greenhouse to the trailer 

The massive gourd is secured to a board before being placed on the truck 

Marion is lifted by a forklift onto the pickup truck; a wet towel is placed on her to keep her moist so she is looking her best before the competition 

He told DailyMail.com his passion is not a shared interest or a family affair.

'This is my deal,' he said. 'My daughters all grown up and moved out now but my. My son likes the end not the process, and my wife's contribution is letting me just be stupid.'

He added: 'She kind of just shakes her head like 'yeah, go knock yourself out.'

An enthusiastic Richards said his wife did accompany him on the ride to the Colorado competition this year - which was 'a first.'

The drive was about 375 miles each way. It was going slow and steady with Richard and his wife in the front and his girlfriend- Joanie - strapped to the back of the pickup - until they blew a tire.

But Richard didn't panic. Instead he used the zen feeling he gets from gardening and managed to use his jack to get on a spare despite the enormous load - before they continued their journey to win that competition.

A massive jalapeno pepper proudly displayed by Richard

An extreme radish from Richard's garden of giant veg

As the reigning Pumpkin King, a humble Richard said he felt silly taking all the credit and mentioned some other talented growers in his state, including his friend and fellow grower, Andy Corbin of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Corbin's pumpkin weighed in at a staggering 2,062 pounds at the 2023 Fort Collins Nursery's 15th annual Giant Pumpkin Contest in the fall, breaking Wyoming's state record.

Indeed, Richard said that his own prized pumpkins Marion and Joanie were grown from the seeds of Corbin's pumpkin.

He also seeks to share his pumpkin growing knowledge by teaching classes, holding workshops at his business and participating in community events where youngsters get to see his giant veg up close and personal.

In the meantime, he plans to soak up the joy his giant vegetables bring to others - and the attention he freely admits he loves. 

'Somebody will slow down, pull up beside you and say, 'Holy s**** is that a pumpkin?Is that real? I get a lot of enjoyment out of that. It just makes me laugh.'