JAMESTOWN, N.Y. - An upstate New York man's pumpkin patch only yielded three pumpkins this year. But that was more than enough.

One weighed 450 pounds, another about 800 pounds, and the third came in at 1,245 pounds, just 17 pounds shy of the world record.

Tim Bailey said he grew the large orange fruits from "Atlantic Giant" seeds, and gave them a lot of water and "organic matter."

Bailey recently trucked his big gourd to the World Pumpkin Confederation Weigh-Off in Clarence, near Buffalo. The pumpkin could not qualify for competition because of a small crack, meaning it had to be relegated to exhibition fruit class.

Bailey first became interested in large-pumpkin growing while talking with his brother-in-law, giant watermelon grower Dave Fisher. Bailey also grows giant sunflowers.

He self-pollinates the pumpkin blossoms for better results and limits the number grown per vine. The super pumpkin has a 5-foot circumference.

Bailey communicates with other giant pumpkin growers through the Internet and plans to sell and trade seeds from his big one.