TOPSFIELD, MA (WCVB/CNN) - A Massachusetts teen spent his summer break developing a new hobby that's had a giant pay off.
It's no ordinary hobby, especially not for your average 15-year-old on summer break.
Henry Swenson spends each day toiling on the land, tending to his giant pumpkin.
"You only want one pumpkin on one plant because you want all of the energy to go to that one pumpkin," Swenson said. "It's about 144 inches."
A thousand-pound spectacle in his own suburban backyard.
Shielding it from sunburn and watering daily, he cares for it like a baby.
It's not the only relationship that's grown here.
Woody Lancaster, 71, is a former pumpkin champ and mentor.
"I've won once, placed second twice," Lancaster said.
He started growing the big ones 20 years ago with his own son.
"My son left about the time that he discovered girls," Lancaster said.
But now, Woody has Henry, a green thumb he never thought he'd share.
“It's a bond, he's my pumpkin son," Lancaster said.
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