Mason Kaelin (left center) stands with his family who lent a hand in helping him plant his pumpkin patch. Photo by Seit Long

BIGGS, CA (MPG) – Somethings been growing behind Biggs High School Stadium and it is Mason Kaelin’s doing.

The senior at Biggs High School decided early this year that he wanted to do something big for his senior project, something that gave back to the community, but with a fresh spin.

“I wanted to do something different,” said Kaelin to the Gridley Herald, “something that hadn’t been done before and I wanted to get it done early in the year.”

Kaelin decided on planting a pumpkin patch and was able to procure a place to do it on Biggs Unified School District land that had been unused in quite some time.

A small 2-acre plot east of the stadium and just north of the district’s bus and utility yard, part of Biggs High School School Farm, served as fertile ground for the senior’s project.

Kaelin admits he knew little about growing large scale crops, so he rallied help from local resident and rice farmer, Kelby Sheppard. Sheppard assisted Kaelin in getting his ground prepared and helped the senior manage the acreage throughout the summer.

Students and teachers were able to pick their favorite gourd and haul it back to the school in carts. Mason Kaelin picture in his football jersey says that most of the pumpkin were large and heavy, which made the carts necessary for the younger students that visited the patch. Photo by Seit Long

Kaelin tells the Gridley Herald that his family helped him plant the pumpkin seeds by hand and once in-ground, it was up to the senior to get his plants to produce.

And produce they did!

Kaelin says that he ended up growing over 300 pumpkins, of which most were large sized! Varieties included standard orange carving pumpkins, yellow, green and a few fancy decorative varieties.

As the harvest and Halloween season approached, Kaelin prepared his patch for visitors.

Students from Biggs Elementary Schools were able to take a walking-field trip to their fellow student’s pumpkin patch, picking their favorite to carve for just $5. Richvale Elementary School also visited the patch and Kaelin opened it to the public on a weekend.

The community came out to support the project and most of Kaelin’s pumpkins were sold.

Proceeds from the project would go to a cause dear to Kaelin’s heart, with 100% of proceeds donated to the Enloe Cancer Center.

Kaelin admits that he enjoyed growing the pumpkins and that his Pumpkin Palooza senior project was a success.