While pumpkin season may have you thinking about sipping pumpkin spice lattes, growers across the country are thinking about shipping their giant pumpkins to pumpkin contests.

Maybe you've seen some giant pumpkins at festivals or on display, but these super squashes are getting more giant every year.

We talked to Mike Estadt, Extension Educator at Ohio State University Extension about this trend to see if anyone can do it.

"Many over 2,000 pounds are weighed in every year."

To get a giant pumpkin, you need the right seeds.

These seeds are typically from the "Atlantic Giant" or Cucurbita pepo.

(Ron Wallace)

You can order these online from previous giant pumpkin winners.

(Nancy Radcliff)

Websites and even local growers will often tell you the weight of the pumpkins the seeds come from.

Now that you have the right seeds, you need the right environment. 

Mike says giant pumpkins tend to do best in coastal climates, like northern California and New England.

He says the best place is where there are moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights. 

High dew points are not good for pumpkins.

"Areas with high humidity create increased risk of foliar diseases such as powdery mildew that can kill a vine quickly."

Mike says if you are a beginner, you could probably get a pumpkin around 200 pounds, but for the 2,000 pounders, those growers have been doing it for years.

(Bryan Reeb)

One thing I have always wondered is what happens to these giant pumpkins after they win?

Mike says they can be used for food and future prizewinners.

"The biggest squash will have seeds harvested from them and sold to other growers. Some people sell the squash to companies wanting to display them. Years ago, places like Disney World bought these prize winners to display in their parks and resorts."

It was magical in Cinderella when her fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a carriage for her, but it seems giant pumpkins are very real.