10-year-old wins Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off

PALMER — Freshly bested in the 18th annual Giant Cabbage Weigh-Off by a 10-year-old, world-record-holder Scott Robb extended his hand to Keevan Dinkel, the new kid king of cabbage.

“You did it, good job,” said Robb, last year’s champion and still the holder of the world record.

Dinkel — whose entry was larger than he, both in size and in weight — was about as verbose as you’d expect a 10-year-old to be.

How did he feel? “Good.”

What will he do with that 92.3-pound monster veggie? “I don’t know.”

He’d named the cabbage Bob and said he watered and fertilized it every day. He’s the scion of a family of giant-cabbage growers, and when his entry — with its giant head and giant leaves — entered the corral, all the competitors took notice.

“I was feeling pretty good until Keevan Dinkel came in,” Robb said before the weighing started. His entry, which was weighed last, was 92.1 pounds — just short of Dinkel’s.

Brian Shunskis of Salcha, the eventual third-place winner, pointed out a few things about three main contenders.

Robb’s cabbage had no main head but big leaves and a lot of smaller heads. Shunski’s own cabbage had lots of mini-heads and a decent main head, but not too many leaves. Dinkel’s cabbage had the biggest main head of the three and also some pretty good leave; however, he’d heard, not a lot of the smaller heads.

Shunskis said he cut the cabbage from his garden at 7 a.m. and hit the road. It eventually weighed in at 77.4 pounds, but it was actually his second-biggest cabbage. The biggest one split, he said.

On the other end of the corral stood Mat-Su College Director Talis Colberg, a perennial competitor but not often a contender. Colberg said that his real passion is apples. We’d report what his cabbage weighed in at, but why embarrass the man?

“I’m here to make the other guys look good,” he said.

Recalling a crack the Frontiersman made about him during a previous contest — that he apparently become lost on the way to the giant Brussels sprout competition — he pulled a sprout from his pocket.

“It could be worse,” he said.

Robb said this year was a tough one for growing cabbages. The summer started late and was too hot.

“A lot of people’s cabbages blew up,” he said.

Growing a giant is a full-summer commitment, he said. His cabbages’ daily care is not really a task that can be left to someone else, Robb said.

Rumor has it that his perennial competitor, Steve Hubacek — former holder of the world record — enjoyed his summer off, but might be back next year. Robb said he hopes Hubacek does return.

“I keep telling him, ‘we need you back,’” Robb said. “He pushes everybody.”

Contact Andrew Wellner at 352-2270 or

andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com.