In the world of competitive vegetable growing, the pumpkin remains unrivalled, despite the fact that it’s technically a fruit. Part of the reason for this lies in its pictorial good looks, something that puts it on a different level entirely to the world’s longest parsnip, biggest onion or heaviest marrow. But it’s also due to the pumpkin’s ability to grow to a stupendous size if provided with the right combination of heat, water and nutrients, a magical alchemy that encourages a certain breed of competitive gardener to go to extraordinary lengths in pursuit of potentially producing one of record-breaking dimensions.
Almost every year the record for either the world’s largest pumpkin or its heaviest pumpkin is broken. This time it was the turn of twin brothers Ian and Stuart Paton from the UK whose giant pumpkin smashed both records, weighing in at a colossal 2,819lbs (1,278kg) and with a circumference of more than 21ft (6.4m).
Both men have been growing giant pumpkins competitively for more than 50 years, having started in their early teens. According to the BBC, this year’s record-breaking specimen was grown in a climate-controlled glasshouse where it required ab
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