A pumpkin grower from the United Kingdom has set a new world record after producing a giant squash. Plant nursery owner and veteran gourd grower Ian Paton from Hampshire has won the Guinness World Record for growing the heaviest pumpkin in the world.
According to officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) on October 3, Ian’s pumpkin weighed 1,295.8 kg. Following a suggestion by his son, the giant pumpkin has been nicknamed Bagheera, inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s novel The Jungle Book.
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With this giant pumpkin, Ian Paton broke his previous record of becoming the first British holder of the heaviest pumpkin title in recorded history. As per a Guinness World Records report, the latest pumpkin is almost 20 kg heavier than the previous one Ian had grown.
Despite losing its heavyweight title, the previously grown pumpkin, named Muggle, still remains the largest pumpkin by circumference at 649.8 cm. On the other hand, bagheera comes in at a slightly smaller 596.9 cm.
Talking about his experience of growing the giant pumpkin, Ian told the Guinness World Records, “There was a lot more work to do. I was on my own – up to six hours a day in the patch for two months…but I got through it.” Sharing a piece of advice for newcomers to giant pumpkins, Ian said growing pumpkins inside a greenhouse gives them a vital head start in the year and “a long enough season to reach their full potential.”
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Ian further revealed that during the hottest spells, which saw temperatures in the greenhouse soar to 40°C, the pumpkin plants were receiving up to 130 gallons (590 litres), almost three full bathtubs of water every day.
When asked if he still wants to come back to the competition and try growing an even larger specimen, Ian said, “I want to carry on. I really want to grow a 3,000 lb pumpkin. That’s what I have got in my head.”
The giant pumpkin, Bagheera, will go on display at Sunnyfields Farm near Southampton in Hampshire until the end of October.
