A giant Atlantic Giant pumpkin weighing 860 pounds (390 kilograms) has overwhelmed an allotment plot in Surrey and will be entered in this month's UK National Giant Vegetables Championship at the Malvern Autumn Show.
Growers Justin Griffiths and Kay Walker, who tend a plot at the Leatherhead Poors Allotments in Ashtead, said the pumpkin now dominates their space and has displaced some of the couple's other crops. The variety is known for ballooning to extraordinary sizes.
The pair estimated the vegetable at 860 lb (390 kg) and said they also have a second large pumpkin on the plot estimated at about 250 kg (560 lb). They plan to transport the largest fruit to the Malvern Autumn Show later this month to compete in the championship.
Speaking to the BBC, Justin Griffiths said the couple were discussing how to move the pumpkin at the end of the month and were considering using an engine crane or recruiting a number of people with a tarpaulin to lift it. On the allotment they also grow tomatoes and leeks and said the pumpkin has largely taken over the space previously used for carrots and potatoes.
Atlantic Giant pumpkins are cultivated specifically for size and are a regular feature at county shows and specialist competitions. The Guinness World Records lists the heaviest pumpkin as one grown in California in 2023 that weighed 1,246.9 kilograms (2,749 pounds). In the U.K., growers have in recent years pushed the boundaries of the category: last year twin brothers Ian and Stuart Paton set a new British record with a pumpkin weighing more than a tonne, a specimen that required a crane to lift onto scales at the Malvern show.
Contestants in giant pumpkin competitions typically devote months of careful tending, including early sowing, hand pollination and daily maintenance, to encourage rapid growth. Organisers at such events also coordinate logistics for moving exceptionally heavy vegetables and often arrange specialist equipment for weighing and display.
Griffiths and Walker said they did not expect the pumpkin to reach its current size but welcomed the attention their plot has received. They will join a field of competitors at Malvern where judges will assess entries on weight and growers will line up to set seasonal records.
The couple's entry adds to a continuing fascination with competitive vegetable growing in Britain and abroad, where growers aim both for show honours and, increasingly, for record-breaking weights. The Malvern Autumn Show has become a focal point for the sport in the U.K., drawing entrants who travel long distances and organisers who prepare to handle the logistical challenges posed by very large produce.