Twin Brothers Smash British Record with Mighty 1.14-Ton Mega Squash, Weighing as Much as a Ford Fiesta

Twin brothers have smashed the record for growing Britain’s largest pumpkin weighing as much as a Ford Fiesta – 189 times more than an average pumpkin. Stuart and Ian Paton, 57, grew the giant vegetable which weighed a staggering 174 stone (1,104kg or 2433lbs) after watering it with 100 gallons of water a day. Ian Paton said that at its peak their pumpkin grew 60lbs in just 24 hours.

Twin brothers Stuart and Ian Paton, 57, (pictured) have smashed the record for growing Britain’s biggest pumpkin (pictured)

The brothers smashed the record at the Autumn Pumpkin Festival in Royal Victoria Country Park in Hants on Saturday (pictured)

The winning announcement was made at the Jubilee Sailing Trust Autumn Pumpkin Festival and Scarecrow Avenue in Royal Victoria Country Park in Netley, Hants on Saturday evening. The pumpkin has a circumference of about 20ft and the stem of the huge vegetable is as thick as a ‘heavyweight boxer’s forearm.’

The two brothers, from Lymington, are far from new to the giant pumpkin growing game. They have successfully grown five pumpkins weighing more than 2,000lbs in the last 40 years.

Now, the twin brothers are vying for the world record. Mr Paton said: ‘This is awesome. This is the second biggest pumpkin in the world ever.’ ‘We have a few improvements to make for next year and I’m sure we will break the world record, if not in 2019 then the year after. ‘We won’t rest until we’ve done it!’ he said.

The eager pumpkin grower said the secret to growing the giant vegetable is in the seeds. ‘We cross breed the very best each year so seeds from this giant will go to making next year’s,’ he said. He added: ‘You also need very light and fluffy soil and ours at our nursery in Lymington is perfect. And then you need to add an awful lot of water.’

The giant pumpkin will be displayed in the Old Covent Garden in London in the lead up to Halloween. Sam Hochstetler’s pumpkin came in second place weighing 1080.3 pounds, followed by Zachary Geyelin at 1059.4 pounds at Saturday’s pumpkin festival. The world record for the largest pumpkin stands at 187.5 stone (2624 lbs) was grown by Belgian Mathias Willemijns in 2016.