A British man smashed his own record by growing the world’s heaviest pumpkin — weighing a staggering 2,856.8 pounds right in time for Halloween.
Plant nursery owner Ian Paton, 65, entered his voluminous veggie, which has a circumference of over 20 feet, into the Wargrave Nursery Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off in Berkshire, England, on Oct. 3.
“In the 100 million years that fruiting plants have existed on planet Earth, this is the heaviest and by a long way simply the most massive specimen ever to have existed in all that time. If that’s not the very definition of awesome, I don’t know what is!” Gerald Short, certified giant vegetable judge at the Wargrave Weigh-Off, told Guinness World Records.
The pumpkin, which Paton named “Bagheera,” after the panther from “The Jungle Book,” was officially weighed at the contest under the supervision of a Guinness World Records adjudicator.
Last year, Paton and his twin brother, Stuart, grew the world’s heaviest pumpkin of all time, weighing in at 2,819 pounds and 4 ounces, which earned them their first Guinness World Record.
This year, Paton, who has grown pumpkins with his sibling for over 50 years, entered the competition solo for the first time.
Paton, of Lymington, Hampshire, told the BBC that caring for the pumpkin was “bloody hard work,” and he spent six hours a day giving it 130 gallons of water — the same amount as three full bathtubs.
“I didn’t see a lot of my wife, but I kind of got away with it!” he quipped to the record book.
The record-breaking pumpkin is now on display at Sunnyfields Farm in Southampton, where it will be until the end of the month before it’s fed to cows.
The proud farmer posted a video of the history-making weigh-in, where he kisses his pumpkin in celebration after smashing the world record.
Next Halloween, he may grow an even larger pumpkin.
“I want to carry on,” he told the record book. “I really want to grow a 3,000-lb pumpkin – that’s what I’ve got in my head.”
Guinness World Records posted Paton’s creation on its Instagram page and commenters marveled at his massive feat.
“At this point Ian Paton isn’t growing pumpkins, he’s growing small cars,” one quipped.
“Now this can be turned into Cindrella’s chariot,” another joked.
“Nice decor for Halloween,” someone else pointed out.
