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Lymington pumpkin twins Ian and Stuart Paton of Pinetops Nursey fall short in world record bid – but still have this year’s biggest so far

03:00, 09 October 2024

SUPER squash growing brothers Ian and Stuart Paton from Lymington have vowed to continue chasing their dream of growing the world’s biggest pumpkin after failing with this year’s monster crop.

The twins, who have been growing supersized squash for the past 40 years, successfully produced four massive specimens this year, in the hope that one would exceed 2,749lb – the current Guinness World Record set by Travis Gienger in the US last year.

However, their two biggest pumpkins – nicknamed Hagrid and Tiny Tim – tipped the scales at 2,639lb and 2,641lb respectively. Despite missing out on the world record, the two super squash are currently the two largest grown in the world this year.

Monster Squash: Ian and Stuart pictured with Hagrid
Monster Squash: Ian and Stuart pictured with Hagrid

Cultivating the gigantic vegetable at the family-run Pinetops Nursey on Milford Road, the pair spend around six hours a day tending to their patch. Ian and Stuart cloned a monster pumpkin they grew two years ago to produce a crop of four potential record breakers.

Ian said: “The beauty of pumpkin growing is you just never know until you put them on the scales just how much they will weigh. Hagrid measured absolutely enormous – but it wasn’t to be this year.

“We will keep going until we beat the world record and one day the title will be ours – we get closer and closer every year.”

The twins weighed their largest specimen at the weekend at Wargrave Nursery in Reading as part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth which involves national contests all around the world including Alaska and Australia.

Ian and Stuart plant their seeds every April with the aim of growing a crop of six plants, which are then used to grow one pumpkin each. As pumpkin growing is time consuming, they each tend to three plants so they can divide up the workload.

The plants are pollinated in mid-June and, around 110 days later, the pumpkins reach their maximum size. During their peak growing period, the squash can gain more than 70lbs a day for 21 days straight.

Ian said: “We started growing pumpkins half a century ago, when our biggest weighed 54lb, and it is absolutely incredible to think that the pumpkins we grow now can gain more than that in weight each day.

“We are absolutely hooked and have no intention of giving up until we get the world record.”

In previous years, the Patons’ pumpkins have been displayed on Oxford Street in London, in New York, and in Spain and Belgium. Others have been carved into small boats, and donated to various charities.

Although the pumpkins are edible, both Ian and Stuart admit they aren’t the best for eating.

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