Growers hauled 597 giant vegetable entries to the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, on Thursday for the CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championships, according to Hits Radio.
Forklifts, pallets and a dedicated weigh-in crew were waiting at the showground as competitors delivered pumpkins, radishes and other outsized produce ahead of Friday’s judging. Jane Edwards, head of shows at the showground, told Hits Radio the championships began there in 2013 and have only grown since.
Since then, the number of growers has increased and it’s become an even more popular competition.
Jane Edwards, head of shows, Three Counties Showground
597 entries, 169 growers, 33 classes
This year’s field breaks down into 24 heaviest classes and nine longest classes, Edwards said, describing a lineup where personal and world records tend to fall.
This year we’ve got 597 entries, 169 growers and 33 classes, and of the classes, 24 are heaviest classes and nine are the longest. Typically, we’ll get a few world records broken within those.
Jane Edwards, head of shows, Three Counties Showground
Last year’s event, held at the same Worcestershire venue, produced Guinness World Records that still stand, according to Hits Radio: the world’s longest radish, measured at 7.848 metres, and the world’s heaviest celeriac, at 8.01kg. One of last year’s giant pumpkins, pictured by Bauer Media, weighed over 1,000kg.
An eight-year-old from Bosbury and a 16-time record chaser
The entry list spans generations. Eight-year-old Poppy, from Bosbury, has entered her pumpkins in the giant vegetables
and “grow to show” categories, according to Hits Radio. Kevin Fortey, meanwhile, is looking to claim his 16th world record for growing giant vegetables.
We do get exhibitors from all over the country, and we’ve also got some well-known super growers who have consistently broken many records over the year and keep coming back to break sometimes their own records.
Jane Edwards, head of shows, Three Counties Showground
Getting a 1,000kg pumpkin onto the scales
Moving vegetables that can weigh more than 1,000kg is its own logistical problem. Edwards said most are grown on pallets from the start so they can be forklifted straight onto transport, and the showground runs a dedicated team to get each entry onto the scales for the official weigh-in.
We did get an inquiry last year from someone who was considering bringing a giant pumpkin by helicopter, but that soon fizzled out.
Jane Edwards, head of shows, Three Counties Showground
The championships run alongside the wider Malvern Autumn Show, which Hits Radio reports typically draws tens of thousands of visitors across its three days. Official results for this year’s giant vegetable classes are due Friday.