massive pumpkin that weighs the same as a small car

Pumped! Brothers grow massive pumpkin that weighs the same as a small car

By EMILY ALLEN

Last updated at 1:02 PM on 6th September 2011

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Two green-fingered brothers have grown a monster pumpkin which weighs around 1000lbs.

Twins Ian and Stuart Paton's extraordinary squash is 60 times the size of a normal vegetable.

It has an impressive circumference of 161 inches and is as weighty as a Fiat 500 car.

Green-fingered: Ian Paton with the giant pumpkin today. The super veg, grown from a special seed, is given a mammoth 600 square feet in which to grow

The super vegetable, grown from a special seed, is given 600 square feet in which to grow.

 

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And it will soon be ready for the chop after spending a total of 110 days in the earth.

The pumpkin has an impressive circumference of 161 inches and is as weighty as a Fiat 500 car

After that it will be displayed at the Jubilee Sailing Trust's annual pumpkin festival in Southampton, Hampshire.

Ian, who has been growing pumpkins since he was 12 years old, said the secret to success was ensuring they had a healthy diet.

The 50-year-old, from Lymington, Hampshire, explained: 'I always say to people you've got to give a pumpkin a good, balanced diet.

'This one is a pretty good size, it's probably one of the largest in the UK.

'People are pretty amazed when they see it.' 

To top it off, the brothers, who run Pinetops Nursery in Lymington, have also grown a crop of 12 super onions.

The enormous veg are 30 times larger than the normal, supermarket variety, weighing around 15lbs.

Each costs a staggering 100 pounds to cultivate because they only prosper in specific conditions.

Huge: Katie Barton, three, sits on top of the giant pumpkin. Twins Ian and Stuart Paton's extraordinary squash is 60 times the size of a normal vegetable

They were grown in a glass house under an impressive 2,400 watts of light.

One kebab shop owner was so impressed with the end product, he took a few to include in some of his dishes.

Any money raised by the vegetables go towards Ian's chosen charity the Jubilee Sailing Trust.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2034285/Pumped-Brothers-grow-massive-pumpkin-weighs-small-car.html#ixzz1XD3I7vfV