Among all the wonderful displays and classes of flowers, fruit and vegetables at this years Harrogate Autumn Flower Show, one of the highlights must be the giant vegetable classes. The growing of giant vegetables is a great hobby with many folks, but for some it borders on an obsession. These folks dedicate all their gardens and plots over to the growing of huge perfect speciemen vegetables, hoping to beat not only their fellow competitors, but to hopefully grow a world record breaking vegetable. These exhibition growers give so much of their time and so much effort to produce amazing produce, showing what can be done with seed and soil, combined with dedication.
On show were simply amazing vegetables, huge cabbages, marrows, beans, tomatoes and potatoes. One of the giant vegetable classes is a favorite of mine, the heaviest onion competition. Last year Peter Glazebrook won with a huge onion that weighed in at 17lb 5.5ozs, a world record. Could he grow another giant, in what for many of us has been a difficult growing year. Could he match it ? not only could he match it, he beat it! A wonderful giant of an onion weighing 18 lbs 1 oz, this is not only a new world record, but the first onion to reach 18lbs. And this wasnt the only success for Newark’s Peter Glazebrook, he took top honours in six of the other giant vegetable classes. His winning cabbage, which he had to transport to the show bench in a wheelbarrow weighed in at, wait for it, 119 lbs 12 ozs, nearly twice that of the second placed cabbage. Mr Glazebrook also benched a colossal marrow weighing 81 lbs 6 ozs. Not content with having the heaviest onion, he also had the heaviest tomato and the heaviest potato, their weights being 3 lbs 1 oz and 3 lbs 3 ozs. Ah, but Peter Glazebrook did not stop there, he took the longest cucumber honours with a length of 32 inches and the longest runner bean of the same length 32 inches. Wow, what an amazing sight this mans plot must be at the height of the growing season, and a truly stunning achevement!
Have any of you ever grown a monster vegetable ?
