Top of the plots! Farmer grows Britain's biggest ever marrow at 4ft long and weighing 200lb as father and son produce monster 111 stone pumpkin that is so big is has to be lifted by a WINCH
- Mark Baggs, 37, from Dorset, planted the marrow seed at the beginning of June
- Vegetable is just six pounds short of current world record that was set in 2009
- Meanwhile Gerald Short, 52, and Oliver, 13, produced pumpkin weighing 11 stone
- It comes amid 'massive upsurge' in growing of giant vegetables during lockdown
A farmer has grown Britain's biggest ever marrow and the second heaviest in the world at 4ft long and weighing 200lb.
Mark Baggs, 37, planted the specially-selected seed on Worgret Manor Farm in Wareham, Dorset, at the beginning of June and spent four hours a day tending to it.
Weighing in at exactly 200lbs and 6ozs, the marrow is just six pounds short of the current world record that was grown in Holland in 2009.
It comes as a father and son from Watlington, Oxfordshire, have produced a 111-stone pumpkin that was so big it had to be moved by a winch.
Gerald Short, 52, and Oliver, 13, had to call in a tractor to lift it from their allotment, so it could be transported for judging.
Gerald Short, 52, and his son Oliver, 13, with their giant pumpkin which weighed in at a whopping 111 stone. The vegetable was so big that it had to be moved by a winch
Mark Baggs, 37, from Wareham, Dorset, with Britain's biggest ever marrow. He planted the specially-selected seed at the beginning of June and spent four hours a day tending to it
Mark's time-consuming daily routine included burying the side vines from the marrow in the soil, helping the marrow to anchor itself to the ground and put down extra roots to take up more water and nutrients, boosting its growth.
The giant vegetable, which has a circumference of 5.25ft, was displayed at a farm show in neighbouring Hampshire over the weekend.
He did hold the marrow world record between 2005 and 2009, before it was claimed by Dutch competitor Brad Wursten.
Mark will cut out the marrow's seeds and give them to clubs to sell at auctions where they can fetch £180 each. The dairy farmer, who will feed the rest of the marrow to his cows, is determined to reclaim the world record next year.
He said: 'I planted the seed at the beginning of June, then harvested it for the weigh-off in Southampton.
'In 2005, I held the world record for a time. I lost that to a Dutchman a few years later and have been chasing the world record ever since. I've been gradually clawing my way back now.
'My marrow seeds are renowned worldwide. I donate them to various clubs and they get sold at international seed auctions over the winter where they can go for €200 (£180).'
In 2013 Mark grew the UK's heaviest pumpkin, weighing 1,520lb.
Mark needed help to carry the massive marrow. The giant vegetable, which has a circumference of 5.25ft, was displayed at a farm show in Hampshire over the weekend
Mark, pictured, grew more than one giant marrow. The 37-year-old's time-consuming daily routine included burying the side vines from the marrow in the soil
The giant pumpkin needed to be hoisted onto a trailer with lifting gear before being driven to the show for judging.
Mark added: 'Growing large marrows is a bit of luck and a lot of hard work, timing and experience. I can spend four hours a day at it after work.
'I'm going to cut out the seeds and feed the marrow to the cows. Next year I'm determined to go one better and my ambition is to bring the world record home to Britain.'
Meanwhile, Gerald and Oliver came second in a national competition and put their pumpkin on display outside a local farm shop.
Gerald, who owns a record shop but devotes his spare time to his allotment, said: 'My dad always said if you're going to do something do it properly, so when I started getting interested in growing pumpkins, I started growing giant pumpkins, I've taken it to an extreme.
'I went to this national show and I saw the people growing these giant pumpkins and I thought they must be absolutely insane. Why would you go through so much effort to grow stupid big things like that?
'Anyway, I got a seed and put it in the ground, and something must have triggered in my brain and the seed got sown in my head and it is still there growing away.
'Myself and Oliver, we both started that year.'
Gerald added that he has tried to grow other giant vegetables including a giant marrow, but said his heart was not in it.
He explained: 'There is so many things to learn about growing these vegetables you don't just stick it in the ground and water them and hope them to be bigger every year.
Gerald and his son Oliver with their giant pumpkin. The father said that he has tried to grow other giant vegetables including a giant marrow, but said his heart was not in it
Two- year old Martha Syrett with one of her grandfather's giant pumpkins. Twins Ian and Stuart Paton, 59, are the current record holders for the biggest ever squash in the UK
'There is a lot of science involved and techniques, it is about learning and improving. I can now transfer the skills I have learnt to growing normal vegetables.
'The allotment is looking pretty good I must say.'
Oliver also grew another huge pumpkin this year, weighing 448lbs, taking the record for the biggest ever grown in Oxfordshire.
The current record holders for the biggest ever squash in the UK are twins Ian and Stuart Paton, 59, from Lymington in Hampshire's New Forest National Park.
The pair grew a pumpkin weighing in at a whopping 2,593.7lb - heavier than two polar bears - and narrowly missed out on the world record by just 31lb.
The pair already held the UK record for a 2,433lb pumpkin which they grew in 2018.
Lockdown has seen an upsurge in the growing of giant vegetables, with competitions being moved online.
Kevin Fortey, who manages a Facebook group for giant vegetable growers, told the BBC: 'We've run some fun competitions online and we've seen a massive upsurge in interest in giant veg growing, with younger generations getting involved.'
He added: 'It's a fun hobby that helps people get outside and stay positive during lockdown.'
Marrows, Latin name Cucurbita pepo, originate from the Americans and can be stored for several weeks after harvest.
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