Arthur Greene
It’s so big, Cinderella, her Prince Charming, her two ugly stepsisters and her wicked stepmother could all fit inside it!
In just 100 days, farmer William le Grange has grown a pumpkin weighing 867,5kg – the heaviest ever to be grown in South Africa.
Le Grange, the manager of a farm near Mossel Bay, took first prize at a giant pumpkin competition in an agricultural festival in Heidelberg in the Western Cape.
At its unveiling, judges of the annual competition were reportedly blown away by the monstrous orange fruit. (Yes, pumpkins are technically a fruit.)
The pumpkin had to be lifted very carefully out of its patch with a crane.
Le Grange told Landbou the monster-of-a-plant required between 200 and 700 litres of water a day while growing.
The proud owner added that its weight on occasion increased by 25kg in a single day.
It beats the previous record-holder, 860kg pumpkin from Riversdale in the Western Cape, which took the crown last year.
Le Grange’s pumpkin does not, however, hold the world record for largest pumpkin. That distinguished record belongs to a Belgian pumpkin, which was grown in 2016 by Mathias Willemijns and weighed a whopping 1190,49kg.
Picture source: @cobbo3
