Don’t squash me! Girl, five, is dwarfed by her grandfather’s giant pumpkin one year after he and twin brother broke record
Five-year-old Etta Syrett is pictured beside a giant pumpkin grown by her grandfather, Ian Paton, in Lymington, Hampshire. Paton and his twin brother Stuart previously set the world record for the heaviest pumpkin, highlighting the extraordinary scale and effort involved in competitive pumpkin growing.
Their record-breaking pumpkin weighed 1,300kg, about the same as two adult bulls, surpassing the previous record of 1,247kg. The brothers spent around six hours a day tending their plants, which take roughly 130 days to mature and can require up to 130 gallons of water per plant each day; together, they have grown 13 title-winning squashes.
- Grandfather grows another enormous pumpkin in Hampshire.
- His previous pumpkin weighed a record 1,300kg.
- Giant pumpkins require intensive care, water and favourable genetics.