Ian and Stuart Paton of Pinetops Nursery in Lymington finally break world’s heaviest pumpkin record at Wargrave Nursery in Reading

A LIFETIME of dedication to growing supersized pumpkins has paid off as Lymington twins Ian and Stuart Paton finally smashed the world record for the heaviest ever grown.

Tipping the scales at 2818.9lb, the monster specimen earned its place in the record books during a weigh-in on Saturday at Wargrave Nursery in Reading as part of the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth. The previous record was set by Travis Gienger 2,749lb pumpkin grown in the US in 2023.

For the 64-year-olds, the prize comes after more than four decades of competitive growing, which has seen them dedicate up to six hours a day caring for the super squash at the family-run Pinetops Nursery in Lymington.

Ian told the A&T: “There was no doubt in my mind that sooner or later we were going to beat the world record. We have been perfecting our technique for many years so it we knew we would get there.

“I had a pretty good idea beforehand that the pumpkin was going to smash the record – and it also beat another world record for the biggest circumference – but we weren’t so interested in that. For us it was always about the heaviest ever pumpkin.”

Stuart announced earlier this year it would be his last in competitive pumpkin growing – but Ian has pledged to carry on with a smaller crop of three squash instead of the six they have grown together.

Ian said: “I am very pleased that we managed to get the world record in Stuart’s final year, but I still plan on setting a new world record next year.”

The seeds for the giant squash are planted every April and the twins then grow a crop of six plants, which are then used to grow one pumpkin each.

The plants are pollinated in mid-June and it then takes around 110 days for the pumpkins to reach their maximum size. During their peak growing period the super squash can gain in excess of 70lbs a day for 21 days straight.

Ian said: “We started growing pumpkins over 40 years ago, when our biggest weighed 54lbs, and it is absolutely incredible to think that the pumpkins we grow now can gain around that or more in weight every day.”

The record breaking squash, nicknamed ‘Muggle’ can be seen alongside another giant specimen ‘Dumbledore’ at Sunnyfields Farm Pumpkin Time festival in Totton.

In the past few years Ian has been charting his pumpkin growing journey on TikTok with a recent clip attracting more than 23 million views. Ian shares tips for other squash growers, including dissecting a plant when the pumpkin is cropped to see what went well and create a blueprint for the following season.

In previous years, the Patons’ pumpkins have been displayed on Oxford Street in London, in New York, in Spain and Belgium. Others have been carved into small boats, and donated to various charities.

Although the pumpkins are edible, both Ian and Stuart admit they aren’t the best.