Onion Odyssey: British Gardener Grows Monstrous 8.97 Kg Wonder, Bowls Over Records
Read about Gareth Griffin's astounding Guinness World Record-breaking onion, weighing 8.97 kg, and Peter Glazebrook's giant vegetable achievements at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show.
Have you ever wondered how heavy the world's heaviest onion could be? Gareth Griffin, a dedicated gardener from Guernsey, recently unveiled his colossal creation at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in North Yorkshire, and the numbers are simply staggering - a jaw-dropping 8.97 kg! Griffin's prized produce is making headlines worldwide, and it even left seasoned onion enthusiasts in awe.
New record: Heaviest onion - 8.97 kg (19 lb 12.4 oz) grown by Gareth Griffin 😲https://t.co/uGaBAJShW7
— #GWR2024 OUT NOW (@GWR) September 29, 2023
Remarkably, this gigantic onion weighs approximately 53 times more than a typical brown onion and surpasses the weight of a large bowling ball, typically tipping the scales at 7.25 kg. The astounding achievement has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records, solidifying its place in the annals of agricultural history.
According to Guinness World Records, Griffin was so dedicated to ensuring his record-breaking onion arrived at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show unscathed that he carefully placed it on the floor of his motorhome, surrounded by cushions, for the long journey from the Channel Islands to North Yorkshire.
This colossal vegetable sets a new standard in the world of onions, surpassing the previous record set by an 8.5 kg onion in 2014. Griffin expressed his elation, saying, "I am absolutely over the moon to have grown the world's biggest onion. My father grew giant onions for many years right up till the year he died, but his biggest was 7 lb 12 oz, so to have grown the world record means even more to me than it would to most people".
Griffin's passion for growing onions was initially inspired by his father, but it took a more serious turn approximately 13 years ago when he became captivated by the colossal onions cultivated by fellow record holders, notably Peter Glazebrook.
Peter Glazebrook, a seasoned giant vegetable grower with three decades of experience, has an impressive track record in setting records for oversized produce. In 1996, he claimed his debut record with a cucumber weighing 9.65 kg. This year, Glazebrook added to his collection of titles by setting a record for the longest runner bean, measuring a staggering 89.7 cm. At a recent event in Malvern, he further solidified his reputation with two more records:
- Heaviest bell pepper: 750 g (1 lb 10.4 oz) – an astonishing 5.5 times larger than a standard medium-sized pepper.
- Largest runner bean leaf: 63.8 x 67.7 cm (2 ft x 2 ft 2.7 in).
The National Giant Vegetables Championships witnessed an unprecedented surge in entries this year, with an astounding 643 submissions. Sebastian Suski, the head judge and the current record holder for the longest cucumber, remarked, "I felt really honoured to be asked to be a judge at the Malvern Autumn Show this year, as it's one of the biggest shows in the world. The public was amazed and inspired by the enormity of the veg. To see eight new GWR titles set this year, despite the challenging weather, is incredible".
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