The giant pumpkin had to be lifted very carefully, before it was transported from a farm near Mossel Bay to be weighed at a competition in Heidelberg in the Western Cape. Photo: Netwerk24

  • South Africa has a new record pumpkin: a 867.5kg behemoth from a farm near Mossel Bay.
  • The pumpkin itself developed in 100 days, its owner says.
  • The new record holder beat a 860kg pumpkin named SA's biggest last year. 

The new title-holder was cultivated by Willem le Grange, manager of a farm near Mossel Bay, and won a giant pumpkin competition recently at an agricultural festival in Heidelberg in the Western Cape.

Vegetable, and chair.
Willem le Grange, with his giant pumpkin. (Photo supplied, via Landbou.com)

It beat the previous record-holder: a 860kg pumpkin from Riversdale in the Western Cape, which took the title last year.

Le Grange told Landbou.com that it took 50 days to grow the pumpkin plant, and then a further 100 days for the pumpkin itself to develop into its giant shape.

When the pumpkin grows at full speed, its weight can increase by 25kg a day. Le Grange told Netwerk24 that special machinery was needed to lift the pumpkin from its patch and transport it to the competition in Heidelberg. 

Recently, a Gauteng pumpkin - a 790kg behemoth called Johanna - was named the heaviest ever cultivated north of the Orange River.

Wykus Lamprecht of Meyerton in Gauteng grew the pumpkin from a seed planted in October last year, Landbou.com reported.

The fast-growing pumpkin required at least 200 litres of water a day, Lamprecht told Landbou.com. Some days, this would run up to as much as 700 litres.

The pumpkin was nurtured under a gazebo to protect it against the sun and rain, and a fan kept its stem dry. (A moist stem can cause decay.) Johanna was also wrapped in blankets at times to shield it against the elements.

According to The Guardian, the world record for the heaviest pumpkin is 1,190.49kg, held by Belgian farmer Mathias Willemijns and set in 2016.  

https://www.businessinsider.co.za/trending/new-record-holding-pumping-in-south-africa-2021-4