Skip to content

Giant vegetables on show at Harrogate Autumn Flower Show

PA Media Richard Mann with his winning giant pumpkinPA Media
Jack-O'lan-tonne: Richard Mann's giant pumpkin weighed in at 45 stone (291.7kg)

Green-fingered wizards have been lugging massive marrows, plumped-up pumpkins and beefy beetroots to Harrogate for its annual giant vegetable competition.

The face-off is a perennial favourite among the 40,000 visitors to the Yorkshire spa town's Autumn Flower Show.

Competitors in 13 classes tend to their oversized crops year-round in the hope of taking the coveted title of heaviest or longest.

Parsnips, leeks, cabbages, potatoes, carrots, rhubarb, runner beans and cucumbers are among the prodigious produce touted by their proud growers.

PA Media Craig Pearson with his winning giant cabbagePA Media
Agri-bargy: Craig Pearson's champion giant cabbage dwarfed the competition, weighing in at a whopping 4st 4lb (27.4kg)
PA Media Graham Barratt with his winning giant cucumber that is 920mm long, after he scooped 1st prizePA Media
Gourd almighty: Graham Barratt is extremely proud of his giant cucumber, which is 36in (92cm) long
PA Media Judging under wayPA Media
Size matters: Judges at the Great Yorkshire Showground meticulously measure each entry before crowning a winner. The event has been held there since 1995 after outgrowing its previous venue
PA Media Two men carry a giant marrow as judging takes placePA Media
Two-man job: Some entries, such as this giant marrow, are too much for one person to manage. The 2019 Autumn Flower Show will be the last one held in Harrogate, as the event is to move about 15 miles (24km) to stately home Newby Hall next year
PA Media Judging under wayPA Media
Show director Nick Smith said: "Any good attraction or event should regularly review what it is able to offer and ensure that it stays both relevant and vibrant for its visitors"

You may also like:

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].