5 11 APRIL 2024 News&Views THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF GIANT VEG The theft of prize marrow plants is an unlikely premise for a movie. But that’s the plot of Swede Caroline – a mockumentary about the world of competitive giant veg growing. It’s the brainchild of writer Brook Driver who, on reading an article about the annual Canna UK National Giant Vegetables Championship at the Malvern Autumn Show, was smitten by the subject. The cast is led by Jo Hartley (After Life) as the burgled grower and Aisling Bea (This Way Up) as a private detective paid to find the pinched plants. “The innate comedy of dedicating your life to growing the heaviest onion there’s ever been – it just gets me. It’s totally pointless, yet I can totally see the allure,” explains Brook. “I thought having a main character whose goal is to become the first female to get gold in the heaviest marrow division was suitably bizarre. Then I thought: ‘She gets her plants stolen.’” Among Brook’s advisers on the film was Kevin Fortey, ‘Mr Giant Veg’ to his fans – said to include Snoop Dogg and HM The King, who sought his advice on vegetable growing at Highgrove. The holder of nine Guinness World Records, including tallest potato (6ft 10in) and heaviest sunflower head (6.4kg), Kevin has vast veggies in his blood – his late father, Mike, is credited with founding the UK championships in the 80s. “Whether you’re aiming for a record “Humans are neat freaks and nowhere more so than in our parks and gardens. But we can create wonderful habitats for wildlife simply by reducing the amount we mow and tidy up. Allow lawns and verges to get shaggy and full of wild owers. Leave leaf piles for hedgehogs (below) or for birds to peck for insects. A fallen branch is fantastic for deadwood beetles. Are you weeding out native wild owers that are great for pollinators? Leaving seedheads provides food for birds through winter (and looks wonderful in frost). Letting go of our cultural obsession with tidiness can produce magical spaces full of life.” Anna Shepard DO ONE GREEN THING Be messy in the garden, says Isabella Tree, rewilding pioneer and author of Wilding: How to Bring Wildlife Back or a personal best, what motivates growers is nurturing a tiny seed for several months and getting that red card at the championships,” explains Kevin, who lives in South Wales. He says interest in the contest increases year on year and was given a boost by people growing their own during pandemic lockdowns. “Growing giant vegetables helps individuals to challenge themselves and it also brings families and communities together,” adds Kevin. Southampton flower farmer Ian Paton, who has been growing giant GOOD GOURD Neil Edmond and Wendy Albiston in Swede Caroline (left); the Paton twins with their record-breaking pumpkin (below); Aisling Bea and Ray Fearon in the lm (bottom) pumpkins with twin brother Stuart since they were 11, agrees. “Everyone [in the growing community] is very open because, at the end of the day, the person you’re really competing against is you. It’s about inspiring other growers, the next generation. “That’s one of the great things about pumpkins – they’ve got this Hogwarts element to them that really captures the imagination. When you lift them [with a crane and purpose-built cradle], it’s a joke, absolutely ridiculous. And that novelty never wears o . We call it the pumpkin sickness – once you’ve got it, there’s no cure.” With their sights set on a new world record weight for an Atlantic Giant – their preferred pumpkin variety – at Malvern this year (27-29 September), the Patons have refined their growing technique over five decades. They fitted their glasshouses with reactive sunshades to prevent scorching and an automated hydration system to maintain optimum moisture levels, and expect their ‘absolute monsters’ to gain 70lbs daily during peak growing season. The current giant pumpkin Guinness World Record of 2,749lb (1,246.9kg) – heavier than a Nissan Micra – is held by horticulture teacher Travis Gienger of Minnesota. “We’ve beaten it before, with a 2,907lb-er, but around day 100 it developed a tiny hole at the blossom end so wasn’t eligible,” says Ian. “Ultimately, I’d like us to be the first to hit the 3,000lb mark. “The giant veg growing scene is treated with a ection,” he adds. “It’s not a mockery, it’s a celebration of the quirkiness of this part of British life. And fundamentally it’s fun – I don’t think we have enough things in life which are just fun.” Alice Ryan Swede Caroline is in cinemas nationwide from 19 April Photographs: Charlie Burrell, Getty images, Alamy
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