Giant Vegetables

 An onion can make people cry, but there has never been a vegetable to make them laugh - Will Rogers

It is the Three Counties Malvern Autumn Show this weekend (25-27th September 2026). A popular visitor attraction at the show are the giant vegetables; adjudicators from Guinness World Records are on hand to see if any national or world records have been broken.

This year I have grown three larger than normal aubergines though not by design. I've mentioned the first extra large specimen here which came in at 0.666 kg. The next specimen was picked a week or so later ...

Photo 1: Aubergine #2 (29/8/26)

... with a weight of 0.796 kg. For a size-wise comparison, the next photo shows this giant next to a couple of 'standard' aubergines (175-225 g).

Photo 2: Normal vs Large Aubergines (29/8/26)

About 3 weeks later, we picked the last of the oversized vegetables which rather put the other specimens to shame (Photo 3).

Photo 3: Final and Heaviest Aubergine (20/9/26)

The heaviest aubergine at the recent Malvern Autumn Show (2026) was grown by Maggie Walter from Plymouth; it weighed in at 3.95 kg and she won a £1000 for her efforts. The heaviest aubergine ever, according to Guinness World Records, was grown in Switzerland and came in at just a little over 5 kg.

Of course, as a general rule, these giant vegetables are totally inedible; usually tough and woody. My giant aubergines, however, were shared with family and made excellent moussaka/ratatouille.

I'm not sure why I had three extra large specimens this year. The seeds were of a standard variety and I was a bit late starting them off. They were grown using the Gardening Sensation Veg/Salad Growers (sadly, I don't think they are currently available) which ensure a constant supply of water and nutrients. Was it something to do with the very hot summer?