Twin brothers from the UK have just smashed a world record — and it’s a massive one. Ian and Stuart Paton, both 64, from Hampshire, England, have officially grown the world’s heaviest pumpkin, weighing in at an unbelievable 2,819 pounds (1,278.8 kilograms).
The pumpkin, affectionately nicknamed “Muggle” after the “Harry Potter” term for non-magical folk, not only broke the Guinness World Record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown, but also set a second record for the largest circumference, measuring an astonishing 21 feet and 3.8 inches (649.8 cm).
Record-breaking gourd
The Paton brothers have been growing pumpkins since their teenage years and together have more than 100 years of combined experience in cultivating giant gourds. Their dedication finally paid off this October when their massive pumpkin tipped the scales at a competition near Reading, about two hours from their hometown of Lymington.
“Moving giant pumpkins is fairly easy as we’ve been doing it for many years,” the brothers said. “We have our big lifting ring and literally scoop up the pumpkins.”
The official measurements were taken by Sebastian Suski from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, along with a Guinness World Records fruit and vegetable consultant.
“I was amazed to see this record come to the UK,” Suski said. “This was massive news for the brothers who have been growing for over 50 years, but also for all British pumpkin growers.”
How big can pumpkins get?
The Patons’ pumpkin has revived a long-running question among horticultural enthusiasts: just how big can pumpkins grow?
According to The Atlantic, the size limit of pumpkins remains uncertain — with records being broken year after year. Just a decade ago, the world’s largest pumpkin weighed around 2,000 pounds. Now, growers are already eyeing the next big milestone — a 3,000-pound pumpkin.
All competitive pumpkins, including “Muggle,” belong to the Cucurbita maxima species — the largest type of squash that can reach weights up to 200 pounds in the wild. Through careful crossbreeding, fertilization, and optimal growing conditions, these competition-level pumpkins can gain as much as 50 pounds per day during peak growth.
The Paton twins’ monumental pumpkin not only highlights their decades of dedication but also cements their place in Guinness World Records history — proving that when it comes to growing gourds, they’re in a league of their own.
