Guinness alert: This is the longest leek vegetable in the world
17 December, 2022
Can you believe that the longest leek vegetable in the world measures a whooping 143.2 cm (4 ft 8.3 in)? The leek grown by a British Derek Hulme, an amateur gardener from Stoke-on-Trent, UK, has now been “officially recognised as the longest leek in the world” in the Guinness Book of World Records.
While the average-sized leeks that one might find on the shelves of a supermarket are around 30.50 cm (one ft) long and they are normally one or two inches wide, this record leek is over “one meter longer than your regular veggie”, noted the records site.
The leek was presented at the 2022 edition of CANNA UK National Giant Vegetables Championships, a special event held every September at the Three Counties Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire, UK.
Hulme, who is new to growing vegetables, informed that he grew the leek under the protection of a polytunnel in his allotment plot. Notably, the use of polytunnels helped the gardener to extend the growing season of the vegetable, allowing its size to develop way beyond expectations while also keeping pests away and reducing weather-caused damage, mentioned the records site.
Hulme has over 30 years of experience in growing flowers and vegetables. But it is only recently that he started to grow giant vegetables.
“I have just recently got into growing some giant veggies. But it’s been my boyhood dream to hold a world record,” he told the site. “Back in 2019, I and a few other giant vegetable growers were given a packet of 30 Bulgarian long leek seeds in an attempt to grow the first ever world record for the longest leek.”
However, Hulme couldn’t share its progress at any regional show due to the pandemic and Covid-19 restrictions.
The previous record in 2021 was broken by British gardener and multiple record title holder Joe Atherton (UK) with a leek measuring an incredible 136.0 cm (4 ft 5.5 in).
Only this year, 11 new records have been broken during their giant vegetable competitions, among which are:
Heaviest Aubergine (3.362kg, broken by Peter Glazebrook)
Longest Turnip (4.605m, broken by Joe Atherton)
Heaviest Field Pumpkin (121.6kg, broken by Mark Baggs)
Longest Potato Plant (2.847m, broken by Kevin Fortey)
Source: indianexpress.com