Vegetable farmers claim to have broken world harvest records

A champion vegetable grower says he broke the world record for most tomatoes on a single plant after spending two and a half hours harvesting 5,891 from a vine.

Douglas Smith counted the load of red and green tomatoes weighing more than 20kg, the equivalent of two mountain bikes.

The 44-year-old’s haul broke the old record of 1,355 by more than fourfold, held by Surjit Singh Kainth from Coventry, West Midlands, after his harvest in 2013.

The green-fingered dad’s success follows his two previous Guinness World Records for “most tomatoes on a single truss,” which stand at 1,269 and a 20-foot-tall sunflower.

Douglas Smith (pictured) with his record-breaking tomato plant. The father has broken the previous Guinness World Record four times, beating the crop of Surjit Singh Kainth in 2013

The dad, 44, knelt and posed in front of all his hand-picked tomatoes in his back garden. It took him two and a half hours to pick, collect and count the huge amount of red and green tomatoes that weighed in

Mr. Smith’s tomato plant (pictured) produced more than 5,891 at one time. The green-fingered dad’s success follows his two previous Guinness World Records, which included “most tomatoes on a single truss” which stood at 1,269

Mr. Smith and his friends harvest his record crop in a greenhouse. The IT manager is hoping for official recognition of his efforts

And the IT manager, who lives in Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, with his son Stellan and wife Piper, is now hoping this year’s record attempt will be officially recognised.

Mr Smith was assisted by Matthew Oliver from RHS Hyde Hall and Emily Adcock, Paul Cramp and Spencer Dockray from Amberley Garden Services.

The recording was also monitored by two independent witnesses, Reverend Sarah Forrest and Parish Council Chairman Mike Dormon.

Another angle from the giant tomato plant that resembles a Christmas tree. According to a study, the British consume more than 500,000 tons of tomatoes every year

The dad, 44, was pictured with his arms outstretched as if trying to measure him. Consumers spend almost a billion pounds on tomatoes each year, with a fifth of that spending going towards home-grown tomatoes

Mr Smith made headlines back in 2020 when he grew the UK’s tallest sunflower, towering 20ft over his family’s home.

According to research, Britons consume more than 500,000 tonnes of tomatoes every year.

Consumers spend almost a billion pounds on tomatoes each year, with a fifth of that spending going towards home-grown tomatoes.

Meanwhile, a grower and home gardener from Hampshire has grown the world’s largest cucumber on his plot.

Sebastian Suski’s extraordinary salad vegetable is four times as long as the average supermarket variety and weighs twenty times as much.

Sliced, the three-foot-eight, eight-pound Whopper could make more than 400 cucumber sandwiches.

Southampton father-of-four Hants was delighted to discover last week it’s the biggest in history.

Sebastian Suski (pictured) with his Guinness World Record gherkin on his allotment garden in Southampton. The father of four has been growing the organic cucumber in the polytunnel since May 25th

His super-long vegetables beat the previous Guinness World Record holder by 6.4 cm.

The 44-year-old, who packs contact lenses at night, has been growing the organic cucumber in a polytunnel since May 25.

And he says his secret is a daily dose of warm water — instead of cold.

Proud Mr. Suski refers to his award-winning pickle as “his baby” and keeps “her” safe at home, wrapped in a blanket.

He says his four children, ranging in age from three to fifteen, had not all previously shared his love of growing giant vegetables, but changed their minds when their father received his official world record certificate.

Mr Suski said: “The kids weren’t interested but now I have this world record that they have. First they said, “Daddy can’t win it,” and then they saw that and said, “Wow!”

His record attempt was aided by his wife Renata, who had to step in and tend to his king-size cucumber at a crucial moment when he was hospitalized.

Mr. Suski: “A leaking blood vessel was found in my head and so I spent a week in the hospital. Luckily my wife Renata was there to take care of the cucumber and to water and feed it well.

“Without Renata I wouldn’t have this record.”

Mr. Suski – who also grows large watermelons and butternut squash – has had positive reactions from his allotment neighbors.

“A lot of them came over to congratulate me when I got the record,” he said. “They weren’t jealous at all.”

Mr. Suski has big plans for his giant pickle, but it’s not going to end up in a sandwich or tzatziki anytime soon.

The large vegetable farmer said, “I will keep the seeds so that I can grow more large cucumbers in the future.

“The meat wouldn’t be fit to eat as it’s too ripe now, so I’ll throw it on my compost heap.

“It will be good for my other plants because it has a lot of nutrients.”

Mr. Suski gave a number of tips for aspiring large vegetable growers, including avoiding using a hose for watering.

He said: “Just water with a pot of warm water.

“If I poured cold water on a person, they would be shocked, and the same goes for a cucumber. Cold water will kill it.

“You also have to be careful not to overwater them. A watering can or two a day should do the trick.”