Story from Jam Press (Fruit King Crowned)
Pictured: A video grab of Kevin talking about his giant cucumbers.
Britain's giant fruit and vegetable king crowned with record-breaking cucumber and aubergine
Britain's giant fruit and vegetable king has been crowned thanks to his record-breaking cucumber and aubergine.
Kevin Fortey now holds a staggering 11 world records.
He has just taken the title for the tallest cucumber plant on the planet which is 21ft 4ins.
The green-fingered 46-year-old also has the world's longest aubergine at 16ins.
He has added them to his previous nine mammoth fruit and veg, as reported by What's The Jam.
His other Guinness World Records include a giant tomatillo plant, potato plant, heaviest cantaloupe, and even a double win for the largest sunflower head.
Kevin, of Cwmbran, near Newport, South Wales, has inherited his gardening prowess.
His dad, Mike Fortey, co-founded the Giant Vegetable Championship in the 1980s.
It started in a small pub but the venue changed regularly as the popularity of the event increased along with the pumpkin sizes.
Mr Fortey said it wasn't always taken too seriously in the gardening community.
“Vegetable growing when we were kids wasn’t a cool thing to do,” he said.
"But interest is growing every single year, right across the world.
"They used to call me the onion kid but now I’m the giant veg man."
His hobby has led him to travel the world dispensing advice to eager gardeners.
He recently returned from Ventura, California where he gave a talk at the Heriloom Expo.
This weekend he is heading to Jersey to judge the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society's Autumn Show, presenting the children's awards and giving a talk on Giant Vegetable growing.
He added: "Hopefully it will inspire even more growers into the world of giant vegetables.
"If the giant cucumber will fit into my suitcase."
And he revealed the secret of his success was his loving Welsh hands.
ENDS
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