Gardeners grow massive 22-pound cabbage

By Filipa Gaspar

Gardeners at a National Trust estate have grown a monster 1.2 m-wide cabbage - weighing over 22 lbs.

The giant vegetable was so enormous it overflowed the biggest wheelbarrow at Buckland Abbey in Devon.

Named "Cornish Giant", the cabbage measures an impressive 1.2 meters in diameter and tips the scales at more than 22 lbs.

It won a friendly competition against fellow National Trust gardeners across Tamar Valley and Cornwall to grow the biggest cabbage.

Sam Brown, senior gardener, said: "I'm happy to say that ours won by a mile!

"Our Cornish Giant was 1.2 meters in diameter and over 10kg in weight. It actually overflowed our biggest wheelbarrow."

The giant cabbage was just one of a bumper harvest at the abbey, where gardeners and volunteers have also enjoyed an exceptional crop of pumpkins and squashes despite the warm, dry summer.

Brown said: "Squashes and pumpkins are native to the Americas, so they can take a period of drought-like conditions.

"While other plants in the garden were needing our special attention over the summer, the pumpkins have actually thrived, giving us this incredible harvest."

Visitors can see the results of the bumper crop during Buckland Abbey's Harvest Weekend on Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, when the historic Tudor Great Hall will be filled with seasonal displays.

Dozens of pumpkins and squashes grown in the Abbey's kitchen garden have been transformed into imaginative decorations inspired by this year's sea-monster-themed school break activities.

A spectacular pumpkin Kraken, a legendary sea monster, takes center stage, surrounded by warty "Galeux d'Eysine" pumpkins and globe-like onion squashes resembling barnacles and coral.

Visitors can also discover felt sea monsters created by the property's talented volunteers.

The giant cabbages will be donated to local animal charities, while the harvest celebrations will also support the wider community through a collection for Tavistock Foodbank.

The heaviest UK record is a 56.4 kg (124.34 lb) standard cabbage grown by David Thomas in 2014.