An American grower has reclaimed the world's biggest pumpkin record, weighing in at 1,431.5kg, just seven days after two Hampshire twins became the first Britons ever to hold the title. Ron Wallace, 60, from Rhode Island, had his colossal squash confirmed by Guinness World Records officials on Tuesday, according to the Mirror, ending a brief but glorious British reign.
Brothers Ian and Stuart Paton, from Lymington in Hampshire, had set the new benchmark on October 3 with a 1,296kg giant at their own weigh-off. For one week, the world heavyweight pumpkin crown sat on English soil for the first time in the recorded history of the sport. Then Wallace, a veteran of 35 years of competitive gourd growing, rolled out a pumpkin nearly 200kg heavier at the Southern New England Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off in Rhode Island.
How the Record Fell Twice in Seven Days
The sequence of events reads like a horticultural thriller. The Paton twins, who have spent decades perfecting the peculiar British art of growing vegetables to absurd proportions, broke the record on home soil on October 3. Their 1,296kg squash, the weight of a small car, was put on display in Hampshire, where Country Living reported visitors can see it before it is carved up at the end of October.
The celebrations had barely finished when word arrived from across the Atlantic. Wallace's entry tipped the scales at 1,431.5kg, or 3,156lbs in old money, comfortably eclipsing the British mark. The pumpkin was inspected by officials from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the sport's governing body, before Guinness World Records confirmed the new record.
Wallace is no stranger to this sort of thing. This is the third time he has held the heavyweight title, having first broken the record in 2006 with a 681.3kg pumpkin, then again in 2012 with one weighing 911.27kg. His latest effort is so vast that it could yield more than 3,000 pumpkin pies, or weigh as much as three concert grand pianos.
The Moment the Scales Tipped
Describing the weigh-in, Wallace said the local crowd erupted when the numbers appeared.
“I was just ecstatic, the place just exploded,” he told the Mirror.
He was quick to share the credit with the wider growing community, a gentle reminder that this peculiar pursuit rewards patience and cooperation rather than celebrity.
“The only way you create a 3,000-pound pumpkin is a community working together,” he said.
Matthew DeBacco, head judge at the Rhode Island event, paid tribute to the grower's craft. “It is astonishing to see what nature can produce under the helping hands of an expert horticulturist,” he said.
Money, Prizes and the Economics of Giant Vegetables
Wallace pocketed £2,650 ($3,500) at his local contest, though he admitted other competitions had dangled considerably larger sums, some approaching £53,000 ($70,000). He chose the hometown weigh-off anyway, saying he wanted to be surrounded by his own community when the record fell.
The prize money on offer across the competitive circuit, particularly in the United States, has grown almost as fast as the pumpkins themselves. The Independent reported that rival growers will drive for 30 hours or more with car-sized cargo strapped to trailers, chasing records at weigh-offs across the country. It is a curious modern spectacle, but one built on old-fashioned virtues: patience, trial and error, and a stubborn refusal to accept that a vegetable has reached its natural limit.
A Brief British Glory Worth Savouring
For all the American triumph, the Paton twins' achievement deserves proper recognition here at home. Becoming the first Britons in recorded history to hold the world pumpkin title is no small feat, and it came after years of quiet toil on the south coast. Ian Paton of Lymington set the mark that Wallace beat, as The Independent noted, and the brothers' 1,296kg giant remains a European benchmark that American growers will not have dismissed lightly.
There is something reassuringly British about the whole business. We have always been a nation of shed tinkerers and allotment obsessives, of men and women who pursue excellence in unfashionable corners of life without asking permission or subsidy. The twins follow in a long line of British growers who have pushed horticulture to its limits, and one suspects they will be back at the top of the table before long. Records in this sport tend to change hands with some regularity, as Wallace's own three reigns demonstrate.
Indeed, the speed with which this record fell twice in a week suggests the arms race in giant pumpkin growing is accelerating. American growers have the prize money and the climate; the British have the stubbornness. It would be a brave man who bet against Lymington reclaiming the crown.
What Happens to a 1.4 Tonne Pumpkin?
As for Wallace, the newly crowned champion is planning something almost unheard of in elite sport: a year off. He said he intends to spend the off-season on his farm and on the seminar circuit, where fellow growers badger him for trade secrets.
“I'm contemplating taking next year off to finish some projects around my farm. It will be a busy off season with seminars and requests and that takes a lot of time away from getting ready for the next season. We will see,” he said.
The Paton twins' pumpkin, meanwhile, remains on public display in Hampshire until the end of October, according to Country Living, before it meets the knife. A quarter tonne of British horticultural history, sliced and diced for the amusement of the visiting public. One hopes the seeds are saved.
FAQ
Who holds the world's biggest pumpkin record?
Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, USA, holds the current record with a pumpkin weighing 1,431.5kg, confirmed by Guinness World Records on October 14, 2026.
Who were the British record holders?
Twins Ian and Stuart Paton from Lymington, Hampshire, held the record for one week after weighing a 1,296kg pumpkin on October 3, 2026. They were the first Britons to hold the title in its recorded history.
How many times has Ron Wallace held the pumpkin record?
Three times, in 2006, 2012 and 2026, according to Guinness World Records.