The largest pumpkin in France is edible and weighs... 928 kg

During the national competition for giant fruits and vegetables, a market gardener from Sarthe won first prize thanks to his 928 kg pumpkin.

Fall is here and the weather is perfect for eating seasonal foods and stocking up on pumpkins, gourds and pumpkins. For the occasion, the national competition for giant fruits and vegetables took place at the beginning of October in La Roche-sur-Yon, where we found the largest pumpkin in France.

Photo credit: Spay tomatoes, Mehdi Daho

This pumpkin was grown in Sarthe by market gardener Mehdi Daho and weighs… 928 kg! Its weight is equivalent to that of a Fiat 500 and was cultivated by the organic market gardener, accustomed to growing gigantic fruits and vegetables.

A 928 kg pumpkin

This is a real feat for Mehdi Daho who won the competition in the pumpkins category with his gourd. In addition to being huge, the pumpkin is perfectly edible.

“This pumpkin was elected the most beautiful in France thanks to its color, its skin… This year, its skin was not grainy, it was perfect. I took the time to polish it well » , proudly declared Mehdi Daho.

Photo credit: Spay tomatoes, Mehdi Daho

This is not the first time that the market gardener has done feats with giant fruits and vegetables. In 2021, Mehdi Daho also won the competition as he managed to grow a 984 kg squash. In his vegetable garden , he also grew a 4.7 kg onion, a 4.4 kg parsnip, a 3.39 meter long carrot, a 16 kg celery and an 18 kg melon.

To grow his vegetables, the market gardener does not use any toxic products. His crops are entirely organic and Mehdi only uses organic products to feed his vegetable garden, such as compost or liquid manure.

“All the art consists in guiding the stems without them breaking, manually weeding in the middle of a forest of peduncles and maintaining the PH of the seedling” , explained Mehdi Daho.

Break the world record for the biggest pumpkin

Subsequently, Mehdi Daho does not intend to stop there since he would like one day to have a pumpkin of at least one ton. To maximize his chances, the market gardener buys special seeds, which offer large varieties. One day, Mehdi hopes to break the world record for the biggest pumpkin, of 1,226 kg, so far held by an Italian.

Photo credit: Spay tomatoes, Mehdi Daho

If you want to observe this gigantic 928 kg pumpkin, you can go to the Papea amusement park in Le Mans. Until November 6, the pumpkin will be exhibited here for Halloween.