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Monster vegetable gardeners gathered in Hampshire this weekend as they competed in Britain's Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off.

Green-fingered twins Ian and Stuart Paton, who hold the UK record, turned up with a new 20ft circumference squash they hoped would become the biggest in the world - at a staggering 2,332.5lbs.

With the average man weighing in at 180lbs, the siblings' squash is equivalent in weight to 13 adult men or a Fiat 500.

But, unfortunately for the gardeners, they failed to squash Italian farmer Stefano Cutrupi's 2,703lbs world record.

Monster vegetable-mad gardeners gathered in Hampshire this weekend as they competed at Britain's Giant Pumpkin Weigh Off. Pictured: Stuart and Ian Paton weighing their third giant pumpkin of the year which weighed in at 2332.5lb bringing the total this year to over 7,000lb in pumpkins by a grower for the first time

Pump-Kings: Green-fingered twins Ian and Stuart Paton, who hold the UK record, turned up with a new 20ft circumference squash they hoped would become the biggest in the world (pictured). It's 2,332.5lb weight is roughly equivalent to the weight of 13 men. Although it was the largest at the show it weighed in at 2,332.5lbs, short of Italian farmer Stefano Cutrupi's 2,703lbs record

Squash goals: The competition was held at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, near Southampton, Hampshire. Those visiting the show at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, near Southampton, Hants, were treated to a range of enormous specimens as growers transported them from far afield

Their newest entrant was also less than the UK record-holding 2,656lbs gourd they weighed in Berkshire last week.

It was their third giant pumpkin of the year and the 61-year-old pair, from Lymington, Hants, insist they will return next year with something even bigger.

When asked if they bother with 'normal' size pumpkins, Ian joked: 'No, go big, or go home.' 

Visitors to the show at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, near Southampton, were treated to many other enormous specimens as growers transported them from far afield.

Heavy-duty lifting equipment was used to gently lower each vegetable onto a huge set of scales and then lift it off again a few moments later.

Gourd vibes only: Second place went to Oxfordshire grower Gerald Short, whose entry weighed in at 1,769.2lbs, or roughly the same weight as seven baby elephants

Heavy-duty lifting equipment was used to gently lower each vegetable onto a huge set of scales and then lift it off again a few moments later. Some of the other gourds had to be moved out of the way to enable the larger of two fork lift trucks to collect the Patons' pumpkin and transfer it to the scales a few yards away

One-year-old twins Polly and Etta on top of another giant pumpkin grown by Ian and Stuart. This 2,656lbs squash was weighed in Berkshire last week and was crowned the heaviest in the UK

Some of the other gourds had to be moved out of the way to enable the larger of two fork lift trucks to collect the Patons' pumpkin and transfer it to the scales a few yards away.

A piece of paper was placed over the device's digital display to keep the weight a secret until the last possible second.

Second place went to Oxfordshire grower Gerald Short, whose entry weighed in at 1,769.2lbs. 

He finished ahead of Wareham's Mark Baggs (1,351.4lbs), with Southampton father-and-son team Allan and Daniel Young (1,192.7lbs) coming fourth.

Mark Baggs and son Luke with their marrow weighing in at 235.9lb - the heaviest that the Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth have ever weighed. During weigh-ins a piece of paper was placed over the device's digital display to keep the weight a secret until the last possible second

Southampton father-and-son team Allan (left) and Daniel Young came fourth in the contest with a pumpkin weighing 1192.7lb. The country's finest growers flocked to Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, near Southampton, this weekend with their monster vegetables

Allan and Daniel said they had spent a huge amount of time on their allotment, often arriving as early as 5.30am.

Meanwhile, father-of-four Sebastian Suski produced the longest vegetable, winning the Long Gourd category with his effort standing nearly 8ft tall at a staggering 95.47ins.

The 44 year old, from Southampton, Hants, also set the word record for the longest cucumber earlier this year, measuring 3ft 8ins long and weighing 8kg.

Sebastian Suski produced the longest vegetable, winning the Long Gourd category with his effort standing nearly 8ft tall at a staggering 95.47ins - almost the same height as the world's tallest man

The contest in Hampshire is one of only two pumpkin events held in the UK. Pictured: Mark Baggs with his marrow weighing in at 235.9lb. Mark Baggs, from Wareham, Dorset, was also celebrating after his enormous marrow weighed in at 235.9lb - the heaviest ever weighed by Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth organisers. He is pictured here with his son Luke

Mark Baggs, from Wareham, Dorset, was also celebrating after his enormous marrow weighed in at 235.9lb - the heaviest ever weighed by Giant Pumpkin Commonwealth organisers.

Resolving to grow the world's biggest pumpkin in 2023, Ian Paton said: 'We're very happy to have beaten our UK record this year.

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'We've put a lot of work in.

'I've got no intention of stopping until the world record is back in the UK.'

As there are only two pumpkin events in the UK, the brothers often have to drive one out to Europe for official weighing.

Pumpkin jam: Ian and Stuart Paton's entry into the competition came after a dramatic week for them, in which their UK record-holding gourd caused a traffic jam after falling off the trailer transporting it from another pumpkin weigh-in in Berkshire 

Ian's granddaughter Martha Syrett, 3, with the giant pumpkin, which has officially been confirmed as the UK's heaviest ever. The giant gourd, which weighs as much as a Fiat 500, blocked traffic when the trailer it was being transported on tipped over. It was being moved to Sunnyfields Farm for this weekend's festival and escaped with only minor 'bruising'

The twins' pumpkins need around 300 litres of water a day to achieve their enormous size.

Luckily, the drought and resultant hosepipe ban had little impact on the pumpkin growth this year, as the pair recycle water from 'run-off lakes' from watering commercial plants they grow for the likes of Homebase, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

The gardeners' entry into the competition came after a dramatic week for them, in which their UK record-holding gourd caused a traffic jam after falling off the truck transporting it from another pumpkin weigh-in in Berkshire.

The squash, which weighs a whopping 2,656lbs, was being moved to Sunnyfields Farm for this weekend's festival and escaped with only minor 'bruising'.

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