The world's largest potato - where and when was it grown?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Many gardeners compete with each other in the right to grow the largest vegetable or fruit in their beds. Sometimes real garden mutants are obtained, surprising with their appearance. At specialized exhibitions, such specimens amaze the imagination of the audience. It is interesting to know when and by whom the world's largest potato was grown?

Expert Opinion

Seeing a potato weighing more than 200 grams, we will surely consider it gigantic. Nevertheless, the organizers of "garden" events only consider fruits weighing more than 750 grams to be large. And what about specimens weighing 1.5 kilograms? But this is not the limit.

The world's largest potato

Saudi Arabian farmer Khalil Semhat grew a huge potato in 2008, ahead of all gardeners in Europe. She weighed 11 kilograms 200 grams. Of course, after that, the peasant and his fruit were listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The size of a potato was the girth of three human heads. It was a sweet potato.

Record holder from Arabia bypassedan English achievement in 1975, having become heavier by three kilograms. Khalil did not expect to receive such a huge fruit and was quite surprised when he dug it up on his plot. Such a large potato is even scary to eat. Everyone who saw her wondered what the secret of this giant was and how it was possible to grow such a huge potato. The photo shows this "monster".

Semkhat admitted that he did not use any fertilizers, and did not particularly care for the plantings, did not pay attention to them at all. The crop grew by itself, and this is what came of it. Giant potatoes weighing more than 11 kilograms can feed an entire village! What happened next?

After Khalil Semhat grew the largest potato in the world, his interest in the "garden" business increased. And the number of buyers of farm crops has increased dramatically. Perhaps everyone strives to find the same record holder in the next bag.

Competitor from Britain

For a long time, the list of record holders was headed by a fruit grown by a gardener from Britain, Peter Glazebrook. His potatoes weighed 3 kg 730. The fruit was presented at the National Horticultural Exhibition held in 2010 in the British county of Somerset. The 66-year-old gardener was so impressed with the success that he is now working hard to surpass his own record. The gardener shares his secrets with others. He believes that in order to grow the world's largest potato, it is important to choose the right planting material, as well as observe somenuances. In any case, you will have to spend a lot of effort, but all of them will not be in vain.

Glazebrook has devoted more than 10 years to growing giant vegetables. His achievements are not limited to potatoes. He raised:

• huge carrot about 5 m long;
• beets at 6.4 meters;
• parsnips weighing 16 kg.

Until 2010, according to the Guinness Book of Records, the largest potato weighing 3.5 kg was considered. She was raised by UK farmer K. Sloan.

The biggest - the most expensive?

No, that's not always the case. To date, the most expensive potato variety in the world is the French Labonnot, which has a price of ten times more compared to all others. It costs 500-650 euros. This unique variety grows on the island of Noirmoutier. Its originality lies in the fact that such potatoes grow in the sand, and they are harvested only young in early May, and exclusively by hand, so as not to damage the tubers.

And the taste of Labonnot is indescribable! Due to the fertilization with seaweed, the fruits acquire salinity and sweetness at the same time. Potatoes are served as an independent dish in expensive restaurants around the world.

What miracles mankind has never seen! And the giant potato is just one of them.