Schoolboy grows pumpkin heavier than he is
Seven-year-old Tasker Williams grew mammoth 79-kilo fruit from seed to triumph in school competition
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A boy in Wales has won his school’s annual pumpkin-growing competition by producing a prodigious 174-pound (79kg) pumpkin.
Seven-year-old Tasker Williams, of Monmouth School Boys’ Prep, said the enormous fruit – the weight of an adult human – was so heavy his father had difficulty maneuvering it from the car and into the school building.
The schoolboy had planted the seeds in a pot at his family’s home in the town of Usk, in May, but due to some building work at the house over the summer, Tasker then moved the seedlings to a friend’s vegetable patch in the village of Llandogo in the Wye Valley.
“I watered the seeds once every couple of weeks and we surrounded the patch with manure and compost,” he said.
“A few pumpkins started to grow in the patch and we left two in the ground.”
The soil in the family friend’s vegetable patch appeared very fertile and the field itself is surrounded by wildlife, including deer.
“It was great fun looking after the pumpkins and I was really excited to water them and to see them grow,” Tasker said.
“I was amazed that one of the pumpkins almost grew as big as me. It was so big that my dad found it hard to get it out of the ground so I could enter the competition.”
The school said the pumpkin-growing competition is a long-standing tradition and always one of the highlights of the academic year.
Prizes were also handed out for best colour, most perfect shape, and most perfect Cinderella-like carriage.
Pupils explained to their peers how they grew their fruit and the boys also tried to guess the weight of each pumpkin before it was placed on the scales.
Headteacher Neil Shaw said: “Growing a pumpkin successfully can take up to 12 months and involves a lot of care and attention, so the children showed excellent judgement, nurturing skills and dedication during a very difficult time.
“The weather conditions over the summer were very challenging too for all home gardeners and growers.”
He added: “Everyone who took part this year should be very satisfied with their outstanding and eye-catching efforts.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments