Monmouth School Boys Prep pupil grows 79kh pumpkin

Seven-year-old Tasker Williams, who lives in Usk and goes to Monmouth School Boys’ Prep, almost broke the scales this year with his whopping pumpkin weighing 79kg – just over 12 stone, six pounds.

Tasker’s pumpkin was so heavy that his dad had difficulty moving it from the school car park into the building.

He planted the pumpkin seeds in a pot at his family’s home in May.

(Seven-year-old Tasker Williams’ whopping pumpkin was the heaviest in the Monmouth School Boys’ Prep competition, weighing an impressive 79kg)

(Seven-year-old Tasker Williams, from Usk, (left) with his whopping 79kg pumpkin and fellow Year 3 grower, Vincent Hanratty, who lives in Chepstow)

The family had some building work at their Usk home over the summer, so Tasker moved the seeds to a family friend’s vegetable patch in Llandogo in July.

“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 large vegetable patch appeared very fertile and the field itself is surrounded by wildlife, including deer.

(Year 4 pupils (from left) Lomax Jacobs, Sam Bryne and William Wesolowski with their pumpkins)

“It was great fun looking after the pumpkins and I was really excited to water them and to see them grow,” he added.

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“I was amazed that one of 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 keen growers in Year 5 at Monmouth School Boys’ Prep show off their pumpkins)

(The Year 6 pupils at Monmouth School Boys’ Prep with their pumpkins)

Josh Gossage, aged nine, grew the second heaviest pumpkin, weighing 22kg.

And 11-year-old Huw Taylor, from Usk, showed his growing skills after his pumpkin weighed in at 19.2kg.

Prizes were also handed out for the ‘best colour’, ‘most perfect shape’, and ‘most perfect Cinderella-like carriage’.

Headteacher, Mr 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.”