Watch out, vampires: British gardener sows and plants to 2 world records, including giant garlic

A competitive British gardener sowed and planted his way into another two world records when his elephant garlic bulb and pea pod were deemed the heaviest in the world.

Graham Barratt, from Gloucestershire in south-west England, took his vegetables to be assessed at Wargrave Nursery Plant Centre in Berkshire on June 25, the Guinness World Records said on its website on July 6.

His bulb of elephant garlic – measuring 19cm in diameter and tipping the scales at 1.75kg – earned him the record title.

According to Guinness, this means the bulb is about 35 times heftier than a typical garlic bulb found in grocery stores and it is equivalent in weight to four FIFA-regulation footballs.

Its gargantuan size also means it would be enough to flavour around 1,400 portions of bolognese sauce.

Barratt also earned another record on the same day when his 28g Swedish heirloom snow pea was deemed by Guinness the world’s heaviest.

The gardener told Guinness that he has been growing vegetables “on and off for most of my life”.

He planted the record-breaking garlic in September 2025 and did not give it any special treatment, other than planting it through black weed membrane to help keep the frost away during winter.

Although garlic bulbs remain under the earth throughout their life cycle – and thus no one can tell how big they can grow – Barratt said he had an inkling that the one he had planted could be a giant as the stem itself measured 20cm.

As for the snow pea, Barratt said he had been nurturing the vegetable for two seasons to allow it more time to develop.

Barratt is no stranger to breaking horticulture-related records.

In 2025, he set four world records, including for the heaviest luffa at 2.82kg and the longest pea pod – an 18cm snow pea.