Green-fingered teenager grows cantaloupe melon that's heavier than a washing machine

Growing giant fruit and vegetables is a fine art.

People often spend years, or even decades, cultivating their green-fingered skills and cross-breeding seeds to come up with the perfect conditions for their produce to thrive.

And it seems Llorenç Soler Adrover (Spain) could be somewhat of an allotment prodigy after growing a record-breaking fruit in his teenage years.

Llorenç, now 19, produced the heaviest cantaloupe melon, that weighs in at a whopping 31.446 kg (69 lb 5.28 oz).

For context, this cantaloupe weighs more than the average eight-year-old boy (25 kg) and more than an adult Golden Retriever (30 kg).

A standard domestic washing machine also weighs around 30 kg, as does a sack of cement.

Llorenç unveiled his prized fruit in 2023 at the Rufino Pineda Mendoza Watermelon and Melon Competition in Villanueva de la Serena, Spain.

He said that he wanted to break the record for his own personal achievement.

His melon broke the previous record of 30.47 kg (67 lb 1.8 oz), set in 2019.

Pictures show Llorenç proudly tending to the fruit as it grew, and posing next to not just one, but three gigantic cantaloupes.

One shot shows it filling up a wheelbarrow, demonstrating just how chunky it is.

Cantaloupe melons have many health benefits. They are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.

Hopefully they help keep Llorenç and his loved ones fighting fit for years to come!