Vampires beware! British veg grower stakes claim on a record with gargantuan garlic

Seasoned competitive gardener Graham Barratt, from Gloucestershire, UK, has once again proven his green-fingered credentials by claiming not one but two more heavyweight titles on 25 June.

First up was a head of garlic that tipped the scales at 1.75 kg (3 lb 13.7 oz), when assessed at Wargrave Nursery Plant Centre in Berkshire, UK.

This pungent record breaker – which had a diameter of 19 cm (7.5 in) – is about 35 times heftier than the typical garlic bulb that you’d buy at the grocery store.

It actually belongs to a related but different species to the garlic traditionally used for culinary purposes (Allium sativum), called elephant garlic (A. ampeloprasum) – a type of leek that, as its name implies, naturally produces much bulkier bulbs. But even among its own kind, it’s still a monster, about four to five times bigger than the norm.

To put this almighty Allium into context, it’s equivalent in weight to four FIFA-regulation footballs, or more than three times the weight of the world’s shortest dog! Or for the more gastronomically inclined, it would be enough to flavour around 1,400 portions of bolognese sauce!

Barratt told GWR that he has been cultivating elephant garlic for almost a decade. The bulbs he was producing were “getting progressively larger year on year” and he was taking forward the biggest cloves to the next growing season.

His record specimen was planted in September 2025. “I planted 37 different cloves and gave batches different treatments,” Barratt revealed. “Ironically, the giant wasn’t given any special attention, other than being planted through black weed membrane. This helped keep the frost away from the bulb during the winter months.”

While garlic bulbs remain concealed underground throughout the plant's life cycle – meaning that harvest time is always the moment of truth – Barratt had an inkling this one might just be a whopper. His suspicions proved founded when he lifted it out of the ground in June.

As is often the case when attempting to grow superlative fruit and vegetables, the journey can come with a lot of stress and challenges. And Graham’s gigantic garlic was no exception, as he explained:

“I was a little worried during the latter stages of growth when a family of moles moved in under the roots. After the moles moved on, some deer visited in the early hours to nibble at the lush leaves.

“Later on, in the spring, a huge rabbit visited each evening. It kept getting into the enclosure and munching some of my other plants. Luckily, the giant survived and I am now able to sleep at nights.”

Graham with the longest and heaviest luffas in 2025

Barratt is no stranger to the horticultural record books. Last year alone, he set four records with his prodigious produce, including the heaviest luffa (2.82 kg; 6 lb 3.5 oz) and the longest pea pod, an 18-cm (7-in) mangetout (snow pea).

Graham with the longest pea pod in 2025

As it happens, on the same day Barratt’s goliath garlic was being assessed, he also took along another pea pod for review – a specimen of the cultivar “Train Driver”. This mighty mangetout, which Barratt had been nurturing for two seasons running to allow it more time to develop, tipped the scales at 28 g (0.98 oz). It fell just short in length of his previous year’s best, measuring in at 17.5 cm (6.8 in) end to end.

However, given that its weight is more than five times greater than a standard snow pea, it was deemed worthy of opening a new category for the heaviest pea pod. So this is now the mark that other gardeners will have to beat.

Indeed, inspiring other gardeners to have a go is very important to Barratt: “I wanted to set this new record, so that people would be encouraged to try it in the future. Hopefully, it will be a popular option for other growers around the world to go for.”

For more fantastic food records, check out our dedicated Food and Drink news page.