Selwyn Times: January 25, 2023

Wednesday January 25 2023 Selwyn Times
• By Darryl Baser
PREBBLETON resident Marcus
Peters is encouraging others in
the district to share his love of
growing giant pumpkins.
He started a
Facebook group
called Giant
Pumpkins of
Prebbleton 10
months ago
and inspired
Prebbleton
School pupils Marcus
to give growing Peters
them a go.
Peters says his fascination
with giant structures –
including leaves and oversized
fruit and vegetables – goes back
more than a decade.
“It’s probably my third
(consecutive) year of growing
giant pumpkins, but I grew my
first giant pumpkin about 15
years ago when we were living
in Somerfield, I entered it into
the Little River Giant Pumpkin
Festival and came third, it
weighed about 50 kilos,” Peters
said.
The current Guinness World
Record for the heaviest pumpkin
is currently held by Italian
grower Stefano Cutrupi, with
a massive pumpkin weighing
1226 kilograms. The record was
recorded on September 26, 2021.
Peters isn’t quite wanting to go
that large, but hopes some of the
seedlings he’s grown can reach
more than the 340 kilos that
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
A hefty pumpkin patch
PRODUCE: Tasman Peters, 10, and James Richardson, 10,
with a 130kg pumpkin grown last year.
was recorded at the Little River
festival.
Sadly the huge pumpkins
aren’t fit for human
consumption.
“They’re purely a visual
spectacle, but they can be
used as feed for livestock, who
apparently love it,” Peters said.
“It is a closed sustainable
loop.”
Keen to share the love of
giant vegetable growing, Peters
has sold packets of seeds as a
fundraiser for the Prebbleton
School PTA.
Many packets of seeds have
gone to school children, and
Peters hopes growing the
pumpkins will encourage them
to take up gardening.
Tricks of the trade include
keeping the oversized vegies
shaded from the sun so their
leathery skin doesn’t harden and
restrict expansion, and keeping
their bottoms warm by keeping
them off the ground.
Peters’ latest crop of pumpkins
was planted in November ,with
the biggest one so far already the
size of a basketball.
He’s hoping Giant Pumpkins
of Prebbleton can “grow, gain
momentum and become
something like the Little River
festival, as it adds another
quirky dimension to the
community, doesn’t it.”
• To find out more
about Giant Pumpkins of
Prebbleton visit Facebook.
NEWS 3
Grigg takes
over food
safety and
biosecurity
portfolios
• By Darryl Baser
SELWYN MP Nicola Grigg is
National’s new spokesperson for
biosecurity and food safety.
Grigg was handed the roles
during the party’s
reshuffle. Taranaki-
King Country MP
Barbara Kuriger
held them previously
but dropped
below No 20 on
the list following a
conflict of interest
Nicola
Grigg
relating to her son being prosecuted
over animal welfare.
Grigg’s land information
portfolio has been handed to
Judith Collins.
“I was privileged to be asked by
Christopher Luxon to take on the
[new] responsibilities in addition
to my current roles of associate
agriculture, rural communities,
animal welfare, and women. I’m
looking forward to continuing
to fly the flag on behalf of our
primary industries and food
producers – and will continue
pressuring the Government on
the important issue of biosecurity
preparedness,” Grigg said.
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W: www.meareswilliams.co.nz
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Mulch around plants, bushes and trees.
Mulch reduces evaporation, improves water penetration
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For more smart watering tips visit:
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