An amateur farmer from Coffin Bay on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia now holds the official record for growing elephant garlic in Australia.
“And every year I select the top 20% of plants to transplant and they start to reach what I consider to be a record size for Australia.”
Mr. Thompson’s elephant garlic weighed 1092g, about 100g less than the world record.
“I needed a magistrate to sign it, and it had to be weighed on the official scale, and the official weighs it on the postal scale,” Mr. Thompson said.
Tasmanian farmer Roger Bignell is no stranger to growing large vegetables. First there were carrots, then turnips, which weighed 18.3 kilograms.
While this may seem like a fairly simple process, it can be nerve-wracking for gardeners.
“I have to cut the stems two inches from the cloves and the roots should not be longer than 6mm,” Thompson explained.
“I kept thinking, ‘Oh, if I’m doing something wrong, maybe I’m not eligible,’ because I know I have a record and I really want it to have value.”
Mr. Thompson’s garlic has been officially documented by the Australian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Supporters Group (AGPVS).
AGPVS is a certification body that recognizes and tracks Australian vegetable and fruit records which include weight, length, girth and yield per plant.
While carrots and squash are popular record holders, elephant garlic doesn’t have much in the Australian record books.
Paul Latham, AGPVS coordinator, said Mr. Thompson’s elephant garlic set a record that no one else had been able to break.
“There was one that had not been grown before here in Australia, about 800 grams, and we used it to set a record here.
“He came to us with elephant garlic, so now he’s set a record in Australia, which is fantastic, and huge garlic,” Mr. Latham said.
“We think that all of these strange and wonderful things should be documented…if it is the first plant, if someone has planted it overseas, we will compare it to how it is weighed and measured there to help us create a target weight record. ”
Mr Latham said while Australia’s garlic production was modest, it is now at a record high and there is plenty of room to compete.
“I have the record for the tallest sunflower in Australia, but I keep hoping someone will beat it because then I can try again and beat it again.”
“I feel like I have every chance… I will continue to do what I do, give them enough space and enough love during the growing season and I think we can get bigger.”
We recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first Australians and the traditional guardians of the land on which we live, learn and work.
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