Unusually shaped and giant vegetables

Today I’m going to talk about two peculiar cases in which a vegetable can grow: I’m referring to unusually shaped vegetables and giant vegetables. To begin with, an unusually shaped vegetable is a vegetable or fruit that has grown into an unusual shape not in line with its common form. Whereas some of them present a very straightforward alteration, others are admired for their amusing appearance, often representing a body part such as the nose, for example. A giant vegetable, instead, is one that has grown to an unusually large size, usually by design and by using artificial methods. Most of these maintain the proportions of the vegetable but are just larger in size; they don’t present any change in shape.

• What are the causes of this?

The main factors that cause mutations in vegetables are, on the one hand, the environmental conditions, and also de human factor, who, unintentionally, can damage vegetables during their growth, which alters their ultimate shape. In addition, when a root vegetable is growing and the tip is damaged, it can form multiple roots attached at the same point.
Giant vegetables, on the other hand, have a very different origin: they are intentionally cultivated to be of an enormous size, applying artificial selection to create large vegetables. There are five steps which you have to follow in order to cultivate a giant vegetable:

1. Choose the right seed.

You can start your own giant plantation by selecting a promising variety, like Atlantic Giant Pumpkin or Old Colossus Heirloom Tomato and then saving the seeds from your largest fruits for planting next year.

2. Give them a healthy start.

This step is referred to preparing the soil for the vegetables that are going to be cultivated, and you also have to feed the plants, because giant vegetables need lots of food. Finally, you have to choose a fertilizer that fits the kind of vegetable you’ll cultivate.

3. Water.

Water is essential to any vegetable, but giant vegetables need even more: You have to provide regular deep waterings or your fruits will either languish or split.

4. The fewer, the better.

With this step, you have to bear in mind that the more fruits in your plants, the smaller they will be. If there are too many fruits, the’ll share nutrients and they will never become giant, so think about letting two or three fruits only.

5. Keep close watch for problems.

This is the most difficult task of your farming. This step deals with checking your plants daily and correct any problems immediately: problems such as pests or diseases which can affect your plants. You also have to be patient, because they need a lot of time to finish their growth.

In addition, it is common in some countries to celebrate the diversity of vegetable shapes, with particularly unusual items being entered into competitions. Many of these are judged by the ugliness of the vegetable. In countries like UK, farmers and organisations develop competitions based on giant vegetables such as pumpkins. Here I show you an explanatory video dealing with giant pumpkins: