Gardener aims to go from the greenhouse to the sea with giant pumpkin

A Welsh gardener who has broken a number of records with produce grown in his greenhouse and garden has announced plans to set sail in a giant pumpkin.

Medwyn Williams, who became a professional gardener after a career in the armed forces, plans to sail the Menai Strait, which separates the Isle of Anglesey with mainland Wales, in a hollowed-out giant vegetable.

Williams, who also serves as the chairman of the fruit, vegetable and herb committee of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), aims to raise funds to help his fellow ex-servicemen through the Help for Heroes initiative.

However, first he needs to grow the pumpkin needed for the trip, though he is confident that his years growing big veg in his greenhouse and garden will stand him in good stead.

"Weve done a dummy run to get a pumpkin up to 400lbs but weve got to get it to a minimum of 600lbs before it will take the weight of a human. Weve studied this quite extensively," he told the Isle of Man Today.

The self-proclaimed Pumpkin Capital of the World can be found at Morton, Illinois, where 90 per cent of the canned pumpkins eaten in the US are processed.