Read it and weep: Giant onion in line for world record

Gareth Griffin said he had tried for more than 12 years to grow such a large onion

A vegetable grower from Guernsey has been describing how he grew an onion that is believed to be the biggest on record.

Gareth Griffin's onion weighed in at an eye-watering 8.9kg (19.7lb) at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show on Friday, beating the previous world record of 8.4kg (18.68lb).

Green-fingered Mr Griffin, 65, said he had grown the vegetable in a polytunnel at his home in La Villiaze with additional lighting and automatic irrigation.

Show organisers said the onion's status as the world's largest was subject to verification by Guinness World Records.

Mr Griffin said there had been huge media interest in the onion

Mr Griffin told the BBC he developed his interest after seeing his father growing giant onions.

He said he "really got into" it after going to the world championships 12 years ago.

"I nearly got it in 2014 but was a couple of ounces off the record," he said.

"I've tried ever since and this year it went well," he said.

"I suppose it’s quite a bit bigger than a football and more of a rugby ball shape," he added.

Mr Griffin explained he tried two different growing techniques, which included "having the right seeds" and "treating them very well".

This involved using 24-hour lighting for several weeks and an automatic irrigation system in a polytunnel "so he could still go on his holidays".

Mr Griffin had to transport the onion over to the mainland by ferry in his motorhome.

"It was well cushioned in a box and I didn’t let it out my sight," he said.

He added that his giant onion was "perfectly edible" but would be "very mild in taste" and that its seeds would have "excellent potential".

Mr Griffin said the Guinness Book of World Records had received the information to process and the record confirmation was "pending".