José Rui Santos, from Paderne in Albufeira, took the enormous pumpkin north to the VIII Giant Vegetable Competition “O Maior da Minha Aldeia”, held this weekend in Aguiar de Sousa, Paredes.

It won first prize in the pumpkin category and, according to Algarve newspaper A Avezinha, set a new national record, beating the previous mark also held by Santos.

And pumpkins weren’t his only success.

Santos took both first and second place in the watermelon category, with two fruits weighing 71.5kg and 67.5kg.

The results are the product of months of work by Santos and his wife, Cláudia Fernandes, who specialise in growing oversized fruit and vegetables for competitions.

Coming home to Paderne

Anyone who wants to see the giant produce for themselves won’t have to travel far.

The couple’s prize-winning vegetables are due to go on display at Paderne’s XVIII Mostra dos Frutos Secos, taking place at Parque João Campos on 26 and 27 September.

After that, Santos and Fernandes are expected to head to Barcelona for an Iberian competition.

They already have their next contenders growing. Two more watermelons are still ripening and, according to A Avezinha, could each come close to the 100kg mark by competition time.

The couple thanked the Parish Council of Paderne for its support as they continue taking their unusually large Algarve produce to competitions in Portugal and abroad.

For now, though, it is the pumpkin getting the attention. At 905kg, it weighs roughly as much as a small car.