A cabbage weighing nearly 70 kg is not uncommon in a given region of the United States. Here you can find out where and why the vegetables grow so large there.

Giant tomatoes are every gardener's secret goal

In the small, tranquil town of Palmer in the US state of Alaska, there is a vegetable show that has it all. Yes, you read that right: Alaska. Real giant vegetables grow in the fields in the far north of the United States. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley in particular is known for its extremely large crops.

Huge Vegetables

The vegetables look like they are from a magical world from the past. At the sight of the gigantic pumpkins, cabbages, broccoli and courgettes, it would not even surprise you if long-extinct creatures walked past in the background, the vegetables seem so unreal to the viewer. And somehow you also ask yourself how on earth these fruits could get so big here in the cool north?

The giant pumpkins are exhibited at festivals

The Power of the Sun

The solution to the riddle lies in the sun. This may sound surprising at first, since this region of the world is not exactly known for its warm and sunny climate. And it's also true that the Alaskan gardening season is one of the shortest in the world due to the short summers. In the few months of summer, however, the sun really hits. It then spoils people and nature for a full 19 hours a day during the summer months and of course this also has an impact on agriculture.

Whether onions get that big depends not least on the variety

Big and cute

Because the plants put all the sunlight into their growth, which is why some of the largest vegetables in the world grow in this region of the world. However, the sun also has an effect on the vegetables: they taste much sweeter. Since the plants are exposed to direct sunlight for most of the day, they can produce sugar undisturbed, but this cannot be fully converted into starch during the few hours of night. This gives the giant Alaskan vegetable an extra sweetness.

The actually quite remote region around the MatanuskaSusitna Valley has gained notoriety for its giant vegetables in recent years and has made the giant fruits one of its attractions. If you want to see it with your own eyes, you should probably make the trip to Palmer.

The sunnier the location, the bigger and sweeter the vegetables are

Our 5 fastest growing plants in the world, which you can find here in our special article, are also record-breaking.

Category:

Garden Design