With the growing season in full swing entry forms are now available for Aberglasney Gardens annual Giant Vegetable Competition due to take place on Sunday, October 16.

Back for the fourth year this record breaking event, kindly sponsored by Kings Seeds, has seen a battle of the beans, the meeting of the marrows and the conflict of the cabbages capture growers and visitors imaginations, as well as getting the attention of the National press.

Last year competitors from near and far came together to show off vegetables of monster proportions including a pumpkin weighing a preposterous 194.2kg or 428.13lb grown by Ian Neale from Langstone in Gwent, and a marrow weighing a massive 60.8kg or 130.4lb grown by Kevin and Gareth Fortey from Cwmbran.

The star attraction however had to be Kevin and Gareth’s radish which broke the Guinness World Record for the longest radish at 223.52cm or 88inches.

Nine-year-old Jamie Courtney-Fortey who is Kevin’s son is obviously following in his father’s footsteps having won the class for the largest sunflower head with his entry which had a diameter of 44cm.

Growing your own veg has had a surge in popularity in recent years. As part of the renovations to Amner Hall The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have brought in a gardener to help establish a vegetable patch for Kate to look after. Hollywood A-lister Nicole Kidman grows her own veg at her home in Nashville, Tennessee as does actress Sienna Miller and fashion designer Nicole Fahri.

Competition judge Medwyn Williams MBE will once again travel from his home in Anglesey for the event having been blown away by the standard of entries last year - and no one knows their vegetables like the 11 time Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner!

Thanks to the generosity of Kings Seeds the prizes in each category are well worth your efforts too – 1st prize is £40 or a joint annual membership for Aberglasney worth £75; 2nd prize is £20 or a single annual membership for Aberglasney worth £55; and 3rd prize is a family day ticket for the Gardens (2 adults & 2 children.)

The full list of classes is as follows:

• Heaviest Individual Marrow

• Heaviest Individual Pumpkin or Squash

• Heaviest Individual Cabbage

• Heaviest Individual Leek *NEW CLASS FOR 2016

• Longest Carrot or Parsnip

• Longest Runner Bean

• Ugliest Vegetable in Show

• Largest Sunflower Head (diameter)

Special prizes will also be given to the best junior exhibit and the best Aberglasney Members Exhibit.

It will be free to enter the competition and each exhibitor will receive one free admission ticket for entry to Aberglasney on the day of judging. You are however required to complete an entry form for your exhibit(s). Entry forms are available from Aberglasney and via the website www.aberglasney.org . Entry forms must be completed and returned to Aberglasney Gardens, Llangathen, Carmarthenshire. SA32 8QH or emailed to [email protected] by Friday the 30th of September 2016. Exhibitors who have not registered their entries before this date will still be able to enter but will be required to pay the normal garden admission price.