Clare Pearce
Great BritainBiography of Claire Pearce
Clare Pearce, an Englishwoman who grew the longest cucumber in the world, is a candidate for a place in the Guinness World Records. She planted 'Cucumber Melonie' seeds in a greenhouse in her garden in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, in May. Pearce did not expect this impressive growth at all; even now she has no idea what caused it. The care the cucumbers received was quite ordinary; however, Pearce did remember one minor detail - she had leftover fertilizer while feeding the nearby tomatoes. She decided to use the excess fertilizer for the benefit of the cucumbers. It is difficult to say whether this or just luck caused such an impressive effect. The cucumbers did not receive any more fertilizers throughout their lives; Clare swears that they only received water and nothing else. Interestingly, Pearce had never tried growing cucumbers before this. Moreover, she accidentally chose seeds that had expired in 2008. The previous 'cucumber' record was set in 2008 when Frank Dimmock from Oxfordshire grew a cucumber that reached almost 105 centimeters. The previous record-holder was Yitzhak Yazdanpana from Israel with a cucumber measuring 118 centimeters, but he was unable to officially register his achievement as the cucumber quickly deteriorated. In total, Pearce grew two record-breaking cucumbers in her greenhouse. The length of the larger one was almost 120 centimeters, but unfortunately, it rotted before receiving official confirmation of its uniqueness. Pearce, however, remains hopeful as the second giant cucumber she grew measures over 107 centimeters, which is still longer than Dimmock's cucumber (although shorter than Yazdanpana's unofficial record). The cucumbers were harvested in August; the first one yellowed quickly and eventually spoiled, but the second cucumber is still holding up. It is possible that this cucumber will bring Pearce fame for generations to come. Measurements by Guinness World Records specialists are expected to take place in the near future, and then it will be clear whether Pearce will make it onto the pages of the book.
