A GARDENER'S giant pumpkin will compete against the biggest in Britain next week.

Six strong men and a forklift truck will be needed to move the vegetable, grown by pensioner Jimmy Reid.

Mr Reid, of Gilling West, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, is known across the UK and even in the US for his horticultural expertise.

The biggest pumpkin Mr Reid has grown weighed an incredible 678lb.

He believes this year's specimen will tip the scales at an impressive 600lb, but will not know until he gets to the Monster Pumpkin Challenge, in Hertfordshire, on Thursday.

Mr Reid believes he has a good chance of winning.

He said: "I have talked to other growers and they say it has been a bad year for them -this could be the biggest in the country."

This year, the 82-year-old has got other huge creations in his greenhouse. These include colossal cucumbers and sizeable sunflowers.

But Mr Reid said there was no secret to his success. He said: "The weather's no different here to anywhere else. The most important thing is to get the right seeds."