Move over pumpkins and carrots, there's a new contender taking root in Australia's giant veg scene

A hobby farmer from Coffin Bay in South Australia's Eyre Peninsula is now the official record holder for the largest elephant garlic grown in Australia.

Points keys: Jonathan Thompson's elephant garlic weighed 1092 grams, about 100 grams less than the world record Australian Giant Pumpkin and Vegetable Supporters (AGPVS) group has officially registered garlicWhile carrots and pumpkins are popular record holders elephant garlic isn't huge in the Australian record books

Elephant garlic is not scientifically classified as garlic...it is more closely related to leeks.

Jon Thompson knew he was on to something big when he harvested the crop and found the monster bulbs.< /p>

"Every year they get bigger and bigger," he said.

"And, every year, I select ioned the top 20% to plant again and they started reaching what I thought were Australian record sizes."

Garlic by Jonathan Thompson. (ABC Eyre Peninsula: Brooke Neindorf)

Officially weighed

Mr. Thompson the elephant garlic weighed 1,092 grams, about 100 grams less than the world record.

After training, he might be on a record, he took it to the local post office.

"I had to have it signed by a justice of the peace and it had to be weighed on official scales, which the post office scales are officiated,” Mr. Thompson said.

A turnip for the (record) books

Tasmanian farmer Roger Bignell is no stranger to growing big vegetables; first carrots, then a turnip weighing 18.3kg.

Find out more

While it might seem like a fairly simple process, it was nerve-wracking for the backyard grower.

"J 'had to chop the stem to within two inches of the cloves and the roots couldn't be longer than 6 millimeters," Thompson explained.

"It was a bit mentally intimidating.

"I kept thinking, 'Oh, if I do something wrong, maybe I won't qualify' because I knew that I had a record and I really wanted it to count."