World record for Kathy’s cucumber

A Shoalwater woman has broken a Guinness World Record for growing the world’s longest cucumber.

Measuring 136cm long, Kathy Ffoulkes’ diggers sweet and striped cucumber was confirmed as the longest in the world by Guinness World Records on February 17.

The record was previously held by Ian Neale of Wales, UK who grew an 107cm long cucumber in September 2011.

The specimen — a cultivar called Sweet and Striped — was harvested on January 28 as the fruit was starting to break away at the stem.

The plant had been grown in a mix of compost, sand, soil and worm castings, and was supported on an old clothesline and watered three times a week.

Mrs Ffoulkes said she did not expect it to grow “that long”.

“It was planted in a mix of compost and it just kept growing,” she said.

“My son’s friend who does landscaping saw it and said it looked really big and though it could be a record.

“So then we contacted Guinness World Records Facebook page.”

After following the GWR strict guidelines and getting her phenomenal fruit’s length witnessed by a lawyer, Mrs Ffoulkes’ record was approved.

But according to GWR it is botanically part of the snake melon family along with sweeter species such as honeydews and cantaloupes.

Snake melons also go by the name of Armenian cucumbers, snake cucumbers and serpent cucumbers — with their appearance and flavour closer to the common cucumber.

A more common length for snake melons is between 61 and 91cm.