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Wow, will you look at the size of that beauty. I'm impressed. I remember last year's entry. After my healthy crop of squashes last summer, I have had no joy this year - the fruits have either rotten off or been eaten by slugs. Also I used last year's seeds do you think that made a difference to my failure?

Hi I will follow Priscilla's progress and it has made me wonder how much space do I need for growing a big gal like her? I shall look out for what food to feed her and whether the dedication is likely to cause any distress to oneself.

The fruits on my pumpkin set and then rotted off and my courgettes are a weird shape too. Have they got some disease or is it just me?

SueB If the seeds sprouted they’re fine – lots of squash, courgettes, pumpkins and cucumbers have suffered this year due to the cold nights in early summer. Use organic pellets to keep the slugs at bay and as the summer is still young I've every confidence a new crop of fruit will soon set

Calben – you’ll need a plot roughly half a tennis court in size and as for dedication-distress you’ll only get that if you try and pick up your prize-winner without bending your knees

Cold nights (see above) have done for the pumpkin and the courgette sounds like it has only partially been pollinated. This often happens to the first courgettes of the season giving them the look of a partially inflated balloon. No disease to worry about - but I always pick them off as if left they slow the production of new better-shaped courgettes

Thanks Toby for the advice, I will look out for new fruits. I heard you on Gardener's Question Time recently, hope to hear you on there again soon. Gardener's World isn't the same since you left, I miss your practical advice.

18 and a half stone is amazing. I'm now worrying about my pumpkins. I'm sure they're not going to reach the sumo wrestling size of your 18 stone proportions (even I in my 36 years haven't reached that weight yet), but I am now thinking that the make shift support they are climbing up (namely my apple tree) won't be able to sustain the weight of these orange beauties. From the look of your pictures though, it looks like your variety grows along the ground rather than upwards (or is it just due to the lack of light in my garden?). Question: Will the pumpkin plant just one day snap under the strain of its fruit, and if so, is there anything I can do to mitigate this kind of disaster?

Hi Dan - Years ago in a gloomy garden behind a rented house I trained the stem of a pumpkin up and along the washing line. To stop the stems snapping I supported the fruit in home-made hammocks made from fruit sacks tied to the line. It looked bonkers but worked a treat!
I like the idea of letting them romp up your apple tree but they will need similar supports. If you're after a really big pumpkin it'll do best if grown along the ground with the fruits placed on a soft bed of straw and with the stalk and stem to one side where they won't stretch over or be crushed by the swelling pumpkin.

I enjoyed programme about the pumpkin in fact all your programmes but where are you now please miss you.

Hi Delia - thanks so much, that's really nice to hear. I'm busy starting an online plant nursery down in Devon which I hope to open in the autumn. If you're on twitter you can follow me @TobyBuckland for news of the launch and what happens from there!