FERMOSELLE, Spain – An amateur farmer who has been cultivating giant pumpkins weighing over 215 kilograms in a natural park in western Spain plans to compete or exhibit the biggest one and is even pondering inviting a whole village to sample one of his squashes.

In the lead up to harvest time, Manuel Ramos has been watering and measuring his four super-sized pumpkins every day.

Each of them can gain up to 10 kilograms per day when it is not too hot.

“If the mayor puts on the wine and the ham, I’ll offer the pumpkin to the village,” said Ramos, who imported the seeds for his giant pumpkins via a website specializing in the production of large vegetables.

Ramos usually works on a vineyard and so decided to grow the pumpkins as a hobby in his garden for the first time. He learned about the process of planting the fruit online.

His garden has gained fame and become somewhat of a tourist attraction in the village of Fermoselle over the summer.

The giant pumpkin grower told EFE that people come to see the fruits of his labor and take selfies with them, but he has observed some visitors not being careful enough not to step on his crops.

Although the largest pumpkin started to take shape in late April, the cultivation process has taken almost a year of work as he started conditioning and fertilizing the soil in September last year.

Ramos looks after his pumpkins and waters them every day in order to encourage their growth.

He hopes to showcase the largest of his pumpkins publicly and compete in a contest organized annually in the northern village of Igueña, or else attend a large agricultural fair in Porto, neighboring Portugal.

The farmer also intends to donate some of the squash to a non-profit organization.