00:00Tomatoes, chilies, and aubergines.
00:04Just some of the vegetables Mohan Singh grows in his garden.
00:08But his latest accomplishment is this, three-foot-nine gourd, which he grew this summer.
00:15Mohan is unable to speak English very well, so his daughter Amrit translated his responses.
00:26He's actually very proud of himself, and especially this year.
00:29When he first started it, I was hesitant, and I've always said to him,
00:33I don't understand why you're wasting so much of your time on this.
00:36But I have seen how happy it makes him when he comes home from his allotment or in the garden.
00:43He likes to give away vegetables, and the happiness he has on his face is just exceptional.
00:51Mohan used to be a farmer in India, and says being able to garden reminds him of that time and
00:57his home.
00:58So you can see behind me the vast and incredible collection of vegetables
01:02that Mohan has been growing in his garden and in his allotment.
01:05But recently, his prized possessions have been his gourds.
01:09Now, this isn't the three-foot-nine gourd we've been hearing about,
01:13but that's because it was turned into a very lovely curry, I've been told.
01:17The average size of a gourd ranges from 6 to 18 inches,
01:21which is why he's particularly proud of this one.
01:24This year alone, he's been able to grow 30 gourds, which they've been sharing with the local community.
01:29His daughter says that the intense heat the country has been seeing this past year
01:34meant that the climate in the UK is similar to the one in India,
01:38which is where the seeds for this vegetable has come from.
01:41I mean, he's been growing them for the last five years,
01:43but he's never had this much success.
01:45So this year, how much did he grow?
01:48About 30 for the first time, so that's why we're actually quite proud of him.
01:54Now his hobby, Mohan wants others to make use of any space in their garden
01:58and grow their own produce.
02:10So his message is to everybody, if you've got space in the garden, try and grow them.
02:15Obviously, it's fresh and you cut costs.
02:18With the temperatures set to remain just as hot in the coming year,
02:22all eyes are on whether or not Mohan will be able to grow even more Superveg.
02:26Naila Mahamud for KMTV in Gravesend.
