A jalapeno pepper plant grown by a retired electrician holds the Guinness Book of Records title for height - and is still growing.
Fred Melton didn't realize he had a whopper in his garden until he saw the record was an 8-feet-1 plant grown in 1987 by Robert Allen of Gillespie, Ill."I said, `Shoot, I've got that beat already,"' said Melton.
Melton's jalapeno was 9 feet 3 inches last Christmas, was certified in April by Guinness officials as the record, and made the 1993 Guinness Book of Records at 10 feet 6 inches on July 29.
Melton, 76, says the 2-year-old gift from a neighbor is now up to 12 feet 3 inches.
"When the peppers start coming out, it stops growing, but it starts again when I pick them," he said.
The plant has yielded more than 1,700 peppers.