my biggest tomato! how big was your biggest tomato?
This is my first year having great tomato success. Other years my soil just wasn't prepared good enough for a really successful crop. So I just piicked a tomato that weighs a little over a pound on my postal scale! to me it is big since it is my biggest tomato. which makes me curious as to what all of your biggest tomatoes weighed? what is the biggest tomato ever grown?
I still haven't broken the 3lb barrier yet even though I have grown a bunch of varieties that the websites say average 3-4 lbs...lies, all lies. Most of those varieties have fruit ranging from 10 oz to 2 lbs. A 1 lb pound tomato looks pretty dang big no matter what because we are so used to seeing 5-6 oz tomatoes in the supermarket.
World record is 7 pound 12 ounce tomato grown by Gordon Graham in 1986.
It was from the variety Delicious, but that variety doesn't really produce extra big tomatoes as a rule so I have to wonder if he fibbed a bit to throw the competition off track. Most competition growers grow something like Big Zac or Porterhouse. They also target fused megabloom flowers, which produce oversized mishapen fruit, and cull all but a couple of fruit per plant to concentrate the plant's resources into those fruit.
For me, Great White had the largest average tomatoes with several two pounders per plant when two pounds was a one time freak on most other varieties.
It was from the variety Delicious, but that variety doesn't really produce extra big tomatoes as a rule so I have to wonder if he fibbed a bit to throw the competition off track. Most competition growers grow something like Big Zac or Porterhouse. They also target fused megabloom flowers, which produce oversized mishapen fruit, and cull all but a couple of fruit per plant to concentrate the plant's resources into those fruit.
For me, Great White had the largest average tomatoes with several two pounders per plant when two pounds was a one time freak on most other varieties.
My largest grew last year. Both were on hybrid plants. I had a couple of Better Boy tomatoes which came in close to 16 oz each. The Better Boy hybrid normally produces tomatoes about 8oz in size. I guess the stars were just aligned right.
I also grew some really large Goliath fruit last year in my fall garden. They were close to 16 oz but I didn't put them on the scales. Normally fall grown tomatoes are smaller than spring grown tomatoes.
I guess my largest this year have been on my Prudens Purple and Brandywine Sudduth plants. They were about 12 oz.
Last year was a much better year for Tomatoes than this year has been so far. I am making a lot of adjustments for my fall garden this year with the intent of getting high production and large size.
What was the lament, "The best laid plans of mice and men"?
Ted
I also grew some really large Goliath fruit last year in my fall garden. They were close to 16 oz but I didn't put them on the scales. Normally fall grown tomatoes are smaller than spring grown tomatoes.
I guess my largest this year have been on my Prudens Purple and Brandywine Sudduth plants. They were about 12 oz.
Last year was a much better year for Tomatoes than this year has been so far. I am making a lot of adjustments for my fall garden this year with the intent of getting high production and large size.
What was the lament, "The best laid plans of mice and men"?
Ted
ahhh, so THAT is what that weird tomato I had was! A fused bloom. I took pictures of it meaning to post and just never got around to it.It sure was strange looking!
WOW, I can't imagine what a tomato larger than a pound looks like. my 1 pounder looks gigantic. 2+ pounders must be so huge. this is so cool!
WOW, I can't imagine what a tomato larger than a pound looks like. my 1 pounder looks gigantic. 2+ pounders must be so huge. this is so cool!
Volume increases much more than surface dimension so a 2 lb fruit doesn't look that much larger than a 1 lb fruit.
For water, 1x1x1 cm cube =1 gram, 2x2x2 cm cube = 8 grams so the world record fruit looked only twice? the size of a one lb fruit.
Competition growers grow a big plant (lots of compost, even watering etc), hand pollinate the big dandylion looking megablooms by hand to make sure the fruit fully develops, and then only grow a few fruit per plant.
For water, 1x1x1 cm cube =1 gram, 2x2x2 cm cube = 8 grams so the world record fruit looked only twice? the size of a one lb fruit.
Competition growers grow a big plant (lots of compost, even watering etc), hand pollinate the big dandylion looking megablooms by hand to make sure the fruit fully develops, and then only grow a few fruit per plant.
-
lorax
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1316
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:48 pm
- Location: Ecuador, USDA Zone 13, at 10,000' of altitude
I grow almost exclusively "small" varieties in the winter, so my "largest" tomato is going to sound pretty silly at 0.85 oz. However, I'll note that what I've got are smaller cherry-type tomatoes, and a typical fruit is 0.2-0.3 oz. 
If you'd like to compare what you're growing to what I'm growing, I'd want to know what the largest tomato was that you harvested in December - it's the middle of winter here right now. I have high hopes for my Romas and Pomodoros, which are summer tomatoes.
If you'd like to compare what you're growing to what I'm growing, I'd want to know what the largest tomato was that you harvested in December - it's the middle of winter here right now. I have high hopes for my Romas and Pomodoros, which are summer tomatoes.
-
engineeredgarden
- Green Thumb
- Posts: 426
- Joined: Thu May 13, 2010 11:51 am
- Location: NW Alabama
-
GardenJester
- Senior Member
- Posts: 244
- Joined: Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:59 pm
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
No big ones ... I am growing Early Girl which are small about the size of 2-3 cherry tomatoes, Ultimate Opener, which are kind of medium sized, and Big Beef, which are coming in around 9 - 12 oz.
But I picked 7 of them off my 5 plants today. Most days I'm getting 3 -4. Given that pretty much all of July and Aug so far has been over 90 and dry and two of those weeks I was gone and couldn't take care of them, I think they are doing pretty well; hanging in there through hot and dry (well hot and humid, but hardly any rain)
These are my plants that I do not fertilize. They get some compost in the planting hole and then some compost top dressing mid season.
But I picked 7 of them off my 5 plants today. Most days I'm getting 3 -4. Given that pretty much all of July and Aug so far has been over 90 and dry and two of those weeks I was gone and couldn't take care of them, I think they are doing pretty well; hanging in there through hot and dry (well hot and humid, but hardly any rain)
These are my plants that I do not fertilize. They get some compost in the planting hole and then some compost top dressing mid season.
if my phone stops being stupid I'll take a picture of it. It looks like four tomatoes fused together, is that even possible?
Is it normal for Early Girl to be smallish? I have always thought Early Girl, Big Boy, and Better Boy to be about the same in size. My Better Boys usually get pretty large.rainbowgardener wrote:No big ones ... I am growing Early Girl which are small about the size of 2-3 cherry tomatoes, Ultimate Opener, which are kind of medium sized, and Big Beef, which are coming in around 9 - 12 oz.
Ted
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30550
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Probably not the biggest, but how about WEIRDEST?
I didn't take the picture from the right angle to show it, but it looks like FOUR tomatoes fused together. It's a Cherokee Purple:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image7834.jpg[/img]
Here it is surrounded by the rest of today's harvest:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image7833.jpg[/img]
I didn't take the picture from the right angle to show it, but it looks like FOUR tomatoes fused together. It's a Cherokee Purple:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image7834.jpg[/img]
Here it is surrounded by the rest of today's harvest:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image7833.jpg[/img]
I have a volunteer from last year's Reistomate plant with some fruit on it, so I'll enty that into the weird competition
https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Reisetomate
Biggest so far this season is short of 2 lbs (30 oz oxheart --looks like a red coconut). Most often the first fruit is the largest around here so that might be it this year.
https://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/Reisetomate
Biggest so far this season is short of 2 lbs (30 oz oxheart --looks like a red coconut). Most often the first fruit is the largest around here so that might be it this year.
-
gixxerific
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5889
- Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
- Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B
Oh AS I'm so jealous! I'm even drooling a little! The funky storms killed so many of my tomatoes and peppers I'm not going to have salsa this year 
I have one lemon boy, my indestructable yellow pears, two cherries, the weird hybrid volunteer, the berkely tie dye (alive but not fruiting), and a black krim that's looking iffy.
I think I lost about nine plants this year.
I have one lemon boy, my indestructable yellow pears, two cherries, the weird hybrid volunteer, the berkely tie dye (alive but not fruiting), and a black krim that's looking iffy.I think I lost about nine plants this year.
Last year I only knew the tomatoes weighed more than 16 oz, cause that's how far my scale went. I got 9 16+ ouncers. This year I got a proper scale that weighs up to 5 lbs but no tomatoes yet.
Here's a pic of my big Carbon. It was from a fused blossom and actually wraps around itself to make a doughnut shape:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3810643135_5815372631.jpg[/img]
This is a Marianna's Peace:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3872697518_83147616cc.jpg[/img]
Here's a pic of my big Carbon. It was from a fused blossom and actually wraps around itself to make a doughnut shape:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2425/3810643135_5815372631.jpg[/img]
This is a Marianna's Peace:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2622/3872697518_83147616cc.jpg[/img]
-
pizzarrhea
- Cool Member
- Posts: 83
- Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 2:33 pm
- Location: Boston
My biggest was off of my only German Pink plant. Picked it last week and ate it today for lunch. So good!
Easily 3lbs but I'm just spit ballin', I know it weighed more than my 2.5lb dumbbells
[img]https://i33.tinypic.com/jjo0nn.jpg[/img] Little ugly on the top
[img]https://i36.tinypic.com/27zfzhf.jpg[/img] Not so ugly on the inside.
Easily 3lbs but I'm just spit ballin', I know it weighed more than my 2.5lb dumbbells
[img]https://i33.tinypic.com/jjo0nn.jpg[/img] Little ugly on the top
[img]https://i36.tinypic.com/27zfzhf.jpg[/img] Not so ugly on the inside.
Hi, I'm new here. I ued to get hueg tomtos here as a kid when my Grandfather gardened the land. Now I do my best and the first large tomato as all we have had thus far have been cherry toms (my fav) this year..the first large tom is 1.5...the largest sw pepper and black egg pant both out weighed them at 2.5 each. I have grown larger tomatos as a kid. We picked the second one but I thikn the =y ate it before letting me weigh it. I don;t think I got to try either.
Will let you know if we get another larger one. I had been hoping there was a place to read about and post about this. I almost posted this privately to somone, now I am getting the hang of it..and pmess measn private message as in send one...lol I don't mean to offend anyone, just learning here and wanting to share my tomato info. It was a beefsteak. Did nothing differenct except that I did add a few bags only of potting soil on a portion of the garden where they probalby are. Nothing else but watering and fertilzed the soil before planting..that was it. Congrats to all you big tomato growers out there! CherA
Will let you know if we get another larger one. I had been hoping there was a place to read about and post about this. I almost posted this privately to somone, now I am getting the hang of it..and pmess measn private message as in send one...lol I don't mean to offend anyone, just learning here and wanting to share my tomato info. It was a beefsteak. Did nothing differenct except that I did add a few bags only of potting soil on a portion of the garden where they probalby are. Nothing else but watering and fertilzed the soil before planting..that was it. Congrats to all you big tomato growers out there! CherA
Here are a couple of pics of a nicely formed 2 pounder with a one pound tomato and standard steak knife on a full sized cafeteria tray for reference.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/4902283737/in/set-72157624402846366/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/4902283739/in/set-72157624402846366/
The one pound Soldacki came from a truss with several tomatoes of similar size, maybe 5-7 pounds of tomatoes. The 2 pound Red Barn was with one other fruit.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/4902283737/in/set-72157624402846366/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51251503@N03/4902283739/in/set-72157624402846366/
The one pound Soldacki came from a truss with several tomatoes of similar size, maybe 5-7 pounds of tomatoes. The 2 pound Red Barn was with one other fruit.
Both radial cracking (in those pictures) and concentric cracking around the tops of the shoulders are genetic so certain varieties get it more than others, unlike splitting from water uptake.
I'm not sure what makes it worse sometimes, but the usual suspects (temperature and water fluctuations) are a good bet because they cause stop-start growth.
The green streaks (yellow shoulder disorder) is from high temps and/or nutritional imbalance.
https://franklin.extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/Articles/Yellow_Shoulder_on_Tomato.pdf.
We had a heat wave here in July so alot of my stuff looks worse than in previous years
I'm not sure what makes it worse sometimes, but the usual suspects (temperature and water fluctuations) are a good bet because they cause stop-start growth.
The green streaks (yellow shoulder disorder) is from high temps and/or nutritional imbalance.
https://franklin.extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/Articles/Yellow_Shoulder_on_Tomato.pdf.
We had a heat wave here in July so alot of my stuff looks worse than in previous years