Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Jayb on January 25, 2015, 13:30:34
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Is anyone up for a Growing the biggest/heaviest tomato competition this year?
Last year's thread http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,77191.0.html
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:wave: :toothy10:
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A formidable combination, winner of top tomato 2014 and reader of How to grow Giant Vegetables.
Will anyone take you on?
Where is the gauntlet chucking down smiliey :toothy10:
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I'll have another go :toothy10: :blob7:
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A formidable combination, winner of top tomato 2014 and reader of How to grow Giant Vegetables.
Will anyone take you on?
Where is the gauntlet chucking down smiliey :toothy10:
cheeky.....
I don't think I have quite mastered it yet...lots to learn yet and the skill is still to be tested and proven to be true..last year might have been just one off luck. BUT, I shall test the 'recipe' again.
'How to grow giant veggies' book will be the 'trophy' that I will send for the worthy winner...who is free to keep the book or pass it on as 'trophy' for the following year, should this comp carry on from year to year....no pressure for either way, just a little bit fun.
Now where did I put that book.....some reading to do..... :tongue3: :glasses9:
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(http://i.imgur.com/oZMaQHf.gif)
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Gigantomo, I'm not sure if this is just the usual hype but it does sound like it will produce some large size tomatoes. Saying that they were on sale through Burpee last year and I don't see any wow wow reviews after doing a search? What do you think are they worth it, as they are a packet of pricey seeds or even pricier plug plants?
http://www.lincolnshireecho.co.uk/Giant-tomatoes-developed-Lincolnshire-decades/story-25913809-detail/story.html
http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-vegetables/vegetable-seeds/tomato-seeds/tomato-gigantomo-f1/VM54646VM
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Yer,ill have a stab again this term.
Gazza
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I'll be lucky if I get any tomatoes grown, let alone producing a competitively-large one!
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are they worth it, as they are a packet of pricey seeds or even pricier plug plants?
Including carriage you might decide the plug plants are sufficiently affordable :)
And £5,000 if you grow one that beats the world record. They don't say "One payout for the heaviest beating the record" so I rad it as "Any beating the current record" :D
No idea whether they taste any good though??
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Price of those seeds is affordable ....but when you add the postage.... :BangHead: RIDICULOUS! :BangHead:
I would have tried a packet but ain't gonna pay silly postage as well!!!
Oh well, I'll let you lot order some and report back what they like....perhaps the price will come down...or somebody 'somewhere' will save some from their own fruit to share.. :tongue3: :icon_cheers: I didn't see them being F1...???!
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or somebody 'somewhere' will save some from their own fruit to share..
or if the plug plants arrive early enough perhaps someone will root some Armpit cuttings and flog them off cheap? :)
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are they worth it, as they are a packet of pricey seeds or even pricier plug plants?
Including carriage you might decide the plug plants are sufficiently affordable :)
And £5,000 if you grow one that beats the world record. They don't say "One payout for the heaviest beating the record" so I rad it as "Any beating the current record" :D
No idea whether they taste any good though??
Yes in comparison they probably offer better value than seeds, but I haven't really got room for 5 of them. I'd prefer to plant one maybe two plants and the site says delivery before the End of May, if they come then it would be a bit late for what I want, particularly not knowing how big the plugs will be. Seeds I can sow over a couple of years - if they are any good!
Lol, with my record, I don't think Dan MacCoy should have any fear of me breaking his 8.41 pounds whooper!
I think taste should be pretty good according to reports on some US forums, Burpee lists them as Steakhouse http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/beefsteak/tomato-steakhouse-hybrid-prod003442.html?omn2pd=bz&catId=cat160002
Price of those seeds is affordable ....but when you add the postage.... :BangHead: RIDICULOUS! :BangHead:
I would have tried a packet but ain't gonna pay silly postage as well!!!
Oh well, I'll let you lot order some and report back what they like....perhaps the price will come down...or somebody 'somewhere' will save some from their own fruit to share.. :tongue3: :icon_cheers: I didn't see them being F1...???!
Agree, it seems postage is the same whatever you buy so works out daft for seeds, but, I have spotted a couple of plants I'd love to have and £3.99 postage for plants seems reasonable :icon_cheers: So I may well be tempted!
Burpee lists them as Hybrid, although Van M. don't?
Would you like me to add a pack on for you?
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Would you like me to add a pack on for you?
Nah...though thank you for thinking of me. I'll wait my turn.. I've got that many tomato varieties in my 'to grow' list that I'll be lucky to able to grow even half of them this year.. :BangHead: 'mouth is bigger than belly is able to accommodate' (Finnish saying...I'm sure there is similar English one...it just popped to my head and fits it 'fits the bill') :glasses9:
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You can never have enough tomato seeds :toothy10:
When I was little, my Uncle used to tease me that my eyes were bigger than my belly, if I was helping myself to too much food on my plate! So yes a very similar saying and seems it is still true!!!
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Yes i will take that gamble,have a secret weapon from russia and one from the usa.Would be great to get a really big one.
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You can never have enough tomato seeds :toothy10:
When I was little, my Uncle used to tease me that my eyes were bigger than my belly, if I was helping myself to too much food on my plate! So yes a very similar saying and seems it is still true!!!
Ah yes...I though I've heard something similar but I just couldn't think of it yesterday.
There is another Finnish saying in similar theme...' mouth would eat, belly would accommodate but weak legs can't cope with the weight'... :glasses9: Ok...that's enough of old sayings...fo now.... :angel11: :tongue3:
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Yes i will take that gamble,have a secret weapon from russia and one from the usa.Would be great to get a really big one.
Hmm....I'm going to keep my eye on you.....!!!!
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goodlife that must be a very big eye :happy7: :happy7:but you are welcome to see how i am doing. :toothy10: :toothy10: :toothy10:
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Van Meuwen are doing a special offer on veg seeds buy 1 get 1 free. So my 1 pack of Gigantomo became 2! Not sure why as I only want one or two plants, I guess the draw of buy one get one free!!!
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/crazytomato/mijnafbeeldingen023.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/crazytomato/media/mijnafbeeldingen023.jpg.html) Couple of years ago are they big enough??? :toothy10: :toothy10: :toothy10:
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Stunning, they do look tasty too :icon_cheers:
What varieties are they?
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Stunning, they do look tasty too :icon_cheers:
What varieties are they?
The middle one is the famous 'pumpato'... :tongue3: :glasses9:
Ruud...did you weight those tomatoes?
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The middle one is the famous 'pumpato'... :tongue3: :glasses9:
Catchy name, how do they taste! :drunken_smilie:
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The left one is called spudakee and the right one is koral rannikh.In the middle the famous pumpato.Pumpato tastes good as a soup and is not bad at the bbq.I never weight them but they were big.I had even a bigger one but one day he was okee and they other day he decided to exploded everything on the ground.This year i will have those two growing again and also pomodoro gigante,heatherington pink,sakharnyi,giant rov and the dutchman.
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The middle one is the famous 'pumpato'... :tongue3: :glasses9:
Catchy name, how do they taste! :drunken_smilie:
I've never eaten any, but I've heard it has quite mild taste, big seeds and tough skin.. :glasses9:
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The left one is called spudakee and the right one is koral rannikh.In the middle the famous pumpato.Pumpato tastes good as a soup and is not bad at the bbq.I never weight them but they were big.I had even a bigger one but one day he was okee and they other day he decided to exploded everything on the ground.This year i will have those two growing again and also pomodoro gigante,heatherington pink,sakharnyi,giant rov and the dutchman.
Pumpato soup... :icon_cheers:
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I've grown Koral Rannikh, it does very well and tastes great, though I'm sure mine were nowhere near as big! Spudakee didn't do very well here, maybe I'll try it again sometime. Lovely sounding growing list :toothy10:
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Sorry i made a mistake the left one isnot spudakee.The yellow one is called kbx.
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Hi Ya, Do you have to register to have a go? I see some yellow beef steaks and wondered where you get the seed. Has any one tried the gigantomato I have seen advertised. I had a look and thought they where expensive for 6 seeds. I will have to give ot some thought. There were some lovely results last year. Happy growing
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Hi Ya, Do you have to register to have a go? I see some yellow beef steaks and wondered where you get the seed. Has any one tried the gigantomato I have seen advertised. I had a look and thought they where expensive for 6 seeds. I will have to give ot some thought. There were some lovely results last year. Happy growing
The only 'registration' is that you post 'I'll have a go... :wave:' This is not truly 'serious' comp...just bit of fun between us and when you start cropping your 'whoppers' , post a picture with you tomato on scales so we can see what weight says.
We might have a bit of friendly banter and maybe occasional update of the growing progress...all that is very welcome :icon_thumleft:
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I guess I better get in on the act yet again and well done to all who took part last year regards mal
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Challenge accepted. In spades! :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:
I know I haven't featured much in this competition despite trying every year.
So this year I have a cunning plan. A plan so cunning I hardly even understand it myself...
Bubbles! :occasion16:
Oh no, they're balloons. But a bucket of bubbles is this year's shot at the title.
I propose, rules permitting, to grow a super-massive tomato from seed that even now is winging its way towards our humble abode.
When it arrives, and the Moon is over the yardarm, I shall first soak the seed overnight in water that has been bubbled for a day to remove any thingies like chlorine and stuff, after which it will be planted in a suitable medium (Rockwool possibly) and watered regularly with a weak hydroponic feed adjusted to the correct Ph value.
When roots start to show the plant will be transferred to a container filled with a nutrient solution and aerated by continuous bubbling of air through air-stones.
At this stage the plant will root on through the net pot it is held in and down into the nutrient solution and will feed itself, growing a plant so big and heavy, some people on this forum will actually cry and do this :BangHead: Oh yes.
Actually, my son and I tried this a few years ago and it was a lot of work for little return. We had problems with food and the summer heat as I recall. This year I'd like to try to advance from that result and produce something from a healthy plant.
If anyone has any problem with me using this method its all good, I don't want to cause any fuss.....
Ooh! Bubbles! :drunken_smilie: right in front of me all the time...
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Yeah....bubble away...I'm not worried of hydroponic monster tomatoes... :tongue3:...what monsters..? :tongue3:
I should think you get your victims..err.. seeds today....they were posted Friday/Saturday (that's when OH admitted he forgot to post the envelope and it was still in car...)
But...it is good to try and some cunning plans are needed for the victory...'hat off' for the effort...if you don't try, you will never know..
:icon_cheers:
I'm going to get my seeds started this week...just waiting to get some more room (read..shifting plants forward in production line) . I'm starting with my 'monsters' and 'normal' toms can wait another week or two.
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Sown my seeds for the winning tomato today :icon_cheers:
Sorry guys :tongue3:
Gigantomo, Delicious, Big Zack F3, BIG Pink, Hoooge Red and Giant PG Selection!
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Sown my seeds for the winning tomato today :icon_cheers:
Sorry guys :tongue3:
Gigantomo, Delicious, Big Zack F3, BIG Pink, Hoooge Red and Giant PG Selection!
OH here she comes....all 'guns loaded' with BIG bullets too :icon_cheers: As for one of them being winning tomato..hmm...time will tell. I suspect you have fallen into big promises..and what do they always say...? ...'do not judge book by its cover'..
'big zack...Big pink...Gigantomo.......' Are you sure you haven't been reading 'adverts' for the 'ladies' :laughing7: Just like those adverts..you investigate them further and it is all just big talk or 'rolled up newspaper'... :tongue3: :icon_cheers:
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Lol I'm not sure what adverts you have been reading!
As for one of them being winning tomato..hmm...time will tell.
The way these beauties have germinated... got to be the winner :tongue3:
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Lol I'm not sure what adverts you have been reading!
As for one of them being winning tomato..hmm...time will tell.
The way these beauties have germinated... got to be the winner :tongue3:
Ah..in that case we will share the first place... :tongue3: :icon_cheers:
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My plants are still quite small, but looking nice and stocky, I'll hopefully be potting them on today so they can romp ahead ready for planting out when it has warmed up a bit :icon_cheers:
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I planted up three hopefuls a few days ago, one Gigantomo, a PG selection and either a large red or pink one!
Mine aren't even flowering yet but has anyone got some sneaky early fruits forming?
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Hi everyone..still alive and licking and with a bit of spare time..wow.
Good to see you are all at it again.. Not me this year but I do have tomatoes growing well..no biggies though just basics this year.
Good Luck to you all
XX Jeannine
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Hello all you overthere
I know it has been very quiet on this side of the pond but i think i have something to show you all.
Let me introduce two of my friends they are a little bit grown.I warned you about two secret tomatoes.This is what american friends could maters,so enjoy watching the pics. :toothy10: :toothy10: :toothy10:
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Congratulations Ruud :wave:
I've also been waiting and waiting for someone to post. I've got a biggun, but I didn't like to post knowing that a lot of people have had a wash-out year.....
Anyway, if Ruud is, I am too!
I do need my own category though: Biggest, earliest, outdoor, UK tomato!! (I can't beat Ruud on size)
Here's my Oxacan Jewel harvested on 25th July, South-West London (not Australia or France cos that's cheating).
I am personally amazed and delighted. I grew it for flavour not size, so that's a bonus. The flavour is fantastic; quite different to any of my other tomatoes - a totally fruity taste. You could put it in a fruit salad, no mistake. It is also a beautiful bi-coloured with streaks of red running through orange, like a sunset.
(http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y308/earlypea/th_oxacan%20jewel%20scales.jpg) (http://s1024.photobucket.com/user/earlypea/media/oxacan%20jewel%20scales.jpg.html)
(http://i1024.photobucket.com/albums/y308/earlypea/th_oxacan%20jewel%20full%20frontal.jpg) (http://s1024.photobucket.com/user/earlypea/media/oxacan%20jewel%20full%20frontal.jpg.html)
Do I win something? :toothy10:
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This has been such a dusappointing year for my tomatoes :(
I grew lots and planted some in greenhouse & some outside.
I have only picked 4 (yes 4) from the greenhouse. Thecremainder are all green and the yield very poor.
Outside there is 1 large-ish one slowly ripening. I have pulled out plants that have just started producing flowers!!
How has the tommy season been for other peeps?
Debs :icon_flower:
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Earlypea,that is a great mater and it looks great.Next year i want to devolp my own hugh tomato by crossing some tomatoes.
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Oh debs that is not nice to hear here it was a great tomato year,i shouldnot post picture from my greenhouse it would make some people depressive. :wave: :wave:
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Sorry to hear that Debs.
I was guessing a lot of people have had a very bad season for warm weather stuff which is why I didn't post.....
My big ones were a complete fluke: I sowed too early, planted out really late when they were 3 or 4 feet high already and then went away and they didn't get watered. I believe the stress made them produce big ones early. I think I'll do that with some next year and see if it works again.
I was thinking they'd be a total disaster. Really was fretting about it while I was away - so pleased I got anything in the end.
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Mine is set to come last at 452gr, but it is the biggest I have so far. There are several more on the plant too. After a less than successful earlier attempt at growing Berkeley Tie Dye I am really chuffed about this beauty, even if it isn't big enough to win a prize. :toothy10:
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My John Hawkins are coming in well this year.
Lagest so far was 1lb 8 1/2oz. Given to a neighbour to impress!!
But they are commonly 1lb.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/veg/DSCN2322_zpsfxt2hggb.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/photo04/media/veg/DSCN2322_zpsfxt2hggb.jpg.html)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v164/photo04/veg/DSCN3310_zps1v5vxvqs.jpg) (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/photo04/media/veg/DSCN3310_zps1v5vxvqs.jpg.html)
Tim
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Wow Tim!!
That is impressive & I have tomato envy!
Did it taste as good as it looked?
I havent heard of that variety.
Debs :icon_flower:
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Those are 2 of the smaller ones. Variety is called Jack Hawkins commercially.
http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317--44196-Jack+Hawkins+slicing+tomatoes
Yes - very good eater!
Tim
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They look delicious tim.
I'd not heard of it either Debs, but seems it is also known as Big Beef http://www.pelicanplants.co.uk/tomatoes-a-z/big-beef
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They look delicious tim.
I'd not heard of it either Debs, but seems it is also known as Big Beef http://www.pelicanplants.co.uk/tomatoes-a-z/big-beef
That's strange - I was under the impression that this variety was bred by Mr Simpson of Simpson Seeds, who are selling plants of it. It is a hybrid whereas Big Beef is OP.
Don't know either variety from personal experience. Nice one Tim. :wave:
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I believe Big Beef has been de-hybridised by some who liked it, but the seeds I have for it are the original F1 variety.
Have you a link to Mr Simpson breeding Jack Hawkins, all I can find is a variety they sell as a plant called John Hawkins.
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I believe Big Beef has been de-hybridised by some who liked it, but the seeds I have for it are the original F1 variety.
Have you a link to Mr Simpson breeding Jack Hawkins, all I can find is a variety they sell as a plant called John Hawkins.
That's what I confused - they have different but similar names! Senior moment, please disregard above comment. :wave:
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No you might be right, I found a post on I think Jamie Olivers forum which said Simpsons bred it, but can't find anything else.
Well done to those growing biggies. I only managed one around 1 1/2 pound, very ugly it was too! It was a Gigantimo, I'll have another go with these next year, I messed up with the feeding which led to blossom end rot on the first few biggy fruits, they would have been some size. Taste is excellent though.
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No you might be right, I found a post on I think Jamie Olivers forum which said Simpsons bred it, but can't find anything else.
I have the faintest recollection that Colin Simpson bred *this* or *a* tomato with *Hawkins* in the name, which was named after the landlord of his local. As it was a hybrid, I wasn't very interested. Probably in a Simpsons catalogue from 15 years ago or thereabouts. Which I may have kept, but where? :glasses9:
Shame about your early Gigantimo troubles. What sort of tomato is it? :wave:
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I'm obviously up the creek!
Yes - I have sourced JohnH from Simpsons for years. I'm no authority - I was told of the JackH naming and have just accepted hat.
As to max size, the 184gm quoted in JayB's post seems to suggest that someone else's knickers are in a twist??
Tim
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Just checked with Jane at Simpson's Seeds - yes, John and Jack Hawkins are the same.
Tim
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The biggest and heaviest tomato till now,variety is called sakharnyi zheltyi
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What a beauty that is Rudd!!
Why is it that some of the biggest ones are also the ugliest!!?
But if it tastes good who cares what it looks like!!
Debs :toothy4:
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Just harvested my outdoor lottie bush toms, 'Burbank bush', and the largest one is 411g which is the biggest tomato Ive ever grown! Amazed it did so well outdoors.....
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Just thought you may be interested to see the first of my Gigantomo that was harvested this evening (29th September). It is one of a cluster of four which are all a similar size but the other 3 are still ripening.
This one has weighed in at 1 lb 11.7 ozs.
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Nice one :happy7:
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That's a cracker leaning shed,well done you for nurturing a beauty like that.
Our Tomato season has been bluddy poor,early blight in the garden and GH slowly strangled any chance of me growing anything "plump" although we had plenty of average sized fruit,,,,,nothing anywhere near the size of the tommy you have grown.
Gazza
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I'm pleased to report that the second of my Gigantomo is somewhat heavier than the first by a whole 0.1 ozs!
Weighing in at 1 lb 11.8 ozs.
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Today I picked the third of the larger Gigantomo tomatoes which is 0.6 ozs heavier than the previous one weighing in at:
1 lb 12.4 ozs
Unfortunately this one has a bit of mold on the far side but I reckon it should still be good for a fair few sandwiches!
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Never mind if it's a bit wonky - it's a great tomato :tongue3: Well done :wave:
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The last of the larger Gigantomo tomatoes was picked today. Pleasantly surprised to see that it weighs:
2 lbs 1.2 ozs
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Usually the later ones are smaller. What's you secret leaningshed? :wave:
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Are we all done? Any more photos to come of this year's big 'uns?
:sunny:
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Usually the later ones are smaller. What's you secret leaningshed? :wave:
It was not so much that they were the later ones but that the whole crop was late. A couple of factors I guess. They were planted in new greenhouse borders that had only just been filled with Levingtons top soil and a lot of well rotted horse manure - probably a mixture far too rich to start off tomato plants in. I think because of the richness of the borders they were spending too much time putting on green growth and were late coming into flower. The greenhouse itself has not been fully glazed yet which combined with the poor summer meant they were also very slow to ripen. In fact today I have just picked the last of the tomatoes many of which are still green.
There were two gigantomo plants on opposite sides of the greenhouse. The first 3 of the larger tomatoes came from the plant on the south side. The last and largest came from the plant on the north side which was just a little later in ripening. Under ideal conditions the gigantomo are good for fruits well in excess of 3lbs each.
So I don't think any real secrets just a combination of circumstances. I think I will grow them again next year by which time I hope to have the greenhouse fully glazed and a watering system in place and who knows maybe a 3lb fruit will be the order of the day!
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That makes sense, leaningshed, better conditions for them nearer the end of the season.
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That makes sense, leaningshed, better conditions for them nearer the end of the season.
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Congrats to leaningshed, on a quick look though, you have the winning tomato and the only one over 2lbs :icon_cheers:
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Well done everyone... here comes 2016... somebody start it ?????
XX Jeannine
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We are keeping it going :toothy10:
2016 - http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,79958.0.html
I've stickied the 2016 thread and I'll unsticky this one.