Ever look at some of your larger tomatoes and wonder if they’d be in the running for the Guinness Book of World Records? I've personally grown tomatoes just under 3 pounds on occasion. I'm Italian. It's in my DNA. I grow only heirloom tomatoes. An heirloom tomato is one grown from seeds that have been saved again and again, passed on from generation to generation. They are also tomatoes that "hold true" to their parent, unlike hybrid tomatoes. If you were to grow a tomato from a hybrid seed, you can't save seeds from that fruit and expect it to come back next season looking exactly the same. With heirloom tomatoes, it's possible to grow tomatoes that your great-great-grandfather grew, and know they probably look and taste exactly the same. I've grown red tomatoes, purple tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, pink, green and striped. I even grew a tomato with fuzzy skin like a peach. Now I've got Lucas hooked. Every year for the past 6 or 7 years he's been helping me decide which seeds to grow, how many of each type, and helps me plant the seeds in our cellar and in the garden when they are ready. We alternate to grow fresh seed from one we haven't grown in a few years. I learned to grow tomatoes from my Dad. He always had a garden, even though he never had a big backyard. When I was young there was nothing better than picking a ripe plum tomato off the vine and chomping right into it... the juices dribbling down my chin. Now Lucas does the same thing in summer. This year we're growing 9 varieties. So, my personal record in terms of size is just under 3 pounds... 2 pounds 11 ounces if I remember correctly. It was an heirloom variety called Giant Belgium. I always tend to save seeds from the largest fruits of the season. In this way genetics go to work in helping grow another huge one. As for the world's record... if your tomato is under unless they’re over 8 and a half pounds or so, you're not going to win the World's Biggest prize. Lucas weighed less than that when he was born! The record holder used to be Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma, who held the record for 28 years by growing a 7 pound, 11 ounce tomato. But in 2014, Dan MacCoy of Ely, Minnesota set a new world’s record with a 8.41 lb. tomato. It was an ugly tomato, but then again, a lot of huge ones are. He's also had good luck growing pumpkins well over 1000 pounds! Graham's idea was to grow a big vine for a big tomato... and one was growing until a storm blew over the entire 12-14 foot vine into his cantaloupes. He gave up on the plant, but the tomato just kept growing... and growing... Until the entire vine grew to 53 feet and 6 inches long! He also had a record setting tomato vine! When he picked the tomato from the vine and weighed it he was shocked to see it tip the scales well over 8 pounds. If you want to try and beat his record, you're free to try. Just feed your plant a lot before it sets fruit, then snip off all the smallest fruits until you narrow it down to the one largest fruit. Nurture and baby it, water it, don't let it get sun scald, watch our for pests, and perhaps you can grow a bigger one. I know I'm going to try.... And now there's another way to try to grow a huge tomato... A hybrid tomato seed with the claim of growing the "world’s biggest tomato" (obviously just marketing hype) has gone on the market in the United Kingdom. The Gigantomo tomato plants "have the ability of growing into an grow enormous fruits up to 10 inches wide and as heavy as 3lbs – about 12 times the size of an average salad tomato. Each plant is able to grow to 6ft tall and yield as many as 11 tomatoes" claimed the company selling the plants. Since these plants do grow heavy fruits, they need to be supported to stop them buckling under all that weight. The new variety was launched in the United States last year by the Burpee seed company and was being sold under the name as SteakHouse Hybrid. It's not an heirloom, so you can't save seeds from the fruits, but it might be worth growing. Even if you're not an Italian, there's nothing like biting into a home grown tomato.... Enjoy Home Grown Tomatoes. It was one of my Dad's favorite tunes. --Jerry Finzi Copyright, Jerry Finzi, Grand Voyage Italy, All rights reserved
9 Comments
Chooks Oko
7/19/2020 06:45:48 pm
How do I get the seeds of these tomatoes to plant?
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Mike Wells
10/19/2020 04:53:46 am
I want seeds
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Dan Sutherland
3/24/2021 06:08:37 pm
This is old info, I've grown 3 world records since this was written, in 2016 I grew a 8.61 lb. And in 2018 I grew a 9.44 lb. And in 2020 I grew a 10.80 lb tomato.
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Jerry
5/10/2021 12:52:02 pm
Dan... Thanks for giving us the update on your Giant Tomato record-making accomplishments. Bravo. I just took a look at your 2020 beast. What an incredibly ugly, beauty! Great work. Here's a link for others to see your baby.... http://www.bigpumpkins.com/ViewArticle.asp?id=204&gid=78
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Fredy Ribera
6/26/2023 03:30:16 pm
I mean if it wasn’t for the Spaniards taking tomatoes back to Europe from Mexico Italian Cuisine wouldn’t be what it is today without the tomato.
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Dan Sutherland
7/21/2023 03:30:39 pm
Now my record tomato is 17.15 lbs.
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Jerry Finzi
7/26/2023 03:14:59 pm
Dan of Walla Walla fame! Welcome to GVI. Of course I've read about you since writing this article. Bravo on continuing to break your own records! I'd love to see a photo of this 17 pound beast. I imagine it's brand new because I can't find photos of it anywhere. If you'd like, use the CONTACT US link to email me.... perhaps we could write an article featuring you and your techniques.
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Jono Hanlon
1/8/2024 03:18:07 pm
Going for Gold in Bradford Yorkshire. UK. with big tomatoes this year (2024).
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