Growing Extra Large Tomatoes

I thought some of you would like to hear about these large tomato varieties. I grow for taste myself but know that some folks love to compete in growing the largest tomato in town!
Gary Millwood

Meisner, Marv from the state Pennsylvania
grew five tomatoes over 5 lbs
6.5 lbs delicious
6.25 lbs Brutus Magnum
5.54 lbs Megamarv
5.2 lbs Big Zac
5.81 lbs Megamarv


Giant Tomatoes - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qSZIXjuJzIJun 25, 2008 - 4 min - Uploaded by wpsu
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Local man authors book on tomatoes
Dr. Marvin Meisner isn't surprised that people have trouble growing tomatoes. He's observed many of their shortcomings.

Well, isn't THAT special!!! LOL - I grew Delicious this season, and while the taste was superb, the largest one was about 6 ounces! (They averaged about 3 ounces. Have no idea why, but the same was true for both plants!)

I grew Big Zac two seasons ago. Not many fruit and none over 12 ounces or so.

I've known Marv for many years and we bumped heads badly when he wanted me to give him info on how to contact Gordon Graham's widow to get a hold of the replica of the tomato that won that contest. and his record of 7 # 12 oz still stands.

And marv knows darn well that I could care less about growing big tomatoes so the following thread from GW amused me when he asked if I'd seen the thread and also speaks to the fact that he wasn't growing the standard Burpee variety Delicious:

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg1013573326655.html?6

Carolyn

I'm not interested in growing record-book big tomatoes, but I've got a question when it comes to tomato size.

Carolyn, or anyone who knows - why do even large-variety tomato vines bear smaller tomatoes late in the season? I've noticed this with many different varieties, they start out big then the tomatoes get smaller as the season goes on. I do supplemental additions of fertilizer through the season, so the cause shouldn't be that nutrients are used up. I've wondered about this.

My tomato plants got frozen the last couple of nights, shriveling the leaves but leaving green tomatoes undamaged and now very visible and easy to find. Today I picked a WHOLE BUNCH of golf-ball size green tomatoes from the remains of my Big Beef plants. Small ones like that are best for frying because the slices are already bite-size and easy to turn in the skillet. Woo-hoo, lots of Fried Green Tomatoes tomorrow!

I've noticed that as the season progresses (not this season,it was terrible) the plants put on more fruit and the size goes down. The less fruit the bigger the tomato.

"I've noticed that as the season progresses (not this season,it was terrible) the plants put on more fruit and the size goes down. The less fruit the bigger the tomato."
----------------------------------------------------

Yes, that's the way it works in my garden - and I wonder why.

I put a bunch of those small green Big Beef tomatoes to good use at lunchtime today - a treat I didn't expect this late in October!

That will be my fry pan as soon as the first frost threats come in. Right now I'm still hoping they will ripen.