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Bemidji Minnesota

My best Big Zac from last year. I procrastinated in getting the pic up, just like I procrastinated in getting her in the ground last year. It was not ripe in time for the fair unfortunately, and so the weight is just from a regular scale, not an official one. So it is the Rudolph UOW 5 lbs. 2 oz. 2008 BigZac.

It had relatively good shape, as it was grown from a single stamen flower, not the usual mutants that produce most monsters. It did get some skin cracking when it ripened, but other than that was a relatively round symmetrical shape, about as good shape as this variety gets, except for the cracking/scarring.

My neighbors are more on to tomato growing than I am and said it was the biggest they had ever seen, and insist that not picking it early for an official weight was the worst thing I could have done after how well she was cared for growing.

I use 8ft fencing steaks for my tomatoes and I use pantyhose strips to tie them. I also only let the plants, for size, put on only 1 fruit per cluster.

The plant is buried about 12” of vine with only the top 4-5 leaves sticking out, to get plenty of roots. Mostly just aged manure for fertilizer, and some of those special tomato spikes.

The plant was only allowed 1 main vine, and all other vines were topped after being allowed 2 leaves. This increases photosynthesis, while at the same time only allowing nutrients to be directed to the fruit. The lowest fruit I allow at about 3 foot up, and no lower than that.

The bottom 12” of leaves are removed, so they do not lay on the ground. I am not sure if that was really necessary however, as these plants seemed the most disease resistant out of any I have ever grown.

Here is a pic:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6470/meatheadsbigzac2vx2.jpg

1/10/2009 7:27:30 PM

Bemidji Minnesota

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/108/meatheadsbigzac6ae4.jpg

This second pic does not do it justice. She was a freak.

SHe tasted good and made good salsa as well. Lots of it.

I did not save seeds, as she was an F1 hybrid Big Zac.

1/10/2009 7:29:19 PM