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Rockford,il

Need some,don't know where to get some, and basically clueless.I have heard that a lot of seeds are hybridized and can't be used year after year.I have heard that Big Zac is good but that the genetics are not that great anymore.Delicious is supposed to be good but it doesn't appear what it used to be.Any help would be appreciated.Thanks,Phil

1/16/2005 10:23:09 AM

Md/ Usa

Well first here is to clarify few things.
1.May varieties can go big(aka most of beefsteak types).
2. big zac is hybrid.
3. You what burpee's delious not delicious.
4. Genetics is not what need look for in growing giant tomatoes besides varieties that commonly give 2 lbs or bigger fruit.
5. the growing methods you employ are the most important
part in get giant tomatoes.
I suggest you do some more reseach on this subject.
one the best sources on this subject can be found.
in the yahoo.com group gianttomatogrowing.
I also would consult the following hard copy sources
listed below. After reading all the sources below, reading all good google list web sites and come back and ask about any thing about growing giant tomatoes you don't understand.

1/16/2005 7:33:33 PM

Md/ Usa

Bibiography of Giant Tomato References

BOOKS:
How to grow giant vegetables / Bowcock, Colin 1980 p. 63-66

How to grow giant vegetables / Lavery, Bernard/ 1995 p.35-40

Magazines:
Organic gardening./ what to feed a giant/ 8/1972 pg 38-42

Southern living./Champion vegetables/Bender, Steve
10/1995 pg 94;

Organic gardening/Grow your biggest tomatoes ever!/ By: Chaplin, Lois Trigg./ Nov95, Vol. 42 Issue 8, p30, 6p, 9c;

Newspaper Articles
The Times London," Tomato weighing 4lb at show" Oct 5 1974 page 5

The Wisconsin State Journal, "Tomato earns fame for local gardener",
April 8, 1986 sec. 5 p. 7

The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, "Killer TOMATOES The man to beat Gordon Graham" June 11, 1993, sec P p.1.

The Oklahoman,"Tomato Growers Eyeing Record" , March 26 1993, p.97.

The Oklahoman, "Fe Fi fo that Tomato is Huge" March 23 1993, p.57.

The New York Times," A Tomato Champion Wins Again; 'Anyone can do it,' says a grower of giant tomatoes." .: Sep 25, 1994. pg. N_J_9, 1 pgs

The New York Times,"In Long Branch, She Grows Tomatoes the Size of Footballs; ON THE MAP" Jun 23, 1996. pg. NJ3, 1 pgs

The New York Times,"That's One Big Tomato, And It Wins a Prize",Sep 6, 1998. pg. NJ5, 1 pgs
TV Transcripts
CBS THIS MORNING, "Gordon Graham, Grower of the Worlds Biggest Tomato"
March 28 1990 (7:00 am)

1/16/2005 7:33:41 PM

Rockford,il

Uh thanks, I think.Did not mean to irritate you by asking about tomato seeds.I did join the group gianttomatogrowing and it was kind of worthless (posts wise.)I did buy a book "How To Grow World Record Tomatoes"by Charles Wilber.It did not cover seeds though.I have the soil,fertilizing ,plant supports and watering figured out. I just needed some info on seeds.Wadewi E-mailed me with some good advice on some seeds and I appreciate everyones help.

1/16/2005 9:38:08 PM

Ottawa, Ohio

If you want to try something thats fun. Grow perfect tomatoes! Grow 1 pounders or so and try to get three perfect ones that are exactly alike. Now that's growing tomatoes. If you really want to make it fun enter them into a local fair. You'll have to follow their rules maybe you'll need 5 instead of three but its very rewarding. Just imagine 3 perfect tomatoes no cracks, no blemishes, and just a pin dot for the blossim end.

As for big zacs they are big and ugly not worth eating. I like delicious better. Still Ugly

Check Totally Tomatoes they have a lot of large varieties...

1/16/2005 11:07:14 PM

Md/ Usa

A few points.
1.I have not seen you post question on the gianttomatogrowing group.
2. Charles Wilber concentrated on growing large plants not big tomatoes.
3. As for choice of giant varieties Big Zac, Burpee’s Delicious and Beefsteak are your best bets. They can be easily bought out of the Totally tomatoes catalog.
4. On thing you did not mention is your pruning and fruit rouging which is very important in growing giant tomatoes.

1/16/2005 11:26:04 PM

Cologne / Germany

"not worth eating", that´s the point. Is there any sort of giant vegetable you would consider worth eating? Do they look for taste at these contests or only for size?
I had giant kohlrabi last year, very hard to prepare and taste was below average. My family never liked big tomatoes, the smaller the size the better the taste. Might be different with big tomatoes if you live in a hot area though.

1/17/2005 6:24:04 AM

Appalachian Mtns.

Yo Matfox, lighten up! He's just someone asking about freakin' tomatoes, not to be interogated....geez.

1/17/2005 6:29:43 AM

Long Island,New York

Well...Ive grown big zacs...and I've eaten Big Zacs. Big Zacs are just as awesome as any other large beefsteak tomato....sweet, not acitic, and juicy. The shape makes them a challenge for more than one huge sandwich slice but I'd grow them just for eating without a second thought.

1/17/2005 8:30:28 AM

Hilpoltstein, Bavaria, Germany

I have to disagree with you, Ingo.

The beefsteak type tomatoes are my favourite ones. Far better than regular sized ones or cherry tomatoes. I love their taste! Big Zacs are the best, Delicious, Watermelon Beefsteak, and a few others are great as well.

The giant Kohlrabis that I grow are our family's favourite type by far - tasty, tender, not stringy, etc.

The giant onions are very mild in taste, again our favourite type.

Martin

1/17/2005 8:53:14 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Hey Matfox. I appreciate all the references you listed and I really would like to read them. But, how do I go about getting something like "The Times London," Tomato weighing 4lb at show" Oct 5 1974 page 5" or some of the others. They are not available to me. Also, when someone says, "The seeds are not as good as they used to be." what does that mean? Delicious is open pollinated and Big Zac is a hybrid. Are you saying there has been a change in either or both of the seeds? I am a pumpkin grower, not a great one, trying to maybe grow a big tomato. I have read a lot and tried last year to grow a big tomato. I want to do better this year than last and need to do more and different than I did last year. Why was Graham never heard of again after his world record tomato years ago?

1/17/2005 12:08:47 PM

Md/ Usa

Well gordan graham died in late 1990's before that was a spokesperson for the miricle grow $100,000 giant tomato contest in the late 90's. He did an interveiw CBS THIS MORNING, "Gordon Graham, Grower of the Worlds Biggest Tomato" March 28 1990 (7:00 am)
the london times and The Wisconsin State Journal articles it is no big deal. All the articles can be gotten though interlibrary loan. The articles may cost you a $1 or such to get though this method.

1/17/2005 3:56:46 PM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

Matfox:
Thanks for the information. I'll see what the library here can do for me. Of all the references you have mentioned, are there any that are particularly good? I have found that most things written about giant tomato growing are not especially helpful. Even books like Ortho's "All About Tomatoes" don't address trying to grow a big tomato. The book by Bernard Lavery about giant vegetables doesn't have that much in it about tomatoes. Another book often mentioned, and I can't recall the name, written by a guy down South is more about getting more tomatoes per plant than getting a big tomato. The Storey Book sold by Totally Tomatoes also doesn't address giant tomatoes. Is there one superior article you know of or one book with all the secrets of getting a big tomato?

1/17/2005 4:28:13 PM

Rockford,il

Matfox:
thanks a lot for the info on reading material.It will help a lot.By the way what is your heaviest tomato and how many years of trying did it take to grow your largest.
Phil

1/17/2005 5:18:30 PM

canal winchester ohio

If I had to choose just one seed to grow it would be the Zac's. They taste great,weigh heavy & are pretty hardy plants. I had about a dozen extra Big Zac plants last spring & passed them out to friends, they're already bugging me about if they are getting any this season. I have no personal best when it comes to tomatoes, but I pick 4+ lb'rs when I make my salsa.............Paul

1/17/2005 7:11:25 PM

Montoursville, PA

I had the same experience as Paul with one added attraction.

My resident deer population loved Big Zak over all others. I shall grow a couple of Big Zaks as a method of keeping the deer happy and away from other choices I grow.

1/17/2005 8:04:14 PM

Md/ Usa

outofmyguord i got 3.5lb my first time going for big ones but due timing problem I could enter it in the fair.

1/17/2005 10:52:08 PM

Ottawa, Ohio

Sorry, I didn't mean that the Big Zac's taste bad.. I was just referring to all of the core and other non edible matter that this variety has....As for the size deal I would rather have a 2 or 3 pound tomato that is 90% + edible than a 4+ pounder that is only 50% edible. I've taken lots of tomatoes to the fair and you get more people talking about the big perfect tomatoes than the huge ugly ones. Some people don't even know what those big things are..... Plus it ten times harder to get the perfect ones than the ugle ones. My goal with big tomatoes are to get them as big as possible with as little core as possible.

1/18/2005 1:31:28 AM

Montoursville, PA

I frequently can be found sucking, on the odd, or less known things. I like the open polinated Herritage Tomatoes now showing, in nearly every garden catalog. The seed from these can be saved if you like. Many feel the herritage fruit are the finest one can eat.

This years Totally Tomatoes catalog features a mini tomatoe called Current. No fruit larger than a green pea or the tip, of your little finger. A hanging pot, of these, by the picnic table coupled with a good story as, to how hard I'm working, to hit five pounds, with this one will provide amusement, to me, all summer. :)

1/18/2005 11:14:13 AM

Cologne / Germany

Okay, maybe I used the wrong seeds. I´ll reserve 3 spots in my tomato house for the Big Zac´s if anyone can send some seeds to me (Martin?).

1/18/2005 12:07:57 PM

Md/ Usa

floh i can send you some burpee's delicious but only have enough big zac to cover my own needs.

1/19/2005 12:55:49 AM

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I have heard that Delicious is a seed variety and that it was originally developed by the Burgess Seed Company. Since it was first introduced apparently there have developed various strains of the seed. These strains all behave a bit differently. If your are growing Delicious, do you really need to be concerned about strains or is this not so and if it is so, where do I go to get a good strain?

1/31/2005 5:51:40 PM

Simi valley, ca

just a comment about taste, out of growing 20 different kinds, a beefmaster 2 lb was the best ever tasted!!!!!

2/1/2005 12:26:51 AM

Md/ Usa

Lubadub there are not different strains of delicious
what you want in burpees delicious sold by burpee in walmart and totally tomatoes not delicious from tomato growers supply which was a wrong variety(aka an unknown yellow)..

2/2/2005 1:42:19 PM