The very large tomato thread

[lubadub]

Attention all giant tomato growers! Soon it will be time to germinate some seeds for the next summer outdoor/greenhouse growing season. Some may be in the winter growing contest now. But, we all know, this is treading water while waiting for the summer sun to come. What seeds to grow? What to do differently? Will this be a really good weather year? Any new tactics regarding fertilizing, watering, pruning, supporting, or protecting your tomatoes? Biscuit is here in this forum and I am certain he will share with you some of his thoughts. And, for the last two years he has been leading the way. I know most of the questions, but, he seems to know most all of the answers. My big change this year will be trying to grow organically while at the same time attempting to balance the nutrients in my soil using the advice of Solomon, Astera, McKibbin and, of course, the reigning world champion Biscuitridge, who you now have access to. Anyone have experience with aerated compost tea, foliar feeding, brix readings, soil conductivity or plant tissue analysis or if these are of any real value? Soon the rubber will hit the road and we will be working our patches while seeking "the big one."

[lubadub]

Looks like nobody home here?

[ContainerTed]

Lubadub, there's a lot of us home here. I think this subject is a dream of most of us growers, but most of us don't have all the skills and technology to compete at the highest levels. Regardless, we all come here to see what is possible. So, there are a lot of folks "home". We just don't have much to add beyond our admiration of the ones who can compete.

[lubadub]

Is there any part of growing giant tomatoes anyone would like to hear about?

[ContainerTed]

Originally Posted by lubadub

Is there any part of growing giant tomatoes anyone would like to hear about?

Well, I, for one, would like to know if the biggest ones are grown only in some kind of container or in the ground (normal earth garden). Since most of us do some kind of "in earth" type of planting (raised beds, standard plow or till, and disc, etc.). Information on enhancing container growing might mean bigger yields or bigger fruit.

[jtjmartin]

Lubadub:

What about a beginner's primer. See if the big bug bites me!

I do single stem lean and lower usually. What method do you use? What are two giants that I could start with? Tips?

Jeff

[lubadub]

I am hoping that some of the other growers here will chip in because there are a lot of things that are controversial and I would like all of you to have access to different opinions. Someone asked about which seeds to grow. What is the best seed is a beefsteak tomato that has the tendency to form fused blossoms, the ones that give you a large tomato, since all large tomatoes like 9 pounds are made up of more than one tomato but fused together such that the skin is continuous. The varieties being grown now are Domingo, Big Zac F5 and above, Brutus Magnum, Delicious and MegaMarv. Big Zac and Domingo are the most favored at the moment. These can be obtained in seed auctions or friendly growers at BigPumpkins.com This year I will be growing mostly Big Zac and Domingo and some of the others but in smaller numbers. If you are going for a world record it is very unlikely you will be able to do that in a container though tomatoes around 5 pounds have been grown in pots.

[biscuitridge]

Originally Posted by jtjmartin

Lubadub:

What about a beginner's primer. See if the big bug bites me!

I do single stem lean and lower usually. What method do you use? What are two giants that I could start with? Tips?

Jeff

I'd say that you are already on the right track,you might want to try two leaders instead of one,and see how that works. Also you need good tilth in your soil, lighten it up so that the roots can spread out over a larger area,in order to get all the nutrients that are available.
Even moisture level is essential as well.
Watch for that fused blossom,and only set a large one,and then if something better shows up,don't be afraid to remove the smaller one or ones,I tend to wait till they are a pound or more before I remove everything else, it seems like if they are going to get BER, that they will get it before they reach a pound,not always but generally speaking.

[zipcode]

I don't grow for size, but if it's fused blooms you want I would cut stages one and two (the first two trusses) in single stem. The plant becomes crazy vegetative and will put some serious megablooms on third truss.

[lubadub]

It all begins with the seeds and so I started with that. Having the right seeds is basic. Biscuit added some thoughts on pruning, soil tilth and watering. These are all parts of the puzzle. The soil is so important. And the nutrients. Giant tomato growers with the most success are either fertigating, adding water soluble nutrients to the water they give the plants each day or growing organically. The organic people are feeding the soil and the chemists are feeding the plants. I believe each of these two groups feel their way is the best. To resolve this issue we need to look at the results. Which group is producing the biggest tomatoes? Of course there is more to it than the soil and nutrients but taking care of the soil and the method of providing the nutrients is a huge part of the puzzle.

[lubadub]

The soil is something you must address. Rototilling is a no no. Get yourself a long fork or a broad fork. Try not to disturb more than the top 2 or 3 inches of your soil except when you open it up in the spring by inserting and rocking your long fork back and forth in the ground to open it up while being sure not to turn the soil over. Don't kill the worms! Your nutrients should have been spread on top of the soil prior to doing this and then raked or forked into the top 2 or 3 inches of soil. Then stick the fork in and do the rocking. I feel these organic nutrients should have been chosen and added based on your soil test results using only organic amendments. In the past I used chemical fertilizers but no more.

[jtjmartin]

Thanks lubadub. I have Big Zac seeds so I'll give it a try this year. I use organic raised beds and never till so no changes there!

Because of bacterial wilt, I graft on to resistant rootstock. Would that "disqualify" my results in any way?

Jeff

[lubadub]

No, that would not be disqualifying.

[jtjmartin]

Thanks for the info though. A lot of the research on bacterial wilt is done in the tidewater area of Virginia … because the bw is such a problem here.

I could grow container - but it looks like that might limit the size too.

Jeff

[AKmark]

I have a couple sprouted, will sprout a couple more soon. Good luck this season everyone.