I am learning tomato knowledge from this thread all the time. I really want to try the big tomato (wish for 50 lbs:). So anybody can share/trade with me some big zac and porterhouse tomato seeds? I have a tomato seeds package from China, No name, F1, red, medium size. I also have chinese cucumber seeds.
New gardener

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If you look at this first page and look just above the first thread at the right you'll see a link to Exchanges and that would be the best place to post your wants and what you have to trade. That Forum was created especially for such tomato exchanges.

Hope that helps.

Carolyn

The first thing I would do is throw the Chinese tomato and cucumber seeds in the trash.

Sweet Slice is a excellent cucumber, Big Zac is supposedly THE largest tasty tomato, and there are several other large but tasty maters to grow for eating and canning. There are many tips on varieties here in the tomato forum. But remember, the soil is very important when trying to grow those 50 pounders. I recommend Earl's hole method for tomato growing. When growing for size, prune to one stem and thin to just one tomato per plant.

If you want to grow a big one then you must read the book

GIANT TOMATOES by Marvin Meisner. You might get your library to find it for you. Marvin advises that Big Zac are the best seeds and that you must use original f1 seeds. Later seeds just do not grow that big. You can purchase seeds from Totally Tomatoes. do a google search of totally tomatoes and it comes right up.

http://www.totallytomato.com/dp.asp?c=41&P=(64D877CB-5799-4882-AB62-998F5B3371AE)

The book explains all the details to help you do better.

I have my Big Zac seeds ready to plant. I will be trying for a big one and welcome everyone to join the fun.

There is much more to pruning to just one tomato per plant. It is an involved process to follow starting with the correct blossoms and then getting them to pollenate properly and not fall off the plant. The book explains the entire process in facinating details.

Best tomato book I have ever read. Big Zac is probably your best shot at getting a tomato over say 4 pounds. It is not magic but you need information. the book has the information you need to be really successful.

Here is a link that might be useful: Book

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: 4 lb Big Zac

Best tomato book I have ever read

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If one wants to grow large tomatoes, probably. I haven't read Marv's book and won't be since I have no interest in growing just large tomatoes b'c taste is really what's most important to me.

But there are several other good books out there as regards tomato culture, etc., that have a different focus. Just wanted to point that out.

Carolyn

I know one person who grew a 4.5 pound big zac in 2007 season. he sometimes posts here but not very often.

I don't plan on harpooning a whale ... but I'd still wouldn't pass over Moby Dick :::wink:::

pr

Thanks for all the great information. I already picture the gigantic tomaton in my backyard.

Carolyn: I know the rules. I just want to hit a bigger traffic by posting here.
tomatogreenthumb:"The first thing I would do is throw the Chinese tomato and cucumber seeds in the trash"
At the beginnning I thought what a silliest and most offensive suggestion I have ever got from this forum. Some people would be interested to grow some unknown veriaties from other continent. Then I found out you want to grow a 50lbs too from other thread. Maybe you just feel the competition. Then you tell me the secret of the soil. Now I think gardeners's emotion just run too high in the winter since we got nothing to do but just see the BIG tomatoes in our imagination.
Got to order seeds now since we have a cheaper resource.
Merry Christmas to all gardeners.
New gardener

I've met several recent immigrants from mainland China. Two of them own a very nice restaurant and have become naturalized citizens in the past year. They still travel to China on occasion to visit relatives and I asked them to bring me some seeds for the family's favorite tomato. I was given two packets chock full of seeds and told they will grow "very big, sweet, red tomato," and the couple both emphasized the "big" by cupping their hands as if they were holding regulation softballs. I can't wait to grow some of these seeds out in 2008.

newgardener..........first, the 50 lb. tomato was obviously just a joking comment (some folks dont have a sense of humor though).

throwing the Chinese seeds in the trash was a serious comment. You did not provide enough informatioin about either of them to give me personally the urge to plant them. So I told you what I would do with them....I don't speak for anyone else. There are, on the other hand, many varieties of tomatoes and cucumbers that are very well described available on the market for folks to order and hopefully get a tomato or cucumber that will more likely turn out to be suited to their own personal desires.

with a name like "newgardener" I figured the soil info. would be appreciated rather than criticized. By the way, I am only competiting with myself, and wish everyone, including you, super success with your gardening.

I was only trying to help a new gardener.....I won't make that mistake in here again........because this is my very last posting in this forum. NOW you can smile!

I was only trying to help a new gardener.....I won't make that mistake in here again........because this is my very last posting in this forum. NOW you can smile!

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The way I see it there was a misunderstanding to start with, you offered your own opinion, which anyone can do, based on less than complete information and you thought you were dealing with someone who was quite new to gardening.

Nothing is solved by your leaving, so please consider staying.

Carolyn

Carolyn: I know the rules. I just want to hit a bigger traffic by posting here.

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Being a new gardener and perhaps new to GW, I thought maybe you didn't know about the seed exchange, which is why I posted that information.

But you say you know the rules so perhaps I just didn't realize you had posted here before or I forgot that you had.

I was only trying to be helpful based on the problems we've had in the past re asking for seeds/trades in the main Forum and why Spike, when he was here, set up the Exchange folder in order to have all such threads in the Exchange area.

Sorry.

Carolyn

Ok now I really offend somebody. tomatogreenthumb,of course I know 50lb is a joke ( I think I got the number 50 from your old post). I was trying to write my whole post funny. I really appreciate your post about the soil, earl's hole method, definately not criticize. Please accept my apology if it made you think that way and please stay and keep posting. You are the expert and have good luck with tomato (the green thumb).
I will post next seed post on SSE page.

I am about half-way through this book (asked for it for Christmas) I like the idea of giant tomatoes but I do not like the idea of using 2-5 fussed blossoms to get there. To me a giant tomatoes means a single flower and true shape for that variety as I still want to eat and enjoy the 2-4 pound fruit. So for me I do not think the pursuit of the 5-7 pound tomatoes sounds very appealing I would however like to pursue a 2-3 pound regular shaped fruit so might try Big Zac and prune the fused blossoms sometime but next Year I think NAR will be my large tomato plant.

All the big tomatoes from NAR come from fused blossoms.

Fused blossoms are not bad of themselves. sometimes the tomato will still look perfect but still came from a fused blossom. I will post 2 pictures of 2 of Marvin's tomatoes.

This is a picture of Marvin up in Canada winning 3rd prize 2007. He was only a tiny bit smaller than first prize. Anyway his tomato is definitely nice round shape. I am 99% sure this is a Big Zac tomato at a little over 4.5 pounds.

This second tomato shows the idea of fused blossoms with a nice looking tomato. Not sure when this was grown. But you can count the symetrical fused portions.

All the big tomatoes from NAR come from fused blossoms.

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I'm sorry but I have a major problem accepting that.

I was the person who introduced that variety and have been growing it for many years and have yet to see a disfigured fused blossom fruit.

Yes, some of the early blossoms may be multiples,which is true for many large fruited varieties, but that's not the same as fused blossoms.

Dangould, who is saying that all the large fruits from NAR are from fused blossoms? I ask b'c I don't like misinformation being posted and wish to communicate with the person who claims that. Perhaps that person is not growing true NAR.

Carolyn

Okay ... I got a 20 dollar gift cert. for Barnes & Nobles for Christmas. Right after my 11:15 doctor's appt. this morning, I'm driving out there and cashing it in on Dr. Meisner's book. I hear it's an "order-and-pay-ahead" deal at B & N, so I might not have the book in hand for a few weeks, but ...

Then I'll know first hand what all the hullabaloo is about. Yes, I already have a preview of the "fused blossom" selection and development technique he teaches. But I'd like to know who said what about Neves Azorean Red fused blossoms because I have limited experience with NAR, but never saw a fused blossom on either the NAR plants or on the F1 Brandywine x NAR plants even though all said plants produced large and extra large fruit ... particularly the NAR plant which routinely made very large, SMOOTH tomatoes WITHOUT the pronounced, rough shouldered, lumpy appearance typical of the "beefsteak" types that develop globular locules and "fused" ovules.

First hand information always is preferable.

Bill