Chapter 3
Selecting Your Seeds
There are numerous varieties of tomato seeds available that offer gardeners the opportunity to grow a giant tomato. Two of the varieties most commonly grown now are Big Zac and Domingo. Big Zac, a hybrid, can be purchased from Totally Tomatoes. Domingo, an heirloom, is available from numerous sources. Domingo presently holds the title for the heaviest tomato, 9.65 pounds grown by Steven and Jeanne Marley of Clinton, New York in 2019. Minnie Zaccaria of Long Branch, New Jersey has consistently grown large tomatoes up to and over 6 pounds using Big Zac, a hybrid developed by her. Other frequently grown varieties with the potential to produce a large tomato include, Brutus Magnum, Megamarv, 6 Pound Giant, Giant Belgium, Omar's Lebanese, Monster, Old Fashioned Beefsteak, and Ponderosa Pink to name but a few. Acquire your seeds from a reputable source. Try several different varieties, but be sure to include Domingo and Big Zac.
Grower Comments on Seed Selection
"I started with Beefsteak. I did not fully grasp how to prune a plant and my soil was not tuned up, but I did reach the 2.75 to 3 pound mark repeatedly. Later I tried Delicious but could not make the variety do anything worth continued effort. I did not start getting big fruit until I went to Big Zac. I was able to produce several 4 pound fruit on a single plant. As my pruning and timing have improved, my fruit size has increased." Ron W.
"We have had the best success with the Big Zac tomato variety, with many fruits weighing near or above 4 pounds. As far as other varieties, we have found that Brandywine produces tomatoes up to 3 pounds but not much above that weight. On the other hand, we tried Phil's Fantastic variety and we grew one tomato that weighed 4 pounds. We will try this variety again." Chris L.
Tomato Varieties Considered To Have Potential
Listed below are a few giant tomato varieties available along with their reported top weights. It is not known whether special growing techniques were used to reach these weights. There are other varieties with potential, some still without names. Keep in mind that most people you talk to about a big tomato consider that weighs one pound to be big. Also, when reading seed catalogs, remember that there is a tendency to exaggerate weight.
| Variety | Pounds |
|---|---|
| Domingo | 9.65 |
| Big Zac (hybrid) | 8 |
| Delicious | 7 |
| Brutus Magnum | 6 |
| MegaMarv | 6 |
| Italo | 5 |
| 6 Pound Giant | 4 |
| Phil's Fantastic | 4 |
| Slankard's | 4 |
| Monster | 3 |
| Italian Sweet | 3 |
| Mong | 3 |
| Beef Steak, Old Fashioned | 3 |
| Florida Pink | 3 |
| Orenberg Giant | 3 |
| Verna Orange | 3 |
| Burpee Supersteak (hybrid) | 3 |
| Big Rosy | 3 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| Big Red | 2 |
| Lithuanian | 2 |
| Omar's Lebanese | 2 |
| Zogalo | 2 |
| Brianna | 2 |
| Todd County Amish | 2 |
| Pineapple | 2 |
| Believe It or Not | 2 |
| Giant Belgium | 2 |
| Neve's Azorean Red | 2 |
| Dinner Plate | 2 |
| Champs of New Jersey | 2 |
| Persimmon | 2 |
| Jerry's German Giant | 2 |
| Brandywine, Sudduth Strain | 2 |
| Mortgage Lifter, Red | 2 |
| Polish | 2 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| Aussie | 2 |
| Provenzano | 2 |
| Large Pink Bulgarian | 2 |
| Watermelon Beefsteak | 2 |
| Polish Giant | 2 |
| Ponderosa Pink | 2 |
| German Red | 2 |
| Big Rainbow | 2 |
| Hillbilly | 2 |
A Brief Description of Varieties with Potential
These varieties are all indeterminate. The weights reported here come from various sources and may not be completely reliable. All are reported without knowledge of special growing techniques.
A deep, yellow to orange, beefsteak, heirloom named after a Russian woman. Some have been reported to reach up to 2 pounds, but usually less. This is a variety that Kent Whealy brought back from Russia on one of his collecting trips. It first became available in 1995.
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato which grows to 3 pounds. Also known as Red Ponderosa or Crimson Cushion. It is an old-time variety.
A red, beefsteak, heirloom tomato that grows to 2 pounds. Introduced by Ripley's.
A golden-red, bicolor, heirloom, beefsteak tomato with streaks of red running through the interior. Grows up to 2 pounds.
A red, oxheart, heirloom that produces 2 to 3 pound tomatoes.
A pink, heirloom tomato that grows over 3 pounds. Introduced by Underwood Gardens.
A red, beefsteak, hybrid tomato developed and introduced by Minnie Zaccaria which has won many giant tomato contests. Many have grown over 5 pound tomatoes, and Minnie, over 6 pounds. Offered exclusively by Totally Tomatoes. It has impeccable ancestors – a beautiful, red, heirloom beefsteak and a large, pink, beefsteak heirloom.
Brandywine, Pink, Sudduth Strain
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that had been in the Sudduth family of Tennessee for years. It produces tomatoes in the 2 pound range. This variety originally was obtained by tomato collector Ben Quisenberry from Mrs. Doris Sudduth Hill, whose family grew it for 80 years.
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that produces tomatoes in the 2 pound range. One grower reported a tomato over 5 pounds which was made into tomato juice before being weighed.
A red beefsteak tomato grown more commonly in Canada. I grew a 6.25 pound tomato using these seeds.
A pink, oxheart heirloom of Italian origin with fruits weighing in at 2 plus pounds. Also known as Cuore De Toro.
A pink, heritage, beefsteak tomato introduced by the Burgess Seed Company in the early 1950's that produces tomatoes in the 2 pound range.
A 1955 introduction from Burgess Seed Company. It is an open pollinated tomato whose parentage includes Marglobe and Bonny Best. May grow to 2 pounds
Tipping the scales at up to three lbs. plus.
A red, hybrid beefsteak that produces tomatoes well over 2 pounds.
A red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato of French origin that has been grown to 3 pounds.
A red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato introduced by Burpee in 1979 that produced a world record 7 pound, 12 ounce tomato in 1986 by Gordon Graham. The variety is widely grown by giant tomato growers with varying results. Some growers feel there are now differences in seed from one source to another, and that one has to be certain that the Delicious seed they are growing is one that still has the ability to go big.
A red, heart-shaped, radially-flattened, heirloom tomato that can reach 2 pounds. Introduced by James Stokes and said to produce tomatoes as big as a dinner plate.
A red tomato with a very pleasing taste that has produced tomatoes exceeding 9 pounds.
Other images of the Domingo tomato variety...
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato weighing up to 2 pounds.
A dark-pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that grows to 3 pounds. It was discovered by Mrs. Williams near Friendly, WV, growing in a pile of debris following the Great Flood of 1884.
A light-pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato said to grow up to 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that produces tomatoes up to 2 pounds.
A red, heirloom tomato of Amish origin that reaches up to 2 pounds.
A pink, heirloom beefsteak that has been said to reach 3 to 5 pounds. Very popular.
A red, beefsteak, heirloom tomato that produces tomatoes up to 3 pounds. It is a favorite that dates back to the late 1880's. First introduced in the United States by Heirloom Seeds.
A bicolor, orange-yellow with red streaks, heirloom variety from West Virginia in the 1800's that grows up to 2 pounds.
A pink, slightly oval, heirloom that originated in Hungary and can attain 2 pounds.
A red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that can reach up to 3 pounds.
A red, oxheart, heirloom tomato coming from Canada by way of Italy that has grown up to 5 pounds. Introduced by Italo Santangelo.
An heirloom, beefsteak tomato that comes in two color phases, either a deep-pink, or a yellow with red stripes, that can reach up to 3 pounds.
An orange, beefsteak, West Virginian heirloom by Darrel Kellog, a railroad supervisor, who received it from a friend. Produces tomatoes up to 2 pounds.
A golden, red-streaked, beefsteak heirloom from the 1800's. Reaches 2 pounds.
A red beefsteak tomato grown mostly in Canada. I have grown several tomatoes over 5 pounds with this variety. I think it can do better.
A dark-pink, heirloom beefsteak that can weigh up to 3 pounds. Reportedly brought to the U.S. by a Mexican family. The plants produce large (1 to 2-3/4 pound), dark-pink fruits.
A red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that reaches 3 pounds. Mong could be short for humongous.
A red, heirloom beefsteak that originated in Canada that easily reaches 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato that reaches 2 pounds.This has been a popular variety since it was developed in the 1930's. The legend of this tomato is that it was developed by M. C. Byles of Logan, West Virginia. He crossed German Johnson, Beefsteak, English and Italian varieties, selecting the largest specimens. He then sold plants for $1.00 each and paid off his mortgage in four years.
A golden-yellow, with pink to red stripes, heirloom that reaches up to 2 pounds introduced in 1985. It is a Mennonite family heirloom from the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
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A pink to red, heirloom beefsteak that grows as large as 3 to 4 pounds. It is a family heirloom from farmers of the Lebanese hills brought to the U.S. by a student.
A creamy-golden, heirloom, beefsteak tomato growing up to 2 pounds introduced in 1982.
A red, heirloom beefsteak capable of producing tomatoes over 4 pounds. It was given to Ray Waterman by Phil Lillie.
A yellow, heirloom tomato with red streaks from Ohio that grows up to 2 pounds.
A pink, beefsteak heirloom that reaches 2 pounds.
A golden-orange, with red streaks, heirloom which can attain 2 pounds.
A red, beefsteak heirloom that can reach 2 pounds or more.
A red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato capable of producing 4 pound tomatoes.
A pink, semi-heart-shaped, heirloom that can grow up to 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom tomato that can reach 2 pounds.
A pink, heirloom beefsteak from the Tidwell family of Tennessee who have been growing it since the 1920's. Average fruit sizes range from 1 to 2 pounds. Suckering the plants can result in fruits weighing more than 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom beefsteak that produces tomatoes up to 2 pounds.
An orange-yellow, heirloom oxheart that may reach 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom beefsteak dating back to the late 1800's that produces tomatoes weighing up to 3 pounds.
A pink, heirloom, beefsteak tomato developed in the 1920's that produces up to 2 pound tomatoes. Named for the many contests it won.
A crimson-red, heirloom, beefsteak tomato said to grow in the 2 to 3 pound range.
Grower Comments on Seed Selection
"If I only had one variety I could grow I would go with the Big Zac, the best tomato I've ever grown. On plants I grow strictly for cooking I've had them set in clusters of 3 with each going 3+ pounds each. And when pruning down to just a few, 4 and 5 pounders are easily obtainable. The other one I've had very good success with is the Delicious variety. Others I have grown but show no sign of giving me large tomatoes are Watermelon Beefsteak, Mortgage Lifter, Giant Belgium, Dinner Plate and Polish Giant. These all produced nice tomatoes but only 2 to 3 pounds tops. Of the plants I plan to grow next season 75% will be Big Zac with the remaining 25% going to Delicious." Paul H.
"Since the first edition of this book was printed I have experimented with several newfound varieties of seed. Megamarv is one that I have now grown 5 or 6 tomatoes over 5 pounds with the last 2 seasons. Phil and Jane hunt of Canada grew a tomato over 7 pounds with Delicious. I got seeds from them and grew a 6.5 pound tomato. Others have had success with this seed now being referred to as the Hunt strain of Delicious. These seeds are worth a try if you have access to them." Marv M.
What is an Heirloom?
There exists a spectrum of definitions for, "What is an heirloom tomato?" Toward one end of the spectrum an heirloom tomato is defined as an open pollinated (OP) variety grown before 1940, when hybrids were first introduced, that has usually been passed down through a single family for generations.
Open pollinated, or OP plants, refers to varieties that are capable of producing seeds that when planted will produce seedlings just like the parent plant. All heirlooms are open pollinated varieties but not all open pollinated varieties are heirlooms.
At the other end of the spectrum the term heirloom is used to refer to any OP variety that has a known heritage and some particular value, usually taste.
Plant breeders cross breed compatible types of plants in an attempt to create a plant with the best features of both parents. These are called hybrids and many of our modern plants are the result of these crosses. Plants grown from the seed of a hybrid will not necessarily produce seedlings just like the parent plant and so hybrids are not open pollinated. However, plants grown from a hybrid's seeds repeatedly selected for a certain characteristic may stabilize and become an open pollinated variety.
Standard vs. Hybrid
A standard tomato is, in the simplest sense, an open-pollinated variety, which means that saved seed sown the next year will give you the same variety tomato as the one from which you saved the seed – unless natural cross-pollination or a mutation occurred. A hybrid tomato is one resulting from a cross having been made between two distinct parents, often heirlooms. Seeds saved from hybrid tomatoes do not necessarily produce the same variety as the tomato from which the seed was saved.
