World’s Largest Tomato
By Michelle Fabio
Ever look at some of your larger tomatoes and wonder if they’d be in the running for the Guinness Book of World Records?
Well unless they’re over 7 pounds, 12 ounces—yes folks, that’s a good-sized newborn baby—you’re out of luck.
Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma, holds the honor of growing the world’s largest tomato, which he harvested from his backyard greenhouse back in 1986.
Graham grew it on the theory that if he kept letting the plant get bigger, it’d be strong enough to hold, you guessed it, a big tomato.
And the theory paid off, although not before a storm blew over the entire 12-14 foot vine into his cantaloupes. He gave up on the tomato plant, but the future world’s largest tomato had other ideas and just kept growing on its own until one day, it came time to free it from the vine.
In fact, the entire plant became record-setting when it grew to 53 feet and 6 inches, the longest tomato vine ever grown.
Graham was honored for his efforts by Miracle-Gro, who presented him with an identical in size, weight, and shape epoxy replica of his perishable feat; he jokes that it’s great fun traveling through airports with it, as it never ceases to confound personnel.
Not surprisingly, he also became the man to beat in Miracle-Gro’s $100,000 tomato-growing contest, but the closest competitors didn’t even come within a pound of Graham’s formidable fruit; the contest has since been discontinued, so now your only hope is to leap right into the hallowed halls of Guinness.
Best of luck!
September 5th, 2007 at 4:11 am
Wow! Now THAT is what I call a tomato! Seriously, if anyone follows my tips to growing a veggie garden at my blog grows a tomato that big, that would be absolutely amazing!
Was this a review in Guinness world records or did you find it somewhere else?
September 5th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
Interestingly, I couldn’t find info on this on the official Guinness site, but there are various news articles on it all over the Internet–and one of them says the grower believes his CB radio is partially responsible for such a looooong vine.
The plants closer to it grow larger than the ones that are farther away.
So perhaps that’s another tip
September 9th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
Hello tomato growers. This is Matthew Barcia. This past summer I helped organize NY Newsdays first tomato challenge. No I didn’t win any prize, however i grew a 1 pound 9 ounce Belgian Giant tomato. I did receive satisfaction of the several hundred Long Island tomato growers who challenged me.
September 10th, 2007 at 5:10 am
Wow Matthew! May not have been a prizewinner, but that sure is one big tomato! Congratulations!
September 12th, 2007 at 8:31 am
Hi Michelle. Greetings from Sydney, Australia.
You may like to read a story about the world’s second-largest tomato, just posted at http://engdev.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=380352&rel_no=1
Best wishes, Eric.
September 12th, 2007 at 9:59 am
GREAT article Eric! I can’t believe that last year someone came so close!
Thanks so much for sharing
August 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am
On August 16, 2008, this great tomato grower married Heather.
August 18th, 2008 at 9:15 am
Congrats Matt!
August 27th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
hi i just took my biggest tommato ever to the postoffice and had it weighed,, it weighed in at 1 lb.10.6 oz, it is a german original tommato not a hybred, im saving seeds from it and am going to try for the record next year have a great day marvin
August 27th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
here is my email address if you want to comment
August 28th, 2008 at 3:34 am
Congrats on the tomato! The post office workers must’ve been quite surprised to see what you bringing in to be weighed
September 25th, 2008 at 2:30 am
Here’s a 4-pounder my dad just pulled from his garden.
http://img254.imageshack.us/my.php?image=n50357050744092146298ll7.jpg
September 25th, 2008 at 3:43 am
WOW! Awesome Fad! Thanks so much for sharing
April 27th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
[...] If I’m Ragu spaghetti sauce, I’m holding a Guinness Book of World Record tomato growing contest. If I’m Park Seeds, I’m sending a free CFL with every purchase of $10 or more of my [...]
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:21 pm
The summer of 2009 was Long Islands worst tomato season.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
This past summer 2009 I had my worst tomato growing season.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Wow that is a big tomato.
May 9th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I miss my wife so much.
May 9th, 2010 at 9:58 am
I miss my wife
May 9th, 2010 at 10:00 am
Please come home
May 9th, 2010 at 10:18 am
I wish my wife would return, as I love her
May 14th, 2010 at 12:04 am
Heather Barcia I hope you read this. I love you and miss you.
Please beleive me.
May 15th, 2010 at 8:11 pm
I will do anything to have my wife return. My children and I miss you very much.
May 20th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
I miss you and love you so much
May 20th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
I would love to take my wife to Cold Spring Harbor
May 21st, 2010 at 9:29 am
Just planted my tomatoes. I’m aspiring to “big” things!
May 26th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Dear Heather, You have no idea how much I miss you, and love you.
May 26th, 2010 at 11:28 pm
Dear Heather, You have no idea how much I miss you, and love you. Three months ago you left me. We went to the movies after you originally left, out to lunch many times. You are my right arm. A piece of me is missing. I am enduring so much pain without you.
May 28th, 2010 at 2:42 am
Maybe she is confused my friend and fellow tomato fanatic.
Life is a strange place. Maybe something she has inside her needs to be resolved, maybe time will clear her mind - one way or other.
Stay busy, if it were meant to be - it will be. There is a cosmic fate that we can not alter or understand, so whatever was meant to be - will be.
Let not your heart be troubled.
July 13th, 2010 at 7:15 pm
Matt I am Heather’s boyfriend, she does not want you, she said stop calling her and get a life. I am doing Heather also. Ha.
July 15th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Remove all posts from may 2010 to present
July 26th, 2010 at 5:09 pm
I JUST HARVESTED THE BIGGEST TOMATO OUT OF MY FARM MY SON FOUND IT AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A JOKE MY WIFE PLAYED ON ME …….I SURE WASN’T I WEIGHED IN AT 6LB’S AND 3OZ’S DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THE RECORD IS? LATER I’LL PUBLISH PICTURES I’VE TOOK MANY OF THEM……
July 27th, 2010 at 4:29 pm
Get a Life Matt !! & move on !
August 1st, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Heather is a good person - whoever left that message is an idiot. She is the next thing to an angel on earth, so if she is back with you, bless you both - she never, EVER would have done anything like that.
I know her well enough to say that, Matt.
August 7th, 2010 at 10:13 am
I just one 3rd place for a tomatoe that weighed 2.12 nice tomatoe thou… at the fair in Nj
August 23rd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Matt, this woman is not for you. I don’t understand why some women are so evil and careless but they are. Don’t worry man, you will through these hard times. You have wonderful children and so many women want to be with you. Just don’t ever get married again because you obviously do not know how to pick them.
August 27th, 2010 at 9:24 am
dido tomato man !